Blog Archives

Moving from short-term, acute Rehab to Long-Term Recovery and Support in Addiction care

6/6/2026

Val's Take/Conjecture:

Talking about Substance Use and Neuro-Diversity is fraught because Neuro-Diverse People often represent the EXTREMES and a wide range of unusual combinations.

Typically, people with ADHD are perceived to have more problems with Substance Use than people with Autism. It's a lot more complicated than that.

We have these broad categories --- BUT they often miss the CLINICAL COMPLEXITY.

Clinicians are presented with people with complex Developmental Issues and diverse and complex Neuro-Immune Trajectories over the LIFESPAN.

The public and policy makers and I often tell Clinicians -- like Zuzu to George Bailey, "Fix it Daddy (or Mommy)" ---- without a solid understanding of what we're talking about --- and that includes the Clinicians.

We're getting better understandings and that should help provide support for that Comprehensive Continuum of Care that can handle large numbers of "COMPLEX CASES" while at the same time providing the TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND MEDICINE that we need to make the best use of limited resources.

"In summary: Clapton’s drug problems were severe and career‑damaging, but he never served time in prison for drug offenses. His recovery came through multiple rehab stays and personal resolve, not legal incarceration." --- Copilot.

BUT --- the Ethical and Policy Challenges of ADDICTION are REAL.

See Colorado community reels after police say driver with revoked license from a DUI hits 2 pedestrians, killing 1.

Can Maternal Immune Activation and Immune Priming predispose people to not only Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Disorders but also Addiction Disorders?

While maternal immune activation clearly increases risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, animal and review data also indicate it can heighten vulnerability to addictive behaviors, especially when combined with later “second hits” like adolescent stress or drug exposure.

Eric Clapton
Cocaine

Do Addiction Treatments need to be re-oriented from Short-Term Rehab to Long Term recovery?

Conclusion

Across quantitative, qualitative, and review studies, addiction is framed as a long-term condition, and longer, sustained, adaptive care outperforms brief, stand‑alone rehab.

The literature strongly supports re-orienting systems toward chronic-disease style, recovery-focused care that combines acute treatment with ongoing monitoring, supports, and community resources.

MAKING THE SUCCESSFUL HANDOFF FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO Public Health, Housing, Etc.

PCOS/PMOS and relationships with neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders --- Challenging Organ-by-organ views of disease

6/5/2026

Dr. Melanie Cree is a Professor of Medicine
at the University of Colorado Anschutz

PBS NewsHour

How renaming PCOS [Polycystic Ovary Syndrome] to PMOS [Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovary Syndrome] could improve care for millions of women

Challenging Organ-by-organ views of disease, including Neuro-Developmental and
Psychiatric Disorders

Summary

Beyond PCOS and neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders, strong examples of conditions re‑framed as multi‑system include Parkinson’s disease, psychosis and bipolar disorder, periodontitis, NAFLD/MAFLD, obesity, and sarcopenia.

Across these, shared themes are chronic inflammation, metabolic–immune–endocrine crosstalk, and overlapping comorbidities, challenging organ‑by‑organ views of disease.

What is the relationship between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Psyciatric Disorders?

Translational Medicine Friday

We're riffing off NPR's Science Friday to create Translational Medicine Friday.

We'll be collecting Research Article recommendations for Clinicians with regard to Cognitive Disability.

There is much in the RESEARCH JOURNALS and we'll just be SKIMMING THE SURFACE.

The POINT is to INCREASE FUNDING for TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH at the Federal Level for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Nation's Research & Teaching Hospitals and possible collaborations with Medicare and Medicaid providers.

Translational Medicine Friday