Substance Abuse News and Research

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Doctors, NPs often issue orders to HIV patients to maintain adherence- Problem solving rare

Take your medicine, Doctor's orders. It's a simple idea that may seem especially obvious when the pills are the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that add decades to the lives of HIV-positive patients.

3 Feb 2012

Roundup: Problems outlined at Parkland hospital in Dallas; Mass. closing a mental hospital; Adult day care in Calif.

The Department of Mental Health plans to close Taunton State Hospital, one of the six state-run psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts by the end of this year. The move is part of a plan to redistribute the placement of patients with chronic and severe mental illness as a large new state hospital opens in Worcester this summer.

27 Jan 2012

Psychiatric disorders definitions to be revised

The definition of depression is proposed to be changed and now the diagnosis would characterize grieving as a disorder and greatly increase the number of people treated for it.

26 Jan 2012

Genetic variation predisposes children to complications linked with second-generation anti-psychotics

Researchers have found a genetic variation predisposing children to six-times greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome when taking second-generation anti-psychotic medications. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

25 Jan 2012

Aquilent awarded new IT contracts by the HHS

Aquilent, the recognized leading provider of Web-based solutions shaping the next generation of technology for the federal government, today announced it has been awarded more than a dozen new contracts within the past several months supporting numerous operating divisions and programs within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

24 Jan 2012

Into Action Treatment enters 2012 with new and exceptional rehab program

Into Action Treatment, located in beautiful South Florida, has entered the year 2012 with a new and exceptional rehab program. Offering the Substance Abuse population several levels of treatment services, Into Action Treatment provides cutting edge clinical therapy models while adhering to basic 12 step philosophies.

23 Jan 2012

Report reveals 45.9M American adults suffered from mental illness in the past year

A new national report reveals that 45.9 million American adults aged 18 or older, or 20 percent of this age group, experienced mental illness in the past year. The rate of mental illness was more than twice as high among those aged 18 to 25 (29.9 percent) than among those aged 50 and older (14.3 percent). Adult women were also more likely than men to have experienced mental illness in the past year (23 percent versus 16.8 percent).

20 Jan 2012

Inmates with severe mental illnesses alone have lower rates of recidivism

People with mental illness have gotten a bad rap in past research studies, being labeled the group of people with the highest return rates to prison. But a researcher from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University counters those findings in a new study-demonstrating that inmates with severe mental illnesses alone actually have lower rates of recidivism than those with substance abuse issues or no mental or substance abuse issues.

18 Jan 2012

More people suffering serious injury or death while wearing headphones

A latest US study shows that more people are suffering serious injury or death while wearing headphones. The number has tripled in six years.

17 Jan 2012

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Hazardous alcohol use and depression are among the 10 leading causes of disability and premature death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many low- to middle-income countries have begun to see a steady increase in alcohol use and have entered the early stages of a tobacco epidemic. A study of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), nicotine dependence (ND), and mood and anxiety disorders in the United States and South Korea has found that while AUDs are substantially more common among Americans than South Koreans, alcohol-dependent Americans are significantly more likely to seek treatment.

17 Jan 2012

Occasional marijuana use does not affect lung function: Study

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that an occasional drag on marijuana does not appear to have long-term adverse effects on lung function.

11 Jan 2012

Collaborative behavioral management may be effective in reducing abuse among paroled marijuana users

A study from Rhode Island Hospital has found that collaborative behavioral management may be effective in reducing substance abuse among convicted marijuana users who are paroled. The findings have important implications for the management of a substantial proportion of the U.S. community correctional population.

11 Jan 2012

CCPR completes new specialty behavioral health provider network

Comprehensive Care Corporation, which provides behavioral health, substance abuse and at-risk psychotropic pharmacy management services for managed care companies throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, is pleased to announce that CompCare de Puerto Rico (CCPR) has completed its build out of a fully contracted and credentialed specialty behavioral health provider network to better serve its clients and insured Medicare and dual-eligible members across the Island of Puerto Rico.

9 Jan 2012

Scientists identify how dihydromyricetin counteracts acute alcohol intoxication

UCLA researchers have identified how a component of an ancient Chinese herbal anti-hangover medicine called dihydromyricetin, isolated from the plant Hovenia, counteracts acute alcohol intoxication and withdrawal symptoms.

6 Jan 2012

Epilepsy may not increase risk of committing violent crime

Despite current public and expert opinion to the contrary, having the neurological condition epilepsy is not directly associated with an increased risk of committing violent crime.

28 Dec 2011

New working definition of recovery from mental disorders and substance use disorders

A new working definition of recovery from mental disorders and substance use disorders is being announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

23 Dec 2011

Injected meth users at greater risk of attempting suicide

The dire physical and mental health effects of injecting methamphetamine are well known, but there's been little research about suicidal behavior and injecting meth.

23 Dec 2011

Early intervention mitigates risk of substance abuse among pregnant women

A program for women at risk of substance abuse during pregnancy could save nearly $2 billion annually in health care costs if implemented nationwide, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology.

21 Dec 2011

Ariz. eyeing first budget surplus in four years; Wis. study finds low Medicare, Medicaid rates shift costs

Here's something Arizona hasn't seen in a while: a state budget surplus. Estimates range from $416 million to as much as $650 million when the new budget year starts in July. ... "We'll fund population increases in K-12, AHCCCS (the state's Medicaid program) and prisons," said House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh, who's starting his fourth year as budget chairman.

20 Dec 2011

Problem behaviors may increase risk of suicide in children

Children who show early signs of problem behavior are more likely to have thought of killing or harming themselves, suggests new research in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

17 Dec 2011