Over the last decade, there has been a surge in interest in the intersection of sports and mental health as evidenced by rising demand from athletes, coaches, trainers and sport organizations for mental health services and guidance on best practices. Additionally, risky substance use, use of substances that impact the integrity of sport and addictive disorders are issues present at every level of athletic competition. Addiction psychiatrists are positioned to meet these needs.
This symposium will present the latest information, clinical knowledge and current best practices that are being used in the field of sport psycyhiatr and addiction psychiatry. This symposium will cover current trends in clinical presentations of substance use disorder and mental health conditions in athletes. Special attention will be paid to reviewing cannabis and alcohol use in athletes and the impact on mental health and sport performance. Cannabis legalization has spurred many changes at the sport regulation level which can create confusing clinical questions that require an addiction psychiatrist’s evaluation. Secondly, an overview of sports-related illicit performance enhancing drugs, supplements, and banned substances for which Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) are available will be presented, to inform addiction professionals and mental performance specialists Lastly, given the expansion of sports gambling, a review and examination of the impact of sports betting on athlete’s mind, body and brain will be presented.
Together, the information presented will enhance the addiction psychiatrist’s knowledge, skills and abilities to screen, assess and manage substance use disorders and mental health conditions in athletes.
Tim Fong, MD, Chairperson
Dr. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry.
He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. The purpose of this program is to examine the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies.
Dr. Fong is also a member of the Steering Committee of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids whose mission is to address the most pressing questions related to the impact of cannabis legalization through rigorous scientific study and discourse across disciplines.
He is the Director of the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Service and an an attending physician in the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Clinic.
Starting December 2023, he is the President-Elect of AAAP
Eric Morse, MD, Presenter
Dr. Eric Morse is an Addiction and Sports Psychiatrist. Dr. Morse is the CMO of the Morse Clinics - Johnston Recovery Services in Clayton, Morse Clinics of Asheboro, Durham, Roanoke Rapids, North Raleigh, Dunn, Zebulon, Chatham Recovery in Siler City, and Vance Recovery in Henderson. All of the Morse Clinics proudly accept Medicaid and Medicare. After his residency in psychiatry at the UNC, he completed an addiction psychiatry fellowship at the University of Maryland. He won the Fred Glazer Award in 2021 and the Marie Award in 2022 from AATOD for lifetime achievement in treating opioid use disorder.
At Carolina Performance in Raleigh, Dr. Morse had his 275-patient limit for buprenorphine maintenance and has been a PCSS-B mentor since it started in 2003 and is an Opioid Response Network mentor with the AAAP and SAMHSA. With 8 buprenorphine waivered physicians, Carolina Performance may be one of the largest buprenorphine OBOT providers in North Carolina. He serves as a consultant for the state in educating physicians on the proper treatment of opioid use disorder through the Governor’s Institute. Dr. Morse has worked with professional and college teams, leagues and athletes.
Laurence Westreich, MD, Presenter
Dr. Westreich is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist who specializes in the forensic evaluation of addicted persons. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in English Literature, he received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota School Of Medicine. Following an internship in Internal Medicine at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dr. Westreich completed a residency in General Psychiatry at New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center, and a fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital. He is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Westreich is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine and serves as Consultant on Behavioral Health and Addiction to the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He is licensed as a Medical Review Officer (M.R.O.), and is the author of Helping the Addict You Love (Simon and Schuster), and A Parents Guide to Teen Addiction (Skyhorse Publishing.)