Category: Policy

1 in 5 Russian men die of alcohol-related causes

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

The scale of the alcohol problem in Russia is stunning: Today, according to the World Health Organization, one in five men in the Russia Federation die due to alcohol-related causes, compared with 6.2 percent of all men globally. In 2000, in her article “First Steps: AA and Alcoholism in Russia,”Patricia Critchlow estimated that some 20 million … Continue reading 1 in 5 Russian men die of alcohol-related causes

As the ACA expands coverage for addiction, can the system deliver?

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 1 Comment

The AP recently ran an article looking at the horizon for addition treatment under the Affordable Care Act expansion in insurance coverage: The surge in patients is expected to push a marginal part of the health care system out of church basements and into the mainstream of medical care. Already, the prospect of more paying patients … Continue reading As the ACA expands coverage for addiction, can the system deliver?

NIMH acknowledges that antipsychotics worsen prospects for long term recovery

~ Jason Schwartz

Thomas Insel, the Director of the National Institute on Mental Health comments on a recent study of the long term effects of antipsychotic maintenance for schizophrenics. The study looked at patients who discontinued antipsychotics compared to those who were maintained on antipsychotics. ...by seven years, the discontinuation group had achieved twice the functional recovery rate: … Continue reading NIMH acknowledges that antipsychotics worsen prospects for long term recovery

6 sessions of chronic care management for addiction is not effective

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 2 Comments

JAMA published a study of a primary-care based chronic care management model (CCM) for addiction. The test group did no better than the control group. The headline is a big bummer for any of us who want to see chronic disease models developed and implemented for addiction. What should we make of it? Many headlines … Continue reading 6 sessions of chronic care management for addiction is not effective

What should we think about e-cigarettes?

~ Jason Schwartz ~ 4 Comments

Motherlode notes a trend in e-cigarettes and is concerned: I was standing outside our neighborhood ice cream shop one recent evening when I noticed a plume of smoke rise above a gaggle of teenagers waiting in line ahead of me. “Wow,” I thought, “that takes some serious chutzpah.” These kids were smoking in public without … Continue reading What should we think about e-cigarettes?