Substance Abuse News and Research

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State News: Wash. adults could lose Medicaid coverage for prescriptions, Michigan restores services

Detroit Free Press: "Michigan has reopened through Nov. 30 a program that provides free or nearly free medical care to adults 21 and older. The benefits could help as many as 58,000 poor people — some who couldn't previously get help because the Adult Medical Program, as it is called, had been frozen since May 31, 2009, because of state budget cuts.

15 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to provide integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is awarding up to $52.5 million for up to five years in cooperative agreements (grants) to provide integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services to at-risk, traditionally underserved populations.

15 Oct 2010

Researchers report prevalence data on mental disorders among U.S. adolescents

Mental disorders in children are often difficult to identify due to the myriad of changes that occur during the normal course of maturation. For the first time, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have reported on the prevalence data on a broad range of mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents, which show that approximately one in five children in the U.S. meet the criteria for a mental disorder severe enough to disrupt their daily lives.

14 Oct 2010

The Partnership at Drugfree.org issues statement on FDA approval of VIVITROL for opioid dependence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Alkermes' opioid dependence medication (VIVITROL) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification is positive news for families of young adults and all those who are struggling to overcome opioid addiction. Addiction, a disease of the human brain, is a chronic illness while opioid dependence is frequently characterized by relapse.

13 Oct 2010

JAMA publishes Probuphine Phase 3 clinical trial data

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that data from its previously completed and announced Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of Probuphine were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

13 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards State Incentive Grants for substance abuse prevention

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it is awarding up to $53.4 million in new State Incentive Grants for up to five years. These grants are used by states or tribes to implement a strategic approach in communities across the state for substance abuse prevention.

13 Oct 2010

WHO releases new guidelines for simplified treatment of common mental disorders

Millions of people with common, but untreated, mental, neurological and substance use disorders can now benefit from new simplified diagnosis and treatment guidelines released today by WHO. The guidelines are designed to facilitate the management of depression, alcohol use disorders, epilepsy and other common mental disorders in the primary health-care setting.

7 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards grants to improve mental health services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of 19 grants totaling 1.3 million for the first year and $3.9 million for up to three years to support consumer organizations in their work to improve mental health services for persons living with serious mental illnesses.

7 Oct 2010

Insuring your health: New laws expand mental health coverage

Two federal laws that provide better insurance coverage for more people with mental health and substance abuse conditions are just beginning to take effect, and advocates say the changes describe the changes as a huge win for consumers that will greatly improve treatment.

6 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 5, 2010

Today's headlines include reports on the midterm elections and recent polls as well as the latest developments related to Medicaid expansion.

5 Oct 2010

Study finds 50% increase in ATV-related brain and spinal injuries

Brain and spinal cord injuries related to all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) appear to be increasing, reports a study in the October issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

5 Oct 2010

Health Alliance/Burbank Hospital to close inpatient psychiatric Acute Care Unit

Registered Nurses who are represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association were told in a meeting on Tuesday that Health Alliance/Burbank Hospital will be closing the inpatient psychiatric Acute Care Unit. The hospital plan is to close the unit no later than December 31, 2010. The Burbank unit is the only inpatient locked unit in the area.

30 Sep 2010

Increased drug use linked to father's incarceration

In a recently published study in the journal Addiction, researchers from Bowling Green State University report evidence of an association between father's incarceration and substantially elevated risks for illegal drug use in adolescence and early adulthood.

29 Sep 2010

Suicide rates high among middle-aged people

The suicide rate for middle-aged people - a group considered relatively protected from suicide and with historically stable suicide rates - took an upward jump between 1999 and 2005, according to research by sociologists Ellen Idler of Emory University and Julie Phillips of Rutgers University.

28 Sep 2010

HHS announces grants to support public health programs

Six months after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius highlighted another important facet of the law today with the announcement of nearly $100 million in grants made possible primarily by the new law's Prevention and Public Health Fund.

27 Sep 2010

HHS awards grant to promote better primary care services for mentally-ill patients

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius today awarded more than $26.2 million in grants to support and promote better primary care and behavioral health services for individuals with mental illnesses or substance use disorders.

27 Sep 2010

BayCare Behavioral receives grant to launch VIP Program

This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded BayCare Behavioral Health with a $1.75 million grant to launch the Veteran and Inebriate Program (VIP).

27 Sep 2010

NIH awards grants to treat HIV/AIDS in criminal justice system

Twelve scientific teams in more than a dozen states will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the criminal justice system.

24 Sep 2010

LSUHSC hosts international scientific conference on drug abuse research and politics

Topics ranging from the future of addiction research and treatment to the binational implications of Mexico's decriminalization of drugs will be presented at the 10th Annual International Conference of the National Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) on Drug Abuse September 30 - October 2, 2010 at The Westin New Orleans Canal Place.

23 Sep 2010

New findings in brain plasticity and development

Brain plasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise neural pathways – will be discussed at a major symposium this week at the University of New South Wales (Friday 24 September).

19 Sep 2010