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Abstract
This article recommends a longitudinal, national study of the outcomes of substance user treatment, plus a cohort of users who do not enter treatment. Viewing addiction primarily as a brain disease has provided interesting descriptive information but dismisses the psychological, social, political, economic, and legal dimensions of substance user dependence. An increased emphasis on behavioral study of treatment outcomes with a decreased emphasis on brain-focused research on substance use is overdue.
Notes
1The list of relevant variables can be extensive. This note only presents highlights of such variables which would be determined by the theoretical and practical issues examined.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sam Schildhaus
Sam Schildhaus, PhD, US, has been involved in health services and abuse research and policy for 30+ years. He developed statistical models that projected both the need and demand for mental health and substance abuse treatment services in 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; analyzed the effect of payer status on hospital admission for patients with substance use disorders; served as principal investigator of the Services Research Outcomes Study, the first nationally representative, long-term study of drug treatment outcomes; and served as senior policy analyst at the Executive Office of the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy. Schildhaus is an independent health care consultant.