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Illegal drug use on he job has increased significantly in the USA, and this is indicated by the higher number of positive results being identified by employment drug screening. The data that was used to reach this conclusion includes data from millions of workplace drug screening results, and it shows that the use of illegal drugs by employes has increased by about 5% for the second year in a row. The drugs identified by the screening include marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Designer drugs and synthetic substances may not be detected by most workplace drug screenings though, and this means that the increase in illicit drug use could actually be even higher.
According to Quest Diagnostics science and technology director Dr. Barry Sample “American workers are increasingly testing positive for workforce drug use across almost all workforce categories and drug test specimen types. In the past, we have noted increases in prescription drug positivity rates, but now it seems illicit drug use may be on the rise, according to our data.” Quest Diagnostics released data that showed roughly 4.7% of the screenings had a positive result, and the data included approximately 6.6 million employment drug screening results. In 2013 this percentage was only 4.3%. US National Institute on Drug Abuse former director Dr. Robert DuPont commented that “The increases in illicit drug positivity in employment drug testing should get employers and policymakers to take notice of the serious risks these drugs create for productivity, health and safety.” According to Dr. Sample he questions whether increased marijuana detection “means that people are more accepting and therefore more likely to use marijuana in a recreational way or for therapeutic purposes than in the past, even in states where marijuana’s use is not clearly sanctioned by state laws. This will be an important area of continued analysis given the national debate about the legality and health impacts of recreational and medicinal marijuana use.”
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Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and creativity often go hand in hand, and a new study has found that there is a genetic link between all of these elements. Some of the most famous artists through history have struggled with mental illness in some form. It is believed that Vincent Van Gogh was schizophrenic, and the voices are the reason that he cut off his own ear. Famed musician Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide, was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. Robert Power, the first author of the study who is associated with the Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College, London in the UK, explained “For most psychiatric disorders little is known about the underlying biological pathways that lead to illness. An idea that has gained credibility is that these disorders reflect extremes of the normal spectrum of human behavior, rather than a distinct psychiatric illness. By knowing which healthy behaviors, such as creativity, share their biology with psychiatric illnesses we gain a better understanding of the thought processes that lead a person to become ill and how the brain might be going wrong.”
According to the latest study on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and creativity those people who are creative are 25% more likely to have a gene variant for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Professional writers, dancers, singers, painters, and others whose job requires creativity were more likely to contain one of the gene variants for these mental disorders than people who engaged in manual labor or other professions that did not involve creativity. The study was published in the Nature Neuroscience journal.
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Social anxiety disorder, sometimes called social phobia, is more than just getting a little anxious right before you speak to a crowd of people. A lot of people experience shyness or feel self conscious at times, but these feelings don’t interfere with normal daily functioning. If the feelings of anxiety do interfere with normal functioning and daily activities, and they are severe enough to cause great distress, then social phobia or social anxiety is a problem and treatment is needed. The symptoms of this condition can be physical, emotional, and behavioral. Things to watch for include:
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Being extremely self conscious and feeling a lot of anxiety every day when you are in social situations.
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Worrying for days, or even weeks or months, about a social situation or anxiety inducing social event coming up.
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A severe fear of being watched, especially by strangers, or a fear of others judging you.
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Fear that people will see your anxiety, or that you will do something to cause you embarrassment or humiliation.
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Shortness of breath.
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Sweating, dizziness, feeling faint.
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Trembling, chest tightness, a racing heart or heart palpitations.
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Nausea
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Blushing and redness in your face.
These and other possible symptoms of social anxiety disorder or social phobia can range from mild to severe. You may find yourself avoiding all social activities and interactions completely, leaving you in social isolation. You could try to hide away or stay really quiet in the hopes that other people do not notice you at all. Some people try to have a drink or two to quell the anxiety before they attend a social event, others may always feel the need to bring a friend along for support.
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Social anxiety is a problem that many people struggle with. A new study suggests that an overabundance of serotonin in the brain may be responsible for social anxiety, and that individuals who have this mental disorder are producing too much serotonin. Uppsala University researchers found that social anxiety in social situations increases because more serotonin is produced in the brain. Many previous studies found that the opposite was true, and that the social anxiety was caused by a lack of adequate serotonin in the brain. Many individuals experience nervousness or become anxious in social settings, however if the anxiety interferes with normal life or causes the individual to avoid social situations completely then social anxiety can be disabling and can become a mental disorder.
Until the latest study results were received social anxiety was treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, also called SSRIs. The latest study results were published in JAMA Psychiatry, and these results may force the medical and mental health communities to reevaluate how social anxiety is treated. Mats Fredrikson and Tomas Furmark, both professors at the university, led the team of researchers during the study. A PET camera was used along with a special tracer that could measure the serotonin chemical signal transmission in the brain of the study participants. What researchers discovered was that people who had social anxiety and social phobia had too much serotonin in their amygdala, which is also known as the fear center of the brain.
According to Uppsala University Department of Psychology doctoral student Andreas Frick “Not only did individuals with social phobia make more serotonin than people without such a disorder, they also pump back more serotonin. We were able to show this in another group of patients using a different tracer which itself measures the pump mechanism. We believe that this is an attempt to compensate for the excess serotonin active in transmitting signals. Serotonin can increase anxiety and not decrease it as was previously often assumed.”
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A new medical study shows that marijuana exposure among young children has increased in recent years, and this has been caused by marijuana legalization efforts in North America. A number of states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and a handful have also legalized this drug for recreational purposes as well. According to Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital director and one of the study authors Henry Spiller “The high percentage of ingestions may be related to the popularity of marijuana brownies, cookies and other foods. Very young children explore their environments by putting items in their mouths, and foods such as brownies and cookies are attractive.” Data from the National Poison Database System was used in the study, and the exposure in young children occurred as a result of inhaling marijuana smoke or swallowing products laced with the drug.
The marijuana exposure study showed that marijuana legalization was at least partly responsible for the increased exposure of young children. The study showed that the exposure rate for children aged 5 and younger increased close to 150% in the USA from 2000 through 2013. During this period US Poison Control Centers reported around 2,000 cases of marijuana exposure that involved children aged 5 or less. States where marijuana legalization was not passed still saw an increase in marijuana exposure in this age group by more than 60%. Dr. Gary Smith, the senior author of the study and the Center for Injury Research and Policy director explained “Any state considering marijuana legalization needs to include child protections in its laws from the very beginning. Child safety must be part of the discussion when a state is considering legalization of marijuana.”
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A new study shows that individuals in methadone maintenance treatment who have this treatment stopped due to incarceration are far less likely to seek substance abuse treatment when they are eventually released from jail or prison. In the USA eliminating methadone maintenance treatment for inmates is a policy that is widespread. Critics of this policy argue that this type of substance abuse treatment save lives and helps to reduce the spread of communicable diseases among drug users, as well as reducing the drug seeking behaviors of the individual in treatment. Many advocates of this policy view methadone maintenance treatment as replacement therapy, arguing that the user is simply replacing one drug with another, and that the true causes of the addiction in the person are not addressed with this substance abuse treatment option.
The latest methadone maintenance treatment study showed that individuals who were allowed to continue with their treatment during incarceration were between 2x and 6x more likely to keep up with additional substance abuse treatment at a clinic once they left jail or prison. The study results and details were published in The Lancet, the May 28, 2015 edition. According to Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at The Miriam Hospital director, Brown University professor of medicine and epidemiology, and one of the study authors Dr. Josiah Rich “What we are doing with methadone in our correctional system is we are systematically taking people off it. It’s the only medication that is summarily stopped upon incarceration. This study questioned that policy to find out what happens. For most of these people, the very reason they are caught up in the criminal justice system is related to their addiction to begin with.”
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1. Migraine headaches or body aches and pains that occur frequently, but for which no medical cause can be found. Depression and other forms of mental illness can include physical symptoms that are caused by the mental disorder. If your physician can not find anything wrong but you continue to have these aches and pains then it may be time to consult a mental health expert.
2. If you start to experience frequent nightmares, have night terrors, or experience flashbacks then this is an indication that something is going on and you should seek help to determine the cause. These symptoms are common after experiencing a trauma, and they may go away with counseling as you work through the underlying issues causing these symptoms. Sometimes medication may be needed during the initial stages to combat anxiety and physical responses to the nightmares or flashbacks.
3. Thoughts of harming yourself that involve intent and a plan to carry out your thoughts mean an immediate mental health evaluation should be performed. If an adolescent expresses these thoughts, or they show intent, then this should be taken seriously. A common mistake is not believing someone who voices these things, and the consequences could be devastating.
4. Becoming extremely preoccupied with certain things can also signal the onset or existence of a mental illness. Someone who becomes very preoccupied, almost obsessed, with their appearance, or with things like money, crime, or even sex, may have a mental disorder that requires treatment. If no treatment s received these preoccupations can lead to risk taking and other actions that have a negative impact on your life and health.
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There are certain symptoms that indicate a mental health evaluation should be sought. These symptoms are not a definite diagnosis but they do show areas of concern that should be checked out by a mental health professional.
1. Frequent Aggression- This is one of the symptoms that may indicate a mental health evaluation is needed. The aggression can be verbal or physical. Some people have a shorter fuse than others, and some people seem to be angry from the minute that they are born. If you frequently lash out at other people, if your aggression is placing your relationships, job, or living arrangements at risk, or it has other negative consequences then you should talk to a mental health professional.
2. Frequent Depression- If you have more blue days than good ones it may be time to seek professional help. You may notice problems with sleeping, eating, or both. A professional can screen you for clinical depression and related conditions.
3. Constant Fatigue or Chronic Exhaustion- If you always seem worn out or you are frequently exhausted even though you have not done anything physically exerting then you may be depressed without realizing it, or there could be a physical cause behind the symptoms that needs to be addressed.
4. Risky Behaviors- Risk taking can be one of the symptoms of a mental disorder that requires a mental health evaluation. It is important to remember that some people take enormous risks right from early childhood even though they do not suffer from a mental health condition.
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A new study on recidivism, published in the Health and Justice journal from Springer, shows that mental illness and substance abuse both raise the rate of recidivism among ex-prisoners. The study showed that ex-convicts who had a history which involved mental illness, substance abuse, or extreme poverty also had a much higher risk of ending back in prison. The study also showed that people who are chronically ill, who have attempted suicide, or who are obese are less likely to end up back in prison once they are released. University of Melbourne in Australia researcher Emma Thomas, M.Sc., led the study, which included analyzing interviews with more than 1,300 prisoners. These prisoners were interviewed both before and after their initial release, and they all came from 7 Queensland, Australia prisons.
Mental illness, substance abuse, and poverty factors were discussed in the interviews. The study found that those who had reported using cannabis, opioids, or methamphetamine before being sent to prison, and those who were convicted of a drug related crime, had a much higher risk of returning to prison once they are released. Substance abuse and mental illness are often present in the same individual. Participants who lived below the poverty level, and those who did not place an importance on staying healthy, were also more likely to head back to prison once they were released. According to Thomas “Many of the factors identified are easily measurable prior to release from prison, and could inform improvements to transitional planning without the need for additional, in-depth assessment. Most of these predictors are also modifiable and could potentially serve as targets for re-entry interventions.”
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A University of Montreal study has produced some suggestions about how to delay or even prevent marijuana use among high risks kids, and one answer may be short CBT sessions. Kids most at risk for using marijuana are typically prone to negative thinking and anxiety. Some believe this is why this group engages in marijuana use. Kids and adolescents who are highly impulsive or who are sensation seekers are also at a very high risk for substance abuse. It has been suggested that marijuana users may have a higher risk of neurocognitive deficits, psychiatric symptom exacerbation, psychosis precipitation, a lower educational attainment and occupational attainment, and motor vehicle accidents. Adolescents are at the highest risk because brain development is still occurring.
Lead study researcher Dr. Patricia Conrod explained the findings and suggestions. “Marijuana use is highly prevalent among teenagers in North America and Europe. As attitudes and laws towards marijuana are changing, it is important to find ways to prevent and reduce its use among at-risk youth. Our study reveals that targeted, brief interventions by trained teachers can achieve that goal. There were signs that the program delayed onset and reduced frequency of cannabis use in all youth who participated in the interventions, but the results also consistently showed that the program was particularly effective in preventing cannabis use among those most at risk of using — sensation seekers.”
The study regarding CBT sessions, marijuana use, and high risk kids provided interesting insight. First study author Ioan T. Mahu stated “The students voluntarily participated in two 90-minute cognitive-behavioral sessions that were adapted to their specific personality type. These sessions involved learning from real-life scenarios described by other at risk youth, and were designed to show how people manage risk. Cannabis was not directly mentioned but was discussed if the students brought it up.”
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There are many alcohol abuse facts that you may not know. For instance did you know that every individual is different when it comes to how much alcohol they can consume before they start to feel the effects? Individuals who have built up a tolerance for alcohol because of their substance abuse may be able to drink large amounts of alcohol without seeming to be impaired. This is regardless of size or weight. Another interesting fact is that there is a large percentage of people who know they have a problem with alcohol abuse yet they never seek treatment for this problem. Sometimes this is because they are ashamed, at other times the individual does not really want to stop drinking.
Treatment for alcohol abuse, unlike some types of substance abuse, may require medical detox. Over time as you drink your body actually develops a physical tolerance to this substance. If you drink a lot for a long time and then you just quit cold turkey you could end up with life threatening withdrawal symptoms. These can include seizures, DTs, and other problems. A treatment program that provides medical detox will have medical staff on site so that any dangerous withdrawal symptoms can be treated with the appropriate medications. If you have a problem with alcohol abuse you need help. If you have been through treatment before and you need further rounds this may indicate that the previous program was not effective. Many people only succeed when they find the right program and the best possible treatment methods.
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There are a number of important factors that have to be examined with any dual diagnosis. This type of diagnosis is used if you have some form of mental illness along with some type of substance abuse. This can be someone who is bipolar and who abuses alcohol to try and manage their mental illness. It is very common to find substance abuse and mental illness in the same patient, and these two conditions often go together. The first factor that needs to be looked at is what the specific symptoms are. This will help diagnose the mental illness component so that both issues can be effectively treated. If only half of the problem is resolved you will eventually end up right back where you started and suffer a relapse.
Once the proper dual diagnosis has been made, one that identifies both the substance abuse and the mental illness, then the next factor is the right treatment program for your specific treatment needs. There are great programs that specialize in dual diagnosis treatment, but there are also some which do not have the knowledge and resources available to treat these types of cases. Do you have health insurance? If so will it cover the program that you have chosen? If not can you afford to pay the cost? These are important questions to ask. Some of the most effective treatment programs can run tens of thousands of dollars a month. On the other hand just because a program costs this much that does not make it the most effective.
