Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (Jul 2020)

COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders: Recommendations to a Comprehensive Healthcare Response. An International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Practice and Policy Interest Group Position Paper

  • Ali Farhoudian,
  • Alexander Baldacchino,
  • Nicolas Clark,
  • Gilberto Gerra,
  • Hamed Ekhtiari,
  • Geert Dom,
  • Azarakhsh Mokri,
  • Mandana Sadeghi,
  • Pardis Nematollahi,
  • Maryanne Demasi,
  • Christian G. Schütz,
  • Seyed Mohammadreza Hashemian,
  • Payam Tabarsi,
  • Susanna Galea-singer,
  • Giuseppe Carrà,
  • Thomas Clausen,
  • Christos Kouimtsidis,
  • Serenella Tolomeo,
  • Seyed Ramin Radfar,
  • Emran Mohammad Razaghi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.32598/bcn.11.covid19.1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 2
pp. 133 – 146

Abstract

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is escalating all over the world and has higher morbidities and mortalities in certain vulnerable populations. People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) are a marginalized and stigmatized group with weaker immunity responses, vulnerability to stress, poor health conditions, high-risk behaviors, and lower access to health care services. These conditions put them at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and its complications. In this paper, an international group of experts on addiction medicine, infectious diseases, and disaster psychiatry explore the possible raised concerns in this issue and provide recommendations to manage the comorbidity of COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

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