As opioid crisis spirals out of control, one angle is largely ignored
The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and Lifting the Veil – a new central Iowa publication devoted to mental health issues – have all done great work recently to bring attention to the opioid epidemic.
What’s largely absent from the conversation, however, is what health and human services professionals can do to intervene before opioid use disorders strike down the men, women and children who are suffering.
Medical and social science curricula lack sufficient research material aimed at identifying and addressing addiction – and that leaves a dangerous void as this crisis spirals out of control.
On the ground, doctors, dentists, social workers and school nurses see symptoms they don’t immediately recognize as substance use disorders. The symptoms are disguised as family crises, depression – which often co-occurs with addiction – chronic pain and other health issues. Health professionals simply aren’t trained to probe for the underlying disorder.
On Jan. 23, Prelude Behavioral Health co-sponsored a conference at the University of Iowa that featured leading addiction specialist Dr. David Mee-Lee. Hundreds of health professionals attended, learning research-based techniques for spotting and treating addiction. Often that includes evaluating personal biases and identifying how they might be contributing to stigma, preventing people from seeking the treatment they need. Patients who feel shamed often delay or refuse treatment, prolonging their suffering – and that of their families – and increasing the chances of death.
Women are particularly at risk, as their symptoms often present as anxiety and depression, and many fear that seeking treatment will place them at risk of losing their children. They also often lack financial and other resources, which is why woman-focused transitional treatment centers such as Bernie Lorenz Recovery are so crucial.
Overdose is now the leading cause of death in Americans under the age of 50. We can stop this. Let’s start educating our health-care professionals, arming them with the tools they need to fight this epidemic. Health-care organizations can provide additional training. Health and human services educators can update curriculum. Advocates can develop new materials that inform communities and fight stigma. In the case of substance use disorders, education can literally save lives.
Ron Berg is the CEO of Prelude Behavioral Health (formerly MECCA), which provides treatment for substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders in central and eastern Iowa, including Bernie Lorenz Recovery.