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Chapter 21 - Substance Use Disorder

from Section III - Care of the Elderly by Organ System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2022

By
Robert J. Stern ,
Susan W. Lehmann  and
Michael Fingerhood
Edited by
Jan Busby-Whitehead ,
Samuel C. Durso ,
Christine Arenson ,
Rebecca Elon ,
Mary H. Palmer  and
William Reichel
Jan Busby-Whitehead
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Samuel C. Durso
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University, Maryland
Christine Arenson
Affiliation:
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Rebecca Elon
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Mary H. Palmer
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
William Reichel
Affiliation:
Georgetown University Medical Center
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Summary

Alcohol use disorder and other substance use disorders are a growing, yet under recognized, health problem in older adults. Generally, screening tests and diagnostic examinations for these disorders are geared toward a younger population. There is a growing body of literature, however, that specifically addresses screening, diagnosis, and treatment substance use disorders in older adults. Several treatment strategies and medications are being used successfully to treat this older population. Physicians and other health-care providers must remain diligent in considering a diagnosis of substance use disorder in all their patients, regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and comorbid conditions.

Keywords

substance use disorderalcohol use disorderopioid use disorderSBIRTBuprenorphineMethadoneNaltrexone
Type
Chapter
Information
Reichel's Care of the Elderly
Clinical Aspects of Aging
 , pp. 256 - 269
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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