Substance Use Disorder

The herbal supplement kratom may be less addictive and more effective for the management of pain than opioids, according to new research, but caution is needed.

Like it or not, social media has become a constant in our lives, and it is getting harder to unplug. But, is social media actually causing harm?

Public endorsement for potential benefits of the marijuana plant is at an all-time high, even in vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women.

New research highlights the critical need for quality addiction treatment, especially for younger patients. The lead author provides insights about interventions and obstacles to treatment in this Q&A.

What are the most common symptoms of methamphetamine abuse? Test your skills in this quiz.

Three studies highlight how important it is that when physicians prescribe opioids there can be significant and even potentially fatal consequences for the family members of those for whom they are being prescribed.

The most frequently researched aspect of the relationship between BPD and bipolar disorder has been the frequency of their co-occurrence. Several reviews have estimated a 20% overlap in diagnostic frequency.

Researchers provide clues to whether there is a causative association between exposure to stress and a predisposition to drug abuse.

Processed foods, also described as “junk-food,” are often reported to be highly addictive in humans-leading to behavioral effects such as overeating, eating compulsions, and loss of control.

A radical and urgent perspective about the realities of climate change.

Judgements and settlements are starting in Oklahoma against various pharmaceutical companies for their alleged roles in that state’s opioid crisis. Who would be the beneficiaries of these funds?

This overview addresses two medications for analgesia of chronic benign pain, both of which have substance abuse risks themselves.

Technology addiction and screen time are topics of increased concern, but often the discussion does not focus on solutions. In this video, John Torous, MD discusses a new randomized clinical trial that explores the efficacy of CBT to guide patients in their recovery.

Technology will have an enormous impact on mental health, but perhaps not as soon as people think. Some of the earliest technologies to be deployed into clinical practice will help to augment clinicians, empower patients, and enable a data-driven approach to psychiatry.

The use of e-cigarettes may precede cigarette smoking as well as the use of other substances, especially among young people.

Those last years of the Communist regime were met with literal darkness, collective trauma, and lack of food and free speech. Yet the peoples’ wicked, clandestine sense of humor cut through the despair and resilience rose from the ashes.

Prescription drug misuse in adolescents is source driven and asking frequency questions identifies problematic substance use are some of the more significant findings.

Cannabis is a widely used drug of abuse in adolescents. With legalization of marijuana, adolescent cannabis use may increase substantially.

Increased addiction risk in children of incarcerated parents; reinforcement-based interventions may decrease drug abuse; and other key findings are summarized here.

What happens when your patient uses cannabinoid compounds for pain, especially if there are currently taking opioids? Just in time for Pain Awareness Month, the results from these new studies provide insights and guidance.

A recent report provides a global update on the growth of drug use and its consequences.

The cannabinoids (particularly CBD) have been hailed as non-addictive solutions to using escalating doses of opioids for chronic pain. More in this research update.

An interplay between genetic and early environmental factors contributes to the development of substance abuse.

New findings on a not-so-new epidemic have two key implications for psychiatrists.