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Redeveloping Substance Abuse Treatment for Military Personnel

  • Military Mental Health (C H Warner, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

We review the prevailing evidence surrounding treatment of substance use disorder (SUD), with specific focus on alcohol, tobacco, and prescription opiates, and how it informs guidelines for treating active duty military. We survey the evidence regarding preventive screening, treatment, and relapse prevention in substance misuse as it pertains to patient-centered care of the service member.

Recent Findings

Holistic, patient-centered care with an emphasis on identifying maladaptive use or dependence prior to progression to chronic disease is now recognized as the evidenced approach to treating substance use disorders. Early patient-guided intervention with combined behavioral and pharmacologic therapies leads to better outcomes, including greater functional status, lower relapse rates, and decreased rate of psychiatric and other comorbidities.

Summary

The military has prioritized a patient-centered approach to screening, assessing, and treating SUD. Recent guideline updates represent a progressive, patient-centered approach in delivering unprecedented access to care, serving as a positive example in treating what is widely accepted as one of the country’s most pressing public health concerns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatry Residency, Tripler Army Medical Center, 1 Jarrett White Rd, Honolulu, HI, 96859, USA

    Christian Schrader, Antoinette Lenton, Peter Gertonson & Alexander Rahimi

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  1. Christian Schrader
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  2. Antoinette Lenton
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  4. Alexander Rahimi
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Correspondence to Christian Schrader.

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Christian Schrader, Antoinette Lenton, Peter Gertonson, and Alexander Rahimi declare no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Military Mental Health

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Schrader, C., Lenton, A., Gertonson, P. et al. Redeveloping Substance Abuse Treatment for Military Personnel. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 45 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0911-1

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