Addicted Doctors: Prevention Strategies Addictive Disorders and Their Treatment
Studies have noted all doctors to be at risk of developing addictive disorders, irrespective of their grade, sex, and specialty. Early detection and treatment are beneficial in reducing the impact that an addictive disorder can have on the doctors’ career and family life...
Emergency Departments See Increased Visits Involving the Nonmedical Use of Sedative Alprazolam SAMHSA The number of emergency department visits involving non-medical use of the sedative alprazolam doubled from 57,419 to 124,902 during the years 2005 to 2010. Alprazolam, otherwise known as Xanax, Xanax XR, and Niravam, was the 13th most commonly sold medication in 2012, and was the psychiatric medication most commonly prescribed in 2011...
Creation of the Abbreviated Measures of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory: The PCS-4 and SHAI-5 Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain The authors develop a shorter version of the 13–item Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS] and 18–item Short Health Anxiety Inventory [SHAI]. They found that the PCS–4 and SHAI–5 were comparable to the original...
Latest TIP Covers Expansion of FASD Prevention and Treatment SAMHSA TIP 58: Addressing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is the first entry in SAMHSA's long-standing TIP series to address FASD directly. It provides strategies and recommendations for expanding FASD prevention and treatment efforts across behavioral health settings.
Governor Cuomo and Legislative Leaders Announce Agreement on Bill to Establish Comprehensive Medical Marijuana Program Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Legislative Leaders today announced an agreement on a bill that will establish a medical marijuana program for New York State. The legislation includes provisions to ensure medical marijuana is reserved only for patients with serious conditions and is dispensed and administered in a manner that protects public health and safety.
Methadone Safety: Clinical Practice Guidelines from the American Pain Society and College on Problems of Drug Dependence PCSS-O Methadone is a synthetic opioid used to treat chronic pain and opioid addiction. Safety of methadone has been a major clinical concern in recent years. Deaths associated with methadone use increased from 800 in 1999 to 4,900 in 2008. The increase in mortality is larger than for any other opioid medication, and is largely attributed to a sharp rise in prescribing methadone for chronic pain.
Relative Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, Standard Relapse Prevention, and Treatment as Usual for Substance Use Disorders JAMA Psychiatry Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP), a group-based psychosocial aftercare, integrates evidence-based practices from mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention (RP) approaches. This study evaluates the long-term efficacy of MBRP in reducing relapse compared with RP and treatment as usual (TAU [12-step programming and psychoeducation]) during a 12-month follow-up period...
Yoga as an Adjunct Treatment for Alcohol Dependence: A Pilot Study Complementary Therapies in Medicine This pilot study explores the feasibility of yoga as part of a treatment program for alcohol dependence. Eighteen alcohol dependent patients were randomized to receive either treatment as usual or treatment as usual plus yoga. Assessments were taken at baseline and six month follow-up...
Can We Predict Burnout Severity from Empathy-Related Brain Activity? Translational Psychiatry Burnout has become a pervasive problem among medical professionals because occupational burnout may be highly sensitive to empathy levels. To better understand empathy-induced burnout among medical professionals, exploring the relationship between burnout severity and strength of empathy-related brain activity may be key.
Alcohol and Marijuana Use Patterns Associated With Unsafe Driving Among U.S. High School Seniors Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs This article examines noncausal associations between high school seniors' alcohol and marijuana use status and rates of self-reported unsafe driving in the past 12 months.
UK Negotiates Closer Global Collaboration on Drugs Gov.uk Home Office ministers have been part of successful negotiations at the United Nations to move more than 50 countries towards a modern, balanced and evidence-based approach to tackling the use and supply of illegal drugs.
Top 5 Percent of Opioid Prescribers Write 40 Percent of US Narcotic Prescriptions Express Scripts The highest prescribers wrote an average of 3.5 times more opioid prescriptions — 4.6 prescriptions per patient compared to 1.3 in their peer group. Opioid cost per patient per day of therapy was nearly 5 times higher, on average, for patients treated by high prescribers. Internal medicine and family practice are among the specialties with the highest prevalence of high prescribers, even after accounting for the volume of prescribers in these two specialties. Nearly 20 percent of the high prescribers were only prescribing opioids to one patient.
Parents and Prevention: A Systematic Review of Interventions Involving Parents that Aim to Prevent Body Dissatisfaction or Eating Disorders International Journal of Eating Disorders A small number of prevention studies with parents have led to significant reductions in risk of body image and eating problems, and ...
Richard G. Soper, MD, JD, MS, FASAM, Editor-in-Chief, ASAM Weekly
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The views and positions of any content published in ASAM Weekly are not necessarily endorsed by ASAM nor a reflection of ASAM's beliefs and policies. The features are presented as a summary of the contemporary issues being represented and expressed in scientific, governmental, commercial, and media sources across the specialty field of addiction medicine. Contact ASAM Weekly with any comments or feedback.