Substance Use Disorders in Later Life: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature of an Emerging Public Health Concern.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) among older persons are among the fastest growing health problems in the United States. The number of older persons is projected to exceed 72.1 million persons by 2030, following a trend of general population growth in the mid-1940s to 1960s. The generation, known as "baby boomers," who refashioned drug use during their 20-30s, are increasingly continuing drug habits into later life. This review aims to assess the epidemiology, impact, and treatment of geriatric SUDs. Academic databases including PubMed, PsychInfo, Ovid, and Medline, were queried up to December 2018 for terms of "geriatric," "older," "elderly," "substance abuse," "drug," "drug use," "drug abuse," "drug dependency," "illicit drugs," and "geriatric psychiatry." Articles identified included 17 government documents, 29 studies based upon government documents, 43 studies not related to US government surveys, 19 review articles, 9 commentary pieces, 4 newspaper articles, 2 textbooks, and 1 published abstract. Evaluated studies and documents together suggest that older individuals are using illicit drugs and meeting criteria for SUDs at higher rates than previous geriatric cohorts resulting in substantial negative impacts on medical and psychiatric conditions. These findings represent a novel trend since previous cohorts of older individuals were thought to rarely use illicit substances. Current treatment models are inadequate to address the new wave of older individuals with SUDs. The fields of geriatrics, addiction, and geriatric psychiatry must work together to establish comprehensive care models and treatment modalities for addressing this emerging public health concern.

Competency of psychiatric residents in the treatment of people with severe mental illness before and after a community psychiatry rotation.

OBJECTIVE: psychiatric rehabilitation is an evidence-based service with the goal of recovery for people with severe mental illness. Psychiatric residents should understand the services and learn the principles of psychiatric rehabilitation. This study assessed whether a 3-month rotation in a psychiatric rehabilitation center changes the competency level of second-year psychiatric residents in evidence-based treatment of severe mental illness. METHODS: the study is a prospective, case-control comparison using the validated Competency Assessment Instrument (CAI), which measures 15 provider competencies critical to recovery, rehabilitation, and empowerment for people with severe mental illness, providing a score for each competency. Participants were second-year psychiatric residents attending a 3-month rotation at the Community Reintegration Program, a psychiatric rehabilitation day program. The authors administered the CAI at the beginning and the end of the residents' 3-month rotation in order to assess change in their competency in psychiatric rehabilitation. The authors also administered the CAI to a comparison group of second-year psychiatric residents who did not rotate through the Community Reintegration Program, and therefore had no formal training in psychiatric rehabilitation. RESULTS: a 3-month rotation in psychiatric rehabilitation significantly improved residents' competency in the domains of goal functioning, client preferences, holistic approach, skills, and team value relative to nonrotating residents. CONCLUSION: a brief community psychiatry rotation in the second year of residency likely improves some skills in the treatment of people with severe mental illness. Future research should evaluate year-long electives and public psychiatry fellowships.