Substance Abuse News and Research

RSS

New study reveals racial disparities in chronic pain management

Opioids are frequently prescribed for pain management in noncancer patients, but recommended clinical guidelines for monitoring effectiveness and signs of drug abuse are often not implemented. Alongside well-documented racial disparities in prescribing opioid medications for pain, researchers report racial differences in the use of recommended opioid monitoring and follow-up treatment practices.

14 Feb 2013

Stress and mental illness: an interview with Professor Akira Sawa

As a psychiatrist I am interested in how stress may play a role in the pathology of adult mental disorders. You may know that most of the major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, mood-disorder, substance abuse or even anxiety disorder, become prominent in early adulthood.

14 Feb 2013

Substance abuse and cigarette use more prevalent among adolescents with ADHD histories

A new study published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) histories than in those without ADHD.

12 Feb 2013

Senators offer plan to improve mental health coverage

The bipartisan group's plan would require community behavioral health centers to provide substance abuse treatment and 24-hour crisis care. In return, the centers could bill Medicaid for the services.

10 Feb 2013

First Edition: February 8, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about Marilyn Tavenner's nomination to run Medicare and the Catholic bishops' rejection of the Obama administration's contraception plan announced last week.

9 Feb 2013

Army Secretary urges soldier mental health resilience training

The step is part of an effort to improve the Army's coordination of mental health programs and to address increasing military suicide rates.

6 Feb 2013

Social cognition and negative symptoms scores reveal schizophrenia subgroups

Schizophrenia patients may be classified into three distinct subgroups, based on levels of social cognition and negative symptoms, that are associated with differences in community integration and quality of life, US study findings suggest.

5 Feb 2013

Mental health in young people: an interview with Professor Colum Dunne

Ireland, and many other countries, is witnessing increases in problematic and complex youth mental health challenges. In Ireland, specifically, there has been a rash of high profile cases where young people have unfortunately not been able to deal with stress, bullying and other issues.

1 Feb 2013

U-M to host 11th-annual Depression on College Campuses Conference on Feb. 26-27

Rather than seeking out healthy treatment options, many college students experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety too often resort to unhealthy coping practices like drug use, drinking, or self-injury.

30 Jan 2013

Childhood adversity raises comorbidity risk in bipolar disorder

Childhood adversity, including verbal, physical, or sexual abuse, is associated with the later development of multiple medical comorbidities in patients with bipolar disorder, researchers report.

29 Jan 2013

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children: an interview with Donna Gillies

Children with PTSD suffer significant distress or negative impacts on their daily lives. Estimates of the prevalence of PTSD in children and adolescents experiencing trauma are generally very high, at 30% to 40%.

28 Jan 2013

ED visits involving ADHD stimulant medications are on the rise

A new report shows that the number of emergency department visits involving attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulant medications more than doubled from 13,379 visits in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010.

28 Jan 2013

Free clinic patients less likely to use ED for minor issues

People who receive primary care from free clinics are less likely to use the emergency department for minor issues, according to a team of medical researchers.

23 Jan 2013

Important updates on traumatic brain injury in military personnel

Researchers are making new strides in understanding the health consequences and treatment and rehabilitation needs of combat veterans and other service members affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI).

23 Jan 2013

Substance abuse negatively affects sexual performance in men even after years of abstinence

Researchers at the University of Granada, Spain, and Santo Tomas University in Colombia have found that drug abuse negatively affects sexual performance in men even after years of abstinence. This finding contradicts other studies reporting that men spontaneously recovered their normal sexual performance at three weeks after quitting substance abuse.

19 Jan 2013

ADHD symptoms may influence bipolar disorder course

Comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is common in patients with bipolar disorder, and is associated with more mixed states, more severe psychopathology, and more impaired family functioning, Italian researchers report.

14 Jan 2013

Republicans take aim at Planned Parenthood's 'record' taxpayer support

Also making headlines, a group of House Democrats are pressing the White House to retain funding for mental health, and New York members of Congress are pushing to include cancer care in the 9/11 health program.

11 Jan 2013

Living in caring communities may help curb teenage alcohol use

Living in a caring community may help curb teenage alcohol use, while hanging out with antisocial peers can have the opposite effect, according to Penn State researchers studying substance abuse patterns.

10 Jan 2013

ADHD symptoms may influence bipolar disorder course

Comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is common in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), and is associated with more mixed states, more severe psychopathology, and more impaired family functioning, Italian researchers report.

9 Jan 2013

Study shows troubling racial disparities in completion of alcohol and drug abuse programs

Roughly half of all black and Hispanic patients who enter publicly funded alcohol treatment programs do not complete treatment, compared to 62 percent of white patients, according to a new study from a team of researchers including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

9 Jan 2013