Prescription Opioid Use Among Seriously Mentally Ill Veterans Nationally in the Veterans Health Administration.

Prescription Opioid Use Among Seriously Mentally Ill Veterans Nationally in the Veterans Health Administration.
Community Ment Health J. 2015 Sep 15;
Authors: Mathew N, Rosenheck RA
Abstract
Frequent prescription opioid use has been recognized as a growing problem but there have been no studies specifically among veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). National data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) during Fiscal Year 2012 show that VHA patients with SMI receive more opioid prescriptions than other veterans. Additionally, high numbers of opioid prescriptions is associated with greater use of anxiolytics/sedative-hypnotics, drug dependence and COPD-all of which pose an increased risk of respiratory depression and falls and warrant substantial caution and improved coordination between mental health and non-mental health prescribers to evaluate risk-benefit tradeoffs.
PMID: 26374435 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Community Mental Health Journal - September 15, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mathew N, Rosenheck RA Tags: Community Ment Health J Source Type: research