Substance use disorders: a call for a staging paradigm.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Substance use disorders (SUDs) are increasingly recognized as chronic brain disorders.
• Current characterization lacks distinct clinical stages comparable to other chronic conditions.
• This gap hinders personalized treatment strategies and clinical application of research findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a dynamic, structured staging model for SUDs.
• To integrate multidimensional factors, including social determinants of health (SDOH), into SUD classification.
• To enhance personalized treatment approaches and facilitate the clinical translation of addiction research.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development for a dynamic SUD staging model.
• Inclusion of diverse factors such as neurobiological, psychological, and social determinants of health.
• Literature review and synthesis of existing models for chronic disease staging.

Main Results:

• A proposed multidimensional, dynamic staging model for SUDs.
• Identification of key factors for staging, including severity, chronicity, and impact of SDOH.
• Potential for improved patient stratification and tailored interventions.

Conclusions:

• A dynamic staging model is crucial for advancing SUD clinical management.
• Integrating SDOH into staging can lead to more equitable and effective care.
• This framework offers a pathway to enhance personalized addiction medicine and research translation.