Forbes (?!?!) covers Pat Deegan's efforts to empower mental health patients by guiding them into playing a larger role in their care decisions and participating in their health care records. ...I realized that we are at an important point in the history of medicine. Paper medical records are being replaced by digitized information organized into Electronic Health Records (EHRs). … Continue reading 50% of the equation
Category: Dawn Farm
Methadone and employment
These findings were characterized as "counterintuitive". Findings from multivariate analyses initially showed no association between treatment enrollment and employment transitions. However, when a distinction was made between MMT and other addiction treatment modalities, it became clear that the relationship between addiction treatment and employment outcomes for IDU in this setting was contingent upon the type … Continue reading Methadone and employment
A brain disease AND (fill in the blank)
Not addiction related, but a very interesting look at new directions for treating and understanding schizophrenia. The article opens by reflecting on where we stand with our attempts to understand the causes: ...the outcome of two decades of serious psychiatric science is that schizophrenia now appears to be a complex outcome … Continue reading A brain disease AND (fill in the blank)
Two stories on methadone
First, DEATHS among drug users have hit a record high in Scotland, increasing by a fifth in 2011, the latest government figures reveal. Last year 584 people died from drug use, which means that drugs now account for one in every 100 deaths in Scotland. The heroin substitute, methadone, was at the heart of the … Continue reading Two stories on methadone
A commercial note
For all of you Michigan addiction professionals, we are now offering distance CEs for all MCBAP certifications. We'd rather see you in person, where you can get CEs for free. But, if you can't make it, this is a great way to get recovery-oriented CEs pretty cheap. Spread the word!
Following the evidence
Ouch: Abstract: This paper raises the question about whether the data on the medications we call antidepressants justify the label of antidepressant. The authors argue that a true antidepressant should be clearly superior to placebo, should offer a risk/benefit balance that exceeds that of alternative treatments, should not increase suicidality, should not increase anxiety and … Continue reading Following the evidence
Failure to rescue
Atul Gawande found that hospitals have high rates of variance in post surgical complications but the reason is not what he expected. But there continue to be huge differences between hospitals in the outcomes of their care. Some places still have far higher death rates than others. And an interesting line of research has opened … Continue reading Failure to rescue
Primary care is good for recovery
Primary care visits are associated with better recovery outcomes: A yearly primary care visit was also positively associated with remission (OR, 1.39), as was continuing care (OR, 2.34), defined as: having at least 1 yearly primary care visit, completing substance abuse treatment or receiving further treatment, receiving alcohol or drug treatment when the alcohol or … Continue reading Primary care is good for recovery
One way?
A few weeks ago, The Fix posted one of its typical confessional pieces by a guy who had been in recovery and relapsed while writing a memoir/investigative report on opiate addiction in America. He talks about his attempts to keep it real in his book led to relapse, he went to treatment, got kicked out … Continue reading One way?
Transformation of the Culture of Recovery in America by William White
Bill White at the Dawn Farm Education Series:
Recovery Review 