April 23rd 2024
"In the face of such a pervasive crisis, being present for those with addiction can ignite hope and foster healing."
Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders
February 1st 2004Patients who use or abuse alcohol and other substance are at high risk for insomnia and present unique challenges for treating this debilitating disease. The three avenues of treatment--behavioral, OTC medications and prescription medications--are reviewed and future trends are outlined.
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Treating Insomnia in Patients With Substance Use/Abuse Disorders
February 1st 2004espite the fact that about 30% of our life is spent sleeping and decades of research have been spent on sleep, we still do not know its real function. What we do know is lack of sleep can have serious implications, such as increased risk of depressive disorders, impaired breathing and heart disease. On the other hand, nighttime sleep disturbance is usually followed by excessive daytime sleepiness that is associated with delayed problems like memory deficits and impaired social and occupational function, and immediate consequences such as car accidents (Kupfer and Reynolds, 1997; Roehrs and Roth, 1995).
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Treating Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders and Hepatitis C
February 1st 2004Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is frequently complicated by the presence of co-existing substance use disorders and mental illnesses. It is important to find improved ways to address barriers to care, and to provide effective and humane care to patients suffering from HCV infection.
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Does Marijuana Withdrawal Syndrome Exist?
February 1st 2002The question of whether a clinically significant marijuana (cannabis) withdrawal syndrome exists remains controversial. In spite of the mounting clinical and preclinical evidence suggesting that such a syndrome exists, the DSM-IV does not include marijuana withdrawal as a diagnostic category.
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'Substance P' Antagonist Relieves Depression
November 1st 1998An investigational compound that blocks the neurokinin "substance P" has demonstrated robust antidepressant effect in preliminary clinical testing against paroxetine (Paxil) and placebo. This finding has been described by as "a breakthrough discovery" in mental health care.
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Practice Parameters Offer Guidance on Substance Use Disorders in Children, Adolescents
April 1st 1998After a teenager's suicide attempt, her desperate and bewildered parents dragged her to a mental health clinic. The 16-year-old admitted to drinking nearly every day and using an assortment of other illicit drugs. Only after a month in treatment did the clinician learn that the teenager had been molested when she was 8 years old by an uncle and threatened with death if she ever told her parents.
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SAMHSA Study Uncovers Increasing Substance Abuse Among Young Girls
April 1st 1998The findings are disturbing. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in an effort to measure substance use and abuse among women, compiled data from its National Household Survey on Drug Abuse into a new report, Substance Use Among Women in the United States, which was released in September 1997. What they found is a worrisome indicator that substance use in this country is a significant problem for women, particularly among young girls ages 10 to 14.
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Steps to Accurate Diagnosis of Substance Abuse
July 1st 1997Because alcohol- and drug-dependent patients tend to develop high rates of symptoms usually associated with common psychiatric syndromes, practitioners often fail to diagnose substance dependence and instead jump to treat more familiar disorders. The risk that such circumstances will occur is understandable given statistics that two of every three alcohol- or drug-dependent individuals meet the criteria for psychiatric disorders and one of every three such individuals meets the criteria for anxiety or depressive disorders.
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