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PTSD alone does not explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in veterans

Post-traumatic stress disorder by itself does not explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in veterans with this condition.

13 Feb 2019

Relapse dreams more common in people with severe alcohol, drug addiction history

Vivid dreams involving drinking and drug use are common among individuals in recovery. A study from the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute, published in the January issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment after online release in October 2018, finds these relapse dreams are more common in those with more severe clinical histories of alcohol and other drug problems.

13 Feb 2019

LGBTQ youths are more likely to suffer negative outcomes in child welfare system

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youths are more likely to end up in foster care or unstable housing and suffer negative outcomes, such as substance abuse or mental health issues, while living in the child welfare system, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin.

11 Feb 2019

Researchers find a dearth of mental health interventions for ethnic minority American youth

Hispanic and Latino youth are more likely to drink alcohol at a younger age than their African-American and non-Hispanic Caucasian peers, but they are less likely to receive treatment for substance abuse.

11 Feb 2019

What ‘dope sick’ really feels like

Detoxing off heroin or opioids without medication is sheer hell. I should know. For many users, full-blown withdrawal is often foreshadowed by a yawn, or perhaps a runny nose, a sore back, sensitive skin or a restless leg. For me, the telltale sign that the heroin was wearing off was a slight tingling sensation when I urinated.

8 Feb 2019

MUSC researchers examine the way estrogen affects drug addiction

Male rats have held steady as the focus of most addiction studies in the past. But as the field begins to take female rats into account, scientists see that drugs like methamphetamine affect the sexes differently, suggesting the basis for a change in addiction treatment.

7 Feb 2019

HEROES awarded two grants to support opioid intervention program in Houston

The Houston Emergency Response Opioid Engagement System was recently awarded two grants that will help fund the opioid intervention program through the end of 2020.

6 Feb 2019

Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

The first nine months of 2013 started off as a banner year for the Sackler family, owners of the pharmaceutical company that produces OxyContin, the addictive opioid pain medication. Purdue Pharma paid the family $400 million from its profits during that time, claims a lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general.

4 Feb 2019

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin (OT) than males, according to a research study led by Georgia State University on the brain mechanisms that determine the rewarding properties of social interactions.

30 Jan 2019

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

Bones are a living record that constantly change over a person's life. Forensic anthropologists are tasked with deciphering clues from bones, and their study of skeletal remains aids in the identification of unknown individuals.

30 Jan 2019

New program helps kids to build mental strength to face life's hardest challenges

Mental health and suicide are not just adult issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates have tripled over the last 15 years among girls 10 to 14 years of age in the United States.

28 Jan 2019

Columbia researchers develop 'Cascade of Care' model to reduce opioid overdose and death

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for individuals under the age of 50, as the opioid epidemic continues unabated. One reason is that the majority of the estimated 2.4 million Americans with opioid use disorder aren't getting evidence-based treatment, including medications to treat opioid addiction.

24 Jan 2019

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

An estimated 17,000 Americans are on the waiting list for a liver transplant, and there's a strong chance that many of them have alcohol-associated liver disease. ALD now edges out hepatitis C as the No. 1 reason for liver transplants in the United States, according to research published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

23 Jan 2019

Parents’ mental health problems associated with reactive attachment disorder in children

Children's risk of being diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) increases if parents are diagnosed with any type of mental health disorder, discovered researchers from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry of the University of Turku, Finland.

22 Jan 2019

Short, text-based exercises can increase happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders

Brief, text-based, self-administered exercises can significantly increase in-the-moment happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders, report researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute.

21 Jan 2019

County by county, researchers link opioid deaths to drugmakers’ marketing

Researchers sketched a vivid line Friday linking the dollars spent by drugmakers to woo doctors around the country to a vast opioid epidemic that has led to tens of thousands of deaths.

18 Jan 2019

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Despite the mounting death toll of America's opioid crisis, only a minority of facilities that treat substance use disorders offer patients buprenorphine, naltrexone or methadone--the three FDA-approved medications for the long-term management of opioid use disorder, according to a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

16 Jan 2019

Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals more likely to suffer severe substance use disorders

Researchers know that lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are more likely than heterosexuals to use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but until now they didn't know to what degree.

14 Jan 2019

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Cells communicate through complex mechanisms that typically involve receptors and ligands that bind to them. Endogenous ligands, produced by the body, have been identified for the vast majority of cellular receptors, helping explain receptor existence and function. But in the case of sigma-1 receptors, which interact with a diverse array of psychoactive drugs, an endogenous ligand has remained elusive.

14 Jan 2019

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

In 2016, news reports warned the public of an opioid epidemic gripping the nation. But Madeline Vaughn, then a lead clinical intake coordinator at the Houston-based addiction treatment organization Council on Recovery, sensed something different was going on with the patients she checked in from the street.

14 Jan 2019

Substance Abuse News and Research

PTSD alone does not explain the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in veterans

Relapse dreams more common in people with severe alcohol, drug addiction history

LGBTQ youths are more likely to suffer negative outcomes in child welfare system

Researchers find a dearth of mental health interventions for ethnic minority American youth

What ‘dope sick’ really feels like

MUSC researchers examine the way estrogen affects drug addiction

HEROES awarded two grants to support opioid intervention program in Houston

Lawsuit details how the Sackler family allegedly built an Oxycontin fortune

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Forensic anthropologist to study impact of opioid addiction on bones

New program helps kids to build mental strength to face life's hardest challenges

Columbia researchers develop 'Cascade of Care' model to reduce opioid overdose and death

Alcohol-linked disease overtakes hep C as top reason for liver transplant

Parents’ mental health problems associated with reactive attachment disorder in children

Short, text-based exercises can increase happiness for adults recovering from substance use disorders

County by county, researchers link opioid deaths to drugmakers’ marketing

Most substance use disorder treatment facilities do not offer medication treatment

Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals more likely to suffer severe substance use disorders

Scientists identify endogenous activator of sigma-1 receptors in human cells

Meth’s resurgence spotlights lack of meds to combat the addiction

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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