Latest news with #substanceuse
Medscape
23-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Clinicians Must Focus on Substance Use Screening in Youths?
Although most clinicians caring for youths aged 17 years or younger reported screening for substance use disorders, many did not do so at every checkup, and 36.9% did not use a standardized screening tool — falling short of recommended screening practices. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey to describe screening practices for substance use disorders among clinicians caring for youths aged 17 years or younger in the United States. They included 1047 clinicians: 467 family physicians, 250 pediatricians, 132 internal medicine physicians, 107 nurse practitioners, and 91 physician assistants. The median duration of practice was 13 years. Participants were asked questions about delivering care to adolescents, focusing on substance use screening frequency and types of screening tools used. Concordance with the recommended screening practices set by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services was defined as screening at every checkup, regardless of purpose, using a screening tool. TAKEAWAY: A majority (56.9%) of clinicians reported screening for substance use disorders at every checkup; the proportion of clinicians who endorsed screening at every checkup was higher among pediatricians than among other specialists. Among the 43.1% of clinicians who reported not screening at every checkup, 29.7% endorsed screening at an initial visit, 34.2% endorsed screening at intermittent visits, 61.0% endorsed screening if concerns about risky behaviors existed or when a parent/guardian raised concerns, and 13.8% endorsed never screening for substance use disorders among adolescents. Among the clinicians who screened youths for substance use disorders, 36.9% did not use a screening tool. The use of screening tools was associated with greater odds of screening at every checkup (odds ratio, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.44-2.44). Only 39.3% of clinicians reported screening at every checkup using a screening tool in line with the recommended screening practices; only 30.7% of clinicians screened youths for substance use, provided brief interventions to those at risk, and referred individuals with more severe issues to appropriate treatment programs. IN PRACTICE: 'Identifying youths with SUDs [substance use disorders] and referring them to treatment remain crucial components to reduce substance use–related morbidity and mortality, including overdose,' the authors wrote. 'Screening offers opportunities for clinicians to engage in primary prevention of SUDs through anticipatory guidance, refer patients who use substances to appropriate care, and offer interventions to reduce adverse outcomes to all at-risk youth[s],' they added. SOURCE: This study was led by Kathleen Ragan-Burnett, MSPH, of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It was published online on May 20, 2025, in JAMA Network Open . LIMITATIONS: The results of this study may not apply to all clinicians because only those with a greater chance of responding were contacted first. There were limited details available about screening behaviors, including the motivations for and barriers to specific practices. DISCLOSURES: No sources of funding were reported in this study. The authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Girls and young women need better access to mental health care, StatCan report suggests
Social Sharing WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it. When Emma Bockner was eight, she was prescribed medication for ADHD. Then as a teen, she started experiencing problematic substance use. "There were a lot of things that happened in my childhood that left me with feelings of inadequacy," said Bockner, 26, who lives in Richmond Hill, Ont. She's survived emotional and sexual abuse, and struggled with an eating disorder. When Bockner graduated from high school, she saw her friends moving on with fulfilling lives, as she found herself with a part-time job, often sitting in her room alone, drinking and doing drugs. "It took me about six months to get into treatment, a couple of months to get into a group home," Bockner recalled. Waitlists for mental health and substance use services are one of the deterrents for girls and young women in Canada looking for professional help, a new report from Statistics Canada suggests. The report looked at access to mental health and substance use health supports among girls and women aged 15 to 29 using 2022 data, the most recent available. Of these girls and young women, nearly four in 10 met the criteria for at least one of generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, social phobia, or alcohol and substance dependence, said Kristyn Frank, a senior researcher with Statistics Canada's health analysis division in Ottawa. In comparison, fewer than two in 10 in Canada's general population met the criteria for a mental health or substance use disorder that same year, the report found. WATCH | Canada ranks 19th out of 36 countries in pediatric well-being, UNICEF says: Canada falls behind in child and youth well-being: UNICEF 7 days ago Duration 2:03 "There definitely is something going on with young women and girls in terms of mental health and substance use increasing during the pandemic," Frank said. Why mental health clinicians need better training There were demographic differences in how patients felt about their treatment, the report said. For example, it found that racialized girls and young women were more likely than their non-racialized peers to say they were unsatisfied with the care they received. Frank said other research suggests racialized groups experience mental health disorders related to feeling discriminated against or harassed. Dr. Monnica Williams, a clinical psychologist who holds the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health Disparities in Ottawa, agreed there can be challenges around the experience of being racialized that mental health-care clinicians need to understand. "If practitioners don't have good training in these areas, don't have that lived experience, maybe they haven't really even thought about how these things can be challenging, well, they're not going to be very helpful." Williams said research looking at psychologists in Ontario showed very few racialized members of the profession. She called for the pool of mental health clinicians to expand to meet the greater need, such as by speeding up the recognition of credentials for clinicians educated outside of Canada. Statistics Canada also reported that immigrant girls and young women were less likely than their counterparts born in Canada to have received medication. In contrast, Frank and her co-authors found lesbian and bisexual girls and young women with a mental health or substance use disorder were more likely than their heterosexual peers to say that the supports they had received helped "a lot." The data wasn't detailed enough for the researchers to dig into why. In the report, those who didn't seek help reported personal reasons, such as preferring to self-manage symptoms or being too busy. Other common reasons given included lack of affordable services, not knowing how or where to seek help and not having confidence in the health-care system. No waitlists at Quebec service Aire ouverte, or Open Air, is one service looking to help more young people access mental health services. The program, run out of Quebec, aims to connect with youth across the province — especially those who don't trust health and social services. "Our main goal is to have them reach help and that is why we removed all of the typical barriers to services like waitlists," said Catherine Labelle, a program manager and social worker at Open Air. "We have no waitlists." Open Air's services are free and offered anonymously. Patients don't need to show a provincial health insurance card, which makes the services accessible to international students, recent immigrants and out-of-province students. The report found that over half of girls and young women who had a mental health disorder said they went for professional help. It can be harder for young people to find what they're looking for because there are so many services in the system, said Dr. Jo Henderson, executive director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and scientific director at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. And while the report focused on young people who met the criteria for a diagnosable condition, she said, "we know that many young people are struggling in advance of experiencing something that would be diagnosable." Mental health services may also fail to deliver what teens and young adults need for where they are at developmentally, Henderson said. The data for the report was gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the findings could be anomalous, as more people were struggling with their mental health. Data for Indigenous identity also couldn't be released due to small sample sizes. Bockner, the woman from Richmond Hill, now shares her story as a public speaker. She's approaching six years of sobriety, is in recovery from her eating disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and is in university with the goal of becoming a social worker. "There are always ups and downs," Bockner said. "I'm at a place where I want to be present for those highs and lows, and when life gets life-y, knowing that I'm able to lean on other people" helps tremendously.
BreakingNews.ie
20-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Drinking, smoking and illict drug use falling among teens but rise in e-cigarettes and gambling
Drinking, smoking and the use of illicit drugs are falling among teenagers across Europe, including Ireland, but there is concern about the increase in use of e-cigarettes, gaming and gambling. The results of a major new survey on substance use by 15- to 16-year-old students across Europe also highlighted an increasing non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs as well as a noticeable increase in risky behaviours by girls across several areas. Advertisement The report published by the EU Drugs Agency is the eighth edition of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, which surveyed almost 114,000 students aged 15-16 across 37 European countries, including Ireland, last year. The study revealed that lifetime alcohol use among teenagers had steadily declined over the past 30 years from 88 per cent in 1995 to 74 per cent in 2024. In Ireland, the figure has gone from 91 per cent in 1995 to 67 per cent last year. Current alcohol use by Irish teenagers, which measures those who have consumed alcohol in the last 30 days, has reduced from 66 per cent in 1995 to 35 per cent in 2024 – one of the largest reductions across Europe. Advertisement The level of binge drinking – defined as five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the last 30 days – has also fallen from 32 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent last year. Across Europe, binge drinking is also at its lowest level in 30 years, at 30 per cent. The study shows a similar downward trend in relation to cigarette smoking against a background of tobacco policy measures introduced over the past two decades, with lifetime use by teenagers across Europe falling from 68 per cent in 1995 to 32 per cent in 2024. In Ireland, the decline over the same period has been one of the greatest reductions recorded in Europe, down from 73 per cent in 1995 to 31 per cent in 2019 and 24 per cent last year. Advertisement The proportion of Irish teenagers who said they had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days last year was 9 per cent, down from 14 per cent five years earlier and 41 per cent in 1995. In contrast, however, e-cigarette use is on the rise across Europe, with current use increasing from 14 per cent in 2019 to 22 per cent last year. In almost all countries, including Ireland, girls are more likely to use e-cigarettes. In Ireland, 18 per cent of girls tried e-cigarettes at the age of 13 or younger compared to 12 per cent of boys. Advertisement As with alcohol and tobacco products, the survey also confirms a decline in the use of illicit drugs among European teenagers. On average, 14 per cent of students aged 15-16 years in Europe reported having used an illicit drug at least once in their lives in 2024. The figure in Ireland is 13 per cent, which falls to 4 per cent if cannabis is excluded. In 2019, 20 per cent of Irish teenagers had admitted to lifetime illicit drug use, which decreased to 6 per cent when cannabis was excluded. Advertisement The proportion of Irish students who claim to have consumed cannabis in the past 30 days has almost halved over the space of five years, down from 9 per cent in 2019 to 5 per cent in 2024. The EUAD said the non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs is a growing concern, with lifetime use now at 14 per cent among teenagers across Europe. The problem is significantly less in Ireland, with just 3 per cent of students reporting such use. Girls are consistently more likely to take such drugs, with tranquilisers and sedatives the most frequently misused drugs, followed by painkillers and attention/hyperactivity medications. EUAD said the perceived ease of obtaining these substances, with one in five students saying tranquillisers are easy to access, 'underscores the need for targeted prevention and monitoring of prescription drug misuse among teens.' Although overall gambling rates have remained stable over the past decade, the study highlighted how online gambling by teenagers has risen sharply. In 2024, 29 per cent of teenagers in Ireland said they had gambled within the previous 12 months compared to 24 per cent in 2019. The average across Europe last year was 22 per cent. Boys are more active gamblers and are twice as likely to gamble online. Despite stricter gambling regulations, harmful gambling behaviours by European teenagers have nearly doubled to 9 per cent in 2024. The results of the survey also confirmed a surge in gaming by teenagers in recent years which is largely driven by the popularity of smartphones and tablets. In Ireland, 87 per cent of teenagers reported gaming in the previous 12 months in 2024 compared to 56 per cent in 2019. Boys consistently report higher gaming rates, although the gender gap is narrowing. Last year 93 per cent of male teenagers in Ireland said they were gaming as well as 80 per cent of teenage girls. Across Europe, 22 per cent of students believed they had a gaming problem while 47 per cent claimed their use of social media was problematic. The report also highlighted sharp gender differences in sense of well-being among Irish and European teenagers. According to the survey, 71 per cent of boys in Ireland reported good well-being with their mental health compared to 50 per cent of girls.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Study finds one in four children have a parent with a substance use disorder
A new study has revealed that a quarter of children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a substance use disorder. Researchers found that most parents with a substance use disorder abuse alcohol. Other substances most commonly named in the study included cannabis, cocaine, and prescription drugs. The study in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, published earlier this week, found that one in four children lived in such circumstances. Conclusions were drawn from data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is conducted annually by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services. This data is then analyzed alongside the DSM-5 — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, now in its fifth edition — used by mental health professionals as a guide for assessing and treating patients. The results found that 19 million children in the U.S. were living with a parent with a substance use disorder. Previous studies, including the most recent conducted in 2022, concluded that 7 million children lived in such circumstances, but the substantial increase is partially due to new criteria. Earlier studies used the now-outdated DSM-IV, NPR reports. The latest data also estimated how many children have a parent with moderate to severe substance abuse issues versus those who have a mild disorder. 'We also found that 7.6 million children live in a household with a parent that has either a moderate or severe substance use disorder,' said study author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health at the University of Michigan. Some 3.4 million children live with a parent with multiple substance use disorders, and 6 million have a parent with both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder. The study also found that the majority of the parents with a substance issue — 12 million — had alcohol use disorder, which, while more socially acceptable, points to a need to pay greater attention to the impact it has on children. Alcohol is the leading cause of substance-related deaths in the U.S., killing more people than opioids every year, though at a slower rate, as a chronic disease of the liver and a cause of cancer. Researchers believe the study is important because children whose parents have a substance use disorder are more likely to be at-risk for using substances earlier, and developing substance abuse and mental health disorders of their own. 'We know that over three-fourths of people with substance use disorders do not get treatment,' McCabe noted. 'And kids who are in households with parents who don't get help are much less likely to get help themselves. So I just think it's important for us who serve and provide care to children to understand what these numbers mean and also how we can design programs to meet these kids where they're at.' The future of SAMHSA is uncertain under a proposed restructuring by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, which would see it absorbed into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). This new office would consolidate five existing agencies, including those responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries. SAMHSA currently commands an $8 billion budget, employs over 700 staff, and was created by Congress in 1992. It is responsible for services including the 988 crisis line, naloxone distribution, and addiction treatment.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illinois teens say they drink nearly twice as much as U.S. average, survey finds
The Brief Teenagers from Illinois reported using alcohol at nearly twice the national rate, according to a new survey. About 13.7% of Illinois teens said they had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to 6.9% of teens nationwide. The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Teenagers in Illinois reported drinking at nearly twice the rate of their peers across the U.S., according to a recently released survey. About 13.7% of Illinois teens reported having consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days, compared to just 6.9% of U.S. teens as a whole, according to the 2024 Illinois Youth Survey. The survey was conducted by the Center for Prevention and Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. What we know While substance use among teens declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because of lockdowns and other restrictions, about 10% of Illinois eighth graders surveyed reported acquiring liquor through home delivery services, according to Doug Smith, the center's director and professor of social work at the university. "This is a newer trend that started when retailers moved to online delivery during the pandemic," Smith said. "It may be time to think about what regulatory approaches, if any, are needed to prevent kids from ordering alcohol online." By the numbers Among the teens from Illinois, 8% of high school seniors, 4% of sophomores, and 1% of eighth graders reported binge drinking, the report found. Overall, about 21% of eighth graders, 28% of 10th graders and 39% of 12th graders said they drank alcohol, used marijuana, sniffed glue or gases, or smoked e-cigarettes or other vaping products. Much smaller percentages, 1% of eighth and 10th graders and 2% of 12th graders, reported using ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin, or hallucinogens/LSD, the survey found. More than 90% of survey respondents said their parents or guardians had talked with them in the past year about their use of alcohol, marijuana, or tobacco, and more than 80% said their families had clear rules about using substances. The survey also found significant differences in the views of young people on daily alcohol use versus daily marijuana use. About 61% of 12th graders, 72% of sophomores, and 69% of eighth graders viewed regular marijuana use as "significantly harmful." Dig deeper The research was funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services' Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
