Psychology’s unique role in addressing the opioid crisis

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. With many people affected from prescription and nonprescription opioid abuse and overdose deaths, psychological science and psychologists can help.

Psychologists have unique skills and training to improve prevention, treatment, and recovery services, as well as better manage pain through nonaddictive and nonpharmacological approaches to prevent opioid misuses in acute and chronic pain.

The resources below detail how psychological practices and principles can help in the treatment and prevention of opioid abuse. To suggest additional sources about this topic, please send them via email to the APA Center for Psychology and Health and they will be evaluated for inclusion.

The Psychological Approach

drug-overdose-mortality
Interactive Data Tool

County by County, State by State

Interactive chart allows comparison of distribution of licensed psychologists with mortality rates by drug overdose or suicide, down to the county level.
psychologist-overdose-map
Psychological Workforce

Licensed Psychologists and Overdose Mortality Rates opens in new window

Report from APA's Center for Workforce Studies shows U.S. distribution of licensed psychologists compared with overdose mortality rates.
Overcoming opioid abuse
How Psychology is Addressing the Opioid Crises

Understanding and Overcoming Opioid Abuse

There are multiple treatment strategies available to overcome opioid abuse, and psychologists are a valuable part of the treatment team.
Opioid guide for practicing psychologists
Resources

Opioid Guide for Practicing Psychologists

Information for practicing psychologists on opioids, their use and effective treatments.
Chronic pain
Chronic Pain

Managing Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is physically and psychologically stressful and its constant discomfort can lead to anger and frustration with yourself and your loved ones.
NGA-AMA call to end opioid epidemic
Screening

Who Needs Opioids?

Psychologist-developed screening instruments help determine which pain patients should receive opioids and which are at risk for misuse.
 

Treatment

Clinical Models of Intervention

Opioid Use Disorder, Attachment, and Parenting: Key Concerns for Practitioners

The impact of parental opioid use on attachment, identification, assessment tools, and empirical research on attachment-based intervention.

Research Roundup: Complications of comorbid PTSD and opioid use disorder

Examining the effectiveness of treatment options and strategies for concurrent trauma and substance abuse.

Young Victims of the Opioid Crises

Helping children sent to foster care due to a parent's opioid misuse.

Research Roundup: Opioid Addiction

Clinical considerations for psychologists who may see patients with opioid misuse.

Treating Drug Abuse

As deaths from heroin increase, psychologists are exploring what kind of treatment works best.
Training and Continuing Education
Psychologists role prevent overdoses

Training front-line psychologists

Want to help address the opioid epidemic but need more expertise? Here's where to update and expand your skills.

Prevention

Pain Management and its Role in Prevention and Intervention
Hope through research

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Pain: Hope Through Research

An Introduction to Pain, the diagnosis, treatment, and future of pain research.
Kerns nondrug approaches

Recent research: Robert Kerns, PhD: Researching Nondrug Approaches to Pain Management

Interview with Robert Kerns, PhD of the multiagency Pain Management Collaboratory.
US interagency research opioid

U.S. Interagency Research Pain Research Coordinating Committee

Government collaboration advancing the fundamental understanding of pain and improving pain-related treatment strategies.
 
National Public and Private Organizational Initiatives
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Policies and Initiatives from the CDC

Latest on opioids, data, and materials on overdose prevention for the public, states, and healthcare providers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
National Institute of Health HEAL Initiative

Scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis

NIH research on the science of complex neurological pathways of pain and addiction, implementation science, and research to integrate behavioral interventions with Medication-Assisted Treatment.
National Institute on Drug Abuse

Opioid Overdose Crises

Historical development and current statistics on opioid crisis.
US Department of Health and Human Services

National Opioid Crises

Resource on the statistics, prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid abuse.
US Food and Drug Administration

Opioid Medications

FDA’s drug safety and availability information.
US Food and Drug Administration

FDA Opioids Action Plan

Description of the FDA’s comprehensive actional plan toward reducing the impact of opioid abuse.

Additional Resources

Last updated: July 2023Date created: 2018