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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2016, 18, N5 (pages: 15 - 22)

How to Improve a Poorly Running Agonist Opioid Treatment. Part 2: trust

Ulmer A. and Meinhold C.

Summary: Background: Can trust help to improve the treatment of addiction diseases? Almost no scientific research and no discussion in daily practice exist on this topic in relation to Agonist Opioid Treatment (AOT), even though it seems to be of central importance in determining the quality of treatment. Mistrust is an early and central symptom in the relationships with addicts. There is no cure without sustainably overcoming the problem. We must be open to discussion if we are going to meet the patients entrusted to our care with the right attitude. Otherwise, a predominant attitude of mistrust might have to be considered a permanent sin against them. A detailed discussion and some practical hints may help to develop trust, in situations where trust initially seemed impossible. We have tried a first approach to evaluating data. Methods: 55 patients were asked how much importance they attach to this issue in a questionnaire. The development of 109 of 127 patients, who were asked about happiness and trust in their childhood from the beginning, was also evaluated. Results: In this evaluation, we found no correlation. Conclusions: Despite the absence of correlations, the answers given by patients to the questionnaire indicated that trust is a central topic for them.