Blogs by Mark S. Gold, MD
Browse insightful blogs on psychiatry, addiction treatment, and more by Dr. Mark S. Gold, MD.
Life or Death
Stigma impedes treatment access for many with opioid use dependence.KEY POINTS Many people have extremely negative views toward people with an opioid dependence. Even emergency and primary-care doctors don’t want to treat people with drug addictions. Often people with...
Key Addiction Points You Need to Know
Make a difference in the current opioid crisis.KEY POINTS Adolescents should avoid drug experimentation to prevent problematic changes in their developing brains. The U.S. concentrates on reversing opioid drug overdosages, but other strategies are necessary. Drugs...
Ask the Expert: An Interview With Yale’s Dr. Brian Fuehrlein
Addiction expert says eliminating stigma is crucial to saving lives.KEY POINTS Improving substance use and opioid use disorders treatment can start in the emergency room. Opioid use disorder patients have unacceptable levels of medication discontinuation, relapse, and...
Speedballing: The Current Fourth Wave of the Overdose Crisis
Combining fentanyl with cocaine or methamphetamine.KEY POINTS The United States is in its fourth wave of the opioid crisis. Speedballing is highly prevalent and killing users. The current polydrug use norm challenges existing treatment models. We are in the midst of a...
Ask The National Institute on Drug Abuse Expert
An interview with methamphetamine and cocaine expert, NIDA's Jean Lud Cadet, MD.KEY POINTS Researchers have found important racial disparities in substance use disorders, yet they are often ignored. The amount/frequency of methamphetamine use affects possible brain...
Addicted to Food
When sugar and processed foods take over the brain.KEY POINTS The brain is activated by how foods taste, and highly processed foods are particularly attractive. Some medications effectively treat obesity, especially GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. GLP-1s may...