You are evaluating a 16-year-old boy referred for mandated substance use treatment by his high school, where he was found drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis with a friend in the restroom.

Since they already often seem two steps ahead of us, with adolescents it can be really helpful to use direct routes. Be very specific in your questions. For example, don’t just ask, “Do you smoke?” Ask, “Are you using any nicotine products? What are you using in your vape?”

As medical and recreational marijuana become legalized in more states, more emphasis is being placed on treatment of those with cannabis use disorders. But with our clinics already at capacity, how can we find the most efficient way of providing therapy?

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a common condition with high treatment costs and significant morbidity and mortality. In 2015, an estimated 30.2 million American adults had T2D. Diabetes can be comorbid with other behavioral health disorders (BHDs), and this can lead to additional costs and increased morbidity and mortality risk.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

The post-test for this issue is available for one year after the publication date to subscribers only. By successfully completing the test you will be awarded a certificate for 1 CME credit.

It can be challenging to manage chronic pain, even more so when our patients suffer from addiction. We can find ourselves walking a tightrope between the risk of relapse due to the inadequate treatment of pain, and the risk of relapse due to the use of opioid analgesics.

Dosages matter. The risk of death from an overdose with patients prescribed at least 100 mg daily morphine equivalent is about 7 times higher than a patient prescribed less than 20 mg of morphine a day.

All pain is real. It’s just a question of whether that pain is being triggered by a physical injury or by something else. Studies show that emotional injury activates the same areas of the brain as does physical injury.

New evidence suggests that the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is higher than previously documented. In this study, prevalence estimates were derived from 13,146 first-grade children in four U.S. communities between 2010 and 2016.