Since the 1990s, Opioid-related overdose deaths
have increased dramatically in the United States (Paulozzi, 2006). In
Massachusetts alone, opioid-related overdose deaths have exceeded motor vehicle
crash-related deaths since 2005 (CDC, 2011). Many factors have contributed to
this increased mortality, which include: new drug use patterns, greater heroin
availability, more potent heroin composition, as well as increased abuse of
prescription medications (Shah, 2008).
Numerous strategies exist to reduce the rate of
opioid-related overdose deaths, as well as opioid-related harm. In Canada,
established safe injection facilities, where drug users can use pre-obtained
drugs under supervision, have reduced mortality in drug-using populations
(Marshall, 2011). Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) have been established
in numerous states to reduce prescription drug diversion and the act of “doctor
shopping” by drug users seeking access to opioids (Office of NDCP, 2011). While
PDMPs are useful in reducing use of non-prescribed medications, there is no
data to support their efficacy in reducing overdose-related deaths and harm
(Paulozzi, 2011).
Overview of Critique: Isolation and
Hopelessness Caused by Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
This critique will address the vast limitations
of PDMPs. While these programs can minimize access to prescription opioids,
many skeptics criticize the role PDMPs play in reducing opioid-related
overdoses and harm (Green, 2011). Particularly, this approach does not address
social and behavioral considerations sensitive to drug users, which have the
most effect on reducing mortality.
Although PDMPs generate databases help physicians
identify risky patients likely to abuse opioids, the resulting actions taken by
physicians contributes to the social stigmas and labels that can fuel drug use.
When physicians deny drug-seeking patients in clinical settings, psychological
reactance triggered by the authority of physicians can lead to worse health
outcomes. As PDMPs place interventional control with health care professionals
and not the drug users themselves, this strategy diminishes a patient’s sense
of self-efficacy.
Overall, PDMPs instill a sense of anger and
hopelessness among drug users. These individuals most often need more support
than the average citizen. For this reason, PDMPs are not effective in reducing
opioid-related overdose and harm.
Adding a Label to a Heavily
Stigmatized Population
In some states, law enforcement can become
involved with PDMPs. This can lead to sanctioning for drug seeking patients that
highlight the illegality of “drug shopping.” Simply put, this adds a negative
label to an already heavily stigmatized population. National campaigns and community-based programs teach
society from a young age to avoid drugs, creating a societal norm that drug
users are “bad people.” This has created a social stigma surrounding drug
users, who do not adhere to the social norms of living a drug-free lifestyle
and further become ostracized from society (Goffman, 1963). In the case of
opioid use, growing stigma in receiving medical treatment affects the receipt
and access of health care (Latkin, 2013). In some cases, stigma can lead to
worse health outcomes, such as severe depression and isolation of drug users
during treatment (Cornford, 2012).
PDMPs enable health care professionals to
negatively label drug users as deviants
of common societal norms, as supported by Labeling Theory (Mead, 1934). Patients
seeking prescriptions are already dealing with the stigma of being a drug user,
now they are branded and labeled as criminals in the clinical setting. Drug
users are left with no choice but to believe they are in fact criminals, which
embellishes their existing social stigma. This malicious cycle defeats the
original purpose of PDMPs to reduce opioid-related harm, as depression caused
by stigmas and labels can lead to even more drug use (Chen, 2013).
Both stigmas and labels affect the overall well
being of an individual. Specifically, the negative nature of these elements
diminishes the self-esteem of drug users. According to the Hierarchy of Human
Needs, depressed individuals who lack self-esteem neglect the value of their
personal health (Maslow, 1943). In the case of drug users, being healthy is
defined by society as abstaining from drug use altogether. Maslow cites that lower
levels of human needs, such as the desire for respect, positive recognition,
and confidence, must be satiated before an individual can even start
considering the importance of health. Since society does not condone drug use,
confidence and self-respect become impossible to attain. The idea of being healthy and free from
drug use far surpasses the daily concerns of opioid users. As a result, these
individuals turn to drugs in order to cope with the negative attitudes and
feelings caused by societal stigmas and labels. Drugs provide validation when
society (through the implementation of PDMPs) rejects drug users for their
deviation from cultural norms.
Psychological reactance fueled by
physicians
Doctors serve as the key players who allow this
program to actually have an effect on reducing overdose deaths and
opioid-related harm. They review PDMP databases and decide whether or not they
will prescribe opioids to patients.
More importantly, the way in which a physician
delivers a rejection to drug seeking patients determines the effectiveness of
this intervention. When a doctor denies a drug seeker in the clinic and
counsels the patient about their drug use, Psychological Reactance Theory explains
that being told “no” can have a worse outcome for the patient. This theory
states that when a person experiences a threat to their personal freedom, they
react in a way that motives them to restore their autonomy (Brehm, 1966).
Specifically, the dominance exerted by the
physician, who serves as a figure of authority over the patient’s health,
magnifies the psychological reactance of the message (Dillard, 2005). Denial of
prescription drugs instills anger and rebellion among patients, which leads to
negative health outcomes and further fuels their drug use (Blose, 2009). A
doctor in a position of authority simply does not have the characteristics that
give a drug user the ability to relate. Although physicians are trained in
counseling as part of their medical education, drug counseling and addiction
treatment takes a unique skill that requires specific training, especially in
the case of opioid users (Joe, 2009).
Unfortunately, not all primary care physicians at
the front lines of PDMPs receive this training, which has negative consequences
in the ability for this program to achieve its goals of reduced harm. How
doctors approach their patients matter in order to reduce overdose deaths, and most
often, confrontation does not work (Miller, 2007).
Taking Control Away from Drug Users
The inherent design of PDMPs takes away any
control that drug users have in curbing their drug use and reducing
opioid-related harm. As health care professionals are the primary mode of
intervention and hold the choice of providing prescription opioids to patients,
control is shifted away from drug users themselves in managing their own drug
use. According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, there is a trickle down
effect on to the individual’s level of perceived control (Ajzen, 1991). Since
control is stripped away from the drug users, they are instilled with the idea
that they are helpless in controlling their own fate.
According to Edberg (2007), if someone does not
have perceived power, they will be less likely to take action (where “action”
in this case means controlling one’s drug use). For the extent of their drug
use, drug users have been told that their addiction has taken away their
control of their ability to curb their habits. Now, a health care policy has
codified their lack of control. Utilization of PDMPs subliminally harps on a
drug users perceived lack of control, which is harmful if society expects drug
users to help themselves.
Not involving patients in the process of reducing
their own drug use has negative consequences among heroin users (Cornford, 2012).
Specifically, hopelessness can lead to more drug use. To get drug users to want
to help themselves, they must believe that they have control. The authority of
doctors serves to impede a patient’s sense of self-efficacy, which is an individual’s
measure of their ability to complete tasks (Ormrod, 2006). If drug users are
not instilled with the notion of control, they cannot take action to stop their
own drug use.
Proposed Alternative Intervention:
The Power of Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Programs
Implementing Overdose Education and Naloxone
Distribution (OEND) programs for drug users and bystanders is a cost-effective
strategy to prevent and manage overdoses (Coffin, 2013). This strategy has even
shown to reduce opioid-related deaths in some communities (Walley, 2013). As
part of OEND training, participants are educated about overdose prevention,
recognition, and response – critical skills required to manage an overdose
situation. Participants are also given Naloxone, which counteracts the life
threatening respiratory depression that causes death. Unlike PDMPs, OEND
programs address behaviors and prevention strategies at the individual drug
user level. OEND programs work by changing social norms to counter the
isolation and depression caused by social stigmas and labels. The effectiveness
of OEND programs comes from the fact that those delivering the intervention are
laypersons that are more relatable to a drug user than doctors and pharmacists.
Most importantly, OEND programs impart a sense of control among drug users,
which develops the ownership necessary to combat his or her drug use habits. A
sense of control is further spread through OEND trainees’ social networks.
Changing Social Norms
Instead of isolating drug users who may not
adhere to standard social norms, society can change social norms in a way that
reduces opioid-related harms. Changing the role that drug users play in society
can counteract the burden that social stigmas and labels place on these
individuals. Although society has set rules and patterns that are considered
“normal,” individuals have the ability to change what is socially accepted as
described by Social Expecations Theory (DeFleur, 1989). Rather than ostracizing
drug users as criminals, which fuels their associated social stigma, OEND
programs accept drug use as part of the healing process. Enrollment into OEND
programs changes the way people, who may or may not be a drug user themself,
view a drug user. OEND programs put laypersons on the front lines of reducing
opioid-related harms, which develops a sense of familiarity with this heavily
stigmatized group. Unlike national campaigns targeting drug use, these programs
impart a sense of community among all members of society. Instead of labeling
these people as criminals who are “below” society, OEND programs highlight that
drug users are peers who also need help.
By fostering a sense of camaraderie, overdose
education and even the distribution of naloxone has shown to reduce the number
of deaths caused by overdose (Walley, 2013). While there are only 16 states
with established OEND programs, Diffusion of Innovation shows promise for this
initiative to reduce opioid-related harm.
Adoption of innovation is a process (Rogers, 1962). As more people
enroll in OEND programs and reverse potential overdoses, society’s perspective
about drug users can positively change. This changes comes from the
confirmation of the value of OEND programs and from the developed familiarity
about drug user behaviors. As more people become involved in preventing harm,
the overall views of society change to extinguish the overly emphasized criminality of drug use.
The Message of OEND Programs Comes
from Similar People
OEND programs are comprehensive, in that they
involved all people in the process of curbing overdose-related harm. Anyone can
be trained through OEND programs – family members, bystanders in overdose
situations, even drug users themselves. This feature allows all people to take
part in managing overdose-related harm, not just physicians and pharmacists. As
described by Silvia (2005), consideration of who delivers a message is important
when implementing a program.
When the person relaying the message is similar
and more relatable to the audience, there is less psychological reactance
experienced compared to when someone estranged relays the message (Silvia,
2005). Power and influence is removed from health care professionals and
disseminated to people who are familiar to a drug user. In some cases, other
drug users become the messengers to their fellow drug users in reducing
overdose deaths (Doe-Simkins, 2009). Family members, bystanders, and drug users
are much more relatable to a typical drug user than an authoritative doctor.
For this reason, OEND programs reduce the effects of psychological reactance so
that drug users are less resistant to overcoming the problems caused by their
opioid use.
The added bonus of increased ability to measure
psychological reactance in OEND programs compared to PDMPs also allows overdose
education and naloxone distribution to be more effective. As researchers have
developed ways to measure the knowledge provided by OEND programs as well as
the attitudes of recipients of treatment, they are able to specifically tailor
how these programs can better deliver their message (Williams, 2013). This
contrasts the limited data on psychological reactance data of PDMPs, since it
is hard to follow patients denied of prescriptions to ask them about their
personal reactions and patient satisfaction.
The Social Networks of OEND Trainees can Spread
the Idea of Control
The most important lesson taught by OEND
programs is that family members, bystanders, and drug users have the ability to
control the fate of themselves and their loved ones using drugs. According to
Prospect Theory, people take ownership of things and think they have control
when they have a better sense of the risks involved (Kahneman, 1979). Therefore,
it is important for society to give back ownership to drug users about their
own problems and issues. By teaching trainees how to manage overdose and reduce
potential opioid-related harm, OEND programs instill a sense of confidence that
was otherwise taken away by society through the implementation of PDMPs
(Strang, 2008). Doctors and pharmacists are no longer the gatekeepers in
managing opioid-related harm. OEND programs provide buy-in to all members of
society, most importantly to drug users themselves, in determining their fate. The
OEND strategy gives drug users a stake in reducing opioid-related harm.
The all-inclusive nature of OEND programs
compared to PDMPs also provides a powerful benefit. As noted by Social Network
Theory, behaviors spread through social networks, not through individuals
(Wasserman, 1994). The social circles of OEND trainees are much more expansive
than doctors and pharmacists alone. Most often, the social circles of family
members, bystanders, and drug users trained in OEND better reach target
populations that have greatest control in reducing opioid-related harm (Walley,
2013). As individuals trained in OEND are most likely to be the support system
for drug users, these programs strategically target individuals who have the
most influence in the behaviors of drug users. This has a more advantageous
effect than PDMPs, where health care professionals are the key players in
intervention strategies.
Conclusion
Opioid-related overdose deaths and harm
continue to be a major issue haunting the United States. Especially with the
growing rate of prescription drug abuse, it is important to develop
interventions that can reduce harm. While Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
have the ability to restrict access to addicting prescription drugs, this
strategy contributes to the social stigmas and labels that burden drug users
and that can contribute to greater use of drugs. Not only
do these programs take personal control away from drug users, the messenger in
PDMP interventions is not relatable to a drug user.
Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution
Programs provide social support that helps alleviate the oppression caused by
societal norms. OEND programs achieve this aim by focusing on individual-level
intervention and by helping combat social stereotypes associated with drug
users. This alternative strategy helps develop the confidence and self-efficacy
needed to help drug users help themselves.
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