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The Opioid Epidemic: Searching for Answers
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 31 (2017) 141
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu
Editorial
The Opioid Epidemic: Searching for Answers
We are all aware of the opioid epidemic in the United States. Estimates of opioid misuse have increased significantly over the past several decades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011), and continue to rise. There also is evidence in the literature regarding the effective treatment of opioid addiction through the combination of medications and other therapeutic approaches. Cognitive behavior therapy, group therapy, and other forms of psychotherapy are necessary along with detoxification and medication maintenance programs (ref). We know that it is important to provide therapy in order to prevent relapse. We know that it is important to help the individuals who are addicted to identify high-risk situations and alter their lifestyle to avoid relapse. Of course we also know that this is hard work, and requires therapeutic expertise for social and behavioral change. We also know that there are important environmental factors that require attention. And importantly the public policy dimensions require our attention. All in all, the challenges for psychiatric mental health nurses are great: teaching our students about the epidemic and the treatment approaches and outcomes that result in change, implementing therapeutic interventions for our patients and their families, actively participating in policy initiatives to address changes in our communities and states, monitoring our own profession, and assuring that we are aware of the most recent literature on substance use, misuse and addiction. There are key references that provide important information to all of us as we garner the most important recent knowledge about treatment and interventions. Connery (2015) provides a review of all of the medication-assisted treatments, and in her comprehensive review of the treatments compares the use of medications alone to the combination therapies. Franklin et al. (2015) provide a detailed view a statewide
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2017.02.005 0883-9417/© 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
approach to addressing the prescription opioid epidemic and describe their lessons learned. In one of the only published interventions preparing students in nursing to understand the opioid epidemic and to intervene, Dion (2016) describes an educational intervention with a small group of students. A review of all the therapies is provided on the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2017) website. We are aware that more research and information are necessary to provide comprehensive treatment and quality outcomes. In order to understand the wide array of programs that are being implemented across the scope of psychiatric mental health nursing, and around the world, we will be launching a special issue on the topic, to be published in 2018. We welcome your submissions for this special issue. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Vital signs: Overdoses of prescription opioid pain relievers-United States-1999-2008. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60, 1487–1492. Connery, H. S. (2015). Medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder: Review of the evidence and future directions. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 23(2), 63–75. Dion, K. A. (2016). Improving outcomes of opioid overdose: Preparing students to intervene. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 27(1), 7–11. Franklin, G., Sabel, J., Jones, C. M., Mai, J., Baumgarter, C., Banta-Green, C. J., ... Tauben, D. J. (2015). A comprehensive approach to address the prescription opioid epidemic in Washington state: Milestones and lessons learned. American Journal of Public Health, 105(3), 463–469. National Institute on Drug Abuse (2017). What are the treatments for heroin addiction? Available at https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports.gov
Joyce J. Fitzpatrick Editor
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu
Editorial
The Opioid Epidemic: Searching for Answers
We are all aware of the opioid epidemic in the United States. Estimates of opioid misuse have increased significantly over the past several decades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011), and continue to rise. There also is evidence in the literature regarding the effective treatment of opioid addiction through the combination of medications and other therapeutic approaches. Cognitive behavior therapy, group therapy, and other forms of psychotherapy are necessary along with detoxification and medication maintenance programs (ref). We know that it is important to provide therapy in order to prevent relapse. We know that it is important to help the individuals who are addicted to identify high-risk situations and alter their lifestyle to avoid relapse. Of course we also know that this is hard work, and requires therapeutic expertise for social and behavioral change. We also know that there are important environmental factors that require attention. And importantly the public policy dimensions require our attention. All in all, the challenges for psychiatric mental health nurses are great: teaching our students about the epidemic and the treatment approaches and outcomes that result in change, implementing therapeutic interventions for our patients and their families, actively participating in policy initiatives to address changes in our communities and states, monitoring our own profession, and assuring that we are aware of the most recent literature on substance use, misuse and addiction. There are key references that provide important information to all of us as we garner the most important recent knowledge about treatment and interventions. Connery (2015) provides a review of all of the medication-assisted treatments, and in her comprehensive review of the treatments compares the use of medications alone to the combination therapies. Franklin et al. (2015) provide a detailed view a statewide
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2017.02.005 0883-9417/© 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
approach to addressing the prescription opioid epidemic and describe their lessons learned. In one of the only published interventions preparing students in nursing to understand the opioid epidemic and to intervene, Dion (2016) describes an educational intervention with a small group of students. A review of all the therapies is provided on the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2017) website. We are aware that more research and information are necessary to provide comprehensive treatment and quality outcomes. In order to understand the wide array of programs that are being implemented across the scope of psychiatric mental health nursing, and around the world, we will be launching a special issue on the topic, to be published in 2018. We welcome your submissions for this special issue. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Vital signs: Overdoses of prescription opioid pain relievers-United States-1999-2008. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60, 1487–1492. Connery, H. S. (2015). Medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder: Review of the evidence and future directions. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 23(2), 63–75. Dion, K. A. (2016). Improving outcomes of opioid overdose: Preparing students to intervene. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 27(1), 7–11. Franklin, G., Sabel, J., Jones, C. M., Mai, J., Baumgarter, C., Banta-Green, C. J., ... Tauben, D. J. (2015). A comprehensive approach to address the prescription opioid epidemic in Washington state: Milestones and lessons learned. American Journal of Public Health, 105(3), 463–469. National Institute on Drug Abuse (2017). What are the treatments for heroin addiction? Available at https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports.gov
Joyce J. Fitzpatrick Editor