Larissa J. Mooney, MD

Larissa J. Mooney, MD

  • Addiction Psychiatry|
  • Psychiatry
Adult & Geriatric Psychiatry | 300 Medical Plaza, Suite 2200, Los Angeles, CA 90095

About

Larissa Mooney, M.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of the Addiction Psychiatry Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. She directs the UCLA Addiction Psychiatry Clinic and the UCLA-Veterans Affairs (VA) Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program, where she teaches psychiatrists being trained in the clinical management of substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders. Dr. Mooney previously served as the Section Chief for Substance Use Disorders at the Greater Los Angeles VA. She is the President of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Dr. Mooney has conducted clinical research at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP) on pharmacological and behavioral treatment interventions for SUDs and co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. She is one of two Principal Investigators for the Greater Southern California Node of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN). She has NIDA funding to study functional outcomes associated with cannabis use reduction and treatment interventions for opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder.

Languages

English

Education

Medical Board Certifications

Addiction Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2008
Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2007

Fellowship

Addiction Psychiatry, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 2006

Residency

Psychiatry, New York University, 2005

Degree

MD, SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, 2001

Recognitions

Hospital Affiliations

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center

Videos

"The Opioid Addiction Epidemic: A Public Health Crisis"

Research

Publications

  1. Hser, Y. I., Mooney, L. J., Baldwin, L. M., Ober, A., Marsch, L. A., Sherman, S., Matthews, A., Clingan, S., Fei, Z., Zhu, Y., Dopp, A., Curtis, M. E., Osterhage, K. P., Hichborn, E. G., Lin, C., Black, M., Calhoun, S., Holtzer, C. C., Nesin, N., Bouchard, D., Saxon, A. J. (2023). Care coordination between rural primary care and telemedicine to expand medication treatment for opioid use disorder: Results from a single-arm, multisite feasibility study. The Journal of Rural Health, 10.1111/jrh.12760. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12760

  2. Lin, C., Pham, H., Zhu, Y., Clingan, S. E., Lin, L. A., Murphy, S. M., Campbell, C. I., Sorrell, T. R., Liu, Y., Mooney, L. J., & Hser, Y. I. (2023). Telemedicine along the cascade of care for substance use disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Drug and alcohol dependence242, 109711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109711

  3. Baskerville, W. A., Grodin, E. N., Lin, J., Miotto, K., Mooney, L. J., & Ray, L. A. (2023). Alcohol Use Among Treatment-Seeking Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 10.15288/jsad.22-00176. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00176

  4. Mooney L. J. (2022). Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Reduces Suicide Risk. The American Journal of Psychiatry179(4), 262–263. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20220173

  5. Zhu, Y., Fei, Z., Mooney, L. J., Huang, K., & Hser, Y. I. (2022). Social Determinants of Mortality of COVID-19 and Opioid Overdose in American Rural and Urban Counties. Journal of Addiction Medicine16(1), e52–e55. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000834

  6. Mooney, L. J., Zhu, Y., Yoo, C. K., Wolitzky-Taylor, K., & Hser, Y. I. (2022). Association Between Benzodiazepine and Opioid Prescription and Mortality Among Patients in a Large Healthcare System. Journal of Addiction Medicine16(1), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000828

  7. Hser, Y. I., Zhu, Y., Fei, Z., Mooney, L. J., Evans, E. A., Kelleghan, A., Matthews, A., Yoo, C., & Saxon, A. J. (2022). Long-term follow-up assessment of opioid use outcomes among individuals with comorbid mental disorders and opioid use disorder treated with buprenorphine or methadone in a randomized clinical trial. Addiction (Abingdon, England)117(1), 151–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15594

  8. Salem, B. A., Gonzales-Castaneda, R., Ang, A., Rawson, R. A., Dickerson, D., Chudzynski, J., Penate, J., Dolezal, B., Cooper, C. B., & Mooney, L. J. (2022). Craving among individuals with stimulant use disorder in residential social model-based treatment - Can exercise help?. Drug and Alcohol Dependence231, 109247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109247

  9. Zhu, Y., Mooney, L. J., Yoo, C., Evans, E. A., Kelleghan, A., Saxon, A. J., Curtis, M. E., & Hser, Y. I. (2021). Psychiatric comorbidity and treatment outcomes in patients with opioid use disorder: Results from a multisite trial of buprenorphine-naloxone and methadone. Drug and Alcohol Dependence228, 108996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108996

  10. Mooney, L. J. (2019). The Assessment and Treatment of Addiction: Best Practices and New Frontiers. Elselvier, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2016-0-05129-X

Link to Dr. Mooney's PubMed's Publications >>

In the News

  • "Drugs Made Me Do It" expert commentary, Bio Channel, June, 2013.
  • "Recovering Addicts Often Use Food to Satisfy Cravings", Good Morning America interview, December 29, 2014.
  • "Record Border Meth Seizures", KFI AM640 live interview with Bill Carroll, January 6, 2015.
  • "Benzodiazepines: Helpful or Harmful?", quoted in US News and World Report article by Kirsten Fawcett, February 19, 2015.
  • "The Risks of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drugs, Explained", Vox.com, February 25, 2015.
  • "High Hitler and his Nazi Supersoldiers" Expert commentary, American Heroes Channel, Blink Films, August, 2015.
  • "Fearful of Opioid Addiction, Some Under-Medicate." Quoted in article by Rebecca Plevin, KPCC News Blog, August 17, 2016.
  • "Medications to Treat Alcohol Abuse Are Often Overlooked." Quoted in article by Mary Brophy Marcus, CBS News.com, October 4, 2016.
  • "Babies Born with Drug Withdrawal Symptoms Skyrocketing in Rural Areas". Quoted in article by David Mills, Healthline.com, December 12, 2016.
  • "Broader Availability of Opioid Overdose Drug is Saving Lives." Interview for UCLA Newsroom, February 9, 2016.
  • "US Drug Overdose Deaths Continue to Rise." Quoted in article by Rachael Rettner, LiveScience.com, February 24, 2017.
  • "25% of all Overdoses are from Heroin." Quoted in article by Nadia Kounang, CNNHealth.com, February 24, 2017.
  • "As Complaints About Licensed Rehab Centers Rise, What Should You Look Out For?"
  • AirTalk KPCC live interview with Larry Mantle, May 21, 2017.
  • "Addiction Treatment: The New Gold Rush. 'It's Almost Chic'." Quoted in article by Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, OCRegister.com, June 16, 2017.
  • "Marijuana Moms Say Smoking Pot Makes Them Better Parents"
  • Today Show Interview, August 1, 2017.
  • "Digital Pills Track How Patients Use Opioids." Quoted in article by Emily Mullin, MIT Technology Review, December 11, 2017.
  • "Your Shame-Free Guide to Taking Antidepressants for the First Time." Quoted in article by Carolyn Todd, Allure Magazine, May 17, 2018.
  • "What does Methamphetamine Psychosis Feel Like?" Quoted in article by Elizabeth Brico, Vice.com, June 9, 2018.
  • "3 Things Not to Say When a Loved One with Addiction Relapses – and 6 to Try Instead" Quoted in article by Carolyn L. Todd, Self Magazine, October 20, 2018.
  • "U.S. Life Expectancy Dropped in 2017. Drug Overdose Deaths are a Big Reason Why." Quoted in article by Rachael Rettner, Livescience.com, November 29, 2018.

Insurance

  • Aetna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Centivo
  • Cigna
  • First Health
  • Health Net of California
  • Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
  • L.A. Care
  • Medicare Advantage
  • MultiPlan
  • UFCM Health System
  • Prime Health Services
  • Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
  • TRICARE
  • UnitedHealthcare

The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change. 
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Recognitions

  • Super Doctors® Southern California, 2022 - 2024