Substance Abuse News and Research

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Two new studies from a federal agency point to risks, costs in health care

Two new reports from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality made news Thursday. One addresses the consequences of leaving the hospital against the doctor's orders, while the other notes that health spending on seniors rose by over $100 billion between 1996 and 2006.

29 Aug 2009

Program to help sex workers to go off the streets

Dallas prostitutes are getting a chance to change their lives, thanks to a collaboration among the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff's Office, Dallas County Commissioner's Office, courts, Dallas County Health Department, Adult Probation Department, Parkland Hospital and Homeward Bound, which serves as the lead for more than 40 social service and faith-based organizations. The program offers prostitutes a comprehensive, multi-step, in-patient and out-patient treatment program as an alternative to further victimization and continued involvement in the criminal justice system.

26 Aug 2009

Parents' drinking habits influence teenagers to use alcohol and drugs

Compared to teens who have not seen their parent(s) drunk, those who have are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times likelier to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

26 Aug 2009

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder face increased risk of suicide

Researchers working with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have found that post-traumatic stress disorder, the current most common mental disorder among veterans returning from service in the Middle East, is associated with an increased risk for thoughts of suicide.

26 Aug 2009

Rhode Island Hospital to identify a model for integrating screening and brief interventions for alcohol misuse

There are an estimated 7.6 million alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits each year in the country. A first step in identifying an alcohol problem is screening all ED patients utilizing two well-researched screening tests.

24 Aug 2009

National campaign to educate people with developmental disabilities about protection from germs

The Tech-Aid Institute, http://www.techaidinstitute.com, is launching a national campaign to educate people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities about how to protect themselves from germs that include the 2009 flu pandemic that is commonly known as the Swine (H1N1) Flu.

24 Aug 2009

$25.7 million in grants announced to increase and improve US health center services

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced more than $25.7 million in grants to increase and improve health and support services at the nation's health centers.

24 Aug 2009

Smoke free hospital campuses in USA by end of 2009

A new study from The Joint Commission projects that a majority of U.S. hospitals will have a smoke-free campus by the end of 2009. The study, "The Adoption of Smoke-Free Hospital Campuses in the United States," appears in the latest online issue of Tobacco Control, a British Medical Journal Group publication.

21 Aug 2009

Diet pills, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines and cocaine abused by patients with eating disorders

Between 11 and 13 million people in the U.S. have eating disorders and at least one million will die from their disorder. It is not unusual for women and girls struggling with eating disorders to either abuse or become dependent on over-the-counter substances.

20 Aug 2009

National Institute on Drug Abuse funds study on development of prenatally cocaine-exposed children

Teen years are filled with experimenting. Sometimes that means trying some risky behaviors.

20 Aug 2009

Medication safety program on safe prescribing procedures for narcotic drugs launched

Warnings by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and increasing misuse and overdoses are telling reminders of the dangers pain medications can present. A recent study reveals that one in 10 high school students have tried opioid drugs and the prevalence of young adults using narcotics for non-medical use is the highest in 15 years.

20 Aug 2009

Study reveals that most US hospitals will have smoke-free campuses by the end of 2009

While hospital buildings are often smoke-free, a new study finds that by February 2008, 45 percent of US hospitals had adopted "smoke-free campus" policies, meaning that all the property owned or leased by the hospital, both indoors and outdoors, was smoke-free and there were no designated smoking areas on those properties.

20 Aug 2009

African Americans receive less mental illness treatments and diagnoses than Caucasian Americans

According to the Surgeon General, only one-third of Americans with a mental health problem seek treatment; the percentage of African Americans getting help is only half that of non-Hispanic whites.

19 Aug 2009

Massachusetts could prove model to cut costs

CNNMoney reports that Massachusetts could prove to be a model for how to grapple with high health care costs as its own soaring costs threaten national efforts at reform.

19 Aug 2009

Gay people more likely to have mental health or substance use disorders

Members of ‘sexual minorities’ are around twice as likely as heterosexuals to seek help for mental health issues or substance abuse treatment. A model of treatment-seeking behavior, described in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports the idea that lesbian, gay and bisexual people may have specific treatment needs.

14 Aug 2009

New Hampshire officials: need for mental health services increasing

In New Hampshire, Foster's Daily Democrat reports: "As unemployment statistics increase and the economic climate deteriorates, a large group of people who would otherwise likely not need mental health services are finding themselves at an increased risk for depression, anxiety, compulsive behaviors and substance abuse, according (to) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

28 Jul 2009

Altering the course of schizophrenia with new research

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is launching a large-scale research project to explore whether using early and aggressive treatment, individually targeted and integrating a variety of different therapeutic approaches, will reduce the symptoms and prevent the gradual deterioration of functioning that is characteristic of chronic schizophrenia.

21 Jul 2009

Review of addiction to prescription painkillers

Chemical dependency and recovery in patients and physicians are closely examined in a series of articles and editorials in the July 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The subject is especially timely. As the immense challenges, including potential tragedies, of prescription chemical addiction and abuse are being discussed, these articles offer crucial overview, direction and optimism.

7 Jul 2009

Study shows school-based prevention program reduces problem behaviors in fifth-graders

A study suggests that school-based prevention programs begun in elementary school can significantly reduce problem behaviors in students. Fifth graders who previously participated in a comprehensive interactive school prevention program for one to four years were about half as likely to engage in substance abuse, violent behavior, or sexual activity as those who did not take part in the program.

18 Jun 2009

New report looks at cigarette smoking rates and policies throughout the U.S.

The United States is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control, according to a comprehensive publication on cigarette smoking prevalence and policies in the U.S. that was released today.

10 Jun 2009

Substance Abuse News and Research

Two new studies from a federal agency point to risks, costs in health care

Program to help sex workers to go off the streets

Parents' drinking habits influence teenagers to use alcohol and drugs

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder face increased risk of suicide

Rhode Island Hospital to identify a model for integrating screening and brief interventions for alcohol misuse

National campaign to educate people with developmental disabilities about protection from germs

$25.7 million in grants announced to increase and improve US health center services

Smoke free hospital campuses in USA by end of 2009

Diet pills, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines and cocaine abused by patients with eating disorders

National Institute on Drug Abuse funds study on development of prenatally cocaine-exposed children

Medication safety program on safe prescribing procedures for narcotic drugs launched

Study reveals that most US hospitals will have smoke-free campuses by the end of 2009

African Americans receive less mental illness treatments and diagnoses than Caucasian Americans

Massachusetts could prove model to cut costs

Gay people more likely to have mental health or substance use disorders

New Hampshire officials: need for mental health services increasing

Altering the course of schizophrenia with new research

Review of addiction to prescription painkillers

Study shows school-based prevention program reduces problem behaviors in fifth-graders

New report looks at cigarette smoking rates and policies throughout the U.S.

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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