A study from the University of Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England, has linked certain anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and hypnotic (sleeping) drugs with an increased risk of early death. The study was published in the British journal BMJ.
Sleeping Pills, Anti-Anxiety Drugs Tied to Higher Death Rate Read More »
Small cash incentives can dramatically increase the likelihood of people who inject drugs completing a course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, according to new research led by King’s College London. Hepatitis B is an illness caused by the highly infectious hepatitis B virus. In most people, the disease is acute, with serious symptoms that last
Paying Addicts to Get Hepatitis B Vaccination Pays Off Read More »
By Jeanene Swanson — The use and misuse of prescription opioids by pregnant women has increased from 1.2 per 1,000 hospital live births in 2000 to 5.6 in 2009 in the last 10 years. What’s even more unsettling is that even in light of these statistics, several recent studies have found that doctors are prescribing
Study Finds Spike in Opioid Use During Pregnancy Read More »
As with Veterans Day, military milestones tend to spur stories about post-traumatic stress disorder, and the March 16 anniversary of the Iraq War is the latest. PTSD became an official diagnosis in 1980 and was drawn from the study of veterans suffering from trauma and extreme anxiety. Symptoms include: –Reliving the trauma through intrusive thoughts or
What Are the Signs of PTSD? Read More »
The St. Patrick’s Day DUI Mobilization crackdown on drunk drivers resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from the sobriety checkpoints, special saturation patrols and routine patrols in Los Angeles County over the weekend. From 12:01 a.m. Friday, March 14, through midnight Monday, officers representing 100 county law enforcement agencies arrested 571 individuals for driving under
571 Arrested for Drunk Driving in L.A. Over St. Patrick’s Day Read More »
Startling new findings have thrown into question whether decades of pregnant women taking acetaminophen products such as Tylenol for lower back pain and headaches has led to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. Kids whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a long-term study by UCLA researchers has
Tylenol in Pregnancy Tied to Higher ADHD Risk in Kids Read More »
Risky behavior is the general term used to describe actions that increase a person’s chances of experiencing harmful or unwanted, short- or long-term life outcomes. People with a tendency toward such actions have heightened odds of getting involved in substance use. In turn, substance use is itself a risky behavior that can produce seriously damaging
Brain Scan Can Predict Risky Behavior Read More »
People affected by substance use disorders commonly receive treatment from healthcare professionals trained as general physicians (GPs), psychiatrists or addiction services specialists. Whatever the details of their training, these professionals contribute a critical element to successful treatment by committing themselves to their work as fully as possible. However, not all professionals involved in the field
Doctors’ Views on Drug Abuse Affect Outcomes for Addicts Read More »
Cigarette smoking is a highly addictive activity practiced by millions of U.S. adults and teenagers. Doctors and public health officials commonly try to identify smokers as part of an ongoing effort to prevent the severe health complications that often accompany cigarette use and nicotine addiction. However, according to the results of a study published in
I Smoke, But I’m Not a Smoker Read More »
A personal story about disordered eating and body dysmorphia that tells the details of these dangerous illnesses and how difficult it can be to overcome them. I was 15. A group of dancers had gathered together to celebrate a monumental performance. There were pizzas, chips, cupcakes, soda—not diet. We were lithe and limber, light as
Confessions of an Eating-Disordered Brain Read More »