During the segment on urine drug screens, it seemed like the general message was that there is no medical utility - and I don’t disagree. However, when I asked a psychiatrist about why they were so interested, they raised two points: one, it allows them to make a diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder; two, proof of drug use may make the patient eligible for resources and services that they might not otherwise be eligible for. By failing to mention the potential benefit to our patients, I think we do a disservice.
Avi - I'll get some responses from Jeff re: eligibility for services. Regarding diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder, this seems misdirected and a misinterpretation of the information. As Jeff mentioned, presence of a drug in the UTox doesn't mean it's causing the symptoms the patient has. My experience, and I'm sure you've got the same experience, is that folks with depression, anxiety, mania etc are very likely to have used various drugs but, that doesn't mean their mood disorder is caused by those drugs. While you can make a diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder, the UTox results shouldn't influence it.
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Dallas H. - November 8, 2021 12:20 PM
I found this article my intern year and still routinely reference it. The tables are great.
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)30825-4/fulltext
Avi R. - November 15, 2021 6:03 AM
During the segment on urine drug screens, it seemed like the general message was that there is no medical utility - and I don’t disagree. However, when I asked a psychiatrist about why they were so interested, they raised two points: one, it allows them to make a diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder; two, proof of drug use may make the patient eligible for resources and services that they might not otherwise be eligible for. By failing to mention the potential benefit to our patients, I think we do a disservice.
Anand S. - November 15, 2021 1:23 PM
Avi - I'll get some responses from Jeff re: eligibility for services.
Regarding diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder, this seems misdirected and a misinterpretation of the information. As Jeff mentioned, presence of a drug in the UTox doesn't mean it's causing the symptoms the patient has. My experience, and I'm sure you've got the same experience, is that folks with depression, anxiety, mania etc are very likely to have used various drugs but, that doesn't mean their mood disorder is caused by those drugs. While you can make a diagnosis of substance-induced mood disorder, the UTox results shouldn't influence it.