Natasha Clarke considers a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies, which looks at modifiable parenting factors associated with adolescent alcohol misuse.
[read the full story...]Personality disorders and alcohol treatment: is there any hope?
Ian Hamilton and Kelly Davies provide some optimism after reading a new systematic review about personality disorders and alcohol treatment outcomes.
[read the full story...]Alcohol use disorder and increased mortality
Matt Field summarises a recent Swedish longitudinal cohort study of alcohol use disorder and mortality across the lifespan. This study quantifies the environmental and genetic risk factors that contribute to increased mortality in people with alcohol use disorder.
[read the full story...]IAPT: does improved access lead to increased complexity?
Mark Smith presents the early findings of the PROMPT naturalistic cohort study, which looks at the clinical characteristics of patients assessed within an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service.
[read the full story...]Nalmefene for alcohol dependence: new evidence casts doubt over NICE recommendations
Matt Field presents new evidence on the risks and benefits of nalmefene in the treatment of adult alcohol dependence, which casts further doubt over the controversial recommendations made by NICE and the European Medicines Agency.
[read the full story...]Cannabis and mental illness: it’s complicated!
Suzi Gage considers the findings of a big new US cohort study, which investigates the relationship between cannabis use and various substance use, mood and anxiety disorders.
The blog also features a podcast interview with Suzi Gage talking about this new study and her own work in this field, plus a short conversation with Ian Hamilton highlighting his forthcoming #CannabisMatters event.
[read the full story...]Bariatric surgery can help improve depression, says new meta-analysis
Emily Stapley reports on a new JAMA meta-analysis, which finds that mental illnesses such as depression and binge eating disorder are common among patients seeking and undergoing bariatric surgery.
[read the full story...]Dry January = Wet February?
Natasha Clarke and Matt Field comment on a recent BMJ Head to Head discussion, which asks could campaigns like Dry January do more harm than good?
[read the full story...]Depression in patients with alcohol use disorders
Sally Adams summarises a recent meta-analysis of outcomes for independent and substance-induced disorders in people with depression and alcohol use disorders.
[read the full story...]Pharmacotherapy for anxiety and comorbid alcohol use disorders
Natasha Clarke summarises a recent Cochrane review of pharmacotherapy for anxiety and comorbid alcohol use disorders, which found only very low quality evidence about the effectiveness of medication (buspirone, paroxetine, sertraline) for treating patients with both conditions.
[read the full story...]