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. 2019 Dec 1;70(12):1168-1171.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201800582. Epub 2019 Sep 10.

The Opioid Epidemic and Psychiatry: The Time for Action Is Now

Mary F Brunette  1 , David W Oslin  1 , Lisa B Dixon  1 , David A Adler  1 , Jeffrey Berlant  1 , Matthew Erlich  1 , Michael B First  1 , Beth Goldman  1 , Bruce Levine  1 , Samuel Siris  1 , Helena Winston  1
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The Opioid Epidemic and Psychiatry: The Time for Action Is Now

Mary F Brunette et al. Psychiatr Serv. .

Abstract

The number of people with opioid use disorder and the number of overdose deaths in the United States have increased dramatically over the past 20 years. U.S. Congress passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which was signed into law in 2018, authorizing almost $8 billion to address the crisis. As experts in the treatment of central nervous systems disorders, psychiatrists can play a leading role in expanding treatment for people with opioid use disorder and in advocating for policy changes to support community treatment for this group.

Keywords: Administration and management; Alcohol and drug abuse; Buprenorphine; Opioid; Psychiatry.

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