Supervised Methadone Consumption: Client Issues and Stigma

Supervised methadone consumption is an important part of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) but may contribute to stigma for clients. Data from qualitative interviews with MMT clients (n = 64) conducted in 2002-2003 in Canada were analyzed using thematic analytic methods. Three themes dominated c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance use & misuse 2009-01, Vol.44 (6), p.794-808
Main Authors: Anstice, Susan, Strike, Carol J., Brands, Bruna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Analgesics, Opioid - administration & dosage
Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Canada
Consumption
Drug addiction
Female
Humans
Identity
Interviews as Topic
Male
Medical sciences
Methadone
Methadone - administration & dosage
Methadone - therapeutic use
Methadone maintenance treatment
Middle Aged
Models, Theoretical
Opioid-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
Patients - psychology
Pharmaceutical Services
Pharmacists
pharmacy
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
qualitative research
Stereotyping
stigma
Stigmatization
supervised consumption
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Summary:Supervised methadone consumption is an important part of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) but may contribute to stigma for clients. Data from qualitative interviews with MMT clients (n = 64) conducted in 2002-2003 in Canada were analyzed using thematic analytic methods. Three themes dominated clients' accounts of supervised consumption (convenient access to services, relationships with pharmacists and dispensing staff, and attributes of the dispensing space) and were interwoven with experiences of stigmatization. While some dispensing contexts may help clients manage a stigmatized identity, others confer or make visible this identity. Reducing stigmatizing experiences within dispensing environments may improve MMT outcomes and decrease barriers to treatment. The study's limitations are noted.
ISSN:1082-6084
1532-2491
DOI:10.1080/10826080802483936