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California’s homelessness crisis is homegrown, study finds

California's homelessness crisis is a homegrown problem that is deepening amid a shortage of affordable housing and emergency shelter, and it's often the brutal conditions of living on the street that trigger behavioral health problems, such as depression and anxiety, researchers found in a comprehensive study on homelessness.

20 Jun 2023

Opioid settlement payouts to localities made public for first time

Thousands of local governments nationwide are receiving settlement money from companies that made, sold, or distributed opioid painkillers, like Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, and Walmart.

16 Jun 2023

Measuring the receipt of medications and behavioral health services for AUD

Heavy drinking commonly begins in adolescence and is a known risk factor for the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Data from adult clinical trials suggest offering evidence-based medications for AUD to younger adults could promote their engagement in treatment and improve clinical outcomes.

15 Jun 2023

Males are significantly more vulnerable than females to overdose deaths

Men were significantly more vulnerable than women to overdose deaths involving opioid and stimulant drugs in 2020-2021, according to a new study analyzing death records data from across the United States. The study found that men had a 2–3 times greater rate of overdose mortality from opioids (like fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (like methamphetamine and cocaine).

15 Jun 2023

Psychedelics reopen ‘critical periods’ for social reward learning, mice study shows

Neuroscientists have long searched for ways to reopen "critical periods" in the brain, when mammals are more sensitive to signals from their surroundings that can influence periods of brain development.

14 Jun 2023

Harm reduction treatment for alcohol use disorder can also reduce the use of other substances

Quitting alcohol or drugs was not a top priority for people experiencing homelessness in a harm reduction treatment study, yet participants still reduced their use of both.

14 Jun 2023

State policies play an important role in expanding access to mental health care

Four state policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to spur expansion of telehealth were associated with expansion of such services by mental health facilities, but growth of telehealth was lower among facilities in counties with the greatest proportion of Black residents, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

13 Jun 2023

Study: Only 1 in 4 addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents offer buprenorphine

Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old offer buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to a new study.

13 Jun 2023

Researchers test a new way to deliver mental health therapy to people with addiction, aggressive behavior

Researchers from five colleges at Rochester Institute of Technology are testing a new way to deliver mental health therapy to people struggling with alcohol/drug addiction and aggressive behavior.

12 Jun 2023

Smartphones on desk proven to hamper student focus, even when switched off!

Smartphones impact students' attention. Experiment confirms lower cognitive performance due to smartphone presence. Study explores implications.

12 Jun 2023

Can artificial intelligence provide evidence-based responses to public health questions?

Researchers assessed artificial intelligence (AI)-generated responses to health-related inquiries.

9 Jun 2023

First-in-class drug shows promise as a safe and effective treatment for cannabis use disorder

A first-in-class drug engineered to selectively inhibit the signaling pathway of the cannabinoid receptor shows promise as a safe and effective treatment for cannabis use disorder (CUD), a condition where a person is unable to control their cannabis use, even though it's causing problems in their lives.

8 Jun 2023

Study finds a dramatic increase in the use of non-LSD hallucinogens among young adults

Young adults ages 19 to 30 nearly doubled their past 12-month use of non-LSD hallucinogens in the United States from 2018 to 2021, according to a study by the University of Michigan and Columbia University.

8 Jun 2023

New insights into the mechanisms underlying progression of Huntington's disease

New research led by a University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine team is providing compelling insights into the mechanisms underlying the progression of Huntington's disease in an animal model.

7 Jun 2023

Elucidating developmentally sensitive mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is hosting a free webinar, "Developing New Treatments for Childhood Anxiety and OCD: Can Cognitive Control Help Kids Grow Out of Illness?" on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 2:00 pm EST. The presenter will be Kate D. Fitzgerald, M.D., Ruane Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute.

7 Jun 2023

New insight from patients on what helps or hinders medication-assisted opioid use disorder treatment

Patients would be more willing to enter medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder if existing stigmas were reduced and more accessible payment support was readily available, a West Virginia University study finds.

6 Jun 2023

Recovery from addiction is a journey. There’s no one-and-done solution.

The atmosphere inside the Allen House is easygoing as residents circulate freely through the hallways, meet in group sessions, or gather on a large outdoor patio that features a dirt volleyball court with an oversize net.

6 Jun 2023

Understanding factors associated with long-term opioid use in fibromyalgia patients

Fibromyalgia is common, affecting around 2% of people in the general population. The 2017 EULAR recommendations state that tramadol - a weak opioid - may be considered for pain management in fibromyalgia, but advise against use of strong opioids due to lack of evidence of efficacy, and the high risk of side effects and addiction.

2 Jun 2023

Health care coalition jockeys over Medi-Cal spending, eyes ballot initiative

Influential health care interests are jockeying over a potential infusion of $19.4 billion into Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, while also angling for a 2024 ballot initiative to permanently lock in that funding, KFF Health News has learned.

31 May 2023

DNA test results may enhance prevention and treatment of alcohol use disorder

Today's substance use prevention efforts ignore individual genetic risk, but Rutgers research suggests DNA test results may eventually enhance prevention and treatment and improve outcomes.

30 May 2023