Posted on by: Jackie A. Thayer

Consenting for treatment in advance to reduce leaving the hospital against medical advice among patients with addiction

drug addict
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) being treated for serious medical conditions are more likely to leave the hospital against medical advice (AMA) than those without addiction. A special type of contract with healthcare providers might enable patients to consent in advance to life-saving medical care—even if they later refuse treatment, according to a commentary in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

The Substance Use Advance Directive (SUAD) “has the potential to greatly improve the current state of treatment for life-threatening comorbid conditions in SUD

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Posted on by: Jackie A. Thayer

Centuries of Racism Have Created a Mental Health Crisis Among Black Americans

Photo credit: Getty/ Morgan McMullen
Photo credit: Getty/ Morgan McMullen

From Marie Claire

“He wanted me to run, so he could shoot me in the back,” my father said through tears that refused to fall. It was last month, the day before Father’s Day. Instead of making plans to celebrate, my dad and I sat in grief and fear together, like so many Black parents and their children, over the senseless loss of more Black lives.

He was telling me the story of how, as a 16-year-old walking around his neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia, he had been picked up by the police. After being taken

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