Biological and psychological interventions: Trends in substance use disorders intervention research

Substance use disorders (SUDs) cause serious medical, financial, and social problems for individuals and society. Thus, understanding the large body of research exploring biological and psychological intervention trends is important to researchers and clinicians. Historically, psychological interventions have dominated the literature, in spite of modest outcome data. Recently, a refocus on biological intervention research has led to results suggested as efficacious in treatment of SUDs with promising clinical potential. The current review indicates that there seems to be some incongruence between this growing body of physiological research and psychological clinical research and practice. The current review explores these trends and argues for more solid integration of biological and psychological research and treatment strategies for SUDs, as well as heightened efforts toward translation of research into practice.

Research highlights
► Understanding the research exploring biological and psychological intervention trends is important.
► Psychological interventions are popular.
► More recent biological intervention research has suggested efficacy of such treatments.
► Incongruence between the growing body of physiological research and psychological clinical research and practice exists.
► The current review explores these trends and argues for more solid integration of biological and psychological research and treatment strategies for SUDs, as well as heightened efforts toward translation of research into practice.