This editorial addresses the following documents published in this and a previous edition of the SAMJ:The Central Drug Authority (CDA)'s position paper on cannabisThe CDA's position paper on harm reductionThe CDA's response to the editorial 'Comment on the CDA's position statement on cannabis'. As there is considerable overlap between the contents of the above documents, this editorial tries to...

Harm reduction psychotherapy is an exciting and emerging treatment for a broad spectrum of substance use problems. This article introduces an issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session devoted to the state of the art of harm reduction psychotherapy. We describe the harm reduction paradigm, the context for and history of the development of harm reduction psychotherapy, and its clini...

For the past several years a numerous studies in the field of forensic psychiatry confirmed a close relationship between violent offenders and comorbid substance abuse. The comorbid substance abuse in violent offenders was usually unrecognized and misdiagnosed. Furthermore, comorbidity in forensic psychiatry describes the co-occurrence of two or more conditions or psychiatric disorder known in ...

CONTEXT The prevalence of medical disorders is high among substance abuse patients, yet medical services are seldom provided in coordination with substance abuse treatment. OBJECTIVE To examine differences in treatment outcomes and costs between integrated and independent models of medical and substance abuse care as well as the effect of integrated care in a subgroup of patients with substan...

conclusions lower agreeableness, decreased conscientiousness, higher neuroticism, diminished openness, low socio-economic status, and male sex might make university students more inclined to substance abuse. thus, it is reasonable to show the importance of these factors in tailored prevention programs. results being male sex and neuroticism had a significant positive role in predicting positive...

BACKGROUND The suicide rate in Scotland is twice as high as that in England. However, the prevalence of self-harm is unknown. AIMS To determine the prevalence of self-harm in adolescents in Scotland and the factors associated with it. METHOD A total of 2008 pupils aged 15-16 years completed an anonymous lifestyle and coping survey. Information was obtained on demographic characteristics, li...

The use and abuse of psychoactive substances are not unique to our country or century. People used hallucinogenic plants to achieve altered states of consciousness in prehistoric times, and psychoactive substances have been used in all eras and cultures. As Osler remarked, “The desire to take medicine is, perhaps, the great feature which distinguishes man from other animals.” The human cost of ...

To the Editor:—We read with interest the review article Addiction and Substance Abuse in Anesthesiology by Bryson and Silverstein and the companion editorial by Berge et al. While the former is an excellent overview, the authors inaccurately state that “outcomes have not appreciably changed” for anesthesiologists treated for substance abuse and the emergent role of state Physician Health Progra...

A growing body of research within the acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies suggests that these treatments may function in part by reducing or eliminating (i.e., decoupling) the normative relationships between internal experiences and other internal/overt behavior. Examples of decoupling effects found in this review include reduced relationships between urges to smoke and smoking behavior,...