Workshop: Overcoming and Addressing Stigma in Substance Use Disorders (OASIS): A Neuroscience-Based Educational Event for Communities and Clinicians-Overcoming and Addressing Stigma in Substance Use Disorders (OASIS): A Neuroscience-Based Educational Event for Communities and Clinicians

Overcoming and Addressing Stigma in Substance Use Disorders (OASIS): A Neuroscience-Based Educational Event for Communities and Clinicians

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Video Summary

Dr. Jeremy Walloff and Dr. Ellen Edens presented a multifaceted teaching intervention aimed at destigmatizing addiction, particularly opioid use disorder (OUD), using neuroscience-based education. Targeted at a diverse audience—from community members to clinicians—this intervention has been presented across North America to mixed groups comprising patients, medical personnel, and public figures like police officers to encourage varied perspectives and discussions.<br /><br />The workshop incorporated real-life scenarios to engage attendees in experiential learning and discussion, helping them empathize with individuals struggling with addiction. It introduced concepts from neuroscience to shift perspectives on addiction as a manageable brain disorder rather than a moral failing. By presenting addiction-related distress as a neurobiological response, the session encouraged participants to visualize the physiological aspects underlying substance dependence.<br /><br />Participants explored how diverse factors—genetic and environmental—contribute to addiction and discussed actionable strategies to communicate these concepts empathetically. This included utilizing narratives and simple metaphors, like the "mental health jar," to convey complex ideas, and emphasizing the efficacy of comprehensive, long-term treatment plans involving medications and therapy for OUD.<br /><br />The workshop highlighted that reducing stigma involves altering perceptions through repeated educational interventions, fostering self-compassion, and using tailored communication strategies. Dr. Walloff mentioned the utility of the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) as a free resource for neuroscience education to further disseminate this information.<br /><br />Overall, the event underscored the importance of storytelling and real-life experiences in influencing attitudes, suggesting that change in understanding and reducing stigma comes from both cognitive and emotional engagement.

Keywords

benzodiazepines

withdrawal

dependence

tapering strategies

pharmacology

tolerance

informed consent

phenobarbital

empathy

psychotherapy

microtaper

patient outcomes

substance dependencies

addiction destigmatization

opioid use disorder

neuroscience education

experiential learning

brain disorder

substance dependence

genetic and environmental factors

long-term treatment

National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative

storytelling

stigma reduction

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