Wolters Kluwer Health, a provider of information and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry, together with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) recently introduced The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine, Fifth Edition, one of the most respected references on the science of addiction and its treatment. Twenty years after its first publication, this text has become a ‘go to’ source for physicians and other clinicians who treat addiction and co-occurring conditions, from specialists in addiction medicine, psychiatrists and social workers to pharmacists, to primary care clinicians, physicians and nurses.
There is a growing epidemic of addiction in America. Addiction to heroin, for example, more than doubled in the U.S. compared to a decade ago, according to a 2012 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Between 2004 and 2012, the number of people suffering from addiction with prescription pain medication increased 50 percent from 1.4 million to 2.1 million. According to another 2012 SAMHSA report, 23.1 million Americans aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem. The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine is more important than ever to assure that patients in need of treatment receive it from up-to-date clinicians.
According to Stuart Gitlow, President, American Society of Addiction Medicine, updates to this edition bring it more in line with today's understanding of this chronic brain disease. It is timely as well with a section devoted to the complex interrelations between the rise of addiction to prescription pain medications and the recent increase in number of heroin–related deaths. Another new section focuses on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the military and how service people are becoming more susceptible to addiction.
The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine provides core knowledge by blending scientific principles underlying addiction with the practical essentials of clinical addiction medicine. Many of the ASAM-associated contributors are affiliated with leading government agencies that study addiction and its science, such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine, Fifth Edition, is available in a print edition that comes bundled with an eBook powered by Inkling™ — allowing purchaser to download it to tablets and smartphones together with many interactive multimedia features. This eBook includes over 300 chapter review questions and offers customised navigation and a powerful, index-based search capability to provide quick results using iPad, iPhone, Android devices, or through a computer browser.
