Putting 'addiction' back into psychiatry: the RANZCP Section of Addiction Psychiatry.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the history and activities of the RANZCP Section of Addiction Psychiatry, as well as its current challenges and opportunities.

CONCLUSIONS

From initial exclusion to an active and growing membership, the Section of Addiction Psychiatry continues to ensure that problematic substance use and gambling remain core issues within Australasian psychiatry. In addition to commenting and contributing to ongoing clinical and policy initiatives, the Section has recently introduced an advanced training curriculum and maintains a strong partnership with the relatively new Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine. Its active input into education, training, media and policy development within the College guarantees that psychiatry is represented within the addiction field, and that tomorrow's psychiatrists are competent to assess and treat comorbid addiction issues.