학술논문
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Defining what we mean by "polysubstance use."
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Bunting AM; Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.; Shearer R; Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.; Linden-Carmichael AN; Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.; Williams AR; Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.; Comer SD; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.; Cerdá M; Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.; Lorvick J; Community Health and Implementation Research Program, RTI International, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Source
Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7502510 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1097-9891 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00952990 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
The rise in drug overdoses and harms associated with the use of more than one substance has led to increased use of the term "polysubstance use" among researchers, clinicians, and public health officials. However, the term retains no consistent definition across contexts. The current authors convened from disciplines including sociology, epidemiology, neuroscience, and addiction psychiatry to propose a recommended definition of polysubstance use. An iterative process considered authors' formal and informal conversations, insights from relevant symposia, talks, and conferences, as well as their own research and clinical experiences to propose the current definition. Three key concepts were identified as necessary to define polysubstance use: (1) substances involved, (2) timing, and (3) intent. Substances involved include clarifying either (1) the number and type of substances used, (2) presence of more than one substance use disorder, or (3) primary and secondary substance use. The concept of timing is recommended to use clear terms such as simultaneous, sequential, and same-day polysubstance use to describe short-term behaviors (e.g., 30-day windows). Finally, the concept of intent refers to clarifying unintentional use or exposure when possible, and greater attention to motivations of polysubstance use. These three components should be clearly defined in research on polysubstance use to improve consistency across disciplines. Consistent definitions of polysubstance use can aid in the synthesis of evidence to better address an overdose crisis that increasingly involves multiple substances.