On behalf
of your friends at NCADD Middlesex, warmest
greetings of the season and
best wishes for happiness
in the New Year and
Holiday Blessings!
Heavy Marijuana Use in
Teen Years Linked to Damaged Brain Structures: Study
Heavy marijuana use in the teenage years could damage brain
structures vital to memory and reasoning, a new study suggests. The study found
changes in the sub-cortical regions of the brain, which are part of the memory
and reasoning circuits, NBC News reports. Young people who had changes in this
region of the brain performed more poorly on memory tests than their peers who
did not use marijuana. The heavy marijuana users in the study had not used the
drug on average for more than two years before the memory testing occurred. The
results appear in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin. The study included 10
people with a history of cannabis use disorder, 15 people with a history of
cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia, and 28 with schizophrenia but no past
regular marijuana use. The study also included 44 healthy people without a
history of marijuana use. The participants who had used marijuana had been
heavy users in their teen years. Their average age at the time of the study was
mid-20s. The participants’ brains were scanned using MRI. They were then given
tests of working memory, such as remembering number sequences. People who had a
history of heavy marijuana use, whether or not they had schizophrenia,
performed more poorly on the tests. They also showed abnormalities in regions
of the brain related to reward and motivation, cognition input and movement and
memory.
Rise in ADHD Diagnoses
Linked to Drug Company Promotion of Treatments
The dramatic rise in the diagnosis of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) coincided with a two-decade campaign by drug
companies, aimed at doctors, educators and parents, to promote pills to treat
the disorder, according to The New York Times. Almost one in five boys of high
school age, and 11 percent of school-age children overall, have received a
medical diagnosis of ADHD in the United States. Earlier this year, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention found an estimated 6.4 million children ages
4 to 17 had received an ADHD diagnosis at some point. This represents a 16
percent increase since 2007, and a 53 percent increase in the past 10 years.
Dr. Keith Conners, a leader in the fight to legitimize ADHD, is very concerned
about the increase in diagnoses. He notes the number of children on medication
for the disorder has risen to 3.5 million, from 600,000 in 1990. He called the
increase “a national disaster of dangerous proportions.” The drug industry is
now focusing its efforts on adult ADHD, which could become even more profitable
than the children’s market, the article notes. While ADHD is acknowledged to be
a legitimate disability that can interfere with success at school, work and
personal life, many critics say the effort to treat every child with signs of
ADHD has led to too many receiving the diagnosis and medication. According to
the article, drug company marketing portrays ADHD as including relatively
normal behavior, such as carelessness and impatience, and has often exaggerated
the medications’ benefits. The Food and Drug Administration has cited every major
ADHD drug, including Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, Vyvanse, Intuniv and
Strattera, for false and misleading advertising since 2000.
Moderate consumption of
alcohol can improve immune response to vaccination
It's the time of year when many of us celebrate the holidays
with festive foods and drinks, including alcohol. No better time then to ask if
it is true, as is widely held, that moderate consumption of alcohol is
beneficial to health. A research team led by an immunologist at the University
of California, Riverside now has data that could put the question to rest. The
researchers found that moderate alcohol consumption could bolster our immune
system, and potentially our ability to fight infections. Continue
reading here.
Study aims to cut binge
drinking by text
A study aimed at cutting binge drinking by Scottish men will
use text messaging in an attempt to change behavior. Researchers hope to target
those who have settled into a pattern of binge drinking, consuming more than
eight units of alcohol per drinking session. Please
click here to continue.
Watchdog Group Slams
Alcohol “Social Responsibility” Campaigns
Alcohol companies’ “social responsibility” campaigns
increase brand loyalty and positive perceptions of the products, without
reducing alcohol-related harms, according to a critic of the industry. Recent
social responsibility campaigns have included advertising and products
associated with causes such as HIV/AIDS, LGBT equality, breast cancer, and
natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. During Breast Cancer
Awareness Month in October, a number of alcohol companies run campaigns to
associate their products with the issue, including Mike’s Hard Pink Lemonade in
support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Chambord “Pink Your
Drink” campaign. Belvedere Vodka promotes its special edition red bottle to
raise proceeds for the Global Fund, which finances programs to fight HIV/AIDS
in Africa. The Absolut Pride campaign for LGBT equality featured a
limited-edition rainbow-striped bottle of vodka. Last year, following Hurricane
Sandy, Anheuser-Busch packaged more than a million cans of emergency drinking
water for residents impacted by that and other natural disasters. The cans were
labeled “donated by Anheuser-Busch,” and included the company logo. In addition
to social responsibility campaigns, alcohol companies also benefit from “drink
responsibly” campaigns, she observes. Last year, Alcohol Justice released a
report about those campaigns, which concluded the evidence is that “drink
responsibly” messages are not shown to be effective policies to reduce
alcohol-related harm. Alcohol Justice reviewed “drink responsibly” messages in
print ads in the September/October 2011 issues of 41 magazines with a high
proportion of youth readership. They analyzed frequency, location, size, and
content of beer, spirits and alcopops brand ads found in those publications,
and compared the size of “drink responsibly” messages, if present, in the ads.
They found 94 percent of the ads contained “drink responsibly” messages, but
many blended into backgrounds so they were difficult to see, or were tiny in
relation to the size of the entire ad. “‘Drink responsibly’ and ‘social
responsibility’ campaigns are a conflict of interest in a variety of ways,”
said Mart, who wrote the report. “With the so-called social responsibility
campaigns, the alcohol company produces a product that contributes to harm –
breast cancer or HIV, for example – and then capitalizes on that harm to
increase positive feelings about the product. It’s a never-ending cycle. While
it works very well for the company, it does not work well for public health.”
Attorneys General Urge FDA
to Require Abuse-Deterrent Versions of Painkillers
Attorneys General from 42 U.S. states and territories are
urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require drug companies to
ensure generic prescription opioids have abuse-deterrent features. Some
brand-name painkillers, such as OxyContin, already have abuse-deterrent
features, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The attorneys general said they
are concerned that as generic versions of opioids become available, the drugs’
manufacturers will not incorporate abuse-deterrent features. Some drug
companies have resisted adding the features because of the cost, the article
notes. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, the attorneys general
wrote that they “respectfully request that the FDA provide clear and fair
regulatory standards for the incorporation of abuse-deterrent technologies into
generic opioids.” Last week, the attorneys general from 28 states asked the FDA
to reassess its decision to approve Zohydro ER (extended release), a pure form
of the painkiller hydrocodone. In a letter to Commissioner Hamburg, the
attorneys general said they believe the approval of Zohydro ER “has the
potential to exacerbate our nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic because
this drug will be the first hydrocodone-only opioid narcotic that is reportedly
five to ten times more potent than traditional hydrocodone products, and it has
no abuse-deterrent properties.”
Study Finds Five Parenting
Programs Can Help Reduce Teen Behavior Problems
A study that evaluated a wide variety of parenting programs
found five that help parents and children avoid teen behavior problems. The
study appears in the Journal of Children’s Services. The programs that were
found to be effective focus on promoting opportunities, skills and rewards for
positive social behaviors, as well as bonding and clear expectations for
behavior, News-Medical.net reports. The programs aim to change risk factors
such as poor parental supervision and high family conflict. They demonstrate
what “normal” family behavior looks like, the article notes. One of the
programs, called Nurse-Family Partnership, sends registered nurses to visit
young, single, first-time mothers at least once every two weeks, starting while
they are pregnant, and lasting until their child is 2 years old. When the women
are pregnant, the nurses help them reduce smoking, drinking and drug use. After
the baby is born, the nurses help the mothers create safe environments, and
develop ways to deal with difficult behaviors. Another program, the Incredible
Years, is designed to teach children ages 3-6, their parents and teachers ways
to handle difficult situations. Therapist-led group sessions teach children to
develop skills such as problem solving, making friends, and cooperating with
others. A third program, Staying Connected with Your Teen, is aimed at helping
teens avoid risky sexual activity, drug use and violent behavior. Parents are
taught to set strong rules against antisocial behavior by increasing parental
monitoring, reducing harsh parenting and rewarding teens to promote family
bonding.
Fewer Teens See Great Risk
from Being Regular Marijuana Users: Survey
The percentage of teens who think there is a great risk from
being a regular marijuana user has dropped, according to a new survey. The
Monitoring the Future survey found 39.5 percent of 12th graders think regular
marijuana use is harmful, down from 44.1 percent last year. Monitoring the
Future is an annual survey that measures drug use and attitudes among students
in grades 8, 10 and 12. The survey found 6.5 percent of high school seniors
smoke marijuana daily, compared with 6 percent in 2003, and 2.4 percent in
1993, CNN reports. Almost 23 percent of seniors say they smoked marijuana in
the month prior to the survey, and just over 36 percent say they smoked it
during the past year. The survey found use of synthetic marijuana, also known
as K2 or Spice, decreased 3.4 percent among high school seniors. Less than 1
percent of all students surveyed said they used bath salts. “Synthetic drugs
are particularly dangerous because their ingredients are unknown, they have not
been tested for safety and their ever-changing ingredients can be unusually
powerful,” said lead researcher Lloyd Johnston. “Users really don’t know what
they are getting.” The abuse of the painkiller Vicodin has decreased in the
last 10 years, from 10.5 percent of high school seniors in 2003, to 5.3 percent
this year. The survey also found 7.4 percent of seniors said they took the ADHD
drug Adderall for non-medical purposes in the past year, while 2.3 percent
reported abusing Ritalin.
Medical Group Warns of
Danger of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
The Endocrine Society is warning about the health
consequences of taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The vast majority of
people who use these drugs are non-athlete weightlifters, News-Medical.net
reports. In a new scientific statement, the Endocrine Society notes media
attention about PEDs has focused on their use by elite athletes in order to
gain a competitive advantage in sports. “There is a widespread misperception
that PED use is safe or that adverse effects are manageable,” the statement notes.
PED use has been linked to an increased risk of death and a wide variety of
health problems. In the long term, PEDs can cause impotence, worsening acne,
balding and “steroid rage.” PEDs can also stunt growth in adolescents. More
serious effects include heart and liver damage, and an increased risk of blood
clots. “There is a widespread misperception that PED use is safe or that
adverse effects are manageable,” said Shalender Bhasin, MD of Brigham and
Women’s Hospital, who chaired the task force that developed the statement. “The
truth is, PED use has been linked to increased risk of death and a wide variety
of cardiovascular, psychiatric, metabolic, renal and musculoskeletal
disorders.” PED users at greatest risk for health consequences are those who become
dependent on the drugs, and use them over many years. Nearly one-third of
people who use anabolic steroids will develop dependence on the drugs, and
about one million men have experienced dependence on the steroids at some time,
the article notes. Both athletes and non-athlete weightlifters who use PEDs
often engage in other high-risk health behaviors, including using alcohol or
opioids along with steroids, according to the group.
Fighting Holiday
Overdrinking: Why Many Women May Be Better Off with Apps Over AA
The holidays are one of the most challenging times for
Melissa, a 49-year-old real estate agent and heavy drinker, whose ex-husband’s
family had a troubling relationship with alcohol. “His family were all
big drinkers,” she says recalling boozy Christmases, “With them, I’d be the
first one to call it a night.” Melissa (a pseudonym) is now a user of
moderatedrinking.com, an evidence-based web application for people who are
concerned about their alcohol use but do not want to quit. Many come to
the site via Google searches; others have tried the free drinkerscheckup.com,
an evidence-based screening and intervention method for alcohol problems that
was created by the same research group and is similar to tests used by doctors.
Continue
reading here.
43.7 Million Americans
experienced mental illness in 2012
$31 Million Announced to Improve Mental Health Services for
Young People
Nearly one in five American adults, or 43.7 million people,
experienced a diagnosable mental illness in 2012 according to the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These results are
consistent with 2011 findings. SAMHSA also reported that, consistent with 2011,
less than half (41 percent) of these adults received any mental health services
in the past year. Among those who had serious mental illness, 62.9 percent
received treatment. Among adults with mental illness who reported an unmet need
for treatment, the top three reasons given for not receiving help were that
they could not afford the cost, thought they could handle the problem without
treatment, or did not know where to go for services. Continue to
read this release here.
People are drinking less
but doing so more harmfully. Policymakers want higher prices—causing a headache
for the booze industry
BY DAY tourists flock to Plaza de España in central Madrid
to snap photos beside the sculpture of Miguel de Cervantes, author of “Don
Quixote”. By night a newer facet of Spanish culture is on display: loitering
groups of young people downing plastic bottles of whisky and vodka mixed with
Fanta Lemon. The ground is littered with empties. Nearby, three young men help
a friend vomiting on the pavement. Rest
of this story is here.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment