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Substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders are common among French prisoners

Substance abuse disorders (SUDs) and other psychiatric disorders are common among prison populations.

4 Nov 2008

Parents comfortable with alcohol screening in pediatricians' offices

Parents are surprisingly receptive to being screened for alcohol problems during a visit to their child's pediatrician, including those who have alcohol problems.

4 Nov 2008

Anxiety disorders latest worry in high blood pressure

Family doctors and psychiatrists should carefully monitor the heart health of patients with anxiety disorders, Dr. Simon Bacon told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2008, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "People with anxiety disorders are four times more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) over one year than those of us who are anxiety free," says Dr. Bacon, a Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Hypertension is a leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease."

27 Oct 2008

Why men and boys behave badly

On almost a weekly basis the media reveals, often in excruciating detail, that some male sport star, politician or personality, somewhere, has abused, sexually or in another way, a girlfriend or a woman they have come into contact with.

14 Oct 2008

WHO makes urgent call for services for mental disorders to be scaled up

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says millions of people with mental disorders in the developing world are deprived of necessary treatment and care and has called for an urgent scaling up of services.

13 Oct 2008

Public hearing on ways of reducing harmful use of alcohol

Each year, more than two million people die from alcohol-related causes. WHO was asked by its Member States in May at the World Health Assembly to develop a global strategy to combat the harmful use of alcohol. All parties with an interest in reducing the harmful use of alcohol are now invited to share their views in a public hearing being organized by WHO. The one-month web-based hearing will run between 3 and 31 October.

2 Oct 2008

Insomnia linked to depression and substance abuse during adolescence

A unique new study has linked adolescent insomnia to depression and substance abuse during adolescence and young adulthood.

1 Oct 2008

Don't ask, don't tell doesn't work in prenatal care

While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports that patients don't volunteer information about substance abuse unless specifically queried.

30 Sep 2008

Anthropologists explore cultural dynamics of mental health in native North America:

In September's special issue of Ethos-the Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology-three investigators explore mental health discourses and practices in three diverse Native North American communities, illuminating how clinical and Western ideas of medicine and healing could be reconsidered.

23 Sep 2008

New study on rural HIV shows significant stigma and discrimination in the rural medical referral system

An Indiana University study found that HIV care providers in rural Indiana report significant stigma and discrimination in the rural medical referral system surrounding issues of HIV and substance abuse. Providers felt that these factors impeded their ability to offer quality care to their patients.

11 Sep 2008

Naltrexone-derived pyridomorphinan shows promise for treatment of alcoholism

Southern Research Institute and Gallo Research Center today announced that peer-reviewed results from a study testing Naltrexone-derived pyridomorphinan (SoRI-9409) will be published in the December 2008 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

11 Sep 2008

Abuse of painkillers can predispose adolescents to lifelong addiction

No child aspires to a lifetime of addiction. But their brains might. In new research to appear online in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology today, Rockefeller University researchers reveal that adolescent brains exposed to the painkiller OxyContin can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system - changes that increase the drug's euphoric properties and make such adolescents more vulnerable to the drug's effects later in adulthood.

10 Sep 2008

UT Southwestern discovery may lead to new drug-abuse treatments

Increased connections among brain cells caused by excessive drug use may represent the body's defense mechanism to combat addiction and related behaviors, scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

27 Aug 2008

New sleep lab to benefit shift-workers

Two specialist laboratories opening night at the University of Sydney will shed light on the impact of sleep and circadian disruption in medical disorders and shift-workers, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance abuse and depression.

21 Aug 2008

Sexual dysfunction - The brain-body connection

When asked, everyone seems to agree that sex is an important part of life and that sexual health is important for one's overall well-being.

10 Aug 2008

Epilepsy drug gabapentin may reduce insomnia in recovering alcoholics

It's a Catch-22 of the highest order. People with alcohol problems often use alcohol to get to sleep -- but it actually keeps them from getting good-quality sleep all night long.

4 Aug 2008

Drug use by Europe's youth leads to risky sexual behaviour

High levels of alcohol and drug consumption by young people in Europe is leading to an increase in unsafe sexual practices and a consequent rise in sexually-transmitted disease infections, according to a recently published study by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention (IREFREA).

31 Jul 2008

Veterans' hotline averted more than 1,200 suicides in first year

More than 22,000 veterans have called a veterans suicide hotline since its launch in July 2007, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, according to government data to be released on Monday, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.

29 Jul 2008

Report on HIV/AIDS in southern U.S. should 'serve' as 'call to action,' editorial says

A recent report from the Southern AIDS Coalition should "serve as a call to action," a Columbia State editorial says, adding, "While many rightfully call on state and federal officials to provide more funding to pay for drugs, education and other resources to deal with this public health crisis, the epidemic won't be overcome by government funding and influence alone."

29 Jul 2008

Energy drinks associated with risk-taking behaviors among college students

Over the last decade, energy drinks -- such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar -- have become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses. The global market for these types of drinks currently exceeds $3 billion a year and new products are introduced annually.

24 Jul 2008