Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.
Addiction is most commonly associated with gambling, drugs, alcohol and smoking, but it’s possible to be addicted to just about anything, including work, the internet, shopping, solvents and sex.
More young people are overcoming their problems with drug and alcohol misuse than ever before, according to the latest statistics for England released by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA). 75% (10,507) of under-18s leaving drug and alcohol services last year successfully completed their programmes, compared to 48% (4,105) five years ago. The [read the full story…]
The NHS Information Centre have published their annual statistical report presenting information on drug misuse among both adults and children, which this year has a focus on young adults. The bulletin also summarises Government plans and targets in this area, as well as providing sources of further information and links to relevant documents. The topics [read the full story…]
Readers interested in preventing alcohol misuse in young people will find these two new systematic reviews from the Cochrane Library worth looking at in more detail. Both reviews have been conducted by researchers from Brookes University in Oxford, who searched for randomised controlled trials including school aged children up to 18 years old. The first [read the full story…]
Using cannabis can lead to a loss of brain volume in people who are at risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a study published in the November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. The finding by researchers from the University of Edinburgh could be important in understanding more fully the link between cannabis use [read the full story…]
Alcohol misuse is common in people with mental health problems and the rates of drinking are particularly high in bipolar disorder. Studies show that the lifetime prevalence of substance use disorders is at least 40% in bipolar I patients (ref Cerullo et al). Researchers from Newcastle University in the UK have conducted a systematic review [read the full story…]
Substance use during pregnancy is common. In national prevalence surveys, 14% of Canadian women reported using alcohol during their last pregnancy, and 17% reported smoking during pregnancy. The prevalence of illicit drug use among Canadian women of childbearing age is less but not insignificant. In United States population surveys, around 5% of pregnant women reported [read the full story…]
Every once in a while the Cochrane library publish an overview of reviews to summarise the evidence for a specific intervention. Such an overview has recently been made available to bring together all of the Cochrane reviews that assess the effectiveness and safety of pharmacological interventions in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. The overview brings [read the full story…]
The relationship between homelessness, mental health, substance misuse and social exclusion is explored in this new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The short report, which features contributions from projects in the Multiple Exclusion Homelessness Research Programme, highlights how policy and practice can make a difference in this area. Key points from the report include: [read the full story…]
I’ve blogged before about mental health and smoking cessation, so I was interested to read about this new review on the subject published by a researcher in Spain, which aims to assess the best way for adults with major depression, schizophrenia and psychosis to give up smoking. The review searched a very wide range of [read the full story…]
The press release from NICE says that: Quality standards are a set of specific, concise statements and associated measures [that] set out aspirational, but achievable, markers of high-quality, cost-effective patient care, covering the treatment and prevention of different diseases and conditions. NICE have already published quality standards on dementia and depression in adults and they have [read the full story…]
