Welcome to the Transform Mind Podcast with Dr. O. In today's episode, we delve into the joint clinical practice guidelines for benzodiazepine tapering released in June 2025.
Dr. O breaks down the essential principles, patient-centered approaches, and key recommendations to ensure safe and effective benzodiazepine tapers. Learn why slow and supported tapering, shared decision making, and harm reduction are critical for patient safety. We also discuss special populations, psychosocial interventions, and practical case studies.
Stay tuned to explore this vital topic in psychiatric and addiction care.
00:00 Welcome to Transform Mind Podcast
01:22 Introduction to Today's Topic: Benzo Use Tapering Guidelines
01:51 Overview of the Joint Clinical Practice Guideline
03:37 Key Recommendations and Classifications
05:03 Guiding Principles for Implementation
08:01 Detailed Tapering Strategies
13:52 Special Populations and Considerations
16:50 Case Study: Applying the Guidelines
19:34 Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Featured Resources
🧾 Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering (ASAM, 2025)Read the full text or download the clinician summary.
What happens when life-saving anxiety medication becomes a system-wide challenge?
In this episode of The Transformed Minds, host Dr. O, unpacks the clinical, systemic, and human dimensions of benzodiazepine use disorder; where relief meets risk.
Drawing from evidence-based literature and the 2025 Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering, we explore how dependence develops, why abrupt discontinuation can be dangerous, and what clinicians, patients, and policymakers can do to build safer, more compassionate systems of care.
You’ll learn:
- How to distinguish dependence from substance use disorder
- The science behind benzodiazepine tapering and withdrawal
- How fragmented healthcare systems complicate deprescribing
- What patient-centered and trauma-informed care looks like in real practice
Listen now, subscribe for future deep dives, and join the conversation at @thetransformedmindspod
In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Chapman, we continue exploring the wholistic approach to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), diving deep into how economics, genetics, and the state of American healthcare shape treatment and recovery.From the science of addiction to the social systems that sustain it, Dr. Chapman offers valuable insight into building a more compassionate and effective framework for healing.🔗 Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss it on new episodes every other Tuesday at 11am!
In this episode, we explore how the renowed Dr. Edwin Chapman, a leading physician and researcher, is redefining the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) by integrating housing, social determinants of health (SDOH), and genetics into a groundbreaking model of care.
From the streets of Washington, D.C. to advocacy and the latest advances in addiction treatment, Dr. Chapman’s Urban Health Model addresses more than addiction, it treats the whole person. We discuss the role of stable housing and how precision medicine is reshaping addiction care.
Topics Covered:
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Subscribe for biweekly episodes on health equity, addiction science, and innovation in care.
#OpioidRecovery #DrEdwinChapman #AddictionPsychiatry #AddictionMedicine #SDOH #PublicHealth #UrbanHealthModel #PrecisionMedicine #OUD #HealthEquity #HousingIsHealthcare
In this Host Rx episode, Dr. O explores both sides of kratom.
We break down:
A 2025 meta-analysis linking long-term kratom use to improved metabolic health.
A 2021 case series documenting kratom use disorder and its treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone.
Kratom may offer benefits — but it also carries real risks. Join us as we ask what the science actually says and what it means for clinicians, patients, and communities.
Don’t forget to follow for more evidence-informed conversations at the intersection of mental health, addiction, and transformative care.
Improving Access to Evidence-Based Medical Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
Despite proven treatments, access to care remains a major challenge for individuals with opioid use disorder. This episode dives into the barriers—stigma, policy hurdles, and system gaps—and offers strategies for creating a more equitable and effective treatment system.
🎙️ Featuring Dr. Bowe | Yale and WVU-trained, board-certified in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Bowe brings expert insight into how the healthcare system can better respond to the opioid crisis.
🔑 Key Insights:
Why access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) matters
Systemic changes needed for equitable care
Practical solutions for healthcare providers and policymakers
Tune in to learn how we can break down barriers and save lives.
#OpioidTreatment #AddictionRecovery #PublicHealth #HealthEquity
In this Host Rx episode, we unpack a Tennessee Medicaid study (2010–2021) tracking over 14,000 maternal–infant pairs. Researchers Krishnapura SR, McNeer E, Loch SF, et al. compared pregnancy outcomes for mothers with opioid use disorder who received buprenorphine versus those who didn’t. Hear what the data reveals about maternal health, newborn outcomes, and best practices for treatment during pregnancy.
What do the latest data reveal about youth substance use, mental health trends, and future challenges in addiction care? Dr. Phi Owusu sits down with Dr. Gomez to break down findings from the Monitoring the Future survey and their implications for public health, psychiatry, and harm reduction.
In this episode, we cover:
– Key substance use trends in the latest survey
– Emerging patterns among teens and young adults
– Policy and community-based strategies to address these issues
🎧 Listen, learn, and join the conversation.
#AddictionPsychiatry #PublicHealth #MonitoringTheFuture #TransformedMindsPodcast #youthdruguse#addiction
Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer not approved for human use, is increasingly found in street opioids, complicating overdoses and causing devastating wounds. In this episode, we unpack the evidence:
– Why naloxone often fails
– The unique dangers of xylazine toxicity
– What the latest research reveals about toxicity, dependence, withdrawal, and treatment
– Real-world evidence-based recommendations
Based on the 2025 systematic review by Owusu et al.
This is urgent. This is real. Listen and be informed.
#TheTransformedMindsPodcast #Xylazine #HarmReduction #AddictionPsychiatry
Show resource links:Owusu P, et al. Management of Xylazine Toxicity, Overdose, Dependence and Withdrawal: A Systematic Review. 2024.https://mattersnetwork.org/request-test-strips/https://mattersnetwork.org/supplies/#vendingmachineshttps://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/general/opioid_overdose_prevention/training_calendar.htmhttps://providerdirectory.aidsinstituteny.org
Welcome to the premiere of The Transformed Minds Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Owusu — psychiatrist, researcher, and advocate for equity in mental health and addiction care.
Today, I’m joined by the brilliant Dr. Ayana Jordan—addiction psychiatrist, NYU researcher, and national voice for health equity.
We explore her groundbreaking study, “Integrating Ambulatory Addiction Consultation Service Into a Community Mental Health Center,” and how this model transforms care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
🎙️ In this episode:
The real-world impact of dual diagnoses
Why addiction and mental health care must be integrated
How embedding addiction specialists into a CMHC improved access and outcomes
A clinical case walkthrough inspired by the study
Dr. Jordan’s insight on scaling this model nationally
This is more than research—it’s a blueprint for transforming how we care for the most vulnerable among us.
New episodes drop every Tuesday at 11 AM EST.
Follow us @TheTransformedMindsPod on all platforms for more conversations where faith, psychiatry, and community meet.
www.thetransformedminds.com
#DrAyanaJordan #TransformedMindsPodcast #AddictionCare #MentalHealthPodcast #DualDiagnosis #IntegratedCare #BlackPsychiatrists #PublicPsychiatry #CommunityHealth #FaithAndHealing
TOMORROW → something powerful begins.
🎙️ The Transformed Minds Podcast premieres TUESDAY, JULY 1 — and we’re starting with a conversation that could shift how we think about addiction and mental health in our communities.
This podcast brings together:
🧠 Clinical insight
🗣️ Lived experience
🙏🏾 Faith & purpose
⚖️ Justice & healing
If you care about mental health, substance use, or systemic change, this one’s for you.
First episode drops TOMORROW, JULY 1 at 11 AM EST, then every other Tuesday at @ 11 AM EST — don’t miss it.
Follow now + turn on reminders.
#TransformedMindsPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #AddictionRecovery #FaithAndMentalHealth #PodcastPromo #BlackPsychiatrist #HealingJourney #NewPodcast #PsychiatryPodcast