Commentary

Commentary: A modern epidemic – the case for addiction medicine


 

References

Addiction medicine certification and specialization offer physicians an opportunity to demonstrate excellence and competence in the field, serve as expert consultants for colleagues, and provide patients and families with quality and equitable health care.

It is also a dynamic and exciting field to practice in right now, one in which we can make a significant impact on the nation’s number one public health problem.

Dr. Wakeman is medical director of the Substance Use Disorder Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston. She is a diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Board of Addiction Medicine. For more information on the ABAM certification exam, visit www.abam.net.

References

1. JAMA 2004;291:1238-45.

2. CDC. Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet. Available online at www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html.

3. The NSDUH Report: Substance Use and Mental Health Estimates from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Overview of Findings.

4. CASA Columbia. Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice. Available online at www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/addiction-medicine.

5. NIDA. Addiction Science: From Molecules to Managed Care. July, 2008. Available online at www.drugabuse.gov/publications/addiction-science/introduction.

6. Acad. Med. 2001;76:410-18.

7. CASA Columbia. Missed Opportunity: National Survey of Primary Care Physicians and Patients on Substance Abuse. April, 2000. Available online at www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/national-survey-primary-care-physicians-patients-substance-abuse.

8. Ann. Intern. Med. 2011;154:56-59.

9. Subst. Abus. 2013;34:363-70.

10. Am. J. Public Health 2013;103:917-22.

11. Addiction 2005;100:1690-700.

12. JAMA Intern. Med. 2014;174:1717-8.

Pages

Recommended Reading

Legislation aims to improve treatment of serious mental illness
MDedge Internal Medicine
Morphine synthesis finding paves way for new painkillers
MDedge Internal Medicine
WCD: Smoking tied to worse occupational hand eczema
MDedge Internal Medicine
VIDEO: Beware of dehydration, hyperthermia in drug-taking concert-goers, or ‘ravers’*
MDedge Internal Medicine
VIDEO: Watch for anxiety, other symptoms in cannabis users on anti-cannabinoids
MDedge Internal Medicine
VIDEO: Addiction-treatment workforce too small to cope with demand
MDedge Internal Medicine
VIDEO: How can opioid blocking help treat ‘food addiction’?
MDedge Internal Medicine
Heroin use up across demographic groups from 2002 to 2013
MDedge Internal Medicine
A serious catch-22 for doctors prescribing pain meds
MDedge Internal Medicine
Exposure to medical marijuana advertising increases usage risk in adolescents
MDedge Internal Medicine