Prevention and Intervention with Young People as a Critical Public Health Strategy to Curtail the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action

dc.contributor.authorDanielson, Carla Kmett
dc.contributor.authorMcCauley, Jenna
dc.contributor.authorHinkley, Jesse
dc.contributor.authorHahn, Austin
dc.contributor.authorMoreland, Angela
dc.contributor.authorLópez, Cristina
dc.contributor.authorGoodyear, Morgan
dc.contributor.authorAdams, Zack
dc.contributor.authorMcCart, Mike
dc.contributor.departmentPsychiatry, School of Medicine
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-27T16:21:09Z
dc.date.available2024-02-27T16:21:09Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractOpioid use continues to represent a significant public health problem in the United States, as well as globally. The opioid epidemic has motivated advances in the effective treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), with a particular focus on medications for OUD (MOUD), including methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Although these medications are remarkably effective, MOUD expansion initiatives alone have not been sufficient to combat the opioid epidemic. Further, critical questions remain regarding the effectiveness of these medications for individuals who initiate opioid use under age 16. Key strategies to combat the opioid epidemic, including MOUD and naloxone distribution, target intervention for individuals who have already developed an OUD. Like every other health problem, shifting attention earlier in the etiological process can lend itself to a more cost-effective approach by preventing the onset of behaviors that contribute to subsequent increases in morbidity and mortality. Therefore, we argue that targeted interventions for adolescents with substance use problems, including for non-opioid drugs (i.e., cannabis, alcohol), is critical to prevent the onset of OUD and turn the tide of the opioid overdose epidemic. In line with this call to action to move toward earlier intervention as a public health strategy, we propose several concrete recommendations. These include use of universal screening and prevention strategies for teens, an enhanced focus on addressing mental health (i.e., depression, trauma-related anxiety) and ecological (i.e., low caregiver monitoring, affiliating with substance using peers) precursors of substance use initiation in adolescents, a significant restructuring of resource allocation to more effectively and equitably address youth substance use and mental health problems, and continuous efforts dedicated to the de-stigmatization of the disease of substance use disorders.
dc.eprint.versionAuthor's manuscript
dc.identifier.citationDanielson CK, McCauley J, Hinkley J, et al. Prevention and Intervention with Young People as a Critical Public Health Strategy to Curtail the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action. J Addict Res Ther. 2023;14(4):521.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/38932
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherHeighten Science Publications Inc.
dc.relation.journalJournal of Addiction Research & Therapy
dc.rightsPublisher Policy
dc.sourcePMC
dc.subjectOpioid overdose
dc.subjectOpioid use disorder
dc.subjectPublic health
dc.titlePrevention and Intervention with Young People as a Critical Public Health Strategy to Curtail the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action
dc.typeArticle
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