For addiction medicine in the countries of the former Soviet Union, see Narcology.

Addiction medicine is a medical subspecialty that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, evaluation, treatment, and recovery of persons with addiction, of those with substance-related and addictive disorders, and of people who show unhealthy use of substances including alcohol, nicotine, prescription medicine and other illicit and licit drugs.[3] The medical subspecialty often crosses over into other areas, since various aspects of addiction fall within the fields of public health, psychology, social work, mental health counseling, psychiatry, and internal medicine, among others. Incorporated within the specialty are the processes of detoxification, rehabilitation, harm reduction, abstinence-based treatment, individual and group therapies, oversight of halfway houses, treatment of withdrawal-related symptoms, acute intervention, and long term therapies designed to reduce likelihood of relapse. Some specialists, primarily those who also have expertise in family medicine or internal medicine, also provide treatment for disease states commonly associated with substance use, such as hepatitis and HIV infection.[4]

Physicians specializing in the field are in general agreement concerning applicability of treatment to those with addiction to drugs, such as alcohol and heroin, and often also to gambling, which has similar characteristics and has been well-described in the scientific literature. There is less agreement concerning definition or treatment of other so-called addictive behavior such as sexual addiction and internet addiction, such behaviors not being marked generally by physiologic tolerance or withdrawal.

Over centuries, addiction has been recognized as an issue to be treated, and has been addressed with the creation of a multitude of organizations, the passage of certain acts, and the development of various drugs in the medical field all to help those who struggle with addiction.[5]

Doctors focusing on addiction medicine are medical specialists who focus on addictive disease and have had special study and training focusing on the prevention and treatment of such diseases. There are two routes to specialization in the addiction field: one via a psychiatric pathway and one via other fields of medicine. The American Society of Addiction Medicine notes that approximately 40% of its members are psychiatrists (MD/DO) while the remainder have received primary medical training in other fields.[6][failed verification]

History of Addiction Medicine

1750s-early 1800s:

Addiction first became well known and seen as a major issue between the 1750s and early 1800s with alcoholism running rampant and being the main contributor to this. Dr. Benjamin rush first began to discern alcoholism as an illness to be addressed when he published his writing “Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Mind and Body” in 1784. Because of his writing of alcoholism, the beginnings of the temperance movement came shortly after in the early 1800s.[7]

1800s:

The first inebriate homes for alcoholics opened around the 1850s. These homes and asylums provided a segregated place for alcoholics to stay while they withdrew from the alcohol, along with integration into sobriety groups. In 1864, Dr. Joseph Edward Turner opened the New York State Inebriate Asylum, which was the first rehabilitation center for alcoholism. In the late 1800s, around 1890, alcoholics were sent to hospital wards and drunk tanks, as inebriate homes began shutting down.

1900-1950:

Throughout the first half of the 1900s, many hospitals and organizations opened to assist addicts, such as the Charles B. Towns substance abuse Hospital (1901), the Emmanuel Clinic/the Emmanuel movement (1906), morphine maintenance clinics (1919-1924), narcotics farms (1935), Alcoholics Anonymous (1935), etc. In addition to this, certain state laws were passed to try to sterilize disabled people, addicts, and people with mental disorders (1910). During this time, various drugs also came out to attempt to cure alcoholism like barbiturates, amphetamines, LSD, and disulfiram (1948-1950).

Accreditation in the United States

In October of 2015, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) officially recognized addiction medicine as a subspecialty.[8] In several countries around the world, specialist bodies have been set up to ensure high quality practice in addiction medicine. For example, within the United States, there are two accepted specialty examinations.[9] One is a Board Certification in Addiction Psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.[10] The other is a Board Certification in Addiction Medicine from the American Board of Preventive Medicine. The latter approach is available to all physicians with primary Board certification, while the former is available only to board-certified psychiatrists.

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine may also seek board certification via the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine must have a primary board certification in Neurology & Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, or Family Practice[11] from the American Osteopathic Association and complete an AOA approved addiction medicine fellowship. Successful completion of a board examination administered via the AOA will grant a certificate of added qualification (CAQ) in addiction medicine.

Accreditation internationally

Within Australia, addiction medicine specialists are certified via the Chapter of Addiction Medicine, which is part of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. They may alternatively be a member of the Section of Addiction Psychiatry, Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

The International Society of Addiction Medicine also can provide certification of expertise.

Medical societies

Medical journals

See also

References

  1. ^ Robert Jean Campbell; Director Gracie Square Hospital and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Robert Jean Campbell, M.D. (2004). Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-19-515221-0.
  2. ^ Slee (7 October 2009). Slee's Health Care Terms. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7637-8903-9.
  3. ^ The American Board of Preventive Medicine. "Subspecialties: Addiction Medicine". THEABPM.org. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  4. ^ Herron, Abigail; Brennan, Timothy K. (2019). The ASAM Essentials of Addiction Medicine (3rd ed.). Wolters Kluwer health (published March 20, 2019). pp. 369–396. ISBN 9781975107956.
  5. ^ "The History of Addiction Treatment: A Timeline". Recovery.org. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  6. ^ ASAM - American Society of Addiction Medicine
  7. ^ "Addiction Medicine in America: Its Birth and Early History (1750-1935) with a Modern Postscript - The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine 5th Edition". doctorlib.org. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. ^ "ABMS Officially Recognizes Addiction Medicine as a Subspecialty". www.abms.org. 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  9. ^ Schnoll; et al. (1993). "Physician certification in addiction medicine 1986–1990: a four-year experience". J Addict Dis. 12 (1): 123–133. doi:10.1300/j069v12n01_10. PMID 8424964.
  10. ^ Initial Certification - Subspecialties
  11. ^ Family Practice certification from the American Osteopathic Association]

Further reading

  • Latt, Noeline; Katherine Conigrave, Jane Marshall, John Saunders, E. Jane Marshall, David Nutt (2009) Addiction medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments Vol. 2. Michael J. Winkelman and Thomas B. Roberts (editors) (2007). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood. Chapter 1, Halpern, John H. "Hallucinogens in the Treatment of Alcoholism and Other Addictions," Chapter 2, Yensen, Richard, and Dryer, Donna, "Addiction, Despair, and the Soul: Successful Psychedelic Psychotherapy: A Case Study," Chapter 4. Alper, R. Kenneth, and Lotsof, Howard S. "The Use of Ibogaine in the Treatment of Addictions," Chapter 6. Mabit, Jacques. "Ayahuasca in the Treatment of Addictions".
  • Hughes LD (2012). "How should healthcare students view addiction and substance abuse?" Scottish Universities Medical Journal. EPub 001.
  • "Addiction Series" (three parts). The Lancet (2012).
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction_Medicine
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