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MBBS, BSc, MRCP, MRCPSYCH

Lead Consultant – Bethlem Addiction Service

Dr Jenny Bearn is Lead Consultant on the Bethlem Addictions Service Inpatient Unit, which provides treatment for people with substance use disorders.

She is Chair of the MSc in Clinical and Public Health Aspects of Addiction degree at King’s College London.

Dr Bearn is also a member of the Trust’s Drugs and Therapeutics Committee.

Other roles

• Member of the steering group advising the Department of Health on the provision of national inpatient services
• Member of advisory group advising the Department of Health on inpatient services for clients with drug and alcohol problems
• Member of the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Addiction Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Chair of the Faculty Education and Curriculum Committee, leading on the development of the new curriculum for higher psychiatric training in addiction psychiatry

• Trustee of KCA, a non-statutory drug and alcohol treatment agency
• Specialist advisor to the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council
• Member of the SLAM/Institute of Psychiatry Ethics Committee

Background

Dr Bearn qualified in medicine at Guy’s Hospital Medical School and then went on to complete an inter-collated Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Pharmacology. She trained in general medicine and neurology at the Whittington Hospital, London, and the National Hospital, Queen Square, before training in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital.

She spent three years as a research worker at the Institute of Psychiatry and was involved in research on the neuroendocrinology of depression. In 1993, she took up a consultant post in addiction psychiatry.

Research

Research work includes the pharmacological management of opiate withdrawal and psychological strategies in preventing relapse, including contingency management.

Dr Bearn has published papers on pharmacological treatments of opiate withdrawal and gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), the relationship between neurobiological markers of stress and opiate dependence.

Published

Bearn J., Wessely S. Neurobiological aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome. Editorial commissioned by European Journal of Clinical Investigation. (1994) 24, 79-90

Checkley S., Wieck A., Bearn J., Marks M., Campbell I., Kumar R. Hormones, genes and triggering of bipolar illness in the puerperium In: Psychopharmacology of Depression (1994) 57-65. Ed. Montgomery S., Corn T.

Bearn J., Allain T., Coskeran P., Munro N., Butler J., McGregor A., Wessely S. Neuroendocrine responses to d-Fenfluramine and Insulin-Induced hypoglycaemia in chronic fatigue syndrome. Biological Psychiatry (1995) 37, 245-252

Cleare A J., Bearn J., Allain T., McGregor A., Wessely S., Murray R M., O’Keane V. Contrasting neuroendocrine responses in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Affective Disorders (1995) 35, 283-289

Bearn J., Gossop M., Strang J. Randomised double-blind comparison of lofexidine and methadone in the in-patient treatment of opiate withdrawal. Drug & Alcohol Dependence (1996) 43, 87-91

Allain T, Bearn J, Coskeran P, Jones J, Checkley A, Butler J. Changes in growth hormone, insulin, insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding protein-1 in chronic fatigue syndrome. Biological Psychiatry (1997) 41, 567-573.

Strang J; Bearn J & Gossop M. Opiate detoxification under anaesthesia. British Medical Journal (1997) 315, 1249-1250.

Keaney F, Crimlisk H, Bearn J. Comorbidity of mental disorders with substance misuse. British Journal of Psychiatry (1997) 171, 484-485.

Bearn J, Gossop M and Strang J. Accelerated lofexidine treatment regimen compared with conventional lofexidine and methadone treatment for in-patient opiate detoxification. Drug and Alcohol Dependence (1998) 50, 227-232.

Strang J, Bearn J, Farrell M, Finch E, Gossop M, Griffiths P, Marshall J & Wolff K. Route of drug use and its implications for drug effect, risk of dependence and health consequences: Review. Drug & Alcohol Review (1998) 17,197-211.

Sutters C, Bearn J and Marshall J. Off the Hook – confidential treatment of health care staff. Health Service Journal. October 1998, 31.

Bearn J, Gossop M, Strang J. Rapid opiate detoxification treatments: Review. Drug and Alcohol Review (1999) 18(1), 75-81

Sell LA, Morris J, Bearn J, Frackowiak RSJ, Friston KJ, Dolan RJ. Activation of Reward Circuitry in Human Opiate Addicts. European Journal of Neuroscience. (1999) 11,1042-1048.

Strang J, Bearn J and Gossop M. Lofexidine for Opiate Detoxification: Review of Recent Randomised and Open Controlled Trials. American Journal of Addiction (1999) 8, 366-377.

Buntwal N, Bearn J, Gossop M and Strang J. Naltrexone and Lofexidine combination treatment compared with conventional lofexidine treatment for in patient opiate detoxification. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. (2000) May 1; 59(2): 183-8.

Best DW, Harris JC, Gossop M, Manning VC, Man LH, Marshall J, Bearn J, Strang J. Are the Twelve Steps more acceptable to drug users than to drinkers? A comparison of experiences of and attitudes to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) among 200 substance misusers attending inpatient detoxification. Eur Addict.Res. (2001), 7:69-77.

Bearn J, Buntwal N, Papadopoulos A, Checkley S. Salivary cortisol during opiate dependence and withdrawal. Addic Biol. (2001) Apr 6 (2): 167-162

Bearn J, Bennett J, Martin T, Gossop M, Strang J. The impact of naloxone/lofexidine combination treatment on the opiate withdrawal syndrome. Addict Bio. (2001) Apr; 6(2): 147-156.

Curran HV, Kleckham J, Bearn J, Strang J, Wanigaratne S. Effects of methadone on cognition, mood and craving in detoxifying opiate addicts; a does-response study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). (2001) Mar 1;154(2) 153-60.

Gossop M, Stephens S, Stewart D, Marshall J, Bearn J, Strang J. Health care professionals referred for treatment of alcohol and drug problems. Alcohol and Alcoholism (2001), 36(2), 160-64.

Sell LA, Morris JS, Bearn J, Frackowiak RS, Friston KJ, Dolan RJ. Neural responses associated with cue evoked emotional states and heroin in opiate addicts. Drug Alcohol Depend. (2000) Aug 1; 60(2): 207-16

Buntwal N, Bearn J, Gossop M, Strang J. Naltrexone and lofexidine combination treatment compared with conventional lofexidine treatment for in-patient opiate detoxification. Drug Alcohol Depend. (2000) May 1; 59(2): 183-8

Bearn J, Gupta R, Stewart D, English J, Gossop M. Sulphatoxymelatonin excretion during opiate withdrawal: a preliminary study. Prog. Neuropsychopharm & Biol. Psychiat (2001) 26, 1-5.

Keaney, F, Crimlisk H & Bearn J. Lofexidine and desipramine : interaction results in breakthrough withdrawal symptoms. Int Jnl Psych Clin Pract. (2002) 6, 179-81

Beswick, T, Best, D, Bearn J et al. From salt injection to naloxone: Accuracy and Myths in Peer Resuscitation Methods for opiate Overdose. J. Drug Issues (2002) 32, 4, 1103-1114.

Beswick, T, Best, D, Bearn, J, Gossop M, Rees,S, Strang J. The effectiveness of combined naloxone/lofexidine in opiate detoxification: results from a DBR and placebo-controlled trial. American Journal on Addictions, (2003) 12, 295-305.

Luty, J., Nikolau V., Bearn, J. Is opiate detoxification unsafe in pregnancy? J. Substance Abuse Treatment. (2003) 24, 363-7.

Beswick, T., Best, D., Rees, S., Bearn, J., Gossop, M., Strang, J. Major disruptions of sleep during treatment of the opiate withdrawal syndrome : differences between methadone and lofexidine detoxification treatments. Addiction Biology (2003) 8, 49-57

McDonough, M., Kennedy, N., Glasper, A., Bearn, J. Clinical features and management of gamma-hydroxybutyrate withdrawal: a review. Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2004) 75, 3-9.

De Wet, C., Reed, L., Bearn, J. Occult benzodiazepine dependence. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, (2004) 8, 265-6.

Bearn, J., Evans, A., Kelleher, M., Turner, K., Lees, A. Recognition of a dopamine replacement therapy dependence syndrome in Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study. Drug & Alcohol dependence 76 (2004) 305-310.

De Wet, C., Reed, L., Glasper, A., Moran, P., Bearn, J., Gossop, M. Benzodiazepine co-dependence exacerbates the opiate withdrawal syndrome. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, (2004) 76, 31-35.

Reed, L., de Wet, C., Bearn, J. Prescription of heroin to treatment resistant heroin addicts: replacement therapies need to be tested on a level playing field. BMJ (2004) 328 : 228 (letter).

Bearn, J. Lofexidine for opiate detoxification. Acta Neuropsychiatrica. (2004) 16 (5): 239-245.

McDonough, M., Glasper, A., Bearn, J. Within – patient variability in clinical presentation of gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal. European Addiction Research (2005) 11:152-154.

De Wet, C., Reed, L. J., Bearn, J. A. The Rise of Buprenorphine prescribing in England: analysis of NHS regional data 2001-2003. Addiction. (2005) 100 (4): 495-9.

Glasper, A., Reed, L., de Wet, C., Gossop, M., Bearn, J. Induction of patients with moderately severe methadone dependence onto buprenorphine. Addiction Biology. (2005) 10: 149-155.

Bearn, J. Treating women with drug addiction. Women in Psychiatric Treatment, p.197-203 edited by Henderson, C., Smith, C., Smith, S., Stevens, A. Routledge Ltd (2006).

Hill, R.G., Moran, P., Cooper, W., Bearn, J. A. Early childhood maladjustment and adherence with inpatient drug detoxification treatment. Journal of Substance Use, (2006) 22(4): 283-289.

Reed, L.J., Glasper, A., de Wet, C.J., Bearn, J., Gossop, M. Comparison of buprenorphine and methadone in the treatment of opiate withdrawal: possible advantages of buprenorphine for the treatment of opiate-benzodiazepine co-dependent patients? Journal Clinical Psychopharmacol.(2007) Apr; 27(2): 188-92.

Haskew, M., Wolff, K., Dunn, J., Bearn, J. Patterns of adherence to oral methadone: Implications for prescribers. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, (2008) 35, 109-115.

Bearn, J., Swami, A., Stewart, D., Atnas, C., Giotto, L., Gossop, M. Auricular acupuncture as an adjunct to opiate detoxification treatment: effects on withdrawal symptoms. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, (2009). Apr;36(3):345-9. Epub 2008 Nov 12.

Bearn, J. How to be a trainer. Specialist Clinical Addiction Network (SCAN), Winter 2009, 6(4): 13-14.