As a culmination of many years of work, spearheaded by the Society of Behavioral Medicine and John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP of the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, a coalition of leading medical and scientific organizations are officially calling on Congress in a new policy brief to change the names of U.S. federal institutions on addiction that still prominently feature the stigmatizing and harmful term “abuse.”
The term “abuse” has been shown to increase stigma and discrimination toward individuals suffering from drug and alcohol problems, in both the general population and even among clinicians. A multitude of national and international organizations, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Associated Press, and the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors have all advised the terms “abuse” and “abuser” be avoided due to their potential for harm and lack of accepted scientific and medical use. Despite this, that terminology is currently used in the titles of U.S. federal institutions and administrations that work to address the opioid epidemic and substance use problems nationwide (National Institute of Drug Abuse [NIDA], National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], and more).
“It’s really a paradox, because using these terms has been shown time and again to hurt patients, increase stigma, and result in poorer quality care and worse outcomes. Yet still, these national institutions that were formed with the explicit clinical and public health mission of alleviating these problems haven’t changed their names to reflect developments in the field since they were founded, in some cases nearly 50 years ago,” said Dr. Kelly, the lead author of the policy brief. “If these federal institutions were founded today, they would of course avoid using these terms because of their harmful nature, so it’s imperative that they change them now.” The authors mention that stigmatizing language still being used within the names of these institutions almost acts as a tacit endorsement of that language, communicating personal blame and reinforcing false and harmful stereotypes that affected persons “choose to abuse drugs,” or need punishment as opposed to treatment.
Changing the names of U.S. federal institutions such as these requires an act of Congress, and so the Society of Behavioral Medicine has put together a coalition advocating for just that. This policy brief has been officially endorsed by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), the Association for Multidisciplinary
Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA), Shatterproof, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBA), the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR), the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM),the Drug Policy Alliance, and the Harm Reduction Coalition. The brief has been published by the Society of Behavioral Medicine and features further explanation on the importance of this change and offers suggested alternatives.
With such a coalition in place, authors expressed hope that this brief can help affect meaningful change on a national level. Dr. Kelly explained, “This goes far beyond ‘political correctness’; the research shows that the language we use has a significant impact on health, treatment access, and outcomes, and so it is important that the national organizations people look to for leadership reflect this.”
The policy brief was authored by John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Valerie Earnshaw, PhD, of the University of Delaware.
About the Society of Behavioral Medicine
The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) is a 2,400-member organization of scientific researchers, clinicians, and educators. They study interactions among behavior, biology, and the environment, and translate findings into interventions that improve the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities (www.sbm.org).
Media contact: Chris Rattan , MPH at 617-643-4695 or [email protected]
