New Challenges in Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders-The Perfect Storm

Hot Off the Press – July 14 , 2020.

In this article the authors discuss the heightened risks for individuals living with alcohol and substance use disorders during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Physiological, psychological, medical and economic consequences are described in relation to inaction including the far-reaching implications on the individual, society and global sphere. Computer based interventions are highlighted with a special emphasis on their potential to improve current treatment engagement for those afflicted with addiction during this unprecedented time. The factors reviewed already associated with the ongoing addiction epidemic now further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic effectively raise awareness for the urgency of strategic action.

Publication Information

@article{doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20040417,

title = {New Challenges in Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders---The Perfect Storm},

author = {Primavera A Spagnolo and Chiara Montemitro and Lorenzo Leggio},

url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32660296/},

doi = {10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20040417},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-07-14},

journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry},

volume = {0},

number = {0},

pages = {appi.ajp.2020.20040417},

note = {PMID: 32660296},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

Covid-19 image provided by NIAID.