title: How should opiate withdrawal be measured?
abstract: Comparison is made between subjective and objective measurements of opiate withdrawal severity in a group of 24 regular opiate takers undergoing inpatient detoxification. A lack of correlation is found between patients' subjective ratings, objective nurse ratings and physiological parameters of withdrawal severity. This indicates that in future research the subjective and objective dimensions of withdrawal should be considered and measured separately.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, U.K.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turkington
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Drummond
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D002707:Chlordiazepoxide; D008691:Methadone