New interactive tool available to help people find effective treatment for opioid use disorders

Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is launching Decisions in Recovery: Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (Decisions in Recovery), an online interactive aid for people who want information about the role of medications in treating opioid use disorder. The web-based tool and its accompanying handbook are designed to help people with opioid use disorders learn about treatment options so that they can work with their healthcare provider in deciding what might work best for them.

The Decisions in Recovery tool is primarily designed for individuals in, or seeking recovery from, opioid use disorder and their service providers. It can also be used by health officials, policymakers, and other members of the community involved in address the problem of opioid use disorders.

“Medication–assisted treatment is often a key element in freeing people from the devastating consequences of opioid-related disorders,’ said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Kana Enomoto. “By providing accurate, easy to understand information, the Decisions in Recovery tool helps people set their own course for treatment and recovery.”

This decision support tool includes a number of exciting features:

Easy to understand information from the literature about three primary medications used for medication assisted treatment (MAT) of opioid use disorders (methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone) along with their outcomes, risks, and benefits.
Tools to assist the person in recovery to identify and consider personal goals and preferences in relation to the available options.
Brief videos of recovery stories that provide a range of views and lived experiences from individuals in recovery and providers.
Downloadable worksheets to assist anyone on their recovery journey.

The Decisions in Recovery tool was developed in collaboration with individuals in recovery, clinicians, researchers, and other subject matter experts. It is also designed to help promote the objectives of the Surgeon General’s recent report, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health in preventing and treating substance use disorders. The Surgeon General’s report places special emphasis on the role that MAT can play in successfully treating opioid use disorders and returning people to healthy and productive lives.

The Decisions in Recovery tool and the accompanying handbook can be accessed at http://www.samhsa.gov/brss-tacs/shared-decision-making.

More information about this and other SAMHSA efforts to address opioid-related disorders is available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment. For information about recovery, visit: http://www.samhsa.gov/recovery.

For more information, contact the SAMHSA Press Office at 240-276-2130.