Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship

Addiction Psychiatry is a medical subspecialty within psychiatry focused on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), often in the context of co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Addiction psychiatrists are first trained as general psychiatrists and then complete additional fellowship training in addiction psychiatry. They are uniquely qualified to manage complex cases where mental illness and addiction intersect, often integrating psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and systems-based care.

Addiction Medicine, on the other hand, is a multidisciplinary field open to physicians from various backgrounds (e.g., internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, etc.). Physicians in addiction medicine also specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders, but may have less intensive training in managing severe psychiatric comorbidities.

Key Differences:

• Training background: Addiction psychiatrists are board-certified psychiatrists with additional subspecialty training; addiction medicine physicians come from a broader range of specialties.
• Psychiatric expertise: Addiction psychiatrists have deeper training in managing complex psychiatric disorders alongside addiction.
• Approach: Addiction psychiatrists are more likely to integrate psychiatric diagnostic frameworks and psychotherapeutic techniques into addiction treatment.

Both fields are complementary and often work together, particularly in integrated or interdisciplinary treatment settings.

Here is an example of a typical block schedule. Rather than discrete rotation blocks, the schedule is designed to emphasize continuity throughout the year. This structure allows fellows to build and maintain strong relationships with both their patients and interdisciplinary teams over the course of their training.