The Stigma of Addiction

Stigma toward addiction is pervasive in the general public and within health care systems. Although effective treatments are available for substance use disorders, most individuals with these disorders do not receive treatment and frequently encounter stigma as a barrier to accessing and engaging in care. Moreover, these treatment rates have not changed significantly over the past decade despite further development of pharmacotherapies, increased federal funding support (primarily driven by the opioid epidemic), and other efforts and policy changes aimed at expanding treatments. With steady increases in overdose deaths in the United States over the past 20 years, the need to further reduce barriers to care for individuals with substance use disorders is urgent to ensure equal access to treatment across geography, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

This collection highlights current research efforts, which have focused on developing interventions to reduce stigma and increase treatment engagement for individuals with substance use disorders. The articles include surveys of attitudes toward individuals with these disorders, interventions to reduce stigma, policy affecting stigma toward substance use disorders, and disparities in service utilization. New research and opinion pieces are encouraged that explore the stigmatization of addiction and evidence-based interventions to reduce stigma.