New Medication Shows Promise for Effective Treatment of Alcoholism and Depression

October 30, 2014
Meg Brunner, MLIS Librarian
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington
http://adai.uw.edu
CTN Dissemination Library
http://ctndisseminationlibrary.org

Alcoholism is often accompanied by co-occurring mental health disorders such as depression. While evidence-based medications for alcoholism treatment are effective in reducing cravings and preventing relapse, a single medication to treat alcoholism and co-occurring depression has not been available.

Integrating SUD Services with Health Care: the ATTC Network's Role

October 29, 2014
Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator
ATTC Network Coordinating Office

There’s a new feature on the ATTC website that we hope you’ll take time to explore:
ATTC Network: Advancing the Integration of Substance Use Disorder Services and Health Care. This section marks the launch of a new ATTC initiative that has two primary goals:

• Ensure that efforts to integrate behavioral health care with physical health care include SUD services
•  Build recognition of the ATTC Network as a vital national resource for disseminating evidence-based practices for SUD services in integrated care settings

Making MAT a Routine Part of Addictions Care

October 20, 2014

Aaron Williams

Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Substance Abuse

National Council for Behavioral Health

Although medications for substance use disorders have been around for many years, numerous studies have shown that people still have limited access to these medications, and they are underused as a treatment option. One thing is clear: safety-net providers can and should do more to expand access to these medications.

Are better outcomes worth a loss of privacy?

October 15, 2014
Kim Johnson
NIATx Deputy Director
ATTC Co-Director

As some people know, about half of my work for the UW-Madison is devoted to developing and testing mobile applications to help people manage various behavioral health conditions. I am fascinated by the idea of developing mobile responses tailored to specific needs that arise in the course of daily lives and by mobile phone apps’ potential to help people change their behavior. (I think there’s an application for organizational change too, but haven’t started working on that yet!) The way to tailor mobile responses to specific, immediate needs is to take all of the data that mobile devices collect and then use machine learning algorithms to uncover behavior patterns that might not be apparent otherwise.

Young People in Recovery: Speaking Up and Reaching Out Because...

September 30, 2014
Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network Coordinating Office
Editor, NIATx

While SAMHSA’s National Recovery Month 2014 wraps up at the end of September, the ATTC Network’s “In My Own Words” Video Essay contest continues through October, inviting people in recovery to speak up, reach out, and join the voices of recovery.