Brief Counseling May Not Help With Most Drug Problems [NPR.org]

Samantha Sangenito 8/8/144:00 AM

Beating a drug habit is usually a long process that includes talk therapy and, sometimes, medicine. Checking into a rehab facility can help many people, too.

But it can be hard to persuade someone to commit to that long-term treatment. So public health officials lately have been cutting to the chase — urging doctors in primary care and in hospital emergency rooms to question all patients regarding drug use, then offer those with a drug problem a 10- or 15-minute counseling session, right then and there.

A small amount of treatment is surely better than none, right? Maybe not. Two studies published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggest such brief interventions may not help people with drug problems at all.

[For more of this story, written by Maanvi Singh, go to http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/08/06/338062690/brief-counseling-may-not-help-with-most-drug-problems]

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Mary L. HoldenMember

When I read information like this, I wonder what else can be done for those who are addicted to set in some positive change in their lives in a short time. Is there some way to start healing, make the start stick, and lead people away from the items they use to perpetuate their hurts (while believing that the items are good for them--at least in the short term)? Oh, I just want to write that there must be some way, some modality, some method to help those who participate in the cycles of addictions.

8/8/149:37 AM

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