Behavioral Health Central

Abington Heights drug policy working, officials say, but heroin problem remains [The ...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:58:00 +0000

Feb. 28--Two years after Abington Heights School District officials began responding to a growing heroin problem, statistics show a slight drop in the number of students in trouble over drug and alcohol abuse.

The statistics from the school district and Lackawanna County Juvenile Probation seem to support officials' claims that the heroin problem in the Abington Heights School District has abated since 2008.

That year, 18 students were sent to rehab for drug addiction and district officials began focusing on education, community outreach and strengthening the district's drug policy in an attempt to curb the rising number of addictions.

Despite their efforts, however, school officials do not believe the drug problem will ever be gone for good.

"Unfortunately, drugs will always be a problem wherever you go," high school Principal Pam Murray said. "We're not seeing as many students struggling with a heroin addiction anymore, but that doesn't mean ... kids aren't using...

Brain Damage from Ecstasy Drug May Cause Dangerous Sleep Apnea

Robin Jay — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000

People who use the drug ecstasy could be putting themselves at higher risk for sleep apnea – a dangerous disorder that causes frequent interrupted breathing during sleep, which is associated with stroke, heart attack and cognitive deficits, according to a study from The John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore that was published in the Dec. 2 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

About 15 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. In the study at Johns Hopkins, 71 people who had used ecstasy at least 25 times and 62 people who had never used the drug had their breathing and nasal pressure mechanically monitored as they slept. Study participants who used ecstasy were found to have a risk for sleep apnea that was eight times higher than those who didn’t use the drug.

The study, supported by the National...

LSD returns to university labs

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:10:00 +0000

LSD is back in labs after years of disrepute, joining other hallucinogens as legitimate subjects of research, a researcher in Santa Cruz, Calif., said.

The first new studies of LSD in human subjects started at Harvard University last year. Scientists are looking into it as a treatment of cluster headaches, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

A second research project is under way at the University of California San Francisco.

"Psychedelics are in labs all over the world and there's a lot of promise," Rick Doblin, director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies said. "The situation with LSD is that because it was the quintessential symbol of the '60s, it was the last to enter the lab."

"What poisoned the well was the widespread abuse being promoted by scientists to the public," Dr. John Mendelson, an associate professor of medicine and psychiatry at UCSF who is helping run the LSD study,...

Hallucinogen Use Disorders Among Adult Users of MDMA and Other Hallucinogens

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:41:21 +0000

By Wu L.-T.; Ringwalt C.L.; Mannelli P.; Patkar A.

We investigated the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of past-year DSM-IV hallucinogen use disorders (HUDs) among past-year users of MDMA and other hallucinogens from a sample of Americans 18 or older (n = 37,227). Users were categorized as MDMA users and other hallucinogen users. Overall, one in five (20%) MDMA users and about one in six (16%) other hallucinogen users reported at least one clinical feature of HUDs.

Among MDMA users, prevalence of hallucinogen abuse, subthreshold dependence, and dependence was 4.9%, 11.9%, and 3.6%, respectively. The majority with hallucinogen abuse displayed subthreshold dependence. Most with hallucinogen dependence exhibited abuse. Subthreshold hallucinogen dependence is relatively prevalent and represents a clinically important subgroup that warrants future research and consideration in a major diagnostic classification system.

Copyright © American Academy of...

Are We Becoming More Alike?

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:40:27 +0000

Comparison of Substance Use in Australia and the United States as Seen in the 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 National Household

By Maxwell J.C.

Introduction. This paper reports the results of the 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 Australian and US household surveys, with emphasis on changes since 2001.

Design and Methods. The US survey data were recalculated to match age groups in the Australian data. Statistically significant changes are reported. Differences in prevalence of use by gender within age group were tested for significance.

Results. The past-year use of 'any illicit drug', cannabis, cocaine, tranquillisers and injecting drugs decreased between 2001 and 2004 in Australia, but remained stable for all these drugs except ecstasy between 2002 and 2004 in the United States. The use of hallucinogens decreased in both countries. Alcohol and...

Syrian Rue Tea: A Recipe for Disaster

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:39:31 +0000

By Yuruktumen A.; Karaduman S.; Bengi F.; Fowler J.

Peganum harmala, commonly called "Syrian rue," is native to countries around the Mediterranean sea and western United States. Known for its sedative effects when consumed by farm animals, its seeds have stimulant and hallucinogenic effects at low doses (3-4 g when eaten) in humans. Its active ingredients harmaline and harmine have monoamine oxidase inhibitor properties.

A 41-year-old female prepared a hot drink by boiling approximately 100 g of P. harmala seeds in water (10-20 times the recommended dose for "calming one's nerves"). Upon presentation to the emergency department, she was unconscious and had hypertension, tachycardia, and tachypnea. Hepatic and renal function markers were grossly elevated. After intubation, she improved with supportive care over the course of five days. Her level of consciousness, renal and hepatic markers gradually returned to normal. Poisoning...

Hallucinogen Use Disorders Among Adult Users of MDMA and Other Hallucinogens

Administrator

We investigated the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of past-year DSM-IV hallucinogen use disorders (HUDs) among past-year users of MDMA and other hallucinogens from a sample of Americans 18 or older (n = 37,227). Users were categorized as MDMA users and other hallucinogen users. Overall, one in five (20%) MDMA users and about one in six (16%) other hallucinogen users reported at least one clinical feature of HUDs.

Among MDMA users, prevalence of hallucinogen abuse, subthreshold dependence, and dependence was 4.9%, 11.9%, and 3.6%, respectively. The majority with hallucinogen abuse displayed subthreshold dependence. Most with hallucinogen dependence exhibited abuse. Subthreshold hallucinogen dependence is relatively prevalent and represents a clinically important subgroup that warrants future research and consideration in a major diagnostic classification system.

Copyright © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Relationship Between Self-Focused Attention and Dissociation in Patients With and Without ...

Administrator

The purpose of this work was to study the relationship between self-focused attention and dissociative experiences in 4 groups of subjects: patients with a psychotic disorder who suffer from auditory hallucinations, patients with psychoses who have recovered from their hallucinations, patients with psychoses who have never had them, and a fourth nonclinical group. The private self-consciousness scale, revised version by Scheier and Carver, J Appl Soc Psychol. 1985;15:687-699, was used to measure self-focused attention, and the dissociative experience scale (DES-II, Bernstein and Putnam, J Nerv Ment Dis. 1986;174:727-735) was used for dissociation.

The results showed that the attention of subjects with hallucinations was more self-focused than the nonclinical group, but did not differentiate significantly from groups of patients without hallucinations. On the other hand, patients with hallucinations and those recovered from them had a higher percentage of dissociative experiences than the rest of the groups in...

Evidence of Health and Safety in American Members of a Religion Who Use a Hallucinogenic Sacrament

Administrator

Background: Ayahuasca is a South American hallucinogenic tea used as a sacrament by the Santo Daime Church, other religions, and traditional peoples. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision indicates religious ayahuasca, use is protected, but little is known about health consequences for Americans.

Material/Methods: 32 (out of 40) American members of one branch of the Santo Daime Church were interviewed providing demographic information, physical exam, drug use timeline, a variety of psychological measures and data about childhood conduct disorder. Subjects were asked about extent of Church participation, what is liked least and most about ayahuasca, and what health benefits or harms they attribute to ayahuasca.

Results: Members usually attend services weekly (lifetime 269±314.7 ceremonies; range 20-1300). Physical exam and test scores revealed healthy subjects. Members claimed psychological and physical benefits from ayahuasca. 19 subjects met lifetime criteria for a psychiatric disorder, with...

ADHD drugs can cause hallucinations in some kids

Administrator

Last Updated: 2009-01-26 9:39:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can cause children to have hallucinations even when taken as directed, U.S. government researchers said on Monday.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers analyzed data from 49 clinical studies conducted by makers of the drugs and found they can cause psychosis and mania in some patients, including some with no obvious risk factors. In some cases, children hallucinated that worms, bugs or snakes were crawling on them.

"Patients and physicians should be aware of the possibility that psychiatric symptoms consistent with psychosis or mania" might arise in the course of treatment, Dr. Andrew Mosholder and colleagues wrote in the journal Pediatrics.

Their analysis provides fresh detail about known risks of the drugs, which include Novartis AG's Ritalin and Focalin XR, Shire Plc's Adderall XR and Daytrana patch, Johnson & Johnson's Concerta,...