Ismene L. Petrakis, MD

An introduction to the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and its coverage of topics such as alcohol use disorders, e-cigarettes, prescription opioid use and abuse, cannabis use, stimulant use, medical marijuana, gambling, and opioid antagonist therapy to prevent overdose.

There is increasing evidence and support for medications for alcohol use disorders to be used in regular clinical practice, and not to be limited to specialty substance abuse settings. Here, special considerations for pharmacological management.

The prevalence of substance use disorders in patients with schizophrenia is greater than the rate observed in the general population, with a dramatic increase since the 1970s. Several theories exist to explain the high rate of comorbidity. The "self-medication" hypothesis suggests that persons may abuse substances to treat underlying psychotic symptoms or adverse effects of medications commonly used to treat schizophrenia.