Author(s): Suchismita Ray*, Alexis Budhi
United States is going through an opioid crisis. Dire consequences of heroin and opiate analgesic misuse including overdose increased more than 400% among females compared to 237% among males from 2002-2013. This brief review emphasizes the importance of examining the neural mechanisms in childhood trauma-exposed women with concurrent opioid use and stress disorders. The authors highlight the need for examining the efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on women opioid users’ brain functioning, mental health, as well as drug craving and relapse. If MBSR is found to be efficacious, this particular behavioral intervention can be added to the existing treatment protocol for women with opioid use and stress related affective disorders.
