Intake Of Psychoactive Substances Research Articles

Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities in Children Associated with Maternal Use of Psychoactive Medication

Background: Due to its negative effects on the unborn child and the mother as a consumer, pregnant women's intake of psychoactive substances has become a public health concern. Additionally, consuming these chemicals has been linked to several neurological development changes in children, including behavioral issues (such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder), cognitive issues, and sensory and motor function changes. Objectives: To perform a thorough, comprehensive study of the neurodevelopmental problems in children linked to maternal drug use. Method: A search of the scientific literature on studies about neurodevelopmental abnormalities linked to maternal use of psychoactive medications during pregnancy and published in the previous ten years up to June 2022 was conducted from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Directory open access Journals. Results: The initial screening identified 380 articles. We excluded 50 unaccessible articles and 160 articles due to publication dates and study types; after that, 62 articles were also discarded because they were duplicates, and 68 were excluded because the information was irrelevant or systemic reviews, so we finally obtained 40 articles for full-text reading distributed as follows: 18 from PubMed, 12 from Directory Open Access Journal, and 10 from Google scholar

Suicidal Behavior and Club Drugs in Young Adults.

Psychoactive drugs play a significant role in suicidality when used for intentional overdose or, more frequently, when the intoxication leads to disinhibition and alterations in judgment, thereby making suicide more likely. In this study, we investigated suicidality prevalence among drug users and evaluated the differences in suicide ideation, taking into account the substance categories and the association of suicide ideation intensity with other psychiatric symptoms. Subjects admitted to the Can Misses Hospital’s psychiatry ward in Ibiza were recruited during summer openings of local nightclubs for four consecutive years starting in 2015. The main inclusion criterium was an intake of psychoactive substances during the previous 24 h. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was used to assess the suicide risk. Suicidality was present in 39% of the study cohort. Suicide Ideation Intensity overall and in the previous month was higher in users of opioids and in general of psychodepressors compared to psychostimulants or psychodysleptics. Suicidality was not correlated with alterations in any of the major psychopathological scales employed to assess the psychiatric background of the study subjects. The presence of high levels of suicidality did not specifically correlate with any major symptom indicative of previous or ongoing psychopathological alterations. These findings suggest that impulsivity and loss of self-control may be determinants of the increased suicidality irrespectively of any major ongoing psychiatric background.

Voluntary intake of psychoactive substances is regulated by the dopamine receptor Dop1R1 in Drosophila

Dysregulated motivation to consume psychoactive substances leads to addictive behaviors that often result in serious health consequences. Understanding the neuronal mechanisms that drive drug consumption is crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster offers a unique opportunity to approach this problem with a battery of sophisticated neurogenetic tools available, but how they consume these drugs remains largely unknown. Here, we examined drug self-administration behavior of Drosophila and the underlying neuronal mechanisms. We measured the preference of flies for five different psychoactive substances using a two-choice feeding assay and monitored its long-term changes. We found that flies show acute preference for ethanol and methamphetamine, but not for cocaine, caffeine or morphine. Repeated intake of ethanol, but not methamphetamine, increased over time. Preference for methamphetamine and the long-term escalation of ethanol preference required the dopamine receptor Dop1R1 in the mushroom body. The protein level of Dop1R1 increased after repeated intake of ethanol, but not methamphetamine, which correlates with the acquired preference. Genetic overexpression of Dop1R1 enhanced ethanol preference. These results reveal a striking diversity of response to individual drugs in the fly and the role of dopamine signaling and its plastic changes in controlling voluntary intake of drugs.

Prescription Drug Misuse in "Clubbers" and Disco Goers in Ibiza.

Background: Prescription drug misuse and its related risks are considered a worldwide public health issue. Current trends show that the extent of such phenomenon may not be limited to subjects with psychiatric disorders, as it also spreads to dance party and nightclub attendees, who often consume prescription drugs in combination with alcohol and psychoactive substances. This study aims to report the sociodemographic data and the psychiatric and clinical features of a sample of clubbers reporting prescription drugs use.Methods: Patients admitted to the psychiatry ward of the Can Misses Hospital in Ibiza were recruited for the study during a span of four consecutive years (2015–2018). The inclusion criteria were age 18–75 years old and the intake of psychoactive substances or more than five alcohol units during the previous 24 h. Substance use habits, psychopathological features, and use of unprescribed pharmaceuticals were investigated. Urine samples were collected and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.Results: A total of 110 subjects with psychoactive substance intoxication were recruited for the study. Among these, 37 (40%) disclosed the use of prescription drugs without medical supervision. The most common compounds were benzodiazepines (66%), antiepileptic drugs (8%), antidepressants (6%), opioids (6%), antipsychotics (6%), stimulants (6%), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, 2%). Prescription drug misuse was negatively associated with the use of psychodysleptics (two-tailed Fisher's exact test p = 0.018, ρ = −0.262).Conclusions: The use of prescription drugs is also common among clubbers, usually characterized by low propensity to be prescribed benzodiazepines, antipsychotics, or antidepressants. Prescription drugs may be an alternative to classic and novel psychoactive compounds or may be used to tamper and self-medicate the effects determined by the use of substances. Party goers should be adequately informed about possible risks of co-intake of psychoactive substances and prescription drugs to prevent serious medical and psychiatric consequences.

Suicide Death and the Action of Psychoactive Substances on the Body

This report deals with the possible causes of suicidal death, which is often caused by psychoactive substances. It is not about the impact that damages individual human organs, but about the action that causes changes in an individual’s psyche. Drugs that are taken for various reasons for a long time can cause dependence on them, and sometimes they also lead to the appearance of suicidal thoughts. The author, concerned about the situation of the increasing number of suicides in our country within the last two years, decided to write an article. Mainly, it is targeted at people who often do not realize the possibility of addiction to drugs, the so-called afterburners, alcohol or other psychological means of self-destruction. The case described in the article is aimed at making people aware that addictions take place in different environments, and that individuals with well-being can take their own lives for reasons only known to them. In order to prevent, or at least significantly reduce the number of cases associated with the intake of psychoactive substances, which may also contribute to taking one’s own life, preventive measures are necessary. One should make adults (mainly parents) aware of their unconscious impact on the emergence of addictions to toxic agents on both the physical and mental health of emotionally immature juveniles. The young generation may not see alternatives to a distant future, and it is the duty of those who are responsible for them to show them the sense in continuing their existence.

Prevalence and selected risk factors of suicidal ideation, suicidal tendencies and suicide attempts in young people aged 13-19 years.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of suicidal thoughts, tendencies and suicide attempts in young people. An attempt was also made to identify factors which, according to those young people, contributed to their suicide attempts. The study involved 5,685 individuals aged 13-19 years. The participants were surveyed using an inquiry form designed by the study authors. Suicidal behaviour in adolescents correlates with the female gender, intake of psychoactive substances, running away from home, being raised in a single-parent family, addiction of family members to alcohol, and experiences of violence. 1) Suicidal ideation was reported by 24.66%, suicidal plans - by 15.55%, and suicide attempts - by 4.37% of the adolescents studied. 2) Girls were significantly more likely to attempt suicide out of a sense of helplessness, loneliness, rejection and guilt, as well as conflicts with parents and peers. Boys were significantly more likely than girls to attempt suicide as a result of pressure from peers or cyber acquaintances. 3) Suicide attempts were significantly more common among girls than boys between the ages of 13-19, and significantly more common among young people living in urban areas than those living in the countryside. 4) Significantly more young people who reported suicidal thoughts and plans and suicide attempts than those not reporting such experiences were raised in single-parent families. 5) Compared with non-suicidal controls, young people who admitted to having suicidal thoughts and plans and to having attempted suicide, were significantly more likely to report alcohol abuse by parents and experiences of psychological and physical violence from family members.

THE LICANTHROPY: THE PSYCHO-NEUROLOGICAL AND SOMATIC ASPECTS

The review article considers syndrome of lycanthropy when patient considers oneself as an animal (more often as a wolf). The clinical picture of lycanthropy is typical for such mental diseases as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychotic depression. The lycanthropy can be developed against the background of dementia and epilepsy. In number of cases, concept of lycanthropy, especially in the past, was related with expressed hirsutism or severe congenital porphyria and also with diseases manifesting expressed changes of face (leprosy, syphilitic gumma). The lycanthropy can be developed after intake of psycho-active substances, in case of intoxication with vegetable alkaloid or against the background of alcohol abuse. Therefore, it is necessary to carry put a corresponding examination of patients to exclude neurological or somatic cause of this syndrome. The anti-psychotic medications, antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy and psychotherapy are applied for treatment in case when lycanthropy is caused by mental pathology.

Risk levels for suffering a traffic injury in primary health care. The LESIONAT* project

BackgroundLiterature shows that not only are traffic injuries due to accidents, but that there is also a correlation between different chronic conditions, the consumption of certain types of drugs, the intake of psychoactive substances and the self perception of risk (Health Belief Model) and the impact/incidence of traffic accidents. There are few studies on these aspects in primary health care.The objectives of our study are:Main aim: To outline the distribution of risk factors associated with Road Traffic Injuries (RTI) in a driving population assigned to a group of primary health care centres in Barcelona province.Secondly, we aim to study the distribution of diverse risk factors related to the possibility of suffering an RTI according to age, sex and population groups, to assess the relationship between these same risk factors and self risk perception for suffering an RTI, and to outline the association between the number of risk factors and the history of reported collisions.Methods/DesignDesign: Cross-sectional, multicentre study.Setting: 25 urban health care centres.Study population: Randomly selected sample of Spanish/Catalan speakers age 16 or above with a medical register in any of the 25 participating primary health care centres. N = 1540.Unit of study: Basic unit of care, consisting of a general practitioner and a nurse, both of whom caring for the same population (1,500 to 2,000 people per unit).Instruments of measurement: Data collection will be performed using a survey carried out by health professionals, who will use the clinical registers and the information reported by the patient during the visit to collect the baseline data: illnesses, medication intake, alcohol and psychoactive consumption, and self perception of risk.DiscussionWe expect to obtain a risk profile of the subjects in relation to RTI in the primary health care field, and to create a group for a prospective follow-up.Trial RegistrationClinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT00778440.