Isolation Puts Seniors With Substance Use Disorders at Heightened Risk During COVID-19

The social distancing and stay-at-home orders of the COVID-19 pandemic may present a challenge for people with substance use disorders by triggering anxiety, depression, or the urge to take drugs or drink alcohol. For people ages 65 or older, a population already vulnerable to the mental health effects of isolation, sequestering may be disproportionately burdensome.“As long as social distancing guidelines remain in place, older adults in recovery from substance use disorders may find themselves cut off from support if they are unable to effectively use online treatment and self-help resources,” wrote Derek D. Satre, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and Kaiser Permanente and colleagues in anarticle in theAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.In the article, Satre and colleagues outlined key areas of concern for mental health professionals who work with seniors and offer guidance on how to help older patients.Alcohol. Alcohol use can impair the immune system and increase susceptibility to pneumonia and other infectious diseases. Minimizing alcohol consumption may be critical for seniors during the pandemic, the authors wrote. They encourage mental health professionals to ask about their senior patients ’ drinking habits and any recent increases in drinking that may stem from causes such as social isolation, financial stressors, anxiety, depression, or thoughts of suicide. The authors noted that pharmacologic treatments for alcohol use disorders su...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: alcohol anxiety benzodiazepines cannabis COVID-19 depression motivational interviewing older adults opioids seniors substance use disorder suicide tobacco Source Type: research