Sara K. Zachman is a psychiatrist.

People dealing with addiction belong in clinics — not jails

Policy
June 25, 2021

“Doc, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m here right now.” Though in his mid-60s, my patient had the wide-eyed bewilderment more familiar of a child. He was late for our first visit together — but he was there and against the odds.

He explained to me that he had been picked up by police for attempted shoplifting while intoxicated the night before, stopped while trying to stumble out of …

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People dealing with addiction belong in clinics — not jails

What the police and psychiatrists have in common

Policy
June 23, 2020

“Give ‘em out like candy,” advised a senior resident while handing me a stack of small flyers. The text outlined a list of services provided by a nearby community resource center for help with things like housing, food, education, employment, and legal issues. I never thought this quarter page of paper would prove so critical throughout my time working as a psychiatry resident in our county clinic.

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What the police and psychiatrists have in common

Coronavirus is forcing us to confront addiction treatment paradoxes

Conditions
April 7, 2020

On March 19th, the federal government loosened regulations around methadone and buprenorphine, two medications used to treat opioid addiction. The change was triggered by the novel coronavirus and concerns that current practices would either contribute to its spread or restrict critical opioid addiction treatment.

For all the havoc the coronavirus is undoubtedly causing, it is also compelling us to examine our approach to these medications with a …

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Coronavirus is forcing us to confront addiction treatment paradoxes