Articles tagged with Addiction
A recent study found that UK tobacco companies absorb increasing taxes on ultra-low-price cigarettes, maintaining prices and market share. This strategy undermines the effectiveness of cigarette taxes in reducing smoking rates.
Researchers from CAMH found that people with mental illnesses are more than seven times more likely to use cannabis weekly compared to those without a mental illness. The study also shows that individuals with mental illness were 10 times more likely to have a cannabis use disorder.
A genetic risk score has been developed to predict who is likely to become a lifelong heavy smoker. Individuals with high-risk genetic profiles were more likely to start smoking as teens, progress to heavy smoking, and develop nicotine dependence.
Researchers used optogenetics to study the interaction between two brain regions involved in emotional behavior. They found that stimulating one pathway increased anxiety-like behavior, while stimulating another pathway promoted reward-associated behaviors.
Researchers found that fans forgave Josh Hamilton through various narratives, including offering support and attributing his actions to personal struggles. Most people extended forgiveness due to perceived similarity with Hamilton's public struggles with addiction.
A study published in Psychopathology found that sports gamblers who believed they could control the outcome using knowledge of the game were actually no more successful than those with no prior experience or knowledge. Cognitive therapy may be a better approach for treating this type of addiction.
A new imaging-genetics study from CAMH found that a specific version of the microRNA-137 gene is associated with younger age at onset and distinct brain features in patients with schizophrenia. The study suggests that developing tests to screen for this gene could help treat patients earlier and more effectively.
A new CAMH study shows that alcohol is the third leading cause of disease and injury worldwide, with vast differences in drinking patterns across regions. The research found that North Americans and Canadians drink significantly more than the global average, with a detrimental drinking pattern characterized by bingeing.
A recent study found that minimum alcohol prices increased by 10% resulted in significant reductions in alcohol-related deaths. The decrease was particularly pronounced among heavier drinkers, who reduced their consumption when cheaper drinks became more expensive.
A new study by CAMH found that cutting in and weaving are the most common online complaints about unsafe driving practices. The study analyzed over 5,000 entries from RoadRagers.com and found that drivers feel compelled to retaliate when slighted, leading to hostile situations.
Experts say setting minimum prices for alcohol increases health and economic benefits, with research showing a reduction in overall consumption, deaths, and hospitalizations. Heavy drinkers are targeted by pricing strategies, which can also generate revenue for the government and industry profits.
In early 19th-century Ireland, women who drank tea were seen as reckless and uncontrollable, wasting their time and money on a supposedly luxury they couldn't afford. This perception was fueled by concerns about tea's supposed addictive qualities and its associations with slavery and revolutionary feminism.
Studies by University of Missouri psychologists found that individuals with 'urgency' personality tend to drive after drinking due to impulsivity. Reducing travel wait times for taxis and public transit could provide a safe alternative, helping to lower DWI rates.
A Baylor University study found that materialism and impulsiveness drive cell phone addiction. Cell phones are used as a status symbol and can erode personal relationships.
A new Swedish study reveals that adolescents with lower peer status are at a higher risk of becoming regular or heavy smokers in adulthood. Researchers found that marginalized students, those nominated few times by their classmates, were more likely to adopt smoking as a behavior.
Dr. Aristotle Voineskos has won the prestigious Polanyi Prize for his research combining brain imaging and genetics to improve diagnostic classification and treatment strategies for severe mental illness.
A new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found that less than half of Ontario youth aged 15-19 with a psychiatric diagnosis received follow-up care within a month after discharge. This lack of timely aftercare is linked to demographics, diagnoses, and socioeconomic status.
State physician health programs help doctors with substance abuse problems, but their system is inconsistent and prone to potential conflicts of interest. The authors recommend increased oversight and national standards to address these concerns.
Research by Newcastle University found that uncomfortable weather leads to longer phone calls with close friends and family, while fewer calls are made to wider networks. The study analyzed data from over 1.3 million mobile phone users in Portugal, revealing the influence of weather on human behavior.
A new study finds that near-misses are perceived as frustrating losses, stimulating the brain's reward systems and promoting addictive behavior. This leads to increased skin conductance responses and a desire to spin again quickly.
Researchers at CAMH have identified 5-hmC, an epigenetic modification of DNA, as playing a key role in the brain's plasticity. The study found that 5-hmC is highly enriched in genes related to synapses, suggesting its involvement in learning and memory.
Researchers at Newcastle University analyzed data from over 7,000 Australian households and found that smokers with a longer time horizon were more likely to quit smoking by 2008. Seventy-six percent of quitters fell into this category compared to 66% of those who continued to smoke.
New research published in Addiction suggests that plain packaging of cigarettes can draw attention to health warnings and deter young smokers. The study found that students who were occasional or had tried smoking before paid more attention to the health warnings on plain packs.
Researchers at Boston Medical Center are implementing a new model of care in primary care settings to decrease opioid misuse and addiction among patients with chronic pain. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of standardized practice guidelines and tools to improve provider monitoring and patient care.
Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have discovered a specific brain circuitry associated with addictive and depressive behaviors. The study found that an imbalance in medium spiny neurons controlling movement also contributes to psychiatric disorders.
Researchers at CAMH discovered a new form of intellectual disability linked to the NSUN2 gene mutation, affecting cognitive development and neuron functioning. The study found that this recessive disorder requires inheriting two defective genes from parents to develop intellectual disability.
Researchers have created a new instrument, the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, to measure work addiction. The scale assesses seven core elements of addiction and can differentiate between workaholics and non-workaholics.
A team of researchers used mobile devices to collect data on nicotine addiction and found that successful quitters had a weaker association between their urge to smoke and their ability to quit. The study suggests that baseline nicotine dependence and negative emotional states influence people's urge to smoke while trying to quit.
Boston Medical Center physician Jeffrey Samet, MD, received a $1.4 million NIDA grant to develop the Research in Addiction Medicine Scholars (RAMS) Program, which aims to create formal addiction medicine training programs with strong research components.
A new study found that encouraging patients to monitor their daily alcohol intake, typically through keeping a record, is the most effective piece of advice in reducing drinking. This simple task raises awareness of behavior and helps individuals stay within set limits, leading to significant reductions in consumption.
A new study by BUSM researchers found that most medical students in Yemen believe khat chewing is harmful to health, but they won't advise patients to quit. The study highlights conflicting attitudes towards khat use among Yemeni medical students, with cultural factors possibly influencing their views.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that repeating experiences can renew appreciation for both the object of consumption and oneself. Participants reported enhanced emotional lives and mental health benefits from re-consumption, with various motivations including self-reflection and social sharing.
Research suggests internet addiction disorder is characterized by impaired white matter fibers in the brain, affecting emotional regulation and cognitive control. This study provides a new approach to understanding IAD, potentially leading to novel treatments.
A new study from CAMH found that treatment of depression while working increases productivity, with workers experiencing moderate depression 2.5 times more likely to be highly productive compared to those without treatment.
A new study published in Addiction journal found that alcohol consumption directly impacts a person's intention to have unsafe sex. The study analyzed 12 experiments and found a significant increase in the likelihood of unprotected sex with rising blood alcohol levels.
A 15-minute walk can cut snacking on chocolate at work in half, regardless of task difficulty or stress levels. Researchers found that employees who took a short break consumed an average of 15g, equivalent to a small 'treat size', compared to 28g for those who didn't exercise.
A new Norwegian study reveals that extending pub and bar closing hours by one hour leads to a 20% increase in violent cases on weekends. The findings suggest that reducing trading hours also decreases violence by the same magnitude.
A study found that 18% of methadone maintenance therapy patients also received prescriptions for more than a week's supply of other opioids. This combination can lead to fatal consequences. The researchers recommend short-acting opioids for short periods and real-time prescription monitoring.
A study by McGill University Health Centre researchers found that adolescent amphetamine use can cause neurobiological imbalances and increase risk-taking behavior, effects that persist into adulthood. The study used animal models and found abnormalities in key neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
A Tel Aviv University researcher found that social networking on Facebook can be beneficial for teens' psychological development. The study discovered a positive correlation between Internet use and self-understanding, ego development, and clarity of self-perception.
Researchers found smartphone users engage in 'checking habits' throughout waking hours, triggered by contexts like reading email or browsing social media. These habits can be difficult to change due to their automatic nature.
Researchers found that smokers' amygdala activity decreases after abstinence, reducing their fear response to scary images. This could be due to nicotine's role in maintaining normal function.
A CAMH study reveals that mental health disability leaves cost approximately $51 billion a year in Canada and recur sooner than physical health leaves. Workers who have had a previous mental health episode are at higher risk of having another one, highlighting the need for effective prevention programs to help people stay at work.
Researchers discovered that people tend to gamble on double-or-nothing wins when relying on past experiences, whereas they avoid risky choices for losses. This finding suggests a reversal in decision-making strategies based on abstract possibilities versus memory of past outcomes.
Research by Dr. Inés Ibañez-Tallon and her team at MDC Berlin-Buch reveals that the midbrain habenula region plays a key role in nicotine dependence. The study found that only a balanced activity of two genes can rein in nicotine use.
Researchers at CAMH have identified a new gene associated with Joubert syndrome, a type of intellectual disability affecting brain functioning and leading to symptoms like kidney and eye problems. The TCTN2 gene defect is linked to this condition, which affects approximately 1 in 100,000 children.
A new study found that using fake cigarettes can significantly boost a smoker's chances of quitting. The research analyzed the effectiveness of nicotine-free inhalers in helping people overcome their addictive behavior and ritual of smoking.
Researchers suggest dependent individuals may exhibit proactive behavior to impress authority figures and maintain relationships. This new perspective offers a shift in how therapists treat dependent patients, focusing on turning unhealthy dependency into healthy one.
A new study published in The American Journal on Addictions reveals that Veterans who suffer from mental health disorders also have high rates of substance use disorders. Rates of substance use disorders among those with mental illness range from 21-35%, with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia showing the highest rates.
A new study found that genetic variants in dopamine-related genes increased the risk of smoking initiation in adolescents, while variants in nicotinic cholinergic receptors influenced persistence in adulthood. These findings could lead to genetic testing and targeted drugs for nicotine dependence.
Researchers at Wayne State University identified three potential subtypes of gamblers: emotionally vulnerable, behaviorally conditioned, and antisocial impulsive. However, their study found that subtyping did not predict treatment outcomes, with all groups showing similar recovery patterns despite varying levels of addiction severity.
The Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit at Boston University School of Medicine has received $1,886,087 in NIH funding. The grant aims to educate physicians-in-training on substance use screening, assessment, and treatment research, addressing a notable shortage of experts in addiction medicine.
Warren K. Bickel's research focuses on the brain processes that support dysfunctional decision-making, including addiction. His work has demonstrated a novel therapeutic approach to changing the preference for immediate rewards over future health benefits.
A comprehensive public health approach is needed to address Canada's significant alcohol burden, with population-level policies and targeted interventions recommended. Estimated direct healthcare costs of alcohol in 2002 were $3.3 billion, with per capita sales rising 13% since 1996.
Researchers recommend six key points for alternative-to-dismissal strategies to protect patient safety and encourage treatment. ATD programmes provide non-judgemental support and treatment that enables nurses to seek help and improve their chances of staying in the profession.
A workplace's key employees may be at greatest risk of experiencing high levels of work stress. Workers who feel responsible for poor job performance or think it could negatively affect others are twice as likely to report high stress.
A two-year longitudinal study of Singapore youths found approximately 9% of gamers to be pathological players, associated with depression, anxiety, and social phobias. The study concludes that video game addiction is a serious behavioral problem separate from other afflictions.
Researchers at Scripps Research and the University of Pennsylvania have received an $8.2 million grant to develop novel compounds that could become drug candidates for treating tobacco addiction. The project focuses on enhancing nicotinic receptors in the brain to reduce nicotine's positive impact on reward centers.
The journal aims to strike a balance between brevity and detail in its new key findings page, which highlights the most significant scientific discoveries published each month. The service provides bite-sized chunks of information on article titles and abstracts, allowing users to scan for new research findings.
Researchers at MU found that celebrity health stories can have a positive impact on consumers, with readers considering context and weighing moral implications before judging a behavior. The study suggests that experienced consumers are more likely to respond strongly to health messages from celebrities.