Understanding opioid use disorder
Older adolescents and young adults are among those at highest risk for development of opioid use disorders and related harms, such as overdose
As part of an IU's Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge, Zachary Adams and his colleagues in the IU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry teamed up with experts at Overdose Lifeline and a video production team in the IUPUI School of Informatics and Computing to create a set of developmentally tailored educational materials designed to help young people learn about opioids and opioid use disorder.
Among these resources are 6, 1-2 minute, videos designed to address key questions young people may have, such as what is an opioid, what is an opioid disorder and how do I recognize and respond to an overdose? Although these videos were initially created for use within a closed research project, Adams and his team are eager to share them publicly in hopes that others will view and use them to promote medically accurate understanding of opioids and their risks among young people.
For Providers
Indiana healthcare providers interested in learning more about providing best practice care for youth with opioid use disorder and other substance use disorder are encouraged to contact the Adolescent Addiction Access (AAA) Program for free, same-day, provider-to-provider consultation with adolescent addiction treatment specialists and referral supports. Support is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday by phone, 317-278-8434 or by email, aaaprog@iupui.edu.
For Youth and Families
The Adolescent Dual Diagnosis Program at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health provides outpatient evaluation and treatment services for youth with substance use and mental health disorders. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 317-948-0609 or go online.