Claire Mokrysz

Claire Mokrysz
Claire is a PhD student in the field of Mental Health at University College London. She holds a degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Neuropsychology. Her research interests are broad across the field of mental health, with a particular focus on addiction and substance misuse. Through her research Claire hopes to contribute to better therapeutic options for people with substance dependence problems. Claire has also worked as a support worker in brain injury rehabilitation services and in supported living services for adults with learning difficulties.

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Brief interventions for substance misuse in primary care

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Claire Mokrysz
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Claire Mokrysz reports on two RCTs in JAMA that find no superiority over control for brief interventions for substance misuse in primary care. A finding that casts some doubt on interventions such as motivational interviewing for unhealthy drug use in primary care patients.

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Extended therapy with varenicline reduces rates of smoking relapse in people with serious mental health issues

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Claire Mokrysz
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People with serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia have higher rates of cigarette smoking than the general population, with estimates suggesting more than 50% are current smokers. When people in this population do manage to quit during treatment we then see particularly high rates of relapse after treatment ends. A new randomised control trial (Evins [read the full story…]

Review finds weak link between cannabis use and increased risk of developing depression

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Claire Mokrysz
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Cannabis is the second most commonly used recreational drug, after alcohol, in the UK. The number of regular users has risen considerably over the past decade, and this has been particularly apparent in the adolescent population. With this rise there have been concerns about the long term consequences of heavy cannabis use. Cannabis use has [read the full story…]

Patients with anxiety disorders are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and actions, says recent review

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Claire Mokrysz
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Suicidal thoughts and actions are typically discussed in relation to depression, but a number of studies have suggested suicide may also be linked to anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders often co-occur with depression, and this may be masking a risk of suicide specifically related to anxiety. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day so it seemed relevant [read the full story…]

Methadone for opioid detoxification as effective as other medications, but all have high relapse rates

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Claire Mokrysz
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Dependence on opiates (a group of drugs including heroin, morphine, and methadone) can be highly destructive for both the individual and for the people around them. Heroin addiction in particular is associated with major health risks, co-morbid mental health problems, and a wide-range of social issues. Attempting to stop opiate use leads to severe withdrawal [read the full story…]

Insufficient evidence to suggest that exercise has a treatment effect on the symptoms of anxiety disorder

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Claire Mokrysz
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Anxiety disorders are identified by NICE clinical guidelines as a common mental health issue. The term refers to a range of disorders including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder. The typical treatment plan consists of medication and/or psychotherapy, however NICE acknowledges that access to psychological [read the full story…]