Chapter VI
Tailored Treatment for Special Populations
Diseases manifest differently in different
individuals and, as with other health conditions,
a one-size-fits-all approach to addiction
treatment typically is a recipe for failure.^1 For
addiction treatment to be effective, it must be
tailored to the individual patient, including the
particular stage and severity of the disease,
overall health status including any co-occurring
conditions, past treatments and any other life
circumstances that might affect patient
outcomes.^2 Treatment approaches also must be
appropriate to the patient’s age, gender,
race/ethnicity and cultural background.^3Although research on the effectiveness of
various treatment approaches for special
populations is very limited, particular subgroups
for whom there is some documented evidence of
the benefits of specialized treatment include:
those with co-occurring health conditions,
adolescents, women, older adults, racial and
ethnic minorities, individuals of minority sexual
orientation, veterans and those in active duty
military, and individuals involved in the justice
system.*Co-o ccurring Medical Disorders......................................................................................
Because addiction causes, contributes to and co-
occurs with multiple other diseases, including 70
other conditions requiring medical care such as
heart disease and cancer,† 4 physicians and other
medical professionals must address these co-
occurring health conditions in the course of
caring for their patients and assure that
medication interactions and the use of* The following discussion is a brief overview of
tailored treatment approaches for special populations
and is not an exhaustive or definitive account of all
possible treatments of this nature. More research is
needed to identity the best treatment approaches for
the special populations discussed in this chapter as
well as for others not included here.
† See Chapter III.