Alcohol and mental health: policy and practice in England

People who have difficulties with alcohol and mental health are still not getting the help and support they need, according to a report published today by the Institute of Alcohol Studies and Centre for Mental Health.  Click here for further details.

Management of Infants born to Mothers who have used Opioids during Pregnancy

The incidence of infant opioid withdrawal has grown rapidly in many countries, including Canada, in the last decade, presenting significant health and early brain development concerns. Increased prenatal exposure to opioids reflects rising prescription opioid use as well as the presence of both illegal opiates and opioid-substitution therapies. Infants are at high risk for experiencing symptoms of abstinence or withdrawal that may require assessment and treatment.

This practice point focuses specifically on the effect(s) of opioid withdrawal and current management strategies in the care of infants born to mothers with opioid dependency.

NIHR Signal Harm reduction approaches predicted to reduce rates of new hepatitis C infection for people who inject drugs

A combination of providing clean needles and syringes and offering safer oral therapy, such as methadone, reduced the predicted risk of becoming infected with hepatitis C virus by 71%. Providing both services to people who inject drugs was likely to be cost-effective and has the potential to be cost-saving in some parts of the UK, depending on the size of the local population of people who inject drugs and underlying rates of infection.

Current services are estimated to save up to £54 million in costs of treating hepatitis C infection. This is in addition to the savings made from reducing the incidence of HIV infections. This study suggests that if such programmes are decommissioned, the number of new hepatitis C infections would at least double.

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Drug misuse and dependence: UK Guidelines on clinical management

This document updates and replaces the 2007 edition of Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management (DH & devolved administrations 2007) – hereafter referred to as the 2007 Clinical Guidelines. It has the same status across the UK as the 2007 Clinical Guidelines.

People with co-occurring conditions: commission and provide services

This guidance from Public Health England supports local areas to commission timely and effective responses for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol or drug use conditions.

Depression among young teens linked to cannabis use at 18

A study looking at the cumulative effects of depression in youth, found that young people with chronic or severe forms of depression were at elevated risk for developing a problem with cannabis in later adolescence.

Marijuana and vulnerability to psychosis

Going from an occasional user of marijuana to a weekly or daily user increases an adolescent's risk of having recurrent psychotic-like experiences by 159%, according to a new Canadian study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study also reports effects of marijuana use on cognitive development and shows that the link between marijuana use and psychotic-like experiences is best explained by emerging symptoms of depression.

What can the UK learn from Finland's approach to mental health?

An online therapy service for depression, anxiety and substance misuse is cheap and effective and could provide inspiration for the NHS

Aggression disorder linked to greater risk of substance abuse

People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) -- a condition marked by frequent physical or verbal outbursts -- are at five times greater risk for abusing substances such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana than those who don't display frequent aggressive behavior, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.

Government funds school resource for drug and alcohol prevention

Public Health England announces new funding to expand Mentor UK’s ADEPIS resource into more schools and community settings.

The programme helps equip young people with the life skills and resilience to deal with the challenges they face with alcohol and drugs.

Aggression Disorder May Up Risk of Substance Abuse

A new study finds that people with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) are at five times greater risk of abusing substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana than those who don’t display frequent aggressive behavior.

IED is described as a condition marked by frequent physical or verbal outbursts.

Researchers from the University of Chicago analyzed data from more than 9,200 subjects in the National Comorbidity Survey, a national survey of mental health in the United States. They found that as the severity of aggressive behavior increased, so did levels of daily and weekly substance use.

Statistics on Drugs Misuse

This statistical report presents a range of information on drug use by adults and children drawn together from a variety of sources. It focuses on England only where possible although some statistics are only readily available at GB or UK level or for England and Wales combined.   Some of this is new information whilst some has been published previously.

Drug and mental health admissions highest for a decade

More patients are being admitted to hospital in England for drug-related mental health issues or poisoning than at any time in the past 10 years.

Official figures reveal 15,074 cases of people in hospital with illicit drug poisoning in 2015-16, 51% more than 2005-06.

Mental health issues had drugs as a cause in 81,904 cases.

Public health experts say falling investment in drug treatment services may explain the rise.

Five nations health and justice collaboration: psychoactive substances

This statement outlines how the European drug marketplace has become increasingly complex with an increasing number of new substances available alongside more established drugs and diverted medications.

The Five Nations Health and Justice Collaboration has been sharing increasing reports of NPS use in prisons across the five nations and their impact, not only on the health of the individual but also the prison regime, which has led to it to make this collective statement.

Health matters: preventing drug misuse deaths

This professional resource outlines how providers and commissioners can prevent deaths from drug abuse.

Drug misuse prevention: targeted interventions

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

This guideline highlights the role that local authorities can play in targeting people who use drugs or are at risk from doing so. It argues that local authorities can work together with gyms, nightclubs, festivals, sexual health services and supported accommodation for homeless people to make clear the support services and advice that are available.

• Guideline
• Press release

Better Beginnings: Improving Health For Pregnancy

This themed review from the NIHR brings together NIHR research on different aspects of health before, during and after pregnancy. It features published studies, ongoing studies or interim results and questions for clinicians, commissioners, public health professionals and others.

Reward-Based Therapy Can Be Helpful for Alcohol Abuse

New research suggests that offering rewards can be an effective, low-cost treatment for alcohol abuse. The findings are important as alcohol abuse is the nation’s third leading preventable cause of death.

Researchers at Washington State University studied Seattle-area participants with serious mental illness — a population whose lifespan is estimated to be 20-25 years shorter than the average person’s.

The reward-based intervention provided simple prizes for addiction treatment attendance and negative urine test results for alcohol use.

A surprise benefit of the treatment was that it also decreased study participants’ tobacco and drug use.

Prescription Drug Misuse Among Youth a Global Concern

Prescribing drugs to those in need while simultaneously curbing nonmedical use of these same drugs may be one of the world’s most difficult challenges, according to a perspective article published in the journal World Psychiatry.

Nonmedical prescription drug use is defined as using without a prescription or for reasons other than what the medication is intended for. It is a global problem primarily driven by the increasing nonmedical use of prescription opioids among young people.

Delaying Pot Smoking Better for Teens’ Brains

The more teenagers delay smoking marijuana until they’re older, the better it is for their brains, according to new research.

The Université de Montréal study also suggests there may be little ill effect if they start after age 17.

Teens who smoke pot as early as 14 do worse by age 20 on some cognitive tests and drop out of school at a higher rate than non-smokers, according to the study, published in Development and Psychopathology, a Cambridge University Press journal.