The ‘opioid crisis’ – a psychological perspective
The ‘opioid crisis’ – a psychological perspective

Summary/Abstract: Are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater? We often do that when there is an event called a 'crisis.' We attack symptoms. The government makes policies that are harmful to a large segment of the population and they just don't get it. Here are a few statements from respected journals: The truth about the US ‘opioid crisis’ – prescriptions aren’t the problem; Opioid Addiction Is a Huge Problem, but Pain Prescriptions Are Not the Cause; Cracking down on highly effective pain medications will make patients suffer for no good reason; overdosing on numerous drugs is an epidemic because millions live in a world without hope, certainty, and structure. Lewis,1 a neuroscientist and author on addiction, said that the overdose epidemic is real and, in fact, it is unmistakable across the globe. It is driven by the illicit or illegal use of drugs but if moral panic leads to many more people in severe pain, 'that would be a disaster.' He points out that the current "opioid crisis" is not the same thing as an 'overdose crisis.’

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