Topics
1. National context
Drug treatment in Lithuania is provided mostly by public and private agencies. Coordination, implementation and provision of drug treatment is conducted at the local level. The main funding bodies of the different treatment services are the national health insurance, county budgets and Vilnius municipality. Four regional counties and one municipality finance specialised treatment centres at regional level.
In Lithuania, outpatient drug treatment is provided by public mental health centres, and through private medical institutions that have obtained a special licence. Furthermore, outpatient drug treatment is also provided in Centres for Addictive Disorders. There are five regional public specialised Centres for Addictive Disorders which are located across the country. These centres offer treatment of one to three months by group psychotherapy, acupuncture and counselling, and they also provide methadone treatment. Inpatient treatment such as withdrawal treatment and residential treatment is delivered by the specialised Centres for Addictive Disorders.
Substitution treatment with methadone was implemented in 1995, and treatment commenced in three cities in 1996. Buprenorphine treatment has been available since late 2002, throughout the specialised mental healthcare institutions. According to Order No 702 of the Ministry of Health, methadone and buprenorphine treatment can only be initiated by treatment centres. By the end of 2009, 17 health care institutions located in 10 cities provide the treatment. In 2009, the total number of clients in substitution treatment was 815, 760 of whom were on methadone and 93 on buprenorphine.
2. Treatment registries and monitoring systems
Client data are collected from 74 treatments centres out of 268 which have a licence to provide treatment to drug addicts, and reported to the State Mental Health Centre. The Centre for Addictive Disorders in Vilnius runs since 1995 a national registry which contains the names of clients in methadone substitution treatment.
3. Treatment demand
| Clients in treatment | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all clients entering treatment | 5715 | 5808 | N. Av. |
| % of which for opioid use | 80.8 | 80.0 | |
| % of which for cocaine use | 0.2 | 0.1 | |
| % of which for cannabis use | 0.6 | 0.6 | |
| % of which for stimulants use (other than cocaine) | 2.6 | 2.6 | |
| Number of new clients entering treatment | 318 | 272 | 345 |
| % of which for opioid use | 70.4 | 67.6 | 73.6 |
| % of which for cocaine use | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| % of which for cannabis use | 1.6 | 0.4 | 2.0 |
| % of which for stimulants use (other than cocaine) | 6.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Notes: The variation across time, in particular with regard to the absolute numbers of clients in treatment, should be interpreted with caution as coverage data may have changed over time. For further information on coverage details please refer to the relevant EMCDDA Statistical Bulletin. Limited comparability with TDI standards. ‘N. Av.’ stands for ‘No information available’. For an explanation of terms used, see the definitions of terms. Sources: Reitox national reports 2009 and TDI tables (ST34) V. 1.0-2007, questions 13.1.1 and 13.1.2. EMCDDA Statistical Bulletin 2005, 2007 (Tables TDI 4 and 5) and 2011 (Tables TDI 2 and 5). | |||
4. Treatment provision
| Type of treatment | Availability |
|---|---|
| Psychosocial out-patient interventions | Full |
| Psychosocial in-patient interventions | Extensive |
| Detoxification | Extensive |
| Substitution/maintenance treatment | Limited |
| Notes: For an explanation of terms used, see the definitions of terms. Based on question 3.1 " Please assess the current availability of the treatment interventions below in relation to the user needs, judging the degree to which treatment capacity matches the demand" of Structured Questionnaire SQ27P1 on 'Treatment programmes'. Rating Scale (level of availability):
Reitox national reports 2008, Structured Questionnaire on 'Treatment programmes'(SQ27P1), submitted in 2008 and 2005, Standard Tables 24 (ST24) on 'Treatment availability' submitted in 2004, 2006 and 2008. | |
| Opioid substitution treatment | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of clients in opioid substitution treatment | 381 | 838 | 815 |
| of which with methadone | 381 | 640 | 760 |
| of which with buprenorphine | N. Av. | 198 | 26 |
| Notes: For a detailed European overview please see Table HSR-3 in the EMCDDA Statistical Bulletin 2011. ‘N. Av.’ stands for ‘No information available’. For an explanation of terms used, see the definitions of terms. Sources: Reitox national reports 2009, Structured Questionnaire on 'Treatment programmes'(SQ27P1), submitted in 2008 and 2005, Standard Tables 24 (ST24) on 'Treatment availability' submitted in 2004, 2006 and 2008. | |||
| Applied substances in opioid substitution treatment | Officially introduced in |
|---|---|
| Methadone (MMT) | 1995 |
| Buprenorphine (HDBT) | 2002 |
| Heroin assisted treatment,including as trials | N.App. |
| Slow-release morphine | N.App. |
| Buprenorphine/naloxone combination | N. Av. |
| Notes: For a detailed European overview please see Table HSR-1 in the EMCDDA Statistical Bulletin 2011. ‘N. App.’ stands for ‘Not applicable’. ‘N. Av.’ stands for ‘No information available’. For an explanation of terms used, see the definitions of terms. Sources: Reitox national reports 2009, Structured Questionnaire on 'Treatment programmes'(SQ27P1), submitted in 2008 and 2005, Standard Tables 24 (ST24) on 'Treatment availability' submitted in 2004, 2006 and 2008. | |
| Legal framework of opioid substitution treatment | Methadone | Buprenorphine |
|---|---|---|
| Do office-based medical doctors have the right to initiate the prescription of substitution treatment? | N.App. | N.App. |
| Do specialised medical doctors have the right to initiate the prescription of substitution treatment? | N.App. | N.App. |
| Notes: For a detailed European overview please see Table HSR-2 in the EMCDDA Statistical Bulletin 2011. For an explanation of terms used, see the definitions of terms. 'Specialised medical doctors' refers to specifically trained or accredited office-based medical doctors. Sources: Reitox national reports 2009, Structured Questionnaire on 'Treatment programmes'(SQ27P1), submitted in 2008 and 2005, Standard Tables 24 (ST24) on 'Treatment availability' submitted in 2004, 2006 and 2008. | ||
Treatment availablity in Europe
The graphic below presents an overview of treatment provision by different types of service (psychosocial outpatient, substitution, psychosocial inpatient and detoxification) in different European countries and can be used for comparative purposes. Click on the thumbnail to view it.
Figure 1: Treatment availability in Europe, 2007
5. References and links
Related EMCDDA resources
- Health and social responses statistics
- Treatment demand statistics
- Annual report on the state of the drugs problem
- National reports for Lithuania
- Country overview for Lithuania
- Drug treatment responses page
- Best practice portal
- Treatment demand key indicator page
For a comprehensive overview on drug treatment systems, availability and utilisation in Europe, please consult the 2008 online report on ‘Quality of treatment services in Europe — drug treatment — situation and exchange of good practice’ published by the Directorate General for Health and Consumers.
External links
Please note that the EMCDDA is not responsible for the content of external sites.
- State Mental Health Service (LT, EN)
- Drug control department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (LT, EN)
- Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania (LT, EN)
Treatment inventories
- Drug control department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (LT, EN)
- Central and Eastern European and Central Asian Harm Reduction Network
Treatment research centres
- Vilnius Center for Addictive Disorders (LT, EN, RU)
- Klaipėda Center for Addictive Disorders (LT, EN)
- Kaunas Center for Addictive Disorders (LT, EN)
