Crack addiction is a serious problem. To treat it requires multiple and integrated measures. In São Paulo, a State and a City programs employ distinct stategies to deal with it. A technique tested by researchers from São Paulo Federal University (Unifesp) may soon be incorporated to the State program – Recomeço. This technique, named contingency management, offers a reward every time a drug addict displays desirable behavior. Psychologist André Constantino Miguel, from Unifesp, tried it on crack users from a public health service, AME-Vila Maria. He and his colleagues Clarice Madruga and Marcelo Ribeiro explain how contingency management works.
Psychiatrist Leon Garcia, from Psychiatry Institute at São Paulo University (IPq-USP), talks about the De Braços Abertos program, launched in 2014 by the city council.
Subtitles in English are available.
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