Heroin Use and the Opioid Epidemic

Course overview

The heroin epidemic has been reported by the medical literature and national news as an alarming, public health concern with growing morbidity and mortality rates. Heroin-related deaths affect the user, and the user's family and friends, who are the silent sufferers, as they directly witness the victim's condition. Frequently, heroin is misused along with other drugs. Along with the increase in heroin use, there is an increase in the number of heroin-related deaths. There are factors that contribute to the development of a substance disorder, as it is described and defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). A heroin use disorder, which leads to repeated use of heroin, has physiological consequences and long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems. Once a heroin use disorder is diagnosed, a treatment plan must be developed utilizing the various treatment options.