Research calls for new measures to treat mental illness and opioid use

Opioid use among psychiatric hospital patients needs to be addressed through an integrated approach to managing mental illness, pain and substance use, a study by researchers at the University of Waterloo has found.

“If we are serious about supporting people with mental and physical health concerns, we need an integrated approach to service delivery, which includes assessing and addressing the risk of addiction,”  said Perlman, who is a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo.