Alcohol Use Disorder is a common psychiatric problem for which effective treatments are available.  Yet, medications approved by the FDA to treat AUD are rarely prescribed. This session will: 

• Discuss the evidence showing that addiction produces changes in the brain that do not disappear simply with the passage of time or exposure to talk therapy
• Summarize NIH-funded research on medication assisted treatment
• Review the FDA-approved medications for alcoholism as well as the cost benefits to the health care system when medication is prescribed on a long-term basis. 
• Discuss some of the reasons given for non prescription of relapse prevention medication and compare the health benefits to other treatments such as cholesterol lowering medication.

Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI081968 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. pcssnow.org

Educational Objectives

• Recognize that addiction is a disease of the brain.
• Describe a new endophenotype (sub-category) of Alcoholism and its impact on medical treatment.
• Describe the evidence showing that addiction produces changes in the brain that do not disappear simply with the passage of time or exposure to talk therapy.
• Identify FDA approved medications for alcoholism now available or in clinical trials.
• Summarize NIH-funded research and approved by the same rigorous FDA procedures as medications for cardiac, GI, cancer or other diseases.

Target Audience

Physicians who have a waiver to treat opioid use disorder in an office-based setting and other interested clinicians

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1 Hour
Start Date: May 10, 2016
Review Date: May 10, 2019
End Date: May 9, 2022

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. A multiple choice quiz is provided based on the content. A passing score of 60% must be achieved. Retakes are available for the test. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the event date and hours earned.

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Presenter

• Charles P. O’Brien, M.D., PhD, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Consultant: Alkermes Co., Other financial interests: Embera, Astra, Opiant.

Program Planners

• Andrew Saxon, M.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Director, Addiction Psychiatry Residency Program, University of Washington; Director, Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education (CESATE) VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Beatrice Eld, Deputy Director of Educaton for Addiction Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests
• Frances R. Levin, M.D., Kennedy Leavy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center; Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship, New York Presbyterian Hospital; Director of Clinical and Educational Activities for the Division on Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute. Disclosure: Consultant:  Major League Baseball, Grant/Research Support: US World Med.
• John A. Renner, Jr., M.D.– Boston University School of Medicine, Director, Addiction Psychiatry Residency Training, Boston University Medical Center and VA Boston Healthcare System. Disclosure: Stock/other financial options: Johnson & Johnson and General Electric.

Program Reviewers (May 10, 2021)

• John A. Renner, Jr., M.D., Boston University School of Medicine, Director, Addiction Psychiatry Residency Training, Boston University Medical Center and VA Boston Healthcare System. Disclosure: Stock/other financial options: Johnson & Johnson and General Electric.

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance