The future of treatment-including addiction treatment-is biotechnological. Depot injections, agonist/antagonist implants, deep brain stimulation, and hapten conjugate vaccines are hailed by researchers and pharmaceutical manufacturers as medicine's best hope to minimize illicit use, to decrease risk of overdose and painful withdrawal, and to prevent diversion of medicines to illicit markets. Marketing and use of new technologies reveal old tensions framing concepts of addiction and its treatment: between medical condition and disorder of the will, between criminal justice and health, and between patient choice and system control. Using the examples of depot naltrexone and implantable and injectable buprenorphine in the U.S., this essay considers the arc of long-acting opioid treatment and implications for the future. These include the rise of Vivitrol courts and "carceral prescription"-where criminal justice systems mandate medicine to lock up brain receptors much as they might lock up people themselves-as well as use of buprenorphine formulations positioned as increasing both patient benefit and provider control. We also consider lessons from debates on long-acting contraceptive technologies such as Norplant and Depo-Provera. While multiple new long-acting formulations are under development, success will be determined less by characteristics of particular formulations and more by whether or not the new technologies are accompanied by a new ethics of addiction treatment that emphasizes therapeutic alliance, concordance over compliance, and a genuine commitment to allowing patients the ability to narrate and be believed in their descriptions of their treatment experiences.
Psychotherapy, on the other hand, seems like one of the most human of all activities, where personal interactions, either between patient and therapist, or between patient and patient, constitute the very core of the activity itself. The future in which technology can help us think about and address problem alcohol and drug use seems far-fetched and distant.
Technology And the Future of Addiction Treatment
The National Institutes of Health have recently supported a number of studies to design and test computerized systems to assist and augment in-person clinician provided treatments and help support recovery management. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are collaborating on a product to assist substance abuse treatment programs in adopting and implementing technology-assisted care.
Nevertheless, computer programs have their limitations. Their use still requires distribution and education, there are numerous outstanding questions about how best to integrate technology into existing treatment frameworks, and they cannot easily handle urgent and unusual situations. Skilled therapists provide a warm, connected treatment context that can never be fully replicated by devices alone. However, given the limitations on resources as well as certain advantages, such as potentially increased privacy and autonomy afforded by the computerized treatment options, we believe that these interventions can become a routine part of care delivery and implementation.
That does not mean the future of addiction treatment is not hopeful. It is. New ways of understanding addiction, new technologies, and new approaches to treatment are all already combining to make addiction treatment better than it used to be.
Perhaps the biggest challenge associated with addiction treatment in the coming years and decades is to ensure that everyone who needs treatment receives it. Currently, only about 10 percent of people with substance abuse disorders receive comprehensive addiction treatment. People die every day of preventable overdoses and long-term disease that results from addiction, and improving the situation means making treatment more accessible to more people. Here is some of what you may expect in the future of addiction treatment.
For example, though relapse is fairly common, when a relapse is treated in a timely manner with the appropriate therapeutic tools, addiction recovery can be realized once again. Just as the cancer patient whose remission ends for unknown reasons is aggressively treated once again, so can those with substance abuse disorder receive the life-saving treatment they need should they relapse.
The fact that substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are often co-occurring is widely known. Yet, treatment of mental illness can take a back seat when a person is struggling to detox from a substance and enter the addiction treatment process, and this needs to change.
One common relapse trigger is the significant life event, which can occur for reasons that have nothing to do with the addiction. When a loved one dies, or the economy crumbles, or natural disaster strikes, it is important to address the immediate crisis effectively, rather than waiting around to see if the person in recovery relapses. In other words, you simply cannot expect sustained good results if addiction treatment takes place in a metaphorical vacuum.
TUSTIN, CA -- (Marketwired) -- Nov 07, 2017 -- President Trump declares the opioid epidemic "a National public health emergency." Trump goes on to say "that ending the epidemic will require the resolve of our entire country." As a result of President Trump's statements, focus on safe and effective opioid addiction treatment has gained significant attention.
Nexalin has initiated pilot trials in addiction treatment centers around the United States for the treatment of opiate addiction. The pilot data indicates a significant reduction in cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with early recovery. Additional clinical observations indicated that patients in early sobriety were able to sustain their commitment to abstinence from drugs and alcohol including opiates. This success has prompted the undertaking of formal clinical trials designed to investigate Nexalin Technology as an alternative opiate addiction treatment.
Currently, Nexalin Technology is engaged in clinical trials designed by the University of Pennsylvania to study the effect of Nexalin in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional clinical trials will be designed by the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with the University of Arizona, utilizing Nexalin as a form of treatment for patients with opiate addiction. These new clinical trials will take place at Carrier Clinic in New Jersey.
Nexalin Technology's President and CEO, Randall Letcavage, stated: "Our mission is to improve the lives of those suffering from substance abuse disorder and depression." Mr. Letcavage further stated, "The Company supports President Trump's declaration that the opiate epidemic is a national emergency. With opiate addiction at record levels, Nexalin Technology will allocate additional resources to investigate the Nexalin treatment as an adjunctive therapy for substance abuse disorder with specific focus on opiate addiction."
Nexalin Technology was cleared by the FDA in 2003 as a safe and effective treatment for patients who suffer from anxiety, depression and insomnia. These are the same side effects associated with addiction that contribute to relapse. The Nexalin device emits a frequency-based waveform that interacts with structures of the mid-brain that regulate and stabilize the neurotransmitters associated with brain health. Nexalin consists of 15 to 20 treatments over a 3-4 week period. The treatment is comfortable and relaxing for all patients.
Mark White, Nexalin's Chief Operating Officer, commented: "Science indicates that addiction is a brain based disease. At Nexalin, we believe the treatment of addiction will begin in the brain, especially when opiates are the drug of choice. Pilot data and clinical trial design validates the importance of Nexalin as a brain based addiction treatment."
One of the largest independent, nonprofit behavioral healthcare facilities in New Jersey, Carrier Clinic specializes in psychiatric and substance abuse addiction treatment. We provide a complete array of expert care and education for adolescents, adults, and older adults on the inpatient and residential levels. Outpatient services are provided for ECT treatment and drug abuse addiction.
Virtual reality technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, transitioning from a niche corner of the tech world into a global phenomenon. This virtual reality system allows participants to immerse themselves in a variety of settings and situations to practice recovery techniques, such as fighting off temptations, as well as to receive therapeutic support. Through this method, clients are able to perfect their responses to triggers in a safe and protected environment. With these toolsets, individuals seeking treatment are then able to move out into the world, confident in their ability to maintain sobriety and avoid relapsing.
Virtual reality methods can also have a large impact on those seeking treatment and play a significant role in countering their feelings of defeatism and self-doubt. By rejecting their addiction repeatedly in a virtual scenario, individuals foster the confidence to do so in the real world and maintain that belief in their own abilities across other treatment options.
Saying no to an old addiction is a milestone that many struggle with when they commit to a drug addiction treatment program. While this is hard enough to do while under the care of trained addiction recovery professionals, it can be even harder once an addict leaves treatment. Though they may be ready to remove these substances from their lives, they will still have to engage in society and may have friends and family struggling through their own addictions.
With virtual reality, clients can practice these scenarios over and over again without having to worry about what happens if they cannot say no. Recovery is a daily commitment, but it can be easier to do if you know you have succeeded in the past. By successfully saying no to addiction in a virtual setting, addicts can feel more confident saying no once they leave treatment. 2ff7e9595c
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