Substance Abuse News and Research

RSS

SAMHSA honors contributors to mental health recovery at the 2009 Voice Awards

Writers and producers from The Soloist, "Grey's Anatomy," "United States of Tara," "90210," and others were honored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for increasing awareness of mental health issues and the power of recovery at the 2009 Voice Awards last night. The event was hosted by Academy Award-winning actor and mental health consumer Richard Dreyfuss at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

15 Oct 2009

Layoffs, privatization may not help people struggling with substance abuse

The union which represents employees at the District of Columbia's Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA) called on the D.C. City Council to restore services to thousands of D.C. residents struggling with addiction.

15 Oct 2009

Permanent housing programs for homeless people can increase taxpayers' savings

United Way of Greater Los Angeles today unveiled findings from its Homeless Cost Study, uncovering the financial implications of living on the streets in Los Angeles and the social and economic benefits of permanent supportive housing programs.

14 Oct 2009

Users can share interactive information on Humanpapilloma Virus anonymously

A new Facebook application has been launched to help educate, motivate and mobilize people to prevent the spread of Humanpapilloma Virus (HPV). "Fact Check: HPV" (www.hpvfactcheck.org) allows users to take an interactive, educational quiz about HPV, find additional resources, and commit to take action, while even allowing concerned friends to anonymously share the application with peers.

13 Oct 2009

Women abused by intimate partners suffer higher rates of medical maladies

Women abused by intimate partners suffer higher rates of a wide variety of doctor-diagnosed medical maladies compared to women who were never abused, according to a new study of more than 3,000 women.

13 Oct 2009

Three hundred participants sought for world-first study to determine shared biological basis for psychotic illnesses

For the first time, sufferers of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are being brought together in a major new study investigating the diseases' common genetic causes and manifestations.

11 Oct 2009

HHS awards a five-year $2 million grant to BayCare Behavioral Health

BayCare Behavioral Health and the Homeless Emergency Project have received a five-year grant of $400,000 for each year for a total of $2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

8 Oct 2009

PBS launches new website to support "This Emotional Life" documentary

PBS, Vulcan Productions and the WGBH/NOVA Science Unit launched a new website today to support the upcoming This Emotional Life documentary, which premieres on PBS in early 2010. The documentary series is hosted by Daniel Gilbert, Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, and weaves the latest scientific research with compelling personal stories through deeply personal interviews with ordinary people, such as returning veterans and new parents, as well as celebrities.

7 Oct 2009

Unique program for women veterans

At a time when Americans are just beginning to pay attention to the special challenges faced by women who have served in the military, the Northampton-based non-profit Soldier On has created a national model for helping women veterans in crisis.

6 Oct 2009

Adverse childhood experiences double the risk of premature death

Many U.S. children face a terrible burden of stressors that can harm the development of their brains and nervous systems. These stressors can lead to health problems and diseases throughout their lives, ultimately causing some to die prematurely, according to the lead author of a new study.

6 Oct 2009

Study points to subtle differences between boys and girls' attitudes to multiple drugs

New research by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers looks at the specific ways parents and peers influence teenagers to smoke, drink and use marijuana in combination.

3 Oct 2009

Scientists identify measures for reducing $2 billion healthcare burden from substance abuse

With substance abuse now accounting for one in 14 hospital admissions and generating billions in health care costs, leading scientists held a briefing on Capitol Hill today to present the evidence that we already have and the evidence we need in treating and preventing the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

3 Oct 2009

Researchers stress the importance of ensuring quality psychiatric treatment in general practice settings

Fifty-nine percent of all prescriptions filled for psychotropic medications are written by general practitioners, according to a research report published this month in Psychiatric Services.

1 Oct 2009

Partnership for a Drug-Free America launches new online tools for military families and teens

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America(R), together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, today announced the launch of new online tools to assist military families and teens through difficult periods of transition, such as a deployment, major injury or illness of a parent, or when moving frequently to new neighborhoods and schools. The free tools are available at the Partnership Web site TimeToTalk.org/Military.

1 Oct 2009

Manic-depression not a lifelong disorder

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depression, causes severe and unusual shifts in mood and energy, affecting a person's ability to perform everyday tasks. With symptoms often starting in early adulthood, bipolar disorder has been thought of traditionally as a lifelong disorder. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found evidence that nearly half of those diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 may outgrow the disorder by the time they reach 30.

30 Sep 2009

URMC study provides a new focus on health care in young adulthood

When adolescents graduate to young adulthood, their preventive care tends to fall by the wayside. A recent study has found that young adults are much less likely to use ambulatory or preventive care, even though their mortality rate is more than twice that of adolescents.

25 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

In this brief, researchers analyze the cost burden associated with excess rates of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and renal disease among Hispanics and African Americans relative to non-Hispanic whites. The study predicts that in 2009, "Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion while private insurers will incur $5.1 billion in additional costs due to elevated rates of chronic illness among African Americans and Hispanics."

25 Sep 2009

U.S. Department of Health awards contracts worth $20 million to ICF International

Macro International (ICF Macro), a subsidiary of ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI), was awarded two re-compete, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts valued at more than $20 million with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services.

24 Sep 2009

Mountain Lakes to implement Netsmart's clinical and practice management behavioral health software solution

Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of software and services for health and human services organizations, today announced an agreement to provide its CCHIT-certified clinical and practice management behavioral health software and related services to Mountain Lakes Behavioral Healthcare of Guntersville, Ala