Implications of the Opioid Crisis for the American Disability Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-274
Author(s):  
Mykal J. Leslie ◽  
Kathleen Sheppard-Jones ◽  
Malachy L. Bishop
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rehabilitation Counseling ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Opioid Crisis ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe profession of rehabilitation counseling has long been responsive to emerging disabilities. To date, however, the profession's attention and response to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States has been incommensurate with the scope and detriment of opioids and opioid use disorder (OUD) on Americans with disabilities. The opioid crisis, including the overuse, abuse, and overdose rates associated with prescription and illegal opioids, affects people of all ages and backgrounds. However, people with disabilities are at increased risk for developing OUDs, and they experience greater barriers to OUD treatment than people without disabilities.MethodThis article describes the origins and development of this crisis, the relationship between disability and increased risk for OUD, and the barriers to treatment that exist. We then evaluate the role of rehabilitation counseling, including the need for further action in advocacy, research, education, and policy.Results and ConclusionsThroughout this article, we encourage a more urgent and concerted response than seems to be the case presently.

scholarly journals Naltrexone Implant for Opioid Use Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62
Author(s):  
Amber N. Edinoff ◽  
Catherine A. Nix ◽  
Claudia V. Orellana ◽  
Samantha M. StPierre ◽  
Erin A. Crane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Endogenous Opioids ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Opioid Agonist ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Health Related

The continued rise in the availability of illicit opioids and opioid-related deaths in the United States has left physicians, researchers, and lawmakers desperate for solutions to this ongoing epidemic. The research into therapeutic options for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) began with the introduction of methadone in the 1960s. The approval of oral naltrexone initially showed much promise, as the drug was observed to be highly potent in antagonizing the effects of opioids while producing no opioid agonist effects of its own and having a favorable side effect profile. Patients that routinely take their naltrexone reported fewer days of heroin use and had more negative drug tests than those without treatment. Poor outcomes in OUD patients treated with naltrexone have been directly tied to short treatment time. Studies have shown that naltrexone given orally vs. as an implant at the 6-month interval showed a higher non-compliance rate among those who used oral medications at the 6-month mark and a slower return to use rate. There were concerns that naltrexone could possibly worsen negative symptoms seen in opiate use disorder related to blockade of endogenous opioids that are important for pleasurable stimuli. Studies have shown that naltrexone demonstrated no increase in levels of anxiety, depression and anhedonia in participants and another study found that those treated with naltrexone had a significant reduction in mental health-related hospitalizations. The latter study also concluded that there was no increased risk for mental health-related incidents in patients taking naltrexone via a long-acting implant. Although not yet FDA approved in the United States, naltrexone implant has shown promising results in Europe and Australia and may provide a novel treatment option for opioid addiction.

scholarly journals Methadone Distribution Trends from 2017-2019 in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Furst ◽  
Nicholas J. Mynarski ◽  
Kenneth L. McCall ◽  
Brian J. Piper
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Drug Enforcement ◽  
The Us

AbstractObjectiveMethadone is an evidence based treatment for opioid use disorder and is also employed for acute pain. The primary objective of this study was to explore methadone distribution patterns between the years 2017 and 2019 across the United States (US). This study builds upon previous literature that has analyzed prior years of US distribution patterns, and further outlines regional and state specific methadone trends.MethodsThe Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS) was used to acquire the number of narcotic treatment programs (NTPs) per state and methadone distribution weight in grams. Methadone distribution by weight, corrected for state populations, and number of NTPs were compared from 2017 to 2019 between states, within regions, and nationally.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2019, the national distribution of methadone increased 12.30% for NTPs but decreased 34.57% for pain, for a total increase of 2.66%. While all states saw a decrease in distribution for pain, when compared regionally, the Northeast showed a significantly smaller decrease than all other regions. Additionally, the majority of states experienced an increase in distribution for NTPs and most states demonstrated a relatively stable or increasing number of NTPs, with an 11.49% increase in NTPs nationally. The number of NTPs per 100K in 2019 ranged from 2.08 in Rhode Island to 0.00 in Wyoming.ConclusionAlthough methadone distribution for OUD was increasing in the US, there were pronounced regional disparities.

Suicide in the Medical Patient

1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B. MacKenzie ◽  
Michael K. Popkin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Patient ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Illness ◽  
Medical Procedures ◽  
Black Females ◽  
White Males ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Suicidal Patients ◽  
The Relationship

According to the statistical abstract of the United States for 1982–1983, there were 1,913,800 deaths in the United States in 1979 [1]. Twenty-seven thousand, or 1.4 percent of those deaths were by suicide, yielding a suicide rate of 11.9/100,000/year. The rate was highest (39.2/100,000) for white males sixty-five years and over and lowest (0.1/100,000) for black females between five and fourteen years. It is generally accepted that physical illness is a risk factor for suicide. If this is true, then in caring for persons with significant physical illness, physicians are dealing with a population at increased risk of suicide. In its opening section, this article will review the evidence that points to a positive correlation between suicide and physical illness. Next the association between specific illnesses, such as peptic ulcer and cancer, and suicide will be examined. Third, risk factors associated with the occurrence of suicide in medical-surgical hospitals will be reviewed. Fourth, the occurrence of suicide in relationship to medical procedures will be discussed. Fifth, the evaluation and management of suicidal patients in medical settings will be briefly considered. This review will not consider the relationship between physical illness and attempted suicide.

Values and Political Predispositions in the Age of Polarization: Examining the Relationship between Partisanship and Ideology in the United States, 1988–2012

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert N. Lupton ◽  
Steven M. Smallpage ◽  
Adam M. Enders
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Mass Public ◽  
Election Studies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

The correlation between ideology and partisanship in the mass public has increased in recent decades amid a climate of persistent and growing elite polarization. Given that core values shape subsequent political predispositions, as well as the demonstrated asymmetry of elite polarization, this article hypothesizes that egalitarianism and moral traditionalism moderate the relationship between ideology and partisanship in that the latter relationship will have increased over time only among individuals who maintain conservative value orientations. An analysis of pooled American National Election Studies surveys from 1988 to 2012 supports this hypothesis. The results enhance scholarly understanding of the role of core values in shaping mass belief systems and testify to the asymmetric nature and mass public reception of elite cues among liberals and conservatives.

The Opioid Crisis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aryana Bryan ◽  
Valerie Hruschak ◽  
Cory Dennis ◽  
Daniel Rosen ◽  
Gerald Cochran
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Prescription Opioid ◽  
Opioid Use

Opioid-related deaths by overdoses quadrupled in the United States from the years 1999 to 2015. This rise in mortality predominately occurred in the wake of historic changes in pain management practices and aggressive marketing of opioid medications such as oxycontin. Prescription opioid misuse and subsequent addiction spilled over to heroin and fentanyl for many. This drug epidemic differed from others in its impact among non-Hispanic whites, leading to drastic changes in how the United States views addiction and chooses to respond. This article offers an overview of opioid use disorder (OUD), its treatment and its relationship with pain. It also discusses special populations affected and provides insight into future directions for research and social work practice surrounding opioid management in the United States. Because of the profession’s emphasis on the person and social environment as well as its focus on vulnerable and oppressed populations, social work plays a critical role in addressing the crisis.

The rise of electronic nicotine delivery systems and the emergence of electronic-cigarette-driven disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (4) ◽  
pp. L585-L595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kielan Darcy McAlinden ◽  
Mathew Suji Eapen ◽  
Wenying Lu ◽  
Pawan Sharma ◽  
Sukhwinder Singh Sohal
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Increased Risk

In 2019, the United States experienced the emergence of the vaping-associated lung injury (VALI) epidemic. Vaping is now known to result in the development and progression of severe lung disease in the young and healthy. Lack of regulation on electronic cigarettes in the United States has resulted in over 2,000 patients and 68 deaths. We examine the clinical representation of VALI and the delve into the scientific evidence of how deadly exposure to electronic cigarettes can be. E-cigarette vapor is shown to affect numerous cellular processes, cellular metabolism, and cause DNA damage (which has implications for cancer). E-cigarette use is associated with a higher risk of developing crippling lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which would develop several years from now, increasing the already existent smoking-related burden. The role of vaping and virus susceptibility is yet to be determined; however, vaping can increase the virulence and inflammatory potential of several lung pathogens and is also linked to an increased risk of pneumonia. As it has emerged for cigarette smoking, great caution should also be given to vaping in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, e-cigarettes are continually promoted and perceived as a safer alternative to cigarette smoking. E-cigarettes and their modifiable nature are harmful, as the lungs are not designed for the chronic inhalation of e-cigarette vapor. It is of interest that e-cigarettes have been shown to be of no help with smoking cessation. A true danger lies in vaping, which, if ignored, will lead to disastrous future costs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document