Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun;46(3):311-316.
doi: 10.1007/s40596-021-01514-y. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

The Development and Current Status of Subspecialty Training and Certification in Addiction Psychiatry

Dorthea Juul  1 , William F Haning 3rd  2 , Robert J Ronis  3 , Larry R Faulkner  4
Affiliations

The Development and Current Status of Subspecialty Training and Certification in Addiction Psychiatry

Dorthea Juul et al. Acad Psychiatry. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This article describes the evolution of subspecialty training and certification in addiction psychiatry. The impact of the newer subspecialty in addiction medicine is also addressed.

Methods: Information about programs and trainees was obtained from records of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Information about addiction psychiatry certification was obtained from the records of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). Information about the addiction medicine subspecialty was obtained from the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Results: In AY 2020-2021, there were 53 addiction psychiatry programs with 92 fellows, and the numbers of each have increased over the past 5 academic years. The total number of addiction psychiatry certificates awarded through 2020 was 2806. Three years after addiction medicine programs were first accredited, there were 83 programs with 149 fellows. Thus far, 3282 addiction medicine certificates have been awarded, 1275 (38.8%) of them to ABPN diplomates.

Conclusions: In the 30 years since addiction psychiatry received subspecialty recognition, the numbers of training programs and fellows have grown steadily and are continuing to increase. Recently, the numbers of training programs and fellows in the newer subspecialty of addiction medicine have grown rapidly with substantial psychiatry involvement in addiction medicine training and certification programs. Nonetheless, it is apparent that the need for specialists with expertise in substance use disorders will far exceed the supply for the foreseeable future.

Keywords: Addiction medicine; Addiction psychiatry; Board certification; Fellowship training; Subspecialty training.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ronis R. Addiction psychiatry. In: Aminoff MJ, Faulkner LR, editors. The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology: looking back and moving ahead. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2012. p. 119–27.
    1. Galanter M. The development of fellowship training in addiction psychiatry. Am J Addict. 2020;29(5):378–82. - DOI - PubMed
    1. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Certification examination in addiction psychiatry 2020 content blueprint. Available at https://www.abpn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2020_Addiction_Psychiatr... . Accessed 14 July 2020.
    1. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Maintenance of certification examination in addiction psychiatry 2020 content blueprint. Available at https://www.abpn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2020_Addiction_Psychiatr... . Accessed 14 July 2020.
    1. Faulkner LR, Juul D, Andrade NN, Brooks BA, Colenda CC, Guynn RW, et al. Recent trends in American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology psychiatric subspecialties. Acad Psychiatry. 2011;35(1):35–9. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources