Addiction is not a standalone diagnosis—it is a psychiatric condition shaped by neurobiology, trauma, mental health, and lived experience.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs) are uniquely trained to assess substance use disorders through a biopsychosocial lens that integrates mental health, medical safety, trauma history, and functional impact.
This guide brings together psychiatry-informed education written from a PMHNP clinical perspective. It explains how PMHNPs evaluate addiction, differentiate substance-induced symptoms from mental health disorders, identify co-occurring conditions, and build treatment plans that prioritize safety, dignity, and long-term recovery.
The articles in this series are designed for patients, families, clinicians, and referral partners who want to understand how addiction psychiatry works—beyond myths, moral framing, or one-size-fits-all treatment models.
This intro does three things at once:
Signals trauma-informed care
Establishes authority
Sets scope
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Addiction & Recovery, Addiction Psychiatry, MAT, Medication-Assisted Treatment & Harm Reduction, PMHNP Role, Psychiatry & Medication, The PMHNP Guide to Addiction Psychiatry, Withdrawal ManagementInside a PMHNP Addiction Appointment: What Patients Actually Experience
This article is part of Medication-Assisted Treatment & Harm Reduction Psychiatry, a series examining how…
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Addiction & Recovery, Addiction Psychiatry, Dual Diagnosis, Medication-Assisted Treatment & Harm Reduction, PMHNP Role, Psychiatry & Medication, The PMHNP Guide to Addiction PsychiatryA PMHNP’s Role in Treating Addiction
This article is part of Medication-Assisted Treatment & Harm Reduction Psychiatry, a series examining how…
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Addiction Psychiatry, PMHNP Role, Psychiatry & Medication, The PMHNP Guide to Addiction Psychiatry, Understanding AddictionWhat a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Actually Does
This article is part of The PMHNP Guide to Addiction Psychiatry, a clinical education series…
When Addiction Requires Psychiatric Expertise
Substance use disorders often involve co-occurring mental health conditions, trauma history, and medical risk. PMHNP-led addiction psychiatry focuses on safety, accurate diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment that addresses the whole person—not just the substance.
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