Missing in Action: Psychiatric Education and the Addiction Crisis-View Presentation

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Video Summary

Sandra D. Young, a clinician educator, discusses her motivation and efforts to improve addiction education in psychiatry. Triggered by hearing about a local café actively tackling the addiction crisis, Sandra realized the inadequacy of addiction training in psychiatry. As president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training, she focused on enhancing addiction education. The current requirement is one month of addiction training in a four-year psychiatry residency, an effort Sandra considers insufficient. Her initiative aims to make addiction education longitudinal, integrated, and developmental across the residency years, emphasizing the use of non-stigmatizing language and the prevention of stigma.<br /><br />Sandra highlights the alarming statistics showing a large percentage of Americans use addictive substances and a significant number suffer from both mental illness and substance use disorders, yet only a minority receive treatment for both. She identifies the need for psychiatrists to be proficient in treating co-occurring substance-related and addictive disorders (SRADs), as well as understanding pain management due to its complex relationship with mental health and addiction.<br /><br />The discussion includes the role of stigma, suggesting that societal structures perpetuate stigma regarding addiction and mental health. Sandra advocates integrating addiction training into general psychiatry training using various community settings and innovative educational techniques.<br /><br />She emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, citing examples of successful models involving collaborations across medical and community disciplines. The session concludes with discussions on potential improvements and innovations in addiction education, touching on overcoming systemic barriers and leveraging available resources like online courses and community engagements.

Keywords

Sandra D. Young

addiction education

psychiatry

American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training

non-stigmatizing language

substance use disorders

mental illness

co-occurring disorders

stigma

interdisciplinary approaches

systemic barriers

community settings