Article Excerpt: Mood disorders such as depression are known to increase drug abuse risk. Yet mounting evidence suggests that substance abuse also makes people more vulnerable to depression and the negative effects of stress, according to Eric J. Nestler, chair of neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/7a8tglh
Article Source: Scientific American
Article Excerpt: Research has long backed the therapeutic value of diary-keeping for teenage girls and boys. But according to a new study, when teenagers detail their woes onto a blog, the therapeutic value is even greater. Blogging, it seems, can be good for you.
Full article: http://tinyurl.com/d785a92
Article Source: The New York Times
Article Excerpt: At the end of last year the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) recently published an editorial that argues standards are sorely needed to help edify the growing number of mobile health and eHealth efficacy studies.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/89a4vac
Article Source: MobiHealthNews.com
Article Excerpt: A new resource, Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask, will help individuals and families struggling with addiction ask the right questions before choosing a drug treatment program. It was developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and is available to the public free online or in hard copy through NIDA’s DrugPubs service (see information below).
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/d4lonmf
Article Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Article Excerpt: The last decade has witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phones in the developing world, thus linking millions of previously unconnected people. The ubiquity of mobile phones, which allow for short message service (SMS), provides new and innovative opportunities for disease prevention efforts.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/bsfetk5
Article Source: Journal of Internet Medical Research
Article Excerpt: The average auto refractor–that clunky-looking device eye doctors use to pinpoint your prescription–weighs about 40 pounds, costs $10,000, and is virtually impossible to find in a rural village in the developing world. As a result, some half a billion people are living with vision problems, which make it tough to read and work.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/7e2zcx3
Article Source: FastCompany.com
Article Excerpt: Computer programs and applications for cell phones and other mobile devices are increasingly popular as tools for prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.
Full Article: http://tinyurl.com/1c2
Article Source: The Partnership at Drugfree.org
Stoops, W.W., Dallery, J., Fields, N.M., Nuzzo, P.A., Schoenberg, N.E., Martin, C.A., Casey, B., Wong, C.J. (2009). Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 105: 56-62.
Participants assigned to the Abstinence Contingency (AC) group were more likely to provide a negative sample and to achieve continuous abstinence, compared to the Yoked Control group. Results of this study show the feasibility and short-term efficacy of delivering reinforcement for smoking abstinence to rural populations over the Internet.
Ondersma, S.J., Svikis, D.S., Lam, P.K., Connors-Burge, V.S., Ledgerwood, D.M., Hopper, J.A. (2012). Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 14(3): 351-360.
A computer-delivered 5As-based (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) brief intervention increased abstinence during pregnancy, while low-intensity contingency management did not affect smoking. Findings of this pilot indicate that further fully powered trials of this approach may be merited.