Does cannabis matter anymore? Cannabis use has been falling steadily for a few years; a trend seized on by the government as ‘proof’ that their policy of prohibition is working (Release 2014). At the same time the number of people seeking treatment due to problems with cannabis is on the rise. So how do we make sense of these counter intuitive trends?
A group of experts drawn from across the UK gathered at the University of York to share their ideas, here is a summary of the day.
What are the latest drug market trends and what are the factors driving them? What drugs are causing the most concern today? What are the most recent developments in drug prevention, treatment and policy? These, and other, questions will be explored by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) on 7 June in its annual overview of the European drug situation
The reinforcement learning theory of drug addiction has been influential for decades.1 Under this framework, drugs trigger dopamine (DA) release and exert their reinforcing effects through the mesolimbic pathway.1 This model can account for compulsive drug-seeking behaviors in addiction. However, many empirical findings remain unaddressed. In particular, accumulating evidence suggests that DA, delivered by either addictive drugs2 or by pharmacological treatments, such as the nicotine replacement therapy,3 is not sufficient to reduce craving. Craving persists even after compulsive drug-taking behavior stops,3 suggesting that craving and drug-seeking behavior are 2 distinct processes, despite the fact that they are often homogenized in laboratory settings......Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology 24.1 (Feb 2016): 38-47.
The nonmedical use of prescription drugs is a widely recognized public health issue, and young adults are particularly vulnerable to their use. Behavioral economic drug purchase tasks capture an individual’s strength of desire and motivation for a particular drug. We examined young adult prescription drug purchase and consumption patterns using hypothetical behavioral economic purchase tasks for prescription sedatives/tranquilizers, stimulants, and opiate pain relievers. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Commentary to: Can new psychoactive substances be regulated effectively? An assessment of the British Psychoactive Substances Bill. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (Jul 19, 2018). DOI:10.1037/adb0000382
Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at elevated risk for alcohol use problems, a relationship commonly explained by using alcohol to cope with unpleasant symptoms of PTSD. However, patterns of alcohol use motives, more broadly, have not been well characterized in veteran samples, nor have they been evaluated in the context of other relevant factors, such as normative personality traits. The aims of the present study were to identify empirically derived drinking motive and personality typologies to determine whether these typologies differ as a function of PTSD status (i.e., nontrauma control, trauma exposed−no PTSD, and PTSD) and to evaluate associations between typology and PTSD symptom severity and alcohol consumption, respectively. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Substance use and binge drinking during early adolescence are associated with neurocognitive abnormalities, mental health problems and an increased risk for future addiction. The trial aims to evaluate the protective effects of an evidence-based substance use prevention program on the onset of alcohol and drug use in adolescence, as well as on cognitive, mental health and addiction outcomes over 5 years. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
In the (in press) issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research a study by C. Cherpitel, et al. examines alcohol dose response for alcohol‐related injury for 18,627 injured patients from 22 countries, taking into account each country's detrimental drinking practices (DDP) and the restrictiveness of alcohol control policies (using the International Alcohol Policy and Injury Index, IAPII) (Cherpitel et al., 2019). The authors hypothesised that a dose‐response relationship would be observed, and that all causes of injury would be greater in countries where DDP was greater and where alcohol policies were least restrictive. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether, controlling for genetic effects, drug abuse was transmitted within families as predicted by a contagion model. . Login at top right hand side of page using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens for full text.
Open access. Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a debilitating, sometimes fatal eating disorder (ED) whereby restraint of appetite and emotion is concomitant with an inflexible, attention-to-detail perfectionist cognitive style and obsessive-compulsive behaviour. Intriguingly, people with AN are less likely to engage in substance use, whereas those who suffer from an ED with a bingeing component are more vulnerable to substance use disorder (SUD).
Open access. Despite the link between stress and addictive behavior in adulthood, little is known about how early life stress in families predicts the early emergence of substance use in adolescence. This study tested a developmental cascade model, proposing that early stressful life events and negative parent‐child interaction covary, and both disrupt the refinement of inhibitory control, which evolves into problem behavior in middle/late childhood and subsequent substance use exploration in early adolescence.
To test the hypothesis that among non-treatment-seeking emerging adults (EA) who both use marijuana and have alcohol binges, a brief, longitudinally-delivered, developmentally-based motivational intervention would show greater reductions in the use of these two substances compared with a health education control condition. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Relatively little is known about the temporal relation between at-risk gambling or problem gambling (PG) and mental and substance use disorders (SUDs) in young adulthood. Our study aimed to examine whether past-year, at-risk, or PG is associated with incident mental disorders and SUDs (that is, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD], or alcohol dependence) and illegal drug use, and whether past-year mental disorders and SUDs and illegal drug use is associated with incident at-risk or PG. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
This narrative review aimed to provide a brief overview of five key research ‘classics’ produced by the innovative and radical thought leader, Professor Michael Anthony Hamilton Russell (1932–2009), drawing upon his other work wherever feasible. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (Oct 10, 2019). DOI:10.1037/ccp0000447
Objective: This meta-analysis examined 30 randomized controlled trials (32 study sites; 35 study arms) that tested the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol or other drug use disorders. The study aim was to provide estimates of efficacy against three levels of experimental contrast (i.e., minimal [k = 5]; nonspecific therapy [k = 11]; specific therapy [k = 19]) for consumption frequency and quantity outcomes at early (1 to 6 months [kes = 41]) and late (8+ months [kes = 26]) follow-up time points. When pooled effect sizes were statistically heterogeneous, study-level moderators were examined.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychological Bulletin (Mar 1, 2018): No Pagination Specified.
Substance use has long been associated with close relationship distress. Although the direction of influence for this association has not been established, it has often been assumed that substance use is the causal agent and that close relationship distress is the effect. But research seeking to establish temporal precedence in this link has produced mixed findings. Further, theoretical models of substance use and close relationship processes present the plausibility of the inverse pathway—that insecure close relationships may serve as a vulnerability factor for the development of later substance problems. The current review applies an attachment-theoretical framework to the association between close social bonds and substance use and substance-related problems.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Neuropsychology (Apr 25, 2019). DOI:10.1037/neu0000552
Background: The potential influence of methamphetamine use on neuropsychological functioning is unclear. The aim of this this meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between abstinence and neuropsychological functioning in people with methamphetamine use disorder. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Research into Theory of Mind (ToM) in alcohol use disorder (AUD) is sparse and the extant findings contradictory. The objective of this paper was to conduct a meta-analysis to determine whether individuals with AUD show ToM deficits across the available published literature. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Studies of the efficacy of gabapentin for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) have yielded mixed findings. The aims of our study were to estimate gabapentin's effects on six alcohol‐related outcomes, test potential moderators, examine publication bias, and evaluate the quality of the studies. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
People with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders are important targets for smoking cessation interventions. Mental health professionals (MHPs) are ideally placed to deliver interventions, but their attitudes may prevent this. This systematic review therefore aimed to identify and estimate quantitatively MHPs attitudes towards smoking and main barriers for providing smoking cessation support and to explore these attitudes in-depth through qualitative synthesis. Please contact the library to receive a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors30.1 (Feb 2016): 1-11.
Despite the recent explosion of behavioral health interventions delivered on mobile devices, little is known about factors that make such applications practical, engaging and useful to their target audience. This study reports on the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a prototype of a novel, interactive mobile psychosocial intervention to reduce problematic drug use among clients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
The role of the patient–provider agreement (PPA) is to set forth respective roles and responsibilities for opioid therapy with the goal of improving outcomes, reducing risks, and improving patient education. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safe Use Initiative Opioid PPA Working Group convened to develop a PPA and test it for acceptability as an educational and shared decision-making tool in opioid therapy. This multicentre study evaluated the utility of the PPA, how readily patients understood it, its ability to educate patients in an unbiased way about opioid treatment and the feasibility of incorporating a PPA in clinical practice. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
To examine whether genetic influences on the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) among men during emerging adulthood through mid-adulthood are stable or dynamic. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Rates of cannabis use are elevated in early psychosis populations, rendering it difficult to determine if an episode of psychosis is related to cannabis use (e.g., cannabis-induced psychosis), or if substance use is co-occurring with a primary psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia). Clinical presentations of these disorders are often indistinguishable, hindering assessment and treatment. Despite substantial research identifying cognitive deficits, eye movement abnormalities and speech impairment associated with primary psychotic disorders, these neuropsychological features have not been explored as targets for diagnostic differentiation in early psychosis. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
To determine whether a simple combination of level of smoking and level of vaping results in a useful typology for characterising smoking and vaping behaviours.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
Alcohol consumption and problems are increasing among older adults, who are at elevated risk for alcohol‐related accidents and medical problems. This paper describes a pilot follow‐up of older adults with a history of alcohol dependence that was designed to determine the feasibility of conducting a more extensive investigation.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
Integration of 12-step philosophy and practices is common in adolescent substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs, particularly in North America. However, although numerous experimental studies have tested 12-step facilitation (TSF) treatments among adults, no studies have tested TSF-specific treatments for adolescents. We tested the efficacy of a novel integrated TSF. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Alcohol and cannabis misuse are related to impaired cognition. When inferring causality, four nonexclusive theoretical models can account for this association: 1) a common underlying vulnerability model; 2) a neuroplasticity model in which impairment is concurrent with changes in substance use but temporary because of neuroplastic brain processes that restore function; 3) a neurotoxicity model of long-term impairment consequential to substance use; and 4) a developmental sensitivity hypothesis of age-specific effects. Using a developmentally sensitive design, the authors investigated relationships between year-to-year changes in substance use and cognitive development.. Login at top right hand side of page using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens for full text.
We tested the efficacy of daily contingent reinforcement for reducing alcohol use compared with (yoked) noncontingent reinforcement (NR) using a transdermal alcohol sensor to detect alcohol use. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To estimate interactions and unique effects of behavioral approach and behavioral control on alcohol involvement hypothesized by dual‐systems models, during adolescence and emerging adulthood.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Despite considerable progress in reducing cigarette smoking prevalence and enhancing smoking cessation treatments, most smokers who attempt to quit relapse. The current randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of an adjunctive behavioral smoking cessation treatment based on learning theory.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology85.4 (Apr 2017): 309-322.
Objective: Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is more efficacious than individually-based therapy (IBT) for substance and relationship outcomes among substance use disorder patients. This study compared BCT with IBT for drug-abusing women. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology84.7 (Jul 2016): 571-579.
Objective: This study examined the efficacy of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to reduce hazardous drinking and drug use among adults in treatment for depression. Method: Randomized controlled trial based in a large outpatient psychiatry program in an integrated health care system in Northern California. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology85.5 (May 2017): 459-470.
Objective: Young-adult American veterans are at risk for problematic alcohol use. However, they are unlikely to seek care and may drop out from lengthy, multicomponent treatments when they do get care. This randomized controlled trial tested a very brief alcohol intervention delivered over the Internet to reach the population of young-adult veterans to help reduce their drinking. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal40.1 (Mar 2017): 94-102.
Objective: Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is reported to improve neurocognitive and substance use disorder (SUD) outcomes in residential treatments. This National Institute of Drug Abuse funded pilot study reports on CRT as an augmentation to outpatient treatment for SUD. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The authors examined whether a contingency management intervention using the ethyl glucuronide (EtG) alcohol biomarker resulted in increased alcohol abstinence in outpatients with co-occurring serious mental illnesses. Secondary objectives were to determine whether contingency management was associated with changes in heavy drinking, treatment attendance, drug use, cigarette smoking, psychiatric symptoms, and HIV-risk behavior. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
To determine whether alcohol-dependent patients in a hospital setting benefit from extended brief interventions (EBI) delivered by an Alcohol Specialist Nurse. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The oral formulation of the opioid antagonist naltrexone has shown limited effectiveness for treatment of opioid use disorder due to poor adherence. Long-acting injection naltrexone (XR-naltrexone), administered monthly, circumvents the need for daily pill taking, potentially improving adherence, and has been shown to be superior to placebo in reducing opioid use over 6 months of treatment. This open-label trial compared the outcomes of patients with opioid use disorder treated with XR-naltrexone or oral naltrexone in combination with behavioral therapy.. Login at top right hand side of page using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens for full text.
Deriving novel treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is of critical importance, as existing treatments are only modestly effective for reducing drinking. Two promising strategies for treating AUDs include cognitive bias modification (CBM) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). While each strategy has shown positive results in reducing drinking or alcohol related constructs (e.g., craving), initial tests of the combination of CBM and tDCS have shown mixed results. The present study investigated the degree to which combining CBM and tDCS (2.0 mA anodal current over F10) could reduce alcohol approach biases and alcohol consumption. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
Nurses who steal and misuse prescription drugs recover better if they are treated like people who are addicted rather than thieves, a Scandinavian study shows.
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In this article, we discuss the ethical dimensions for the prescribing behaviours of opioids for a chronic pain patient, a scenario commonly witnessed by many physicians. The opioid epidemic in the USA and Canada is well known, existing since the late 1990s, and individuals are suffering and dying as a result of the easy availability of prescription opioids. More recently, this problem has been seen outside of North America affecting individuals at similar rates in Australia and Europe. We argue that physicians are also confronted with an ethical crisis where a capitalist-consumerist society is contributing to this opioid crisis in which societal, legal and business interests push physicians to overprescribe opioids. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Corporations use a range of strategies to dispute their role in causing public health harms and to limit the scope of effective public health interventions. This is well documented in relation to the activities of the tobacco industry, but research on other industries is less well developed. We therefore analysed public statements and documents from four unhealthy commodity industries to investigate whether and how they used arguments about complexity in this way.
Open Access Article
Psychoanalytic Psychology Vol. 35, Iss. 2, (Apr 2018): 270-279.
With compulsive hoarding now forming a discrete diagnostic category, there has been a recent increase in its visibility in both the clinical and the cultural milieu. However, understanding of the meaning and possible emotional underpinnings of hoarding lags behind. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
BPS blog post. Over the past decade, neuroimaging studies have provided new insights into how psychoactive drugs alter the brain’s activity. Psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – has been found to reduce activity in brain regions involved in depression, for example, while MDMA seems to augment brain activity for positive memories.
Now a new study sheds some light into what’s going in the brain when people smoke cannabis – and it turns out that the effects can be quite different depending on the specific strain of the drug. The research, published recently in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, suggests that cannabis disrupts particular brain networks – but some strains can buffer against this disruption.
We aimed to explore the experiences with health and social services of men who had histories of problem gambling and housing instability in Toronto, Ontario.
Probability discounting refers to the effect of outcome uncertainty on decision making. Using probability discounting, we examined the degree to which self-identified chronic pain patients (CPP) were likely to try a novel analgesic medication given increasing addiction risk. We postulated that propensity for opioid misuse, trait impulsivity, and previous opioid experience would be positively associated with likelihood of risky medication use. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
To estimate temporal trends in adolescents’ current cigarette, alcohol and cannabis use in Europe by gender and region, test for regional differences, and evaluate regional convergence.. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai