ABSTRACT
Co-occurring psychiatric disorders are frequently encountered in patients with substance use disorders so the pharmacological management of these co-occurring disorders is also alluded to.
An important premise of the chapter, although not discussed at length, is the view that medications for these substance use disorders should generally be prescribed in the context of ongoing behavioral interventions for the disorders, and that most patients will have better
outcomes when both behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic interventions are applied in concert. Behavioral interventions could range from referral to self-help groups to a variety of brief intervention techniques to a full course of psychotherapy using cognitive-behavioral, motivational, psychodynamic, or 12-step facilitation approaches.
