Minneapolis St. Paul Mental Health Blog

Mental Health | The lifetime prevalence of a substance use disorder (SUD) hovers around 20% in the general population. The lifetime prevalence of chronic pain is about the same.

Rates of both are much higher, however, in the psychiatric patient population.

As attention remains focused on opioid abuse, another drug epidemic rages outside the spotlight: inappropriate prescription of benzodiazepines.

Mental health Minneapolise | Clinicians were urged to combine pharmacologic treatments with counseling programs when treating substance use disorders (SUDs).

Many practitioners believe in using only one type of treatment, but that is a mistake, said Charles O’Brien, MD, PhD, Kenneth E. Appel Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Treatment Research Center in Philadelphia.

Adolescents who have a history of non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) have a greater risk of experiencing Substance Use Disorder (SUD).