Optimal Utilization of Psychosocial Supports in Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Issue Brief

As the opioid epidemic has evolved into a national crisis, the need for treatment has increased greatly. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) that combines the use of medications and psychosocial supports, such as therapy, counseling, self-help groups, and case management. MAT effectively treats OUD by decreasing opioid use and opioid-related overdose deaths.