Behavioral Health News
Researchers Identify Potential Alternative Drug Treatment
For those who have never used drugs or experienced a dependence upon them, it is hard to understand the draw. Yet, when someone is dependent upon drugs or alcohol, the pleasure center within the brain is hijacked, which disrupts the normal functioning of its reward circuitry.
Learn more about Researchers Identify Potential Alternative Drug Treatment
Smoking Declines While Drug and Alcohol Use Remain Steady
A new report on substance abuse and mental health shows that while more people are quitting smoking (or not starting in the first place), alcohol and illicit drug use still remain steady. The study also shows that drug use varies widely across the country; for example, the rate of illicit drug use among people ages 12 and older in Rhode Island is more than half (12.5 percent) of what it is in Iowa (5.2 percent).
Learn more about Smoking Declines While Drug and Alcohol Use Remain Steady
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Reduce Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Children
Research shows that children of parents with depression and anxiety disorders are up to seven times more likely than others to develop depression and anxiety themselves. But USA Today reported that two new studies suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce the risk of mental health problems in children and teens. In cognitive behavioral therapy, patients learn how to change the way they think about and react to depressing or upsetting events.
Learn more about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Reduce Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Children
Israel’s Driving Simulator Tests the Effects of both Alcohol and Marijuana
We’ve all heard the argument that drunk drivers are more dangerous than stoned drivers (and vice versa), but statistics have never been conclusive. This longstanding debate prompted scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University to build a high-tech simulator to conduct further research on the topic.
Learn more about Israel’s Driving Simulator Tests the Effects of both Alcohol and Marijuana
COPD Patients at Higher Risk for Depression
Time and again, research points to a definite link between an individual’s mental well-being and their physical well-being. According to a Reuters Health piece, those patients who struggle with the chronic breathing disorder COPD appear to be at significantly higher risk for becoming clinically depressed than healthy individuals.
“The relationship between depression and COPD was described before, but what this study adds is that we found a temporal relationship. In other words, COPD did lead to a higher risk for a diagnosis of depression,” said Lisette van den Bemt in the Reuters piece.
Lisette van den Bemt is from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, The Netherlands and noted that the increased risk of depression is not the result of having a chronic disease in general, but is specific for COPD.
Learn more about COPD Patients at Higher Risk for Depression
Study Finds Doctors Abusing Prescription Drugs
When endless debates surround the issue of solving the drug problem, rarely is the discussion targeted at doctors. According to Central Ohio News, there are hundreds of doctors in Ohio alone dealing with drug and alcohol addictions. What’s worse, the report notes that they are still in practice.
The Harvard Review of Psychiatry published a study in 2008 that found rates of prescription misuse five times higher among physicians than the general public. As a result of this study, more doctors are turning to the Ohio’s Physicians Health Program, which was formed in 1972 to provide these doctors help with their addictions.
Learn more about Study Finds Doctors Abusing Prescription Drugs
Promotions at Work Increase Mental Strain
As news of the state of the economy and its adverse impact on the health of citizens continues to gain attention in the media, a contrasting report has emerged from the University of Warwick.
Science Daily featured a piece announcing that new research found that promotion in the workplace produces on average 10 percent more mental strain. The research also reported that once a person receives a promotion, they have 20 percent less time to visit doctors and properly manage their health.
Gluten May Act as Schizophrenia Trigger
With the countless stories available warning people against what they should eat, most are focused on the physical health of the person. Weight concerns are typically at the forefront, while cancer prevention and other benefits are also routinely examined.
Now, new studies out of Scotland find that there could be a connection between certain foods and mental health. According to Scottish TV News, scientists suggest that gluten-rich foods could contribute to triggering schizophrenia in individuals who have a genetic predisposition to the condition.
Gluten, a protein found commonly in rye, wheat, and barley, is being studied by geneticist Dr. Jun Wei and his team at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Already recognized as a trigger for serious diseases related to the gut, gluten is now being examined for its potential role in schizophrenia, as well as diabetes.
Professor Ian Megson, head of the UHI Department of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Science, noted that this link is being examined in what appears to be two completely different diseases to determine if people with a particular makeup results in their body’s inability to handle gluten in the normal way.
For those who react adversely to gluten, the immune system becomes unusually active. In this type of environment, cells in the blood designed to combat infections actually begin to target healthy tissue. This activity can lead to impaired function or affected organs, such as the brain.
According to Dr. Wei, gluten is an environmental factor that should be considered along with an individual’s inherited genes to determine his or her likelihood of developing schizophrenia. More than 30 percent of those who suffer from this condition have high levels of antibodies against gluten in their system, suggesting that a gluten-free diet might help to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Scrupulosity: OCD Misunderstood
By Susan J. Campbell
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is nothing new, but a misunderstood form of OCD may very well be. Some of the millions of people suffering from OCD actually have scrupulosity, a form of OCD that exhibits an excessive concern with sin that goes well beyond the norm for the average individual’s religious beliefs. According to David Wall, Ph.D, director of psychological services at Remuda Ranch, individuals who suffer from scrupulosity have intrusive obsessions about sin and/or blasphemy that are symptoms of their OCD.
Long-Term Use of NSAIDs Is Dangerous for Elderly People, Experts Say
Most people don’t think about the consequences of taking too much ibuprofen or aspirin over time. But experts say that people over 75 should think twice before using NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to treat their pain, especially if the pain and pill-taking are chronic. In late April, a panel of the American Geriatrics Society removed almost all NSAIDs from the list of recommended medications for adults age 75 and older with chronic pain.
Learn more about Long-Term Use of NSAIDs Is Dangerous for Elderly People, Experts Say
Connect with an Elements Recovery Adviser
newsletter
