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

New US research suggests that primary care practices can help people who drink too much alcohol, so why aren’t we doing it?

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Sally Adams
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Sally Adams on new research from the US (a cluster randomised implementation trial) that integrates alcohol-related prevention and treatment into primary care.

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The burden of perinatal mental illness in migrant women: new evidence on prevalence and risk factors

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In her debut Mental Elf blog, Gilda Spaducci explores the global prevalence of perinatal mental disorders among migrant women; summarising a recent review which finds that “one in four experience perinatal depression, one in five perinatal anxiety, and one in eleven perinatal PTSD”.

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Smoking and bipolar disorder: the physical and mental health impact of tobacco cessation

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Hannah Walsh explores the clinical and research implications of this French cohort study on bipolar disorder and smoking status, and how risks differ for current, former and never smokers.

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Integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine care for people with mental illness: how will the NHS cope?

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Amelia Talbot summarises a qualitative study on people’s views of integrating smoking cessation treatment into routine care for people with mental illness.

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Minimum unit pricing policy for alcohol saved lives in Scotland according to new research

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Ian Hamilton reviews a new controlled interrupted time series study published in The Lancet evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland.

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Psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder: room for more evidence

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In her debut blog, Heidi Stevens reviews a recent US randomised controlled trial on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for adults with alcohol use disorder, which leaves us with more questions than answers.

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Intimate partner violence among non-binary people who use drugs and alcohol: what do we know?

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Vishal Bhavsar explores the largest ever study on experiences and perpetration of intimate partner violence and abuse in non-heterosexual relationships, with data from the Global Drug Survey, COVID Special Edition.

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Mental disorder and homicide: are rates and sentencing patterns changing?

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Danny Whiting reports on a study of mental health problems and long-term national trends in rates and court outcome for people convicted of homicide.

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Ask about alcohol use in adults affected by divorce, bereavement or illness

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Sally Adams
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Sally Adams considers a recent Finnish longitudinal study, which examines heavy alcohol consumption before and after negative life events in late mid-life.

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A human rights approach to integrating HIV and substance misuse services

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Andie Ashdown and Theophanis Kyriacou summarise a recent paper on integrating HIV and substance misuse services, which draws on a person-centred approach that is grounded in human rights.

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