Studies show more than half of people with an anxiety disorder experience substance abuse at some point in their lives. They most often abuse marijuana and alcohol, according to Anxiety and Addictive Behaviors Clinic director Julia Buckner, Ph.D.
Buckner, who is also an associate professor at the University, is developing an experimental treatment for simultaneously healing anxiety disorders and related marijuana abuse.
The current “golden standard” treatment first focuses on quitting marijuana abuse; the anxiety disorder treatment is secondary.
“The problem with that model is the anxious patients aren’t doing as well with substance abuse treatment,” Buckner said.
To gather participants, the study initiative developed an anonymous survey to determine if willing participants have an anxiety disorder and are serious about kicking their addiction to marijuana.
“We offer treatment through the outpatient psychological services center right here on campus, and we do a free intake assessment to make sure they’re right for the study,” Buckner said.
Buckner said the treatment involves 12 weekly sessions where participants meet with therapists who are graduate students in the clinical psychology department working on their doctorates.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse funds the study’s resources, allowing participants to get the treatment for free and earn up to $225 for their input. The main goal of the study is to decipher if the experimental treatment is feasible and more efficient than the “golden standard.”
Though Buckner is the project’s principle investigator, she works with her colleagues Mike Zvolensky from the University of Houston as well as Kathy Terrell, an expert in marijuana-use disorders at Yale.
About 30 people enrolled in the study so far and Buckner hopes to recruit 30 more from the University and Greater Baton Rouge community.
Once a participant is enrolled, therapists assign them to one of two conditions.
“We either put them on our new treatment that’s specifically designed to treat anxiety and marijuana abuse, or we put them on the gold standard treatment that exists right now where the marijuana use is directly targeted first,” Buckner said.
In the treatment program, therapists help participants recognize behavior, meet with a specialist at the clinical psychology program and focus on each participant as an individual.
“Not only are we looking for results as to the treatment’s efficiency, we’re also looking at things like, can the patients commit to 12 sessions, do they enjoy the treatment and do they understand it,” Buckner said.