Brief Motivational Intervention for Intimate Partner Violence and Heavy Drinking in the Emergency Department Journal of the American Medical Association For women experiencing co-occurring IPV and heavy drinking, the use of a brief motivational intervention in the ED compared with assessed and no‑contact controls did not significantly reduce the days of heavy drinking or incidents of IPV. 78% of 600 participants completed the 12-week study. These findings do not support a brief motivational intervention in this setting. While possibly disappointing to those on the front lines, what this may emphasize is the complexity of the challenge posed by IPV in the presence of SUD, and the need for a more forceful or multi-levelled approach.
Editor’s Comments William Haning, MD, FASAM, DFAPA This is the first edition in a pilot project for the ASAM Weekly, in which Addiction Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine fellows within training programs are provided the opportunity to review and comment on the articles provided. In this model, a senior faculty member such as the Editor reviews the work product, and further edits or augments the commentary as needed.
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FROM JOURNAL OF ADDICTION MEDICINE
Alcohol-Dependent Subjects Show Different Personality Traits Compared With Subjects with Multiple Substance Dependence: Preliminary Data Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) The authors compared personality traits of 27 persons with multiple substance dependence with personality data of 52 alcohol-dependent persons. Both patient groups were free of any other mental disorder. The application of this study may be limited by its small sample size, but the authors offer data to suggest that different personality traits may predispose to different types of addiction.
FREE Online CME/CE Tools for Motivational Interviewing
NIDA is offering 2 FREE CME opportunities for Motivational Interviewing. These online simulations guide providers of adult and adolescent patients through MI skills-building with real time testing in a clinical setting.
Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 2012 CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Alcohol-impaired driving crashes account for approximately one third of all crash fatalities in the United States. In 2013, 10,076 persons died in crashes in which at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ≥0.08 grams per deciliter (g/dL), the legal limit for adult drivers in many of the United States. To estimate the prevalence, number of episodes, and annual rate of alcohol-impaired driving, the CDC analyzed self-reported data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey.
Pamela S. Hyde, SAMHSA Administrator, Stepping Down August 22 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration After almost 6 years, Pamela S. Hyde resigns as Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, citing personal issues. In her blog post addressing her staff, she commends SAMHSA on its great strides in recent years and reviews the progressing cultural and political landscape of mental health and substance abuse care in the U.S.
Draft Recommendation Statement for Depression in Adults: Screening U.S. Preventive Services Task Force The USPSTF recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women, regardless of risk factors. The Draft Recommendation Statement does not endorse any particular screening tool or screening interval, but asserts that screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-up. The draft is open for public comment on the USPSTF website until August 24 at 8:00 pm EST.
National Conference Addresses Health Care Behind Bars National Commission on Correctional Health Care National interest in the quality of health care in correctional institutions is gaining momentum as part of a larger conversation about incarceration in the United States. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care invites correctional health professionals, clinicians, administrators and others to explore the intersection between health, law and corrections at the 2015 National Conference on Correctional Health Care, October 17–21 in Dallas, TX.
Electronic Interventions for Alcohol Misuse and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Annals of Internal Medicine Evidence suggests that low-intensity e-interventions produce small reductions in alcohol consumption at 6 months - though only to the magnitude of approximately 1 drink per week - and there is little evidence for longer-term, clinically significant effects, such as meeting drinking limits. Future e-interventions could provide more intensive treatment and possibly human support to assist persons in meeting recommended drinking limits.
Specialty Substance Use Disorder Services Following Brief Alcohol Intervention: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Addiction Brief alcohol interventions in medical settings are efficacious in improving self-reported alcohol consumption among those with low-severity alcohol problems. Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment initiatives presume that brief interventions are efficacious in linking patients to higher levels of care, but pertinent evidence has not been evaluated. The authors estimated main and subgroup effects of brief alcohol interventions, regardless of their inclusion of a referral-specific component, in increasing the utilization of alcohol-related care.
Evaluation of a Brief Personalized Intervention for Alcohol Consumption in College Students PlosOne In this study the authors investigated the effect of a brief personalized feedback intervention (BPI), compared to an active control intervention, on outcome measures of (i) alcohol consumption (ii) frequency of binge drinking and (iii) readiness to change (RTC). A sample of 103 college students (mean age=23.85) who consumed alcohol regularly provided baseline measures of drinking behavior and readiness to change before completing an alcohol-related quiz on the UK Department of Health’s Change4Life website (active control). The study examines whether personalized interventions were more effective in reducing alcohol consumption than the provision of alcohol education alone, and concludes that they are equally efficient.
Lay Epidemiology and the Interpretation of Low Risk Drinking Guidelines by Adults in the United Kingdom Addiction This is a type of environmental scan aimed at identifying practical, understandable characterizations of drinking behaviors. Drinking guidelines derived from, and framed within solely epidemiological paradigms lack relevance for adult drinkers who monitor and moderate their alcohol intake according to their own knowledge and risk perceptions primarily derived from experience. Insights from lay epidemiology into how drinkers regulate and monitor their drinking should be used in the construction of drinking guidelines to enhance their credibility and efficacy.
Violence in the United States: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities Journal of the American Medical Association Progress has been made in reducing US rates of interpersonal violence even though a significant burden remains. Multiple strategies exist to improve violence prevention efforts, and health care providers are an important part of this solution.
More Money, More Booze: Poll Finds People with Higher Incomes Drink More The Guardian Eight out of 10 adults who qualify as upper-income and highly educated say they drink alcohol, according to Gallup’s annual poll of American consumption habits. The results found only half of lower-income Americans and those with a high school diploma or less say they drink. The poll also found a difference in the drink-of-choice based on education and income level; drinkers in the higher socioeconomic status tended to prefer wine, while non-college graduates preferred beer.
Advances in Medications and Tailoring Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder NIAAA: Alcohol Research Current Reviews Despite decades of research on various methods for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), AUD remains prevalent throughout the world, making it critical to develop a more comprehensive approach to address the issue. Researchers have begun utilizing genetic polymorphisms to identify alcoholics who might respond best to various treatments, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of currently tested medications for treating AUD. This review compares the efficacy of medications tested for treatment of AUD, with consideration given to the incorporation of pharmacogenomic genetic testing to guide treatment.
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