Publications by authors named "Hasin D"
Purpose: Most drug-related deaths in the United States (US) in 2022 involved opioids. However, methodological challenges in overdose surveillance may contribute to underestimation of opioid involvement in the overdose crisis. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing literature to examine the breadth and contributing sources of misclassification of opioid-related overdose deaths.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Given the personal and social burdens of opioid use disorder (OUD), understanding time trends in OUD prevalence in large patient populations is key to planning prevention and treatment services.
Objective: To examine trends in the prevalence of OUD from 2005 to 2022 overall and by age, sex, and race and ethnicity.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This serial cross-sectional study included national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical record data from the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse.
Background: Rates of cannabis use disorder (CUD) have increased disproportionately among Veterans Administration (VA) patients with psychiatric disorders compared to patients with no disorder. However, VA patient samples are not representative of all U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study investigates the risks of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among daily consumers in the U.S., focusing on the relationship between the amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) consumed daily and CUD severity.
- - A large sample of 4,134 adult participants provided data through an online survey assessing cannabis consumption patterns and CUD criteria, leading to an average daily consumption of about 130 mgTHC.
- - Results indicated that higher daily THC intake was linked to more severe CUD, with 65% of participants meeting CUD criteria—39% with mild, 18% with moderate, and 8% with severe cases.
Background: Little is known about whether cannabis legalization impacts cannabis use uptake or has spillover effects on co-use of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine (using both in the past 30 days). We determined associations of cannabis legalization with self-reported (1) current (past 30-day) cannabis use; (2) current ("now") tobacco/nicotine use (smoking or electronic cigarette use); and (3) current co-use of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine and how prevalence is changing over time.
Methods: In this longitudinal study, a web-based survey was administered to a nationally representative, population-based panel of US adults in 2017, 2020, and 2021.
Objective: As more states legalize cannabis in the US, marketing from the cannabis industry and news coverage of cannabis have increased. Sources of information on cannabis can influence beliefs about risks and benefits. Yet, little is known about how the use and influence of specific sources of information have changed over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: U.S. state electronic prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are associated with reduced opioid dispensing among people with chronic pain and may impact use of other chronic pain treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined the relationship between the nurse practitioner (NP) work environment and realized access (i.e., utilization) to primary care among rural older adults with substance use disorders (SUD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMandatory prescription drug monitoring programs and cannabis legalization have been hypothesized to reduce overdose deaths. We examined associations between prescription monitoring programs with access mandates ("must-query PDMPs"), legalization of medical and recreational cannabis supply, and opioid overdose deaths in United States counties in 2013-2020. Using data on overdose deaths from the National Vital Statistics System, we fit Bayesian spatiotemporal models to estimate risk differences and 95% credible intervals (CrI) in county-level opioid overdose deaths associated with enactment of these state policies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNarrative comprehension relies on basic sensory processing abilities, such as visual and auditory processing, with recent evidence for utilizing executive functions (EF), which are also engaged during reading. EF was previously related to the "supporter" of engaging the auditory and visual modalities in different cognitive tasks, with evidence of lower efficiency in this process among those with reading difficulties in the absence of a visual stimulus (i.e.
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- - Cannabis use is rising among middle-aged and older adults in the US, who are more vulnerable to its negative effects, but little is known about the specific patterns of use across different age groups.
- - A study of 4,151 US adults found that middle-aged (50-64) and older adults (65+) are more likely to consume cannabis in the evening and prefer smoking over other methods, but are less likely to use high-potency concentrates compared to younger adults (18-49).
- - The findings indicate that while older users may adopt safer consumption habits, they still face unique risks, emphasizing the need for targeted prevention strategies to address these age-related differences in cannabis use.
Background: The Veterans Health Administration tracks urine drug tests (UDTs) among patients on long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) and recommends discussing the health effects of cannabis use.
Objective: To determine the occurrence of cannabis-related discussions between providers and patients on LTOT during six months following UDT positive for cannabis, and examine factors associated with documenting cannabis use.
Design: We identified patients prescribed LTOT with a UDT positive for cannabis in 2019.
Heavy drinking among people living with HIV (PLWH) reduces ART adherence and worsens health outcomes. Lengthy interventions are not feasible in most HIV care settings, and patients infrequently follow referrals to outside treatment. Utilizing visual and video features of smartphone technology, we developed HealthCall as an electronic means of increasing patient involvement in a brief intervention to reduce drinking and improve ART adherence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) treatment prevalence decreased in the US between 2002 and 2019, yet structural mechanisms for this decrease are poorly understood. We tested associations between cannabis laws becoming effective and self-reported CUD treatment.
Methods: Restricted-use 2004-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health included people ages 12+ classified as needing CUD treatment (i.
Social and economic determinants of drug overdose deaths: a systematic review of spatial relationships.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol
July 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how socioeconomic factors in different areas impact drug overdose deaths in the US.
- A systematic review of 28 studies reveals a moderate association between socioeconomic conditions and overdose rates, though many studies had some risk of bias.
- The findings emphasize the importance of addressing employment, income, and poverty to potentially reduce drug overdose mortality rates in future policy efforts.
Introduction: The prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) is growing among older adults, and older adults in rural areas face disparities in access to SUD care. Rural older adults with SUDs commonly have comorbid chronic conditions that puts them at risk for frequent acute healthcare utilization. In rural areas, primary care for patients with SUDs are increasingly provided by nurse practitioners (NPs), and quality primary care services may decrease ED visits in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: Veterans are a large population that is disproportionately affected by various physical and mental health conditions. The primary aim of this review is to provide a concise overview of recent literature on the prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) among US Veterans, and associations with mental and physical health conditions. We also addressed gaps in the literature by investigating associations between CUD and mental and physical health conditions in 2019 data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA; N=5,657,277).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although cannabis legalization is associated with increases in self-report cannabis use, biological measures of cannabis use are needed to address potential bias introduced by improved self-reporting of cannabis use in states enacting medical cannabis laws (MCL) and recreational cannabis laws (RCL).
Objective: Quantify the role of MCL and RCL enactment in cannabis positive urine drug screen (UDS) prevalence among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) emergency department (ED) patients from 2008 to 2019.
Design: Staggered-adoption difference-in-difference analysis were used to estimate the role of MCL and RCL in cannabis positive UDS data, fitting adjusted linear binomial regression models to estimate the association between MCL and RCL enactment and prevalence of cannabis positive UDS.
Article Synopsis
- Black cisgender gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are disproportionately impacted by HIV, highlighting the need for more research focused on the effects of substance use and sleep health in this demographic.* -
- The N2 Part 2 (N2P2) study builds on the original Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) study, aiming to identify socioenvironmental factors that influence HIV prevention and treatment in Black SMM and TW across Chicago.* -
- Utilizing a longitudinal cohort design, N2P2 will engage 600 participants over 18 months, collecting various data types to assess neighborhood influences and factors like substance use and sleep on health outcomes.*
Article Synopsis
- Cannabis use disorder diagnoses are rising among U.S. adults, especially those with psychiatric disorders, and recent changes in cannabis laws and availability may be contributing factors.
- A study analyzed Veterans Health Administration data from 2005 to 2019, showing that patients with psychiatric disorders experienced greater increases in cannabis use disorder diagnoses compared to those without such disorders, particularly among younger adults and older adults during specific periods.
- The results indicate significant disparities in the prevalence of cannabis use disorder among veterans with common psychiatric conditions, with the most notable increases seen in those with bipolar and psychotic spectrum disorders.
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to healthcare disruptions for patients with chronic pain. Following initial disruptions, national policies were enacted to expand access to long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services, which may have modified risk of opioid overdose. We examined associations between LTOT and/or OUD with fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, and whether the pandemic moderated overdose risk in these groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on utilization of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain is unclear.
Methods: We analyzed New York State (NYS) Medicaid claims from pre-pandemic (August 2019-February 2020) and pandemic (March 2020-December 2020) periods for beneficiaries with and without chronic pain. We calculated monthly proportions of patients with OUD diagnoses in 6-month-lookback windows utilizing MOUD and proportions of treatment-naïve patients initiating MOUD.
Article Synopsis
- Non-medical use of prescription opioids (NMOU) is common in the U.S., and about 9% of individuals with NMOU experience opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS), which is particularly higher (∼20%) among those using opioids regularly.
- Certain psychiatric disorders, like bipolar disorder and panic disorder, significantly increase the likelihood of experiencing OWS, especially among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), who also show a higher prevalence of withdrawal symptoms.
- The study highlights the need for screening for OWS in those with NMOU and suggests that treatments like medication-assisted therapy could alleviate withdrawal symptoms and improve mental health quality of life.
Objective: Heavy drinking poses serious risks to individuals with HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and especially HIV/HCV coinfection. We adapted the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Clinician's Guide to address HIV/HCV coinfection and paired this with the "HealthCall" smartphone app to create an intervention tailored to HIV/HCV. After formative work and pretesting with HIV/HCV coinfected heavy drinkers, we conducted a pilot trial to determine potential of this new intervention for decreasing drinking.
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