International perspectives on opioid use disorder and treatment : results from an online convenience sample

Funding: M.F. is an employee of the US Federal Government and is supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural funding (ZIA-DA000635 and ZIA-AA000218).Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease characterised by periods of abstinence and episodic return to use, that is associated with enormous socioeconomic burden and great risk for morbidity and mortality. Implementation of national opioid agonist treatment programs (OAT) has been an important strategy to respond to the opioid crisis tailored to each region. Heterogeneity across such programs and policies introduces a challenge in terms of harmonisation but also an opportunity for mutual learning and improvement. In this study, a convenience sample of 15 addiction medicine professionals were invited to complete an online questionnaire focused on challenges and strategies in delivering OAT in different countries and regions. Although national opioid treatment programs (OTP) were available in all but one country, important barriers were identified, and treatment coverage was overall low. In some countries, political and legislative changes are needed to improve public health responses and community attitudes towards persons with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). Providing evidence-based information to clinicians and individuals, strengthening the education of health professionals, and minimising stigma at different levels are seen as important steps that national and international institutions must take to address the opioid crisisPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

World Addiction Medicine Reports : formation of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Global Expert Network (ISAM-GEN) and Its global surveys

Funding: All the infrastructure funding of this initiative is supported by the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM). We will be open to fundraising for specific projects within the platform and future collaboration with external partners.Addiction medicine is a dynamic field that encompasses clinical practice and research in the context of societal, economic, and cultural factors at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This field has evolved profoundly during the past decades in terms of scopes and activities with the contribution of addiction medicine scientists and professionals globally. The dynamic nature of drug addiction at the global level has resulted in a crucial need for developing an international collaborative network of addiction societies, treatment programs and experts to monitor emerging national, regional, and global concerns. This protocol paper presents methodological details of running longitudinal surveys at national, regional, and global levels through the Global Expert Network of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM-GEN). The initial formation of the network with a recruitment phase and a round of snowball sampling provided 354 experts from 78 countries across the globe. In addition, 43 national/regional addiction societies/associations are also included in the database. The surveys will be developed by global experts in addiction medicine on treatment services, service coverage, co-occurring disorders, treatment standards and barriers, emerging addictions and/or dynamic changes in treatment needs worldwide. Survey participants in categories of (1) addiction societies/associations, (2) addiction treatment programs, (3) addiction experts/clinicians and (4) related stakeholders will respond to these global longitudinal surveys. The results will be analyzed and cross-examined with available data and peer-reviewed for publication.Peer reviewe

Spirituality and behavioural addictions: narrative review

The relationship between spirituality and behavioural addictions is complex. Although some studies have suggested spirituality to be a protective factor helping in recovery from addictive behaviours, others have found spirituality to be a potential risk factor. To better understand the relationship between spirituality and various behavioural addictions, this review summarises the literature on the association between spirituality and the following behavioural addictions: gaming disorder, gambling disorder, problematic internet use, problematic smartphone use, compulsive sexual behaviour disorder and compulsive buying/shopping disorder. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.</p

International perspectives on opioid use disorder and treatment:results from an online convenience sample

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease characterised by periods of abstinence and episodic return to use, that is associated with enormous socioeconomic burden and great risk for morbidity and mortality. Implementation of national opioid agonist treatment programs (OAT) has been an important strategy to respond to the opioid crisis tailored to each region. Heterogeneity across such programs and policies introduces a challenge in terms of harmonisation but also an opportunity for mutual learning and improvement. In this study, a convenience sample of 15 addiction medicine professionals were invited to complete an online questionnaire focused on challenges and strategies in delivering OAT in different countries and regions. Although national opioid treatment programs (OTP) were available in all but one country, important barriers were identified, and treatment coverage was overall low. In some countries, political and legislative changes are needed to improve public health responses and community attitudes towards persons with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). Providing evidence-based information to clinicians and individuals, strengthening the education of health professionals, and minimising stigma at different levels are seen as important steps that national and international institutions must take to address the opioid crisi

Spirituality and behavioural addictions: narrative review

The relationship between spirituality and behavioural addictions is complex. Although some studies have suggested spirituality to be a protective factor helping in recovery from addictive behaviours, others have found spirituality to be a potential risk factor. To better understand the relationship between spirituality and various behavioural addictions, this review summarises the literature on the association between spirituality and the following behavioural addictions: gaming disorder, gambling disorder, problematic internet use, problematic smartphone use, compulsive sexual behaviour disorder and compulsive buying/shopping disorder. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed

International perspectives on opioid use disorder and treatment:results from an online convenience sample

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic disease characterised by periods of abstinence and episodic return to use, that is associated with enormous socioeconomic burden and great risk for morbidity and mortality. Implementation of national opioid agonist treatment programs (OAT) has been an important strategy to respond to the opioid crisis tailored to each region. Heterogeneity across such programs and policies introduces a challenge in terms of harmonisation but also an opportunity for mutual learning and improvement. In this study, a convenience sample of 15 addiction medicine professionals were invited to complete an online questionnaire focused on challenges and strategies in delivering OAT in different countries and regions. Although national opioid treatment programs (OTP) were available in all but one country, important barriers were identified, and treatment coverage was overall low. In some countries, political and legislative changes are needed to improve public health responses and community attitudes towards persons with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). Providing evidence-based information to clinicians and individuals, strengthening the education of health professionals, and minimising stigma at different levels are seen as important steps that national and international institutions must take to address the opioid crisi

World Addiction Medicine Reports:formation of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Global Expert Network (ISAM-GEN) and Its global surveys

Addiction medicine is a dynamic field that encompasses clinical practice and research in the context of societal, economic, and cultural factors at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This field has evolved profoundly during the past decades in terms of scopes and activities with the contribution of addiction medicine scientists and professionals globally. The dynamic nature of drug addiction at the global level has resulted in a crucial need for developing an international collaborative network of addiction societies, treatment programs and experts to monitor emerging national, regional, and global concerns. This protocol paper presents methodological details of running longitudinal surveys at national, regional, and global levels through the Global Expert Network of the International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM-GEN). The initial formation of the network with a recruitment phase and a round of snowball sampling provided 354 experts from 78 countries across the globe. In addition, 43 national/regional addiction societies/associations are also included in the database. The surveys will be developed by global experts in addiction medicine on treatment services, service coverage, co-occurring disorders, treatment standards and barriers, emerging addictions and/or dynamic changes in treatment needs worldwide. Survey participants in categories of (1) addiction societies/associations, (2) addiction treatment programs, (3) addiction experts/clinicians and (4) related stakeholders will respond to these global longitudinal surveys. The results will be analyzed and cross-examined with available data and peer-reviewed for publication.</p