Addiction & Substance Use

Evidence for Use of Neurostimulating Techniques

Recent years have witnessed exciting developments in understanding and treating addictions. For example, it seems that almost weekly we get new insights into the neurobiology underlying vulnerability to addiction. Similarly, there have never been more medications available to treat the spectrum of addictive disorders, especially alcohol, nicotine, and opioid dependence. In addition, studies continue to underscore the crucial role of psychosocial treatments in recovery from addiction.

The goal of this well-intentioned and mostly well-written, small book is to present an "integrated pharmacopsychosocial approach to treatment" of substance addictions and behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling, eating disorders, and compulsive sexuality. A unified framework for the treatment of addictive disorders has great clinical appeal, given that most people seeking treatment will have multiple addictions as well as co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and disorders. The authors offer valuable advice on principles that increase the likelihood of successful treatment, such as "Less is more--simplification of pharmacotherapy" and "Importance of accurate diagnosis as the basis for treatment." They also correctly emphasize that addiction is a chronic disorder requiring a long-term approach to treatment.

The November death of an Israeli fashion model whose weight had dropped below 60 lb was chilling even in a world that prizes rail-thin models as an ideal of feminine chic. Social critics have long blamed the fashion industry's use of such models for inspiring teenagers and young women to engage in extreme dieting. But at the recent Annual Meeting of the California Psychiatric Association, in Huntington Beach, eating disorders expert Walter Kaye, MD, reminded attendees that the causes of anorexia nervosa (AN) relate more to genetics and neurobiology than to size-zero models on catwalks.1

Having grown up as a "military brat," I have been familiar for decades with how my family's friends coped with war experiences. I did not know the term "PTSD" in those days, but I could see the enduring, horrific marks that posttraumatic stress disorder had left on them. I learned early on that wars could keep killing soldiers long after the peace treaties had been signed and weapons had been rendered silent.

Several new substances and new uses for available products were evaluated in research projects reported at the 47th annual NIMH-sponsored New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit, held this past June in Boca Raton, Fla. The agonists included a melatonergic compound for depression, 2 new agents for schizophrenia, some g-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic antipsychotics, and several drugs being evaluated for non-approved indications.

Public concern about the use of anabolic androgenic steroids by athletes and others has led to enhanced testing for these drugs as well as an improved understanding of their medical and psychiatric effects. This article reviews the pharmacology of these compounds, the prevalence and effects of their use among athletes, and the basics of steroid testing, and it concludes with treatment recommendations. Even though athletes may use other illicit substances, such as stimulants, human growth hormone, and erythropoietin, this article focuses only on anabolic androgenic steroids. Review articles on the psychiatric effects of the other performance-enhancing substances are available elsewhere.1,2

There have been numerous definitions of culture. Dwight Heath1 offers a simple definition: "It [culture] is a system of patterns of belief and behavior that shape the worldview of the member of a society. As such, it serves as a guide for action, a cognitive map, and a grammar for behavior."

A recent longitudinal study examined the potential relationship between social anxiety disorder during adolescence and young adulthood and the subsequent development of depression.1

In May 2007, the novelist Ann Bauer went public with the tribulations of her autistic son. When catatonia developed, a diagnosis of schizophrenia was made, and antipsychotic medications were prescribed, but with little benefit. When the catatonia syndrome was recognized as independent of schizophrenia and successfully treated, her son returned to a more normal life.1,2

From 1826 to 1827, the great philosopher and political scientist John Stuart Mill was stricken with a devastating bout of depression. Although the genesis of his affliction is far from clear, Mill was able to find a fitting description of his mood in Coleridge's poem, "Dejection": A grief without a pang, void, dark, and drear; A stifled, drowsy, unimpassioned grief Which finds no natural outlet, no relief In word, or sigh, or tear.1

The adage has it that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is evident from this revealing portrait of neurologist Walter Freeman--the originator of the infamous "ice pick" lobotomy--that good intentions without sober analysis can indeed have hellish consequences.

Although psychotropic medications have revolutionized the treatment of many psychiatric disorders, the benefits sometimes come at a price.

Precision of psychiatric drug safety assessments, availability of adequately trained psychiatric researchers, and participation of a diverse research population were prominent among the topics of several panels and workshops on research methodology at the NIMH-sponsored 47th annual New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) meeting that took place earlier this year in Boca Raton, Fla.

I have been writing Molecules of the Mind every month since 1993. In all that time, I never once broached the subject I will address here--consciousness.

Patients with chronic pain and head injury frequently have comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders, with depressive disorders appearing to be more predominant. A number of studies show that depressive spectrum illness develops in 40% to 80% of patients with chronic pain; in a majority of these cases, the mood disorder is caused by chronic pain.

I was very pleased to read Robert Langs' letter ("Violence Against Mental Health Professionals," Psychiatric Times, July 2007), in the wake of Dr Fenton's death.

In my last column I used the ancient metaphor from Homer's Odyssey of being caught between the two monsters of Scylla and Charybdis to describe the predicament of contemporary physicians treating chronic pain.

Most estimates suggest that there are just over a million persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. According to CDC data, between 2001 and 2005, an average of 37,127 new cases of HIV infection, HIV infection and later AIDS, and concurrent HIV infection and AIDS were diagnosed each year.

Although methadone (Dolophine, Methadose) is primarily thought of as treatment for opioid addiction, it is also an excellent and underused analgesic. This column discusses the issues to consider when deciding whether to prescribe methadone for pain relief.

Since the revision of DSM-III, high rates of co-occurring psychiatric disorders have been observed, particularly in cases of moderate and severe psychiatric illness. The reason lies in the design of the diagnostic system itself: DSM-IV is a descriptive, categorical system that splits psychiatric behaviors and symptoms into numerous distinct disorders, and uses few exclusionary hierarchies to eliminate multiple diagnoses.

Bipolar disorder (BD) in later life is a complex and confounding neuropsychiatric syndrome with diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

In September, Gov Rod Blagojevich (D, Ill) signed Senate Bill 234 into law, allowing early state intervention for persons with severe mental illnesses. Before this enactment, the state required that persons must be a danger to themselves or others before court-ordered treatment could take place.

Adolescence is a time of great importance during which children make extraordinary developmental strides. According to Erik Erikson, adolescents consolidate a self-concept by struggling with essential questions such as Who am I? and What is my role in life?

Widespread media reports and billboard campaigns decrying a methamphetamine epidemic are drawing attention away from the greater and more entrenched use of cocaine, according to a National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) scientist speaking at the American Society of Addiction Medicine's (ASAM) 38th Annual Medical-Scientific Conference, held in Miami, April 26 to 29.