An IOM report says nearly half of active duty personnel reported binge drinking in the previous month in 2008, and 11% misused prescription medication.
By Christine S. Moyer
Rising rates of alcohol and prescription drug use among the nation's armed forces have become a public health crisis that could negatively affect service members' abilities to perform their duties, said an Institute of Medicine report issued Sept. 17.
In 2008, 47% of active duty personnel reported binge drinking at least once in the previous month, up from 35% in 1998. Between 2002 and 2008, misuse of prescription medication in the past 30 days increased from 2% to 11% of active service members, the IOM report said.
Contributing to the problem are outdated military policies on preventing and treating substance use disorders, according to the IOM. "Many of these policies had been drafted more than 10 years previously and had not been revised to reflect emerging knowledge," the report said.
Other challenges include patients avoiding care for substance-use disorders due, in part, to concerns about being penalized, and limited training in addiction and psychiatry among physicians who care for patients with substance abuse problems.
To help overcome those obstacles the IOM issued a series of recommendations for the Dept. of Defense and individual branches of the military, including:
• Improve training for health professionals who manage substance-use disorders.
• Provide confidential substance abuse treatment for service members.
• Integrate efforts to prevent and treat substance use disorders into primary care.
The report calls on physicians who care for service members to screen them at least once a year for unhealthy alcohol use and talk to those whose behaviors seem indicative of substance-use disorder about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. Doctors who feel they are unable to treat a patient's substance abuse problem should refer the individual to a specialist.
Continue Reading: amednews.com
By Christine S. Moyer
Rising rates of alcohol and prescription drug use among the nation's armed forces have become a public health crisis that could negatively affect service members' abilities to perform their duties, said an Institute of Medicine report issued Sept. 17.
In 2008, 47% of active duty personnel reported binge drinking at least once in the previous month, up from 35% in 1998. Between 2002 and 2008, misuse of prescription medication in the past 30 days increased from 2% to 11% of active service members, the IOM report said.
Contributing to the problem are outdated military policies on preventing and treating substance use disorders, according to the IOM. "Many of these policies had been drafted more than 10 years previously and had not been revised to reflect emerging knowledge," the report said.
Other challenges include patients avoiding care for substance-use disorders due, in part, to concerns about being penalized, and limited training in addiction and psychiatry among physicians who care for patients with substance abuse problems.
To help overcome those obstacles the IOM issued a series of recommendations for the Dept. of Defense and individual branches of the military, including:
• Improve training for health professionals who manage substance-use disorders.
• Provide confidential substance abuse treatment for service members.
• Integrate efforts to prevent and treat substance use disorders into primary care.
The report calls on physicians who care for service members to screen them at least once a year for unhealthy alcohol use and talk to those whose behaviors seem indicative of substance-use disorder about the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. Doctors who feel they are unable to treat a patient's substance abuse problem should refer the individual to a specialist.
Continue Reading: amednews.com
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