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  • Americans Not As Aware Of Opioid Crisis In Their Own Backyards, Study Finds

    Americans Not As Aware Of Opioid Crisis In Their Own Backyards, Study Finds

    Americans are three times more likely to be informed about the opioid epidemic as a national problem rather than one in their own area.

    Despite the opioid epidemic dominating headlines, a new study has found that most Americans are not aware of the extent of the epidemic in their own areas of residence.

    The study, conducted by Laguna Treatment Hospital in Aliso Viejo, California, found that Americans are three times more likely to be informed about the opioid epidemic as a national problem rather than one in their own areas, The Guardian states. 

    The study found that a mere 13% of participants in the southern part of the country and 10% of those in the northeastern region felt that “drugs posed a crisis in their own communities.” But based on past data, states like West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Vermont have been among the states most affected by the crisis.

    Dr. Lawrence Tucker, medical director of Laguna, tells the Guardian that the results of the study were surprising due to the prevalence of the epidemic “despite regional differences.”

    “You can see those differences in not just the prescriptions of opioids but the amount of heroin that is available—China White, for example, is prevalent along the east coast as is fentanyl,” he stated. “There is oxycodone in the midwest and Black Tar heroin on the west coast.”

    Tucker played a large role in the recent study, called “Perceptions of Addiction.” The study surveyed 999 participants, 45% of which were male and 55% of which were female, from all parts of the country. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 76, and about 33% stated that they had dealt with substance use disorder at some point. 

    In 2014, a Pew Research study found that very few Americans had knowledge of the growing opioid epidemic. Tucker and others involved in the study wanted to find out if four years later, in light of the growing spotlight on the epidemic, the perceptions had changed. 

    “The survey’s verbiage attempted to achieve admittance of, versus just awareness of, addiction across the United States,” Taylor Bloom, the survey’s project manager, told the Guardian. “We would ask questions using the word ‘perceive’ instead of ‘aware.’ For example: ‘Do you perceive an addiction crisis in your community?’”

    According to the Guardian, Bloom and other researchers did discover some improvements when compared to the 2014 study.

    “We saw increased awareness among Hispanic and African American demographics,” said Bloom. “But then we saw that Americans are 79% less likely to perceive an addiction crisis in their communities today as they were four years ago… which is kind of crazy.”

    According to Tucker, race plays a large part in awareness.

    “Some races, particularly white young adults, are being hit harder than others,” he told the Guardian. “Which is why the neighborhoods that are affected the most are certainly aware of the epidemic, because they have lost loved ones and friends. But the communities that aren’t really aware of the opioid epidemic is because it’s just not affecting them as much due to the racial makeup of their neighborhoods.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • People With Depression Miss Fewer Days In Supportive Workplaces

    People With Depression Miss Fewer Days In Supportive Workplaces

    Researchers examined workplace policies and even varying gross domestic product for a recent global study on working with depression.

    People with depression miss fewer days of work if they are employed somewhere that supports them in their illness, a new study has found. 

    The study, published in The British Medical Journal, looked at workers in 15 countries. It found that workers with self-reported depression who have managers who support and assist them miss fewer days of work, lessening the economic impact of their disease.  

    “Working in an environment where managers felt comfortable to offer help and support to the employee rather than avoid them was independently associated with less absenteeism and more presenteeism,” the authors concluded. 

    Supportive workplaces might have formal policies for handling mental health issues, time-off policies that allow for mental health episodes, or a system for referring people to mental health care. All of these can result in fewer missed days of work and therefore a lower economic impact of depression. 

    “We know that supportive managers and workplace practices are associated with greater openness and disclosure, in addition to more positive attitudes towards employees with depression,” the study authors write. 

    In addition to looking at differing workplace policies, the study authors looked at differences in support for depression in countries with varying gross domestic product (GDP). In countries with lower GDPs, people with depression were more likely to miss days of work, possibly because there are fewer resources available than in countries with higher GDPs. 

    “Country contextual factors such as country GDP and financial resources can also influence the availability of support and potential for investment,” authors wrote.

    While this might be expected, study authors found that managers’ reactions to employees with depression were “at least as important” as a country’s GDP in predicting how often the employee would miss work. 

    Researchers also examined how social pressures impacted employees’ presence at work. They found that employees with depression were less likely to disclose their condition in Asian countries compared with Western countries, likely because of stigma around mental health in those places. 

    “Workplace policies and practices are likely to reflect broader sociocultural attitudes and beliefs about mental health and societal values about investment in prevention and support for people with mental health problems,” authors wrote.

    “This may influence workplace culture in relation to openness and comfort in discussing mental health issues. Previous research has shown that a cultural context which is more open and accepting of mental illness is associated with higher rates of help-seeking, antidepressant use and empowerment.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Opioid Prescribing Varies Widely By Region, Study Shows

    Opioid Prescribing Varies Widely By Region, Study Shows

    In some states, patients were up to three times more likely to be prescribed opioids.

    Whether or not patients are prescribed opioids in the emergency room and how many of the pills they get varies widely by region, according to a new study, suggesting that despite increased awareness about the dangers of opioids there is still plenty of room to cut down on unnecessary prescribing. 

    According to Science Daily, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine examined insurance claims to see how patients presenting with sprained ankles were treated for pain.

    In some states, patients were up to three times more likely to be prescribed opioids. Researchers also found that people who received more opioid pills were five times more likely to fill an additional opioid prescription over the following six months. 

    “Although opioids are not—and should not—be the first-line of treatment for an ankle sprain, our study shows that opioid prescribing for these minor injuries is still common and far too variable,” said M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at Penn who led the study. 

    “Given that we cannot explain this variation after adjusting for differences in patient characteristics, this study highlights opportunities to reduce the number of people exposed to prescription opioids for the first time and also to reduce the exposure to riskier high-intensity prescriptions,” Delgado said. 

    The study examined more than 30,000 patient records and found that 25% were given opioids. 

    “Although prescribing is decreasing overall, in 2015 nearly [25%] of patients who presented with an ankle sprain were still given an opioid, a modest decrease from 28% in 2011,” Delgado said. “By drilling down on specific common indications as we did with ankle sprains, we can better develop indicators to monitor efforts to reduce excessive prescribing for acute pain.”

    Researchers found that there was a huge variation between states in the percentage of patients given opioids. For example, only 3% of patients received an opioid prescription in North Dakota, compared to 40% in Arkansas. If states with above-average prescribing were reduced to the average amount, 18,000 fewer opioids pills would be prescribed each year. 

    In addition, if all patients were given the smallest supply of opioids, usually 10-12 pills, there would be a significant reduction in the number of pills distributed. 

    “Simply making these amounts the default setting electronic medical record orders could go a long way in reducing excessive prescribing as our previous work has shown,” Delgado said, noting that the concept could be expanded to other areas of care.

    “It would be great to see analyses such as ours replicated in other settings, such as post-operative prescribing, where prescriptions are higher intensity. In these settings there may be greater opportunities to decrease transitions to prolonged opioid use by reducing excessive prescribing.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Massive Study On Driving High To Take Place In California

    Massive Study On Driving High To Take Place In California

    The study aims to give law enforcement more accurate parameters in which to determine a driver’s intoxication level after using marijuana.

    As marijuana gains legal status in more states, one of the central concerns among legal, law enforcement and medical professionals remains how cannabis use may impact driving.

    Studies vary as to whether driving under the influence of alcohol or pot presents more of a danger, which has prompted institutions like the University of California-San Diego to seek hard data on the subject.

    As High Times has reported, the school’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) is currently recruiting individuals to participate in its hands-on study of cannabis’ impact on driving, which requires them to ingest smokeable marijuana before using the center’s driving simulator.

    The goal is to provide both police and laboratories with more accurate parameters on which to determine a driver’s intoxication level after using marijuana.

    The study, which according to High Times, is the largest of its kind to date, requires potential candidates to make an initial appointment with researchers to determine eligibility.

    If accepted, the participant is paid $50, and returns for a full day assessment, during which they are given a joint to smoke; the study involves a variety of joints rolled on the site, as High Times indicates, and with varying amounts of THC, including ones with none of the psychoactive agent at all.

    Participants then use the center’s driving simulator and complete iPad-based performance assessments, which focus on memory, attention and motor skills. A field sobriety test is then given before blood and saliva samples are collected from them. Once all the data has been obtained, participants are paid an additional $180.

    The goal of the study is not to determine if one’s driving can be impaired by using marijuana, but rather, to determine the duration and level of impairment.

    “If you smoked this morning, are you impaired throughout the day?” said Tom Marcotte, co-director of the CMCR. “Are you impaired for a couple of hours? Or are you not impaired? We’re trying to answer that.”

    Ultimately, the researchers hope to improve field sobriety tests for marijuana use, which in their current form are used by law enforcement but considered unreliable in regard to determining THC levels in breath or fluid samples. In some cases, field sobriety tests cannot be used as evidence to determine whether a driver was impaired while behind the wheel.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Overdose Risks During Pregnancy Examined In New Study

    Overdose Risks During Pregnancy Examined In New Study

    The study revealed the need for better addiction recovery support for pregnant women with substance use disorder. 

    A new study has found that the risk of overdose drops in pregnant women but increases after giving birth.

    The study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, looked at women giving birth in Massachusetts. In doing so, researchers found a greater number of women with opioid use disorder than had been found in other states. 

    Researchers also discovered that during pregnancy, opioid overdose events went down, the third trimester resulting in the lowest amount. However, after birth, that number rose and became especially high from 6 to 12 months after delivery.

    “Our findings suggest we need to develop extended and long-term services to support women and families impacted by substance use disorder,” said Davida Schiff, a pediatrician at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and the lead author of the paper, according to Science Daily. “We need additional research to determine the best ways to improve retention in treatment and adherence to medication therapy after delivery, and we need to enhance our medical and public health infrastructure to provide support to women in achieving long-term recovery.”

    In many states, opioid overdoses have been “major contributors to pregnancy-associated deaths.” In pregnant women, estimates of opioid use disorder range from .4 to .8%, and up to 2% in all women that fall into the reproductive age category. 

    Pregnancy can drive a woman to seek treatment, Science Daily notes. Often, such treatment includes therapy and potentially medications like methadone or buprenorphine.

    Researchers chose to study a Department of Public Health dataset, which included nearly 178,000 deliveries of an infant 20 or more gestational weeks to Massachusetts women between Jan. 1, 2012 and Sept. 30, 2014. Of those, 4,154 women were found to have likelihood of opioid use disorder within a year before giving birth.

    Additionally, of the women in the dataset, 184 experienced what researchers refer to as an opioid overdose event in the year preceding or following delivery. Such an event means the woman faced admission to a heath care facility for an overdose or death as a result of an overdose.

    Those who experienced an overdose event were “more likely to be younger, single, unemployed, less educated and less likely to have received adequate prenatal care,” Science Daily reported. They were more likely “to have evidence of homelessness or a diagnosis of anxiety or depression.”

    Co-author and Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Monica Bhare says that this research is vital in gaining a bigger picture of who is most at risk.

    “These findings help expand the lens from which we view the epidemic and allow us to tailor our policies and programs in ways that will increase opportunities for treatment and recovery for these women and their children,” she said. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Prescription Opioid Use And Its Connection To The Criminal Justice System

    Prescription Opioid Use And Its Connection To The Criminal Justice System

    A new study examined the link between people with a history of prescription opioid use and their involvement with the criminal justice system. 

    Individuals with a history of opioid use are up to 13 times more likely to be involved in some manner with law enforcement or justice system officials, including arrest, parole or probation.

    Those are the conclusions suggested by a new study that explored what NPR described as the “intersection of the criminal justice system and the ongoing opioid epidemic.”

    Data from more than 78,000 respondents to a national survey on drug use found that prescription opioid users were more likely to have some involvement with the criminal justice system than those with no history of opioid use; opioid users were also more likely to suffer from chronic health issues and have higher susceptibility to overdose upon release from the prison system.

    The study authors also suggested that greater access to alternatives to incarceration or treatment within the prison system could have a significant impact on lowering these rates.

    The study, conducted by researchers from New York University, the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Research, among other institutions, examined information culled by the National Survey on Drug and Use and Health from 78,976 respondents—all U.S. residents between the ages of 18 and 64—including substance use, socioeconomic status and health.

    Involvement with the criminal justice system was defined by three criteria: whether the respondent had been recently arrested, released on parole or placed on probation.

    The data suggested that only 3% of the general population with no history of opioid use—prescription or other forms, like heroin—fell into those three categories.

    However, 20% of respondents who said that they had a dependency on prescription opioids and 40% of those who reported using heroin had some level of involvement with the criminal justice system.

    The data also revealed that individuals reporting opioid use or dependency were more likely to have some form of health issue, whether a mental illness or chronic health conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

    Using this information, the researchers opined that the criminal justice system needed greater involvement in providing treatment for individuals with opioid dependency.

    They noted that many prison systems do not offer medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which has been regarded as the most effective means of treating opioid issues by several studies.

    Individuals in the criminal justice system who do not receive some form of treatment are more likely to experience a lower tolerance to opioids and in turn, a greater chance of overdose upon release, according to 2012 research conducted with former inmates.

    Study lead author Tyler Winkelman, a clinician-investigator at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, also suggested that placing individuals in treatment facilities instead of jails may prove more effective in breaking the cycle of dependency and incarceration. “We need a response that will ideally prevent people from entering the criminal justice system,” he noted.

    The NPR coverage cited a 2016 study, which reviewed rates of death by overdose among inmates exiting the Rhode Island Department of Corrections after it began a medication-assisted treatment program for its prison population. The study suggested that overdose deaths dropped by nearly 61% among that demographic—an “unheard of” drop in mortality rates, according to study author Josiah Rich, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Brown University.

    “At this point of the epidemic, we can’t afford to not put people on treatment,” he added.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Severe ADHD Predict Video Game Addiction?

    Can Severe ADHD Predict Video Game Addiction?

    A new study explored whether there was a connection between ADHD and video game addiction.

    While debate continues to swirl about the validity of video game dependency, a new study has opined that individuals with severe symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also be more prone to develop an equally severe dependency on video games.

    The study profiled gamers, types of games, and amount of time spent playing games, and found that while a small percentage of respondents had ADHD symptoms, those individuals also exhibited tendencies toward more problematic behavior during play and longer periods of game play.

    Though the study size and actual number of participants with ADHD were limited, the study authors concluded that gamers with ADHD symptoms may want to look into the risks of excessive video game play.

    The study, conducted by researchers from Loma Linda University and published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, was culled from an online survey of 2,801 video game players taken between December 2013 and July 2014. The participants ranged in age from 18 to 57, with an average age of 22 and 4.3 months; 93.3% were male and 82.8% were Caucasian.

    After factoring the age and gender of each participant, the researchers also measured the responses by types of game and time per week spent gaming, and used the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales, which measure the presence and degree of ADHD symptoms to determine severity of ADHD, if applicable.

    Their analysis found that only 157, or 5.6% of respondents had what could be described as clinically significant ADHD symptoms.

    Upon analyzing those participants’ conclusions, the study authors suggested that in regard to type of game and length of time devoted to play, the severity of ADHD symptoms were linked to severity of video game dependency. They also put forth the notion that younger players could be at greater risk to develop more problems with video game play than older players. 

    The authors also acknowledged that several factors posed limitations to the study’s conclusions, including the relatively small sample size number of participants with diagnosable ADHD. Lack of female participants, which accounted for only 6.7% of respondents, also posed limitations on the study’s findings.

    Despite these limitations, the study authors did suggest that “individuals who report ADHD symptomatology and also identify as gamers may benefit from psychoeducation about the potential risk for problematic play.”

    Take a look at these safer natural alternatives to adderall for ADHD symptom management.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Does Teen Drinking Affect Metabolism?

    Does Teen Drinking Affect Metabolism?

    A recent study examined how underage drinking affected the metabolism of teens ages 13 to 17.

    In addition to it being illegal, underage drinkers now have another reason to refrain from drinking alcohol, as a recent study has determined that teenage alcohol use can negatively impact metabolism. 

    The study was based on a previous study done by the same team of researchers at the University of Eastern Finland, which found that drinking may decrease gray matter volume in teenagers’ brains. Researchers believe the decrease in gray matter and negative impact on metabolism may be connected. 

    “Despite [the participants’] alcohol use being ‘normal,’ their metabonomic profile and brain gray matter volumes differed from those in the light-drinking participant group,” Noora Heikkinen, a researcher from the University of Eastern Finland’s Institute of Clinical Medicine, told Newsweek.

    The recent study was published in the journal Alcohol and was a followup to a study in which data was collected on teens between the ages of 13 and 17 in eastern Finland. 

    The original data was collected between 2004 and 2005. At that time, the teens completed questionnaires about their hobbies, family life, lifestyle and substance use.

    Additionally, they took a test created by the World Health Organization which is designed to identify alcohol use disorders. Some of the questions had to do with how much alcohol they drank on a typical day of drinking and how often they consumed more than six drinks at a time.

    For the recent study, which was done between 2013 and 2015, researchers recruited 40 moderate-to-heavy drinkers and 40 light drinkers. The light drinkers had scored a maximum of two on the World Health Organization test, which meant they drank two to four times monthly.

    Moderate-to-heavy drinkers were those who had a score of four or more for males, or three or more for females. This meant drinking two to three or four or more times weekly.

    With those participants, researchers measured metabolism and the volume of gray matter in the brain.

    In doing so, researchers found that the moderate-to-heavy drinkers had undergone changes in their amino acids and how their energy was processed, when compared to the lighter drinkers. In heavy drinkers, there was also an increase in 1-methylhistamine levels, a substance connected to the amount of gray matter in the brain. 

    Heikkinen tells Newsweek that based on the findings, researchers believe histamine production rises in the brains of adolescents who drink heavily. 

    “This observation can help in the development of methods that make it possible to detect adverse effects caused by alcohol at a very early stage,” she said. “Possibly, it could also contribute to the development of new treatments to mitigate these adverse effects.”

    Heikkinen also added that some of the damage may be reversible if drinking is cut back. 

    “There is evidence that at least some of the changes are reversible if the heavy drinking is discontinued,” she told Newsweek. “Therefore all hope is not lost for those who have had their share of parties and binge drinking in the twenties. However, if the heavy drinking is continued for decades, there is a real chance that irreversible brain atrophy will result.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Are Dentists Still Overprescribing Opioids?

    Are Dentists Still Overprescribing Opioids?

    A new study examined the opioid prescription patterns of dentists who care for patients with private insurance. 

    While dentists have been writing a declining number of opioid prescriptions in the past few years, two new studies indicate that there still may be reason for dental professionals to take precautions when prescribing. 

    According to PEW Trusts, one such study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in April examined the prescribing patterns among dentists who tended to privately insured patients. From 2010 to 2015, opioid prescriptions per 1,000 patients increased from 131 to 147, study authors found. 

    “The fact that we’re still prescribing opioids when we’ve demonstrated that nonsteroidals are as effective most of the time is a little disturbing,” Dr. Paul Moore, co-author of the analysis and professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s dental school, told Modern Health Care.

    The study found that the biggest increase—about 66%—was in those ages 11 to 18. The study also noted that for all age groups, almost one-third of the opioid prescriptions written were for visits that were not surgical in nature, for which study authors state non-opioids could also be effective for pain.

    According to Modern Health Care, an analysis of five studies in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that nonsteroidal anti-inflammation drugs like ibuprofen are effective for dental pain.

    The second study was published at the same time in the same journal, and examined outpatient care for Medicaid patients. Researchers found that from 2013 to 2015, nearly 25% of those patients filled a prescription for opioids. They also discovered that emergency department providers were more likely to give opioids to patients with dental issues.

    The study found that 38% of patients who sought care in an emergency department then filled an opioid prescription in comparison to 11% of those who went to the dentist.

    “Dentists are providing substantially less opioid prescriptions compared to their medical colleagues for pain treatment following a dental diagnosis in the Medicaid population,” study authors wrote. “When considering pain management for dental and related conditions, dentists should continue with conservative prescribing practices as recommended.”

    According to PEW Trusts, the results of the study come at a good time, as the American Dental Association recently released an interim policy on prescribing opioids.

    The policy lays out a number of guidelines for providers to follow and encourages continuing education about opioid use for dentists. It also states that dentists should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines about dosage and length of opioid prescriptions.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Ayahuasca Help Those With Severe Depression?

    Can Ayahuasca Help Those With Severe Depression?

    Those suffering from severe, untreatable depression may find relief from the psychedelic drug ayahuasca.

    A new study suggests that ayahuasca might be able to help people suffering from treatment-resistant depression.

    The study is among the first of its kind investigating ayahuasca as a treatment for depression, testing 30 subjects in a randomized and placebo-controlled environment.

    Such results could be significant, as some forms of depression do not respond to known drug treatments, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

    Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew derived from Amazonian plants. It’s been used for therapeutic and medicinal purposes for centuries by people living in the Amazonian regions in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. By boiling the vine banisteriopsis caapi and the shrub psychotria viridis together, the psychoactive compound DMT is extracted.

    According to CNN, researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte found 218 depression patients and selected 29 of those with treatment-resistant depression.

    Some of the subjects were given the real thing while others were given a convincing placebo, a concoction made of water, yeast, citric acid, and caramel coloring to look brown and taste as sour and bitter as the real thing. As an extra touch, zinc sulphate was added to simulate the nausea and vomiting that often comes with ayahuasca.

    Participants took their respective drinks in a hospital room made to look like a living room. In anticipation of the psychedelic effects that can last up to four hours, researchers prepared two playlists for participants, one instrumental and the other in the Portuguese language.

    The day after the experiment, 50% of all the patients reported better moods and a reduction in anxiety. After a week, 64% of patients who took the real ayahuasca reported they still felt a reduction in their depression. In comparison, only 27% of the participants who took the placebo still felt better.

    Using ayahuasca as a treatment for depression has been explored before, but without proper controls, such as a placebo group. This is a problem because placebos can result in a reduction in depression in 45% of patients, which researchers believe can muddy results and make it hard to find out what’s actually helping.

    In the case of this study, participants who experienced more intense hallucinations from the ayahuasca seemed to have a greater reduction in depression, but the researchers warn against calling it a cure, as no single treatment works for everyone.

    View the original article at thefix.com