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'Friendship Bench' approach holds potential to improve lives of people with mental health problems

Their offices are simple wooden seats, called Friendship Benches, located in the grounds of health clinics around Harare and other major cities in Zimbabwe.

28 Dec 2016

New UCLA research recommends community clinics to routinely screen for misuse of drugs

The misuse of both prescription and illicit drugs is so prevalent in Tijuana and East Los Angeles that community clinics in those areas should routinely, though discreetly, screen for it, according to new UCLA research.

21 Dec 2016

Later high school start times linked to positive outcomes among teens

A review of the scientific literature by a workgroup composed of representatives from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sleep Research Society, and American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine found that later high school start times are associated with positive outcomes among teens, including longer weekday sleep durations and reduced vehicular accident rates.

15 Dec 2016

Over-the-counter antioxidant may promote reductions in alcohol use in marijuana-dependent teens

An over-the-counter antioxidant known as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is showing early promise at promoting abstinence from or reduced use of alcohol in marijuana-dependent adolescents, report researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the December 2016 Addictive Behaviors.

15 Dec 2016

Body image behavioral misperception linked to alcohol use among high school girls

Among high school girls ages 14-18, those who report and act on body image misperceptions are more likely to have had at least one drink in their life, and more likely to have engaged in episodes of heavy drinking than girls of the same age without body image misperceptions, a new study has found.

15 Dec 2016

Study reveals self-harm is leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado

Self-harm was the leading cause of pregnancy-associated deaths in Colorado from 2004 to 2014, ahead of car crashes, medical conditions and homicide, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

9 Dec 2016

New research categorizes patients with depression into four unique subtypes

Patients with depression can be categorized into four unique subtypes defined by distinct patterns of abnormal connectivity in the brain, according to new research from Weill Cornell Medicine.

9 Dec 2016

UAB physician calls for better education, legislation to help patients with opioid abuse

The U.S. opioid epidemic has evolved so much in the last four years that current federal policy responses risk diminishing returns in saving human lives, according to a new peer-reviewed perspective by University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor of Preventive medicine Stefan Kertesz, M.D. His perspective was published online in the addiction journal Substance Abuse.

24 Nov 2016

Suicide deaths among White Mountain Apache members drop by nearly 40%, research finds

Deaths by suicide among the White Mountain Apache in Arizona dropped by nearly 40 percent between 2006 and 2012 compared to the previous six-year period, new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the tribe finds.

23 Nov 2016

Individual cognitive therapy effective in relieving PTSD symptoms in active-duty military members

Although both group and individual therapy can ease post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in active-duty military service members, individual therapy relieved PTSD symptoms better and quicker, according to a study led by a Duke University School of Medicine researcher.

23 Nov 2016

Study reveals new insights into drug-caused deaths among health care professionals

An Australian-first study conducted by Monash University has found that from 2003-2013 nearly five deaths per 1000 employed Australian health care professionals were caused by drugs, with a significant association between specific professions and drug type.

23 Nov 2016

Negative family emotions and strains may lead adolescents to deviant behavior

Chances are good that youngsters growing up around family members who gamble will also start doing so to release the strains of daily living.

22 Nov 2016

Penn study shows breathing-based meditation can help alleviate severe depression

A breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not fully respond to antidepressant treatments, reports a new study published today in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

22 Nov 2016

Quitting smoking during addiction treatment may improve recovery rates in teens

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has found that addiction treatment results improved when teens in a residential program stopped smoking.

21 Nov 2016

New research finds increasing prevalence of clinical depression among adolescents

The rate of adolescents reporting a recent bout of clinical depression grew by 37 percent over the decade ending in 2014, with one in six girls reporting an episode in the past year, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests.

16 Nov 2016

Experts' ability to predict suicidal thoughts and behaviors has not improved, review reveals

Experts' ability to predict if someone will attempt to take his or her own life is no better than chance and has not significantly improved over the last 50 years, according to a comprehensive review of suicide research published by the American Psychological Association.

15 Nov 2016

Preventive interventions for adolescent alcohol and drug use may need to begin in early childhood

Research from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions suggests the approach to preventing alcohol and drug use by some adolescents should begin in early childhood.

15 Nov 2016

Study shows how comorbid mental health conditions can impact child's care in hospital

Children hospitalized for medical or surgical procedures who have an existing mental health condition stay in the hospital longer than children without these conditions.

14 Nov 2016

Sex differences in gray matter reductions may underlie risk of substance abuse in adolescents with bipolar disorder

A new study has found that adolescents suffering from bipolar disorder are more likely to develop substance use disorders if they have lower gray matter volume in the brain, a clue that can help in the design of better methods for early detection and more targeted prevention and treatment.

10 Nov 2016

Penn researchers develop pilot program to train library staff into community health specialists

Libraries are uniquely positioned to address public health needs in underserved populations, according to findings from a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Free Library of Philadelphia in this month's issue of Health Affairs.

10 Nov 2016

Substance Abuse News and Research

'Friendship Bench' approach holds potential to improve lives of people with mental health problems

New UCLA research recommends community clinics to routinely screen for misuse of drugs

Later high school start times linked to positive outcomes among teens

Over-the-counter antioxidant may promote reductions in alcohol use in marijuana-dependent teens

Body image behavioral misperception linked to alcohol use among high school girls

Study reveals self-harm is leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Colorado

New research categorizes patients with depression into four unique subtypes

UAB physician calls for better education, legislation to help patients with opioid abuse

Suicide deaths among White Mountain Apache members drop by nearly 40%, research finds

Individual cognitive therapy effective in relieving PTSD symptoms in active-duty military members

Study reveals new insights into drug-caused deaths among health care professionals

Negative family emotions and strains may lead adolescents to deviant behavior

Penn study shows breathing-based meditation can help alleviate severe depression

Quitting smoking during addiction treatment may improve recovery rates in teens

New research finds increasing prevalence of clinical depression among adolescents

Experts' ability to predict suicidal thoughts and behaviors has not improved, review reveals

Preventive interventions for adolescent alcohol and drug use may need to begin in early childhood

Study shows how comorbid mental health conditions can impact child's care in hospital

Sex differences in gray matter reductions may underlie risk of substance abuse in adolescents with bipolar disorder

Penn researchers develop pilot program to train library staff into community health specialists

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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