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…]
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…]
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…]
The Department of Health have published an updated guide summarising the health harms of drug and alcohol misuse, which is aimed at supporting non-medical practitioners working with substance misuse issues. The document updates the 2003 “Dangerousness of Drugs” guide. It’s an 80-page PDF report and it outlines acute and chronic problems associated with each substance, [read the full story…]
Screening for alcohol misuse in the emergency department needs to be done quickly and accurately, so it makes sense to find the best instrument for this purpose. This systematic review of diagnostic cohort studies searched a range of databases and journals and also conducted citation searching because of a lack of relevant literature found by [read the full story…]
This report from the NHS Information Centre contains results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils in England in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). 7,296 pupils in 246 schools completed questionnaires in the autumn term of 2010. The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research [read the full story…]
The Department of Health in conjunction with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has issued guidance on commissioning prison based substance misuse services for 2011/12. The guidance takes the form of a letter with an appendix from Richard Bradshaw (Director, Offender Health), Ian Poree (Director of Service Development NOMS) and Rosanna O’Connor (Director of [read the full story…]
There’s an interesting article in the New England Journal of Medicine today, all about the relationship between mental health and smoking cessation. The author provides some historical perspective and also highlights the recommended treatments for tobacco dependence and the evidence base for use in smokers with mental illness. Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., M.P.H. Smoking and [read the full story…]
More than 76 million people worldwide have alcohol problems, and another 15 million have drug problems. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a psychological treatment that aims to help people cut down or stop using drugs and alcohol. The drug abuser and counsellor typically meet between one and four times for about one hour each time. The [read the full story…]
‘Suicide and homicide in Northern Ireland’ is a new report from the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness. The report shows that there are links between alcohol use and the increased suicide rate that has been seen in Northern Ireland over recent years. Suicide has been falling elsewhere in the [read the full story…]
