Addiction

Increases seen in suicidal thoughts, depressive or anxiety symptoms, and inattention or hyperactivity Adolescent substance use is associated with psychiatric symptoms, including suicidal thoughts, according to a research letter published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Pediatrics. Brenden Tervo-Clemmens, Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues examined associations between commonly used substances and psychiatric...

In clinical trials, the test accurately assessed a raised risk for addiction 83 percent of the time The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-its-kind test — the AvertD test — that uses DNA swabbed from a patient’s cheek to determine if they have a combination of genetic variants associated with an elevated...

Opioid agonist therapy and needle and syringe programs are effective in reducing the transmission of HIV, HCV, and injecting risk behavior, according to a recent review. The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with injecting risk behavior in people who inject drugs (PWID). This systematic review updated an...

Proportion of stimulant involvement in fentanyl-involved overdose deaths increased in almost every state from 2015 to 2021 By 2021, stimulants were the most common drug class found in fentanyl-involved overdoses, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in Addiction. Joseph Friedman, Ph.D., and Chelsea L. Shover, Ph.D., from the University of California in Los Angeles,...

While we might feel clear on what addiction is, for the sake of understanding, we will define clinical addiction here. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is a treatable, chronic medical condition involving complex interactions between a person’s neural network, genetics, environment, and life experiences. Addiction involves the use of substances...

Key Takeaways A new, all-encompassing smoking cessation program helped those struggling with mental illness quit smoking Those who were offered medication and counseling to stop smoking had a 26% success rate after 18 months, compared to 6% in a control group One key ingredient of the new program was a focus on weight management, since...

Findings for middle- and older-aged men and women. Higher levels of alcohol consumption could have detrimental effects on muscle mass in middle- and older-aged men and women, according to a study published online May 25 in Calcified Tissue International. Jane Skinner, Ph.D., from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed...

Key Takeaways Only 7% of Americans on Medicaid who struggle with opioid addiction enter residential treatment programs By analyzing standardized data for nine states, researchers discovered some states provided rehab to 14.6% of these folks, while other states only provided it to 0.3% of these patients Experts also noted that many of these programs don’t...

Patients will be required to see a doctor in person to get a first prescription for opioids, ADHD drugs Federal officials plan to tighten access to drugs that have the potential for abuse by reinstating federal prescribing requirements that were loosened during the pandemic. The Biden administration will require that patients see a doctor in...