330.602.01
The Epidemiology of Substance Use and Related Problems
Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
Mental Health
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2017 - 2018
Instruction Method
TBD
Tu, Th, 1:30 - 2:50pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
340.601 - Principles of Epidemiology
Presents an overview of the epidemiology of substance use and substance use disorders, within a public health framework. Initially, we review how drugs are classified and regulated, and then we examine trends in estimates of prevalence and incidence of drug and alcohol use and problems. Explores the epidemiology of the most common drugs of abuse, such as alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and cocaine.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Describe drug policy in the US, including how substances are regulated;
- Describe the leading drugs of abuse in the US and their prevalence of use and health and social impacts;
- Examine the overlap between substance use and mental disorders;
- Explain key concepts in substance use epidemiology, such as tolerance, withdrawal, addictive potential, etc;
- Consider the role of epidemiology in informing and evaluating policy and public health interventions targeting substance use and substance use disorders;
- Understand a variety of approaches to prevention of substance use, screening and treatment for substance use disorders, and diagnosis of substance use disorder; and
- Be a competent consumer of substance use epidemiology research.