To improve recovery rates, opioid treatment programs serving disadvantaged patients in rural communities should include services that screen and care for other mental health disorders, according to a study led by a Rutgers researcher.
“Federal guidelines don’t mandate that patients who are receiving methadone treatment also be treated for depression or other mental health disorders, common comorbidities with opioid addiction,” said Jamey Lister, an assistant professor in the Rutgers School of Social Work and the lead author of the study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
“We wanted to know the comorbidity burden that patients in rural settings were facing, to help methadone clinics in those areas identify ways to address this vulnerable population.” To read the full story.