CrossCurrents - The Journal of Addiction and Mental Health articles from December 2003

CrossCurrents - The Journal of Addiction and Mental Health archives from December 2003

Note from the editor.(Editorial)
December 22, 2003... Mental illness has been around as long as civilization. History has witnessed various explanations for it, from an imbalance of bodily fluids to demonic possession. Long-ago treatments ranged from controlling patients by keeping them in chains...

OSDUS results released.(news from the Centre)(Ontario Student Drug Use Survey )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... During Drug Awareness Week, CAMH released the highly anticipated results of the 2003 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS). the longest ongoing study of adolescent drug use in Canada, This year's study showed that ecstasy use is down and...

CAMH launches new Web site.(news from the Centre)(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... CAMH unveiled its newly designed Web site on November 18. The new camh.net is an inviting, useful and informative site that has increased functionality and is searchable and easy to navigate. Much time and thought went into ensuring that the...

Information Centre opens its new home.(news from the Centre)(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... CAMH has opened the new location of its R. Samuel McLaughlin Information Centre at 219 Dufferin Street. Suite 3B, in Toronto. The centre provides up-to-date information on mental health and addiction problems, trends, facts. programs,...

Epigenetics lab opens.(news from the Centre)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... Thanks to a $1 million gift from the Krembil Family Foundation. and a $1 million operating grant from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation, CAMH will be on the loading edge of psychiatric epigenetics research The state-of-the-art Krembil Family...

Crosscurrents has new executive editor.(news from the Centre)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... I am pleased to announce that Dr. David Goldbloom is the new executive editor of crosscurrents. David, CAMH's former physician-in-chief, has also taken on the new role of senior medical advisor, Education and Public Affairs. We are thrilled...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
December 22, 2003... The article "New screening protocol promises to uncover often-overlooked abuse," which appeared in the Summer 2003 issue, suggests that "If Joanne's involvement had included screening she may have received more suitable treatment, and future...

Rural initiative addresses unique needs of concurrent disorders clients.(profile)
December 22, 2003... You've been in a car accident. Your leg is badly broken and you are suffering from whiplash. The ambulance wouldn't take you to one hospital for your leg and then drive you somewhere else for your neck injury. And it would be unheard of that...

A tale of two cities: lessons in addiction from Vancouver to Toronto.(news)
December 22, 2003... Is Toronto prepared to open a supervised injection site for drug users? That was the question on everyone's mind at the Toronto premiere of the controversial documentary, Fix: The Story of an Addicted City, in October. Fix depicts the...

Drug report underlines need for attention to gender issues.(news)
December 22, 2003... Data gathered by the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (CCENDU) for its 2002 national report reveal some disquieting differences between men and women in at least one of six data categories used by the monitoring group. While...

Other key findings from the CCENDU National Report.(news)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2003... Between 2000 and 2001, nearly three times as many males as females reported drinking five or more drinks on one occasion 12 or more times per year. Between 1996/97 and 1998/99, there was an overall increase in female and a decrease in male...

School-based intervention reduces PTSD symptoms.(research update)(Post-traumatic stress disorder)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) at school for students who have been exposed to violence may decrease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, according to research from RAND in Santa Monica, California. The study...

Heroin and methadone may work for treatment-resistant addiction.(research update)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Co-prescription of heroin to people with treatment-resistant addiction can help where methadone treatment alone fails, suggests a study from the Central Committee on the Treatment of Heroin Addicts in Utrecht, Netherlands. Two randomized,...

Homeless seniors' unique mental health needs require attention.(research update)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Older adults who are homeless have unique health needs and reasons for accessing shelters, according to researchers at the University of Toronto. The researchers conducted a combined literature search, demographic data collection and survey of...

ADHD may predict later substance use problems.(research update)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher risk of developing later substance use problems, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. Researchers interviewed 142 teens between age...

Panic related to smoking and nicotine dependence.(research update)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Smoking increases the risk of panic attacks and panic disorder, according to researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany. A four year follow-up survey of 3,021 youth between ages 14 and 24 found that panic attacks...

Bruised ego and broken heart trigger depression.(research update)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... Humiliation combined with loss can trigger depression more than loss alone, according to researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. The researchers inter viewed 7,322 adult twins, asking about stressful life events,...

Alcohol consumption linked to fatal accident rates in Canada.(research update)(Author Abstract)
December 22, 2003... A strong association exists between alcohol consumption and fatal accidents in Canada over the last 50 years, according to research from the University of Osle in Norway. Researchers examined annual mortality rates of people between age 15 and...

Beyond shame and blame: new approach needed for treating domestically violent men.(news)
December 22, 2003... Most of us are aware of the pervasiveness of domestic violence through media reports, television documentaries or direct experience. A 1999 study by Statistics Canada found that seven per cent of adults in Canada have experienced violence at...

What's in store for psychiatry? The future of psychiatry lies in revisiting the past.(focus)
December 22, 2003... Without exception, commentators who have ventured opinions about "the world 100 years from now" have made themselves ludicrous--and yes, they were only human. I accept a similar fate in exchange for the opportunity to comment on where the...

Where is the addiction field headed? The future of treatment in a drug-crazed world requires attitude shift.(focus)
December 22, 2003... When I was asked to write on the future of drug treatment, I was told there would also be a complementary piece on the future of psychiatry. These days, it's hard to talk about one without mentioning the other. The popular and graphic term...

Old treatments for new problems: medications for pathological gambling show promising future.(focus)
December 22, 2003... Sin City is what they call it. And if it's not being glamourized in movies such as Ocean's 11, Casino or one of television's newest cop shows, Las Vegas, gambling is seen just as an indulgence or, at its worst, a sin. For a long time, it was...

Real therapy ... virtually: simulated experiences promote actual results.(focus)
December 22, 2003... The Huey helicopter shakes and vibrates with the sound of enemy fire below as it touches down in a jungle clearing. Above the noise of its engine, you can hear frightened voices shouting and the loud crackle of mortar fire. Your task is to exit...

New hope for double trouble: dialectical behaviour therapy targets borderline personality and addiction.(focus)
December 22, 2003... Susan is what you'd call a straight shooter. She is a strong, smiling woman with salt and pepper hair, a frank manner and a throaty laugh that warms the chilly air. She easily offers instruction to her cafe staff--even on break, a manager is...

Neuroethics: a challenge for a new age.(Focus: q & a)(ethics of brain manipulation)
December 22, 2003... This Q&A is based on a recent lecture given by Zach W. Hall at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. Hall is senior associate dean for research at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. What...

Understanding and treating the pathological gambler.(Book Review)
December 22, 2003... THIS BOOK is an effort of grand scope. It addresses many gambling-related topics and is quite an ambitious endeavour, which yields mixed results. Stylistically, Understanding and Treating the Pathological Gambler is an easy read for the...

Internet trends: portals, partnerships and gateways.(downloaded)
December 22, 2003... The free-for-all, chaotic nature of the Internet seems to be declining as organizations move to using the Internet as a mainstream tool for communication, education, publishing and knowledge management. Public sector organizations with a...

Pay now or pay later: addressing one of the hidden costs of divestment.(the last word)
December 22, 2003... Nobody ever thought that divestment of provincial psychiatric hospitals in Ontario could risk the delicate balance that underlies our mental health legislation. But that is precisely what is happening. We need to understand the threat and take...

Conferences.(Calendar)
December 22, 2003... CANADA 4th The Early Years Conference--"Relationships" February 5-7, Vancouver, British Columbia Contact: University of British Columbia, Interprofessional Continuing Education, 105-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T...