Consumption Of Psychotropic Substances Research Articles

Problematic Use of Video Games, Social Media, and Alcohol: Associations with Mother-Child Relationship

Introduction: According to current concepts of developmental tasks, both the use of digital media and the consumption of psychotropic substances are age-typical challenges for adolescents. The majority overcomes these developmental tasks, but a substantial proportion of youth develops problematic usage patterns (e.g., of video games) or problematic consumption behavior (e.g., of alcohol). Empirical findings show the importance of family aspects for these problematic behavior patterns. Currently, it is not clear which specific areas of parent-child relationship are associated in each case and whether there are differences between substance-related and substance-unrelated problematic behavioral patterns. Methods: We surveyed 480 adolescents (45.2% females, mean age = 16.84 years) with standardized instruments regarding the mother-child relationship as well as problematic gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic alcohol use. We conducted correlation and multiple linear regression analyses (separately for problematic gaming, problematic social media use, and problematic alcohol use) as well as a multivariate multiple regression analysis. Results: In the regression analyses, more conflicts with the mother were related to all three behavioral patterns. However, lower cohesion was only statistically significantly associated with problematic alcohol use, but not with problematic gaming and problematic social media use, whereas lower autonomy and more frequent punishment of the child were statistically significantly related to problematic gaming and problematic social media use, but not to problematic alcohol use. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings indicate partially different relational dynamics for substance-related and substance-unrelated problem behaviors (interestingly, for cohesion and autonomy, the 95% confidence intervals of the standardized regression coefficients were not overlapping). The results of the present study could be used in family-based prevention approaches or in treatments in the clinical setting.

OPULATION AT DANGER ZONE: ANALYSIS OF YOUTH CONSUMPTION OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES IN APAPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT, LAGOS STATE

Consumption of substances constitutes a health problem, especially among youth globally. Substances become a problem when they are consumed against professionals’ advice. Thus, this study analyses youth involvement in the consumption of psychotropic substances in Apapa Local Government, Lagos State. The study focused on the following objectives: to determine the predisposing factors to the harmful consumption of psychotropic substances; find out the types of psychotropic substances commonly consumed; examine the health problems associated with harmful consumption of psychotropic substances by the youths in Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State. The Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for the subject matter. A qualitative narrative research design with the use of an in-depth interview guide was employed to gain insight and understanding about the experiences of thirty-two (32) psychotropic users, who were selected from across six wards of the study area through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Findings revealed that lack of parental supervision; availability of drugs; and the need to gather extra energy to work for long hours, among others were largely responsible for harmful consumption of the substances. The various types of psychotropic substances consumed by youths in the study area include cannabis [popularly known as Indian hemp], alcohol, tramadol and codeine. The study further reveals that the youth involvement in harmful consumption of psychotropic substances had made them suffer health challenges, such as chronic cough, weight loss, tooth decay, bad breath, dry mouth and throat and headache. The study concludes that harmful consumption of psychotropic substances exposes youth to terminal illnesses and premature deaths. The study therefore recommends that treatment programs such as counselling, medication and other behavioural therapies should be readily available and be effective in attending to the multiple needs of addicted psychotropic users’ problems to mitigate their involvement in the consumption of the psychotropic substances.

Self-care of Consumption of Psychotropic Substances in Nursing Student

Self-care of Consumption of Psychotropic Substances in Nursing Student

Factores psicosociales que intervienen en el consumo de sustancias psicotrópicas en adolescentes

<p><strong>Objetivo: </strong>identificar los factores psicosociales que intervienen en el consumo de sustancias psicotrópicas en adolescentes adscritos a la Unidad de Medicina Familiar (umf) no. 31, del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (imss), de la Ciudad de México. Métodos: estudio de casos y controles, participaron 66 adolescentes de diez a diecinueve años de edad. Se realizó muestreo no probabilístico, por conveniencia. Se formaron dos grupos pareados por edad, 33 para el grupo de casos (consumidores) y 33 para el grupo de control (no consumidores). Se utilizó el test de posit breve <em>(Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers)</em> para identificar riesgo de consumo de sustancias psicotrópicas en adolescentes y la escala de Hamilton para identificar depresión y su relación con el consumo de sustancias psicotrópicas. La participación fue voluntaria, se protegió la identidad de los participantes mediante el anonimato. El análisis estadístico se llevó a cabo mediante el programa spss V. 20. Se analizaron la mediana y rangos intercuartílicos para las variables cuantitativas y razón de momios (rm) y <span>χ</span>2 para las variables cualitativas. <strong>Resultados: </strong>la mediana de edad fue de dieciocho años para los controles y de diecinueve años para los casos. El alcohol fue la sustancia más consumida con 32 casos (97%), seguida de la marihuana con seis casos (18.2%). Se encontró que los pacientes con depresión presentaron mayor riesgo para el consumo de marihuana, rm de 2.857 (p=0.246, ic 0.464-17.583), y menor riesgo para el consumo de alcohol, rm de 0.900 (p=0.124, ic 0.732-1.107). <strong>Conclusión: </strong>se determinó que la depresión es un factor que influye en el consumo sustancias psicotrópicas, su detección oportuna puede prevenir el surgimiento de daños físicos y sociales que impactan en la salud de los adolescentes.</p>

Cross – Sectional Research: Consumption of psychotropic substances in Psychology service patients´ of the Health Center No. 1 of Azogues, 2017

INTRODUCCION : El consumo de sustancias psicotropicas de manera continua actuan sobre el sistema nervioso central, estimulando o deprimiendolo. Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la prevalencia del consumo de sustancias psicotropicas en pacientes que acuden al servicio de Psicologia, establecer cuales son los psicotropicos que se consumen, su frecuencia, su asociacion con edad y sexo e identificar riesgo. METODOS: Se trata de un estudio transversal, con un universo de 1182 pacientes, obtenidos del registro diario automatizado de consultas y atenciones medicas ambulatorias del Ministerio de Salud Publica, que midio la prevalencia del consumo de psicotropicos en el area de Psicologia del centro de salud No 1 de Azogues – Ecuador, durante el ano 2017. Se utilizo la clasificacion internacional de enfermedades 10 para los respectivos diagnosticos y se tabulo en los programas estadisticos SPSS version 22 y EPIDAT 3.1. RESULTADOS: El 52.2 % eran hombres, la media de edad fue de 26 anos. Se establecio una prevalencia de 9 % para el consumo de sustancias psicotropicas. Los psicotropicos mas consumidos fueron: alcohol (3.6 %), cannabinoides (2.9 %) y multiples drogas (1.8 %), teniendo mas frecuencia de consumo, el sexo masculino (15.4 % frente a 1.9 % del femenino) y en el grupo etario de 10 - 19 anos con un 13.9 %, seguido de los de 20 – 29 anos con 11.1%. El uso nocivo tuvo una prevalencia de 57.55 %, la dependencia 34.9 % y la abstinencia un 7.55 %. CONCLUSIONES: Existe asociacion estadistica entre el consumo y las variables sexo y edad (ambas P: 0.000). El sexo masculino y ser adolescente/joven (10 – 29 anos) constituyen factores de riesgo para el consumo de sustancias psicotropicas (RP 7.9; LC: 4.2 – 14.6 y RP 2.5; LC: 1.6 – 3.7 respectivamente). PALABRAS CLAVES: PSICOTROPICOS, EFECTOS DE DROGAS, TOXICIDAD, DROGAS ILICITAS, DETECCION DE ABUSO DE SUSTANCIAS, TRASTORNOS RELACIONADOS CON SUSTANCIAS.

Ante Mortem Cranial Trepanation in the Late Bronze Age in Western Siberia

AbstractWe report a case study of cranial trepanation in a male subject 30 to 40 years of age from the Nefteprovod II burial ground in the Anzhevsk archeological site. This burial dates back to the Late Bronze Age, in particular the Karasuk culture located in the Minusinsk Basin on the Yenisei River and on the upper reaches of the Ob River. The left parietal bone had an opening with evident signs of bone healing, as well as signs of inflammatory reaction from both bone plates of the calvarium. The strongest signs of inflammation were located around the trepanation opening at the exocranium, suggesting that it occurred after, rather than before, the operation.Although trepanation was the main cause for the development of the changes noted in the preceding texts, there are no reasons to believe that the subject died from complications arising from infection after trepanation. The patient survived and later died for reasons that may never be determined. Medical necessity was the most likely justification for trepanation. Immersion in altered states of consciousness may also have been a necessary part of the trepanation process as a mode of sedation, along with other shamanic practices, such as consumption of psychotropic substances or ecstatic dance. These data, together with reports of other ante mortem burials, raised questions about the application of anaesthesia and possible techniques of cranial trepanation. These issues and possible postoperative complications are discussed in the following text. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Use of Medicines from the Group of Benzodiazepines in the Period of 2003-2013 Year in the Republic of Macedonia

AIM:The aim of this study was to analyze the use of benzodiazepines in the period of 2003-2013 year in the Republic of Macedonia (MKD).METHOD:The study was cross sectional and analyzes the available data on the use of benzodiazepines in the country. This study used several sources of data: Statistical Reports of the United Nations regarding the consumption of psychotropic substances; data from the Ministry of Health associated with the use of benzodiazepines (BZD), derived from reports of Ministry of Health stakeholders; Data extracted from the database of the Ministry of Health in the electronic database “My term” and Analysis of reports of Health Insurance Fund.RESULTS:The analysis for the period 2003-2013 showed that the most consumed drug in MKD from the group of BZD is Diazepam, with 54.8 and predominantly is use of diazepam of 5 mg with 59 %. According to the Health Insurance Fund, Diazepam is second most prescribed medicaments of all medicaments with marketing authorization in MKD.CONCLUSIONS:The analysis shows that the use of BZD in MKD is particularly high. Limited number of studies was performed for this kind of drugs relating to their effects; differences in use between genders; adult population. There is need for additional focused research that will contribute to developing a full picture of the situation.

Neuer Präventionsansatz zur Vermeidung und Reduzierung von Suchtmittelkonsum in Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit

The Sozialdienst Katholischer Frauen e. V. and Sozialdienst Katholischer Manner e. V. as well as the German Institute for Addiction and Prevention Research (Catholic University of Applied Sciences, NRW) cooperate within this pilot project to reduce the consumption of psychotropic substances – especially alcohol and tobacco – among women during pregnancy and the breast feeding period. To reach the objectives of this project the access to specific counselling and treatment services will be optimized by building up an innovative tandem structure of pregnancy and addiction counselling services and by using the existing resources and structures. Particularly the involvement of the counselling services for pregnant women with their low thresholds of access will be used to enable affected women the reachability of the addiction specific counselling and treatment services. Simultaneously the efficiency of the intervention methods Motivational Interviewing and SKOLL (self-control training for responsible dealing with addictive substances) on pregnant women will be investigated. Concerning the systemic perspective the offer of target group specific services will be widen by counselling services for relatives and post-natal courses for strengthening the mother and child relationship as well as their competences of education. Results of the process- and outcome-evaluation will be available in 2012.

Community support, perceived quality of the physical environment and relations between young people and adults

This contribution presents the first results of an extensive research programme aimed at understanding the reasons behind the heavy consumption of alcohol and drugs. Starting from a socio-psychological perspective, the research group planned and conducted over 40 focus groups of young people and adults. All focus groups were subjected to a qualitative content analysis with the specific objective of identifying differences and analogies in the representations concerning specific areas: relationship and communicative processes, problems faced by young people, resources and opportunities in the surrounding environment and community, knowledge and consumption of psychotropic substances. The most significant findings are related to the importance of the physical environment and the lack of opportunities and social support, which are often expressed in the difficulty of making helping behaviours more spontaneous and in the limited use of social capital as a form of implicit cooperation and as a meeting point for the resources available within the community.

Typical and atypical psyhotropic substances detected during July 2009 - March 2011 in the Forensic Department of Sibiu County

Acknowledging the major medical, social and juridical impact of illegal consumption of psychotropic substances, we undertook a retrospective observational analysis of the toxicological findings of our forensic department, regarding 118 intoxications with atypical psychiatric manifestations. We included in our study the GC-MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry) analysis of urine and other biological samples; rapid tests were used in order to do the screening for major drugs. We examined the manner in which these examinations were solicited (officially, by medical or by personal request), their distribution in terms of sex and age and the number of positive (toxicologically confirmed) cases. The latter were furthermore examined with regard to the substances that were found (grouped in three categories: medication, major drugs or “ethno botanical” substances) and to sex and age distribution. The toxicological evaluation was mainly solicited in situations of medical or psychiatric emergency (72.9%); in only 17.8% of the cases there was an official demand (DIICOT, Traffic Police Department). We noted the prevalence of males (sex ratio 3.37) and of young persons (69.5% were between 16 and 30 of age). Although finding these substances is not an easy task (we had positive results in only 52 cases – 44.07%), this becomes possible when a highly specific method such as GC-MS is used. Thus we found even atypical (“ethno botanical”) substances (9 cases – 7.63%), some of them banned by Romanian law (pyrovalerone, piperonal, fenproporex, methamphetamine derivates, phenmetrazine, phendimetrazine, cathinone, pipradrol), others not yet included in the list of banned substances in Romania (such as prolintane or sibutramine), even though their pshychoactive effects are well documented. We also found major drugs in 14 cases (11.86%): 13 cases with THC (one in association with cocaine) and one single case of MDMA (Ecstasy). Among the 29 cases (24.58%) with medication as toxicological finding, we noted a high frequency of metamizole (14 cases) and also of phenobarbital, mianserine, piracetam and metaxalone. For the positive (toxicologically confirmed) cases we noticed a high prevalence of males (38 cases – 73.08%; reaching 100% for major drugs); their ages were between 13 and 37 years (73.08% of the cases between 16 and 30 years). Our analysis led to the conclusion that further prospective studies are needed in order to correlate the atypical psychiatric manifestations encountered in these intoxications with rigorous toxicological findings that can shed a light upon their etiology. The ideal place to develop such studies seems to be the medical/psychiatric emergency room – the first point of contact with this kind of cases.

Antenatal environmental stress and maturation of the breathing control, experimental data

The nervous respiratory system undergoes postnatal maturation and yet still must be functional at birth. Any antenatal suboptimal environment could upset either its building prenatally and/or its maturation after birth. Here, we would like to briefly summarize some of the major stresses leading to clinical postnatal respiratory dysfunction that can occur during pregnancy, we then relate them to experimental models that have been developed in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms implicated in the respiratory dysfunctions observed in neonatal care units. Four sections are aimed to review our current knowledge based on experimental data. The first will deal with the metabolic factors such as oxygen and glucose, the second with consumption of psychotropic substances (nicotine, cocaine, alcohol, morphine, cannabis and caffeine), the third with psychoactive molecules commonly consumed by pregnant women within a therapeutic context and/or delivered to premature neonates in critical care units (benzodiazepine, caffeine). In the fourth section, we take into account care protocols involving extended maternal-infant separation due to isolation in incubators. The effects of this stress potentially adds to those previously described.

Psychosocial stress, demoralization and the consumption of tobacco, alcohol and medical drugs by veterinarians

BackgroundIn this cross-sectional study the association between psychosocial stress, demoralization and the consumption of psychotropic substances in veterinarians was examined using data from a sample of 1,060 subjects (52.7% response).MethodsMultiple logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors for psychosocial stress, demoralization, tobacco consumption (≹ 10 items/day), high-risk alcohol consumption (men > 20 g pure alcohol/day, women > 10 g pure alcohol/day), binge drinking, problem drinking according to CAGE and regular medical drug intake (at least weekly).ResultsIntense psychosocial stress is a risk factor for binge drinking and for regular drug use. High demoralization values are associated with tobacco consumption, problem drinking and regular drug intake. The probability of a high demoralization value increased with intense psychosocial stress.Practicing veterinarians are more frequently affected by psychosocial stress and have a greater risk of alcohol or drug consumption than veterinarians working in a non-clinical area of work (e.g. Department of Veterinary Services, Industry).ConclusionThe findings support the hypothesis of complex interrelationships between psychosocial stress, demoralization and the consumption of psychotropic substances in the veterinary profession and underscore the need of further research.

Increasing use of stimulants warns of potential abuse

SIR — Your Editorial ‘Defining natural’ (Nature452, 665–666; 2008) indicates that cognitive-enhancing drugs have only mild effects similar to caffeine, and the News story ‘Poll results: look who's doping’ (Nature452, 674–675; 2008) highlights the general increase in availability through Internet purchase and possibly diversion of prescriptions of the cognitive enhancers. However, by far the most frequently prescribed of these — the stimulant medications amphetamine and methylphenidate — have abuse potential and warrant particular concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) tracks by country the yearly production, supply and consumption of psychotropic substances, including stimulant drugs. The most recent figures suggest to us that diversion of methylphenidate and amphetamine may be increasing in the United States. From 1995 to 2006, consumption estimates by the WHO and prescriptions recorded by the healthcare information company Verispan®-One National have both increased linearly. Moreover, the relative increase in the WHO estimates of consumption (268.9%), from 4.66 to 17.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 population, during this decade far exceeded the relative increase in number of prescriptions per year, from 15,044,359 to 30,137,136 (100.3%). The greater increase in consumption could be related to a shift in the age of individuals treated for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, as more adults are now seeking diagnosis and treatment. This could influence debate over whether some prescriptions for clinical treatment of adults are being appropriated instead for performance enhancement or recreational purposes. History teaches us that either of these could escalate into misuse. We have serious concerns that the dramatic increase in national consumption and the smaller, but still large, increase in annual prescriptions of stimulant medications could be signalling possible diversaion, and should make us vigilant to avoid a potential repeat of past episodes of potential abuse.

Les Jeux de Hasard et D'argent Chez Les Adolescents et Adolescentes en Difficulté

A number of studies have established that adolescents are attracted to games of chance and gambling, and have confirmed that excessive gambling is not a phenomenon of adulthood alone. In Quebec, the proportion of high school students who are struggling with gambling problems is estimated at 2.6% (Ladouceur, Boudreault, Jacques, & Vitaro, 1999). So far, few researchers have studied adolescent populations that are at greater risk of developing gambling problems. The present study was carried out among 104 adolescents in difficulty, ranging in age from 12 to 19 and served by the Centre jeunesse de Québec. It assesses the prevalence of excessive gambling and the problems associated with it. The results indicate that 92.3% of adolescents had bet at least once during the previous year and 40.4% bet every week. The prevalence of excessive gambling was established at 7.7%. Girls were found to gamble as frequently as boys and to experience as many gambling problems. In addition, habitual gambling was found to be associated with the consumption of psychotropic substances, delinquent behaviour and school absenteeism. The discussion puts the results obtained in perspective and emphasizes the need for establishing gambling prevention programs among at-risk youth.

The prevalence of psychoactive drug intake in a metropolitan population.

Together with a survey conducted among the population of Vienna on the prevalence of hypertension, the consumption of psychotropic substances was investigated. In cooperation with a polling institute a quota-sample of 1,470 Viennese over 15 were visited in their homes by 50 physicians trained in interview techniques. The quota-sample comprised 1,470 people (0.959(0/00) of the population of 1,531,346 inhabitants) and was representative in terms of age, sex, social status, and area of residence. The overall prevalence of psychoactive drug consumption among the inhibitants of Vienna investigated was found to be 6.8%. The female to male ratio was 3.5 to 1. Furthermore, psychoactive drug use increased with age and was influenced by social status, with the highest consumption rate found among divorced women and widows. Using the Goldberg "General Health Questionnaire", data were collected on the presence of psychopathologic symptoms and the responders' subjective feeling of being under stress was elicited. A significant correlation could be shown between these two factors and the use of psychoactive drugs. The type of drugs most frequently used were tranquilizers (4.96%), followed by antidepressants (0.95%) and hypnotics (0.88%).