The definition of addiction, now called substance use disorder, has varied greatly over time. The first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, from 1952, didn’t include specific diagnostic criteria for this condition. Over the next sixty years, the DSM went through six revisions, with a slow evolution of the terms “substance abuse” and “dependence.” The first was limited to substance use causing social and occupational problems, while the last …
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She walked in with a cane, bent over like a question mark. She was in her seventies and as sweet as people in that age group tend to be. I think most of the cranky ones don’t make it that far. She was something of an emergency because her doctor had just passed away, and it was time to refill her medications. It would not be safe for her to …
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Why would anyone lie about you? And what makes you prone to conviction? There are three types of people that will absolutely bring your world crashing down on you, and you need to know who they are. But first, we need to understand the formula that prosecutors have developed to target doctors.
Prosecutors go after doctors because they are easy targets. The formula developed by prosecutors has three steps: First, make …
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Many physicians reading this forum treat pain and addiction and may wonder what criteria the DEA believes to be indicative of a pill mill. The following is from a motion filed in federal court regarding the prosecution of a physician:
The government claimed in the motion that pill mills, “have been found to have common characteristics, including some or all of the following”:
- Clinics are cash only and do not accept …
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The call came in during a busy workday. My comprehensive primary care clinic had been built over a decade of hard work and had a general practice clinic staffed by a very capable former surgeon and several nurse practitioners, as well as a pain management program and an addiction treatment clinic. We also had several counselors on staff. I immediately recognized the voice on the other end of the line …
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