title: Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adults: Neglected and Treatable Illnesses.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) in older adults for general psychiatrists. The rapid growth of the geriatric population in the USA has wide-ranging implications as the baby boomer generation ages. Various types of substance use disorders (SUDs) are common in older adults, and they often take a greater toll on affected older adults than on younger adults. Due to multiple reasons, SUDs in older adults are often under-reported, under-detected, and under-treated. Older adults often use substances, which leads to various clinical problems. Space limitations prevents a comprehensive review; therefore, we primarily focus on alcohol use disorder and the problem of opioid use disorder, with more emphasis given to the latter, because the opioid use epidemic in the USA has gained much attention. We reviewed the literature on the topics, integrated across geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, research, and national trends. We discuss unique vulnerabilities of older adults to SUDs with regard to management of SUDs in older adults, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and psychosocial treatments. We encourage general psychiatrists to raise their awareness of SUDs in older adults and to provide brief intervention or referral for further assessment.
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Mental Health Service Line (116), 1670 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, GA, 30033, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Christoffel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Roux
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
authors.forename: Yilang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. karen.drexler@va.gov.|Addictive Disorders, VA Central Office, Washington, D.C., Atlanta VA Medical Center, Mental Health Service Line (116), 1670 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, GA, 30033, USA. karen.drexler@va.gov.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Drexler
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D058006:General Practice / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Addiction; Alcohol; Chronic pain; Elderly; Guidelines; Older adults; Opioids; Substance use disorders