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Opioid Use Disorder, mental illness lack treatment when co-occuring

Jie Chen and colleagues will publish a study examining the behavioral health treatment among individuals with co-occurring opioid use disorder and mental illness

Little research has looked at people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Preceding research has shown that among those individuals with substance use disorders, the presence of a co-occurring mental illness influences the initiation, the course, and success of behavioral health treatment. Researchers Priscilla Novak and Faculty Associate Jie Chen, along with colleagues from Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, using the 2008-2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, examined the treatment process among individuals with OUD and different degrees of mental illness severity.

The team found that many individuals suffering from OUD and any mental health condition received treatment for neither. The numbers show that 47% of individuals with OUD and co-occurring mid / moderate mental illness did not receive any behavioral health treatment, and 21% of those with co-occurring serious mental illnesses did not receive any behavioral health treatment. Among those individuals suffering OUD and co-occurring mild / moderate mental illness, approximately 16% received substance use disorder and mental health treatment. As for treatment, the most common form was medication for mental health: This was true regardless the mental health of the individual. Overall, more than 50% of the individuals in the study reported financial difficulties as a barrier to treatment.

This study concluded that a high proportion of individuals with OUD and co-occurring mental illness are not receiving much needed care. Thus, these results suggest that there is an urgent need to facilitate access to and coordinate behavioral health care across settings for individuals with OUD.

Novak, Priscilla, Feder, Kenneth A., Ali, Mir M., Chen, Jie (2019). "Behavioral health treatment utilization among individuals with co-occurring opioid use disorder and mental illness: Evidence from a national survey," Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 98, 47-52.

See the complete article from the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

This research is part of Faculty Associate Jie Chen’s NIH-NIMH funded Hospital And Public health interdisciPlinarY research (HAPPY) Lab, which studies system-level care coordination among hospitals, communities, and public health agencies that can improve population mental health and reduce health disparities.


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