Objective: Comorbidity and co-prescription patterns of people with serious mental illness in methadone maintenance may complicate their treatment and have not been studied. The goal of this study was to examine the care and characteristics of people with serious mental illness in methadone maintenance treatment nationally in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Methods: Using national VHA data from FY2012, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to compare veterans in methadone maintenance treatment wo had a serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major affective disorder) to patients in methadone maintenance treatment without serious mental illness and patients with serious mental illness who were not in methadone maintenance treatment.
Results: Only a small fraction of patients with serious mental illness were receiving methadone maintenance treatment (0.65%), but a relatively large proportion in methadone maintenance treatment had a serious mental illness (33.2%). Compared to patients without serious mental illness, patients with serious mental illness in methadone maintenance treatment were more likely to have been homeless, to have had a recent psychiatric hospitalization, to be over 50% disabled, and to have had more fills for more classes of psychotropic drugs. Compared to other patients with serious mental illness, patients with serious mental illness in methadone maintenance treatment were more likely to have a drug abuse diagnosis and to reside in large urban areas.
Conclusions: One-third of patients in methadone maintenance treatment have serious mental illness and more frequent psychiatric comorbidity, and they are more likely to use psychiatric and general health services and fill more types of psychiatric prescriptions. Further study and clinical awareness of potential drug-drug interactions in this high medication and service using population are needed.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15504263.2015.1025024 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms (BPSD) in Alzheimer's Disease (AD): Development and Treatment.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as agitation, apathy, and psychosis, are highly prevalent and have a significant impact on patients and their care partners. The neurobiology of BPSD involves a complex interplay of structural brain changes and alterations in the neurotransmitter system. Various genetic and plasma biomarkers have also been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExploring the Therapeutic Potential of Plumbagin: Its Current Applications in Cancer and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.
Curr Med Chem
January 2025
Department of Microbiology, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541004, China.
Plumbagin (PL) is an important natural active ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine derived from the Plumbago zeylanica L. It possesses a variety of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective properties, and has great potential for utilization in disease treatment and prevention. Cancer and neurological and psychiatric diseases are two major categories of diseases that currently threaten the physical and mental health of human beings, and their increasing incidence is causing a serious economic burden to all humanity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicaid managed care network adequacy standards and mental health care access.
Am J Manag Care
January 2025
Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, 575 Lexington Ave, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Email:
Objectives: Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health (MH) services in the US, and more than 80% of its enrollees are covered by Medicaid managed care (MMC). States are required to establish quantitative network adequacy standards (NAS) to regulate MMC plans' MH care access. We examined the association between quantitative NAS and MH care access among Medicaid-enrolled adults and among those with MH conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChallenges when Combining Expertise to Provide Integrated Care for Youth At-Risk and Their Family: A Qualitative Study.
Adm Policy Ment Health
January 2025
LUMC Curium - Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Post Box 15, Leiden, 2300 AA, the Netherlands.
The needs of youth at-risk and their families, facing multiple problems and serious mental health issues, exceed the expertise and possibilities of a single stakeholder (professional, organization, municipality). These youngsters require care in which the expertise of different professionals and organizations is integrated. However, combining various types of expertise to provide integrated care to youth at-risk is challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), victimisation has been found to increase the risk of engaging in other- and self-directed violence. However, rates of victimisation within this population have been found to vary by ethnic group and primary diagnosis.
Aims: This study primarily aimed to examine the relationship between victimisation and other- and self-directed violence among a sample of inpatients with SMI during the first 3 months of admission.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!