The Necessity of a Trauma-Informed Paradigm in Substance Use Disorder Services.

OBJECTIVE: To raise awareness and understanding about the role of trauma in the development of substance use and to define and clarify the need for trauma-informed care within the treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). METHOD: This article reviews the up-to-date literature on how and why traumatic life experiences promote a neurobiological vulnerability to development of SUDs and combines this with a discussion of the principles of trauma-informed care for SUDs, as well as a review of the role of stigma and structural violence as foundational concepts in the implementation of trauma-informed care for people with SUDs. RESULTS: Shifting to a trauma-informed care paradigm in treating SUDs more effectively serves patients by improving patient experiences and accounting for a chronic disease model, wherein multiple episodes of SUD care are often necessary. CONCLUSIONS: This article reviews the ways in which nurses and other service providers can increase SUD patient retention and decrease recurrence by understanding the role of trauma in the development of SUDs, exploring the role of stigma, and identifying and interrupting structural violence as it relates to SUDs. This article also offers actionable steps that all nurses can take now as well as areas for further inquiry into trauma-informed care substance use services.

Use of Buprenorphine to Treat Opioid Use Disorder.

As the opioid crisis continues to worsen in the United States, nurses must take on a central role of intervention, which includes use of the opioid agonist medication, buprenorphine. The current article addresses the need to understand opioid use disorder as a chronic condition and increase access to treatment with pharmacotherapies, particularly buprenorphine, in outpatient settings. The pharmacological activity of buprenorphine is discussed, as well as the reasons for its underutilization, specifically stigma. Nurses can be frontline leaders in the fight against the opioid crisis by addressing stigma and increasing access to the life-saving medication, buprenorphine. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(11), 9-12.].