Harry Sumnall considers a systematic narrative review, which looks at the individual, social and environmental influences that shape key phases in the amphetamine-like stimulant use trajectory
[read the full story...]“It doesn’t mean they aren’t after you”: sexual minorities and paranoia
Sarah Carr explores a recent cross-sectional study on sexual minority status and symptoms of psychosis, which looks at the role of bullying, discrimination, social support and drug use.
[read the full story...]Can contingency management help people with psychosis give up cannabis? The CIRCLE trial
Ian Hamilton summarises the recently published CIRCLE trial, which looks at the clinical and cost-effectiveness of contingency management for cannabis use in early psychosis.
[read the full story...]Can a ‘personalised psychosocial toolbox’ help people reduce ‘on-top’ drug use during opioid substitution treatment?
Vicky Carlisle summarises a promising recent RCT on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an adjunctive personalised psychosocial intervention in treatment-resistant maintenance opioid agonist therapy.
[read the full story...]Prevalence of comorbid personality disorder and alcohol use disorder
People diagnosed with “personality disorders” are likely to also experience alcohol problems.
Dean Connolly summarises a recent systematic review that confirms the very high prevalence of comorbid personality disorders and alcohol use disorders.
[read the full story...]Self-harm in older adults: a forgotten group?
Karen Birnie, Haridha Pandian and Derek Tracy summarise a recent systematic review in the British Journal of Psychiatry on self-harm in older adults.
[read the full story...]Can smoking cessation improve cognitive functioning in people with psychosis?
Dafni Katsampa explores a recent prospective cohort study that investigates the association between smoking behaviour and cognitive functioning in patients with psychosis, their siblings and healthy control subjects.
[read the full story...]Lifestyle training for schizophrenia: STEPWISE fails to make a difference
Ben Janaway writes his debut elf blog on the STEPWISE RCT which is out today in the British Journal of Psychiatry: Structured lifestyle education for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and first-episode psychosis.
[read the full story...]A psychological victory for the domestic violence and abuse sector: the PATH trial
Emma Yapp summarises two new studies out yesterday looking at the PATH intervention (Psychological Advocacy Towards Healing), a CBT-informed psychological intervention delivered by trained domestic violence and abuse (DVA) advocates in specialist services.
[read the full story...]Victims of crime with mental illness: differences between Denmark and the US
Chris Millar writes his debut blog on a recent paper that explores the link between mental illness and being subjected to crime in Denmark and the United States. This blog asks: how much do poverty and the safety net matter? There are some important implications for policy makers.
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