substance misuse

A drug is a chemical substance that acts on the brain and nervous system, changing a person’s mood, emotion or state of consciousness. Drugs are often classified by the effect they have.
Stimulants, such as cocaine, make people feel full of energy. Depressants (or sedatives), such as heroin, make people feel relaxed. Hallucinogens, such as LSD, make people see, feel or hear things that are not real. Drug or substance misuse is when a person regularly takes one or more drugs to change their mood, emotion or state of consciousness.

Our substance misuse Blogs

Novel Psychoactive Substances: bridging the knowledge gap

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Derek Tracy takes a first look at the Novel Psychoactive Substances in the UK Project; an NIHR-funded empirical and conceptual review that recommends research priorities in the field.

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Cannabis use can lead to relapse in psychosis, partially because patients stop taking medication

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Thomas Richardson writes his debut blog about a recent prospective analysis of poor medication adherence and risk of relapse associated with continued cannabis use in patients with first-episode psychosis.

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Does cannabis influence depression?

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Rob Allison and Ian Hamilton summarise a recent retrospective twin cohort study that explores the links between cannabis use and depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

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Parenting factors associated with adolescent alcohol misuse

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Natasha Clarke considers a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, which looks at modifiable parenting factors associated with adolescent alcohol misuse.

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Severe mental illness in offspring may not be linked to smoking during pregnancy

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Andrew Jones
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Andrew Jones considers a recent cohort study that looks into the associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and severe mental illness in offspring.

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Investigating the link between loneliness and sleep quality in young people

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Ahmed Al-Shihabi and Farhana Mann report on a recent twin study that explores the links between loneliness and sleep quality in young adults.

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Smoke-free policy in psychiatric hospitals associated with reduction in physical violence

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Olivia Maynard
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Olivia Maynard reports on a new study in The Lancet Psychiatry that explores the effect of implementing a smoke-free policy on physical violence in a psychiatric inpatient setting, which has some surprising findings.

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Breaking the silence about #WomenAndDrugs

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Ian Hamilton summarises the discussion that took place at the #WomenAndDrugs conference in York on 2nd June 2017, which brought together a group of experts representing research, treatment and policy.

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Women in prison have significantly more drug problems than men #WomenAndDrugs

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Geoff Page publishes his debut elf blog on a new systematic review of alcohol and drug use disorders in recently incarcerated men and women.

We’re publishing this blog to coincide with the #WomenAndDrugs event taking place in York today, which you can follow on Twitter and via our live podcast.

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