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Contingency contracting and systematic desensitization for heroin addicts in methadone maintenance programs.
1Public and Community Health Programs, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb 60115, USA.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
|November 4, 2000
Summary
Behavioral therapies, contingency contracting and systematic desensitization, can enhance methadone maintenance for heroin addicts. These methods reduce drug use, manage patients, and improve anxiety and community adjustment.
Area of Science:
- Addiction research
- Clinical psychology
- Pharmacotherapy
Background:
- Methadone maintenance is a primary treatment for heroin addiction.
- Behavioral therapies can supplement pharmacotherapy for improved outcomes.
- Existing treatments may not fully address psychological and social aspects of addiction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of contingency contracting and systematic desensitization in methadone maintenance programs.
- To explore the practical implementation of these behavioral therapies.
- To propose an integrated treatment protocol.
Main Methods:
- Review of contingency contracting and systematic desensitization.
- Analysis of their application within methadone maintenance settings.
- Discussion of integration into a comprehensive treatment model.
Main Results:
- Contingency contracting effectively reduces illicit drug use and aids clinic patient management.
- Systematic desensitization reduces fear of withdrawal, anxiety, and improves self-image and community adjustment.
- Both therapies are practically implementable alongside methadone pharmacotherapy.
Conclusions:
- Contingency contracting and systematic desensitization are valuable additions to methadone maintenance.
- An integrated approach combining methadone, contingency contracting, and systematic desensitization is proposed.
- These combined therapies offer a more holistic treatment strategy for heroin addiction.