scholarly journals The Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Treatment Gap: A National Study of Substance Use Disorder Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117822182090415
Author(s):  
Ingrid Amalia Havnes ◽  
Marie Lindvik Jørstad ◽  
Jim McVeigh ◽  
Marie-Claire Van Hout ◽  
Astrid Bjørnebekk

Background: Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use is associated with serious mental and physical health problems. Evidence indicates that AAS use among people who use psychoactive substances is higher than in the general population. This study aims to estimate lifetime AAS use among patients in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, compare characteristics of AAS and non-AAS users and identify whether AAS use was addressed during treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included 563 (142 women, 24.2%) patients in 38 SUD treatment facilities in Norway. Respondents reported on AAS and substance use, and treatment experiences. Results: Lifetime AAS use was reported by 156 (28.3%) SUD patients, thereof 35.6% of the men and 8.0% of the women. Lifetime AAS use was highest among men with stimulants (55.8%) as preferred substance, and lowest among men who preferred alcohol (14.6%). Initiation of AAS use due to getting thinner following substance use was reported by 44.5% of the AAS using men. AAS users reported more severe substance use than non-AAS users. More than half (58%) of all patients had not been asked about AAS use, and 42.4% of those who were asked, experienced that treatment providers lacked expertise about AAS. Conclusion: Lifetime AAS use in this sample of SUD patients is common practice and comprise an underrecognized problem in SUD treatment. Given the deleterious implications to the individual and society that concomitant use of AAS may cause, it would be essential to raise the awareness about AAS use among SUD patients, and the level of competence among health professionals.

Author(s):  
Eze U. Chikezie ◽  
Ikenna D. Ebuenyi ◽  
Erefagha Leonardo P. Allagoa ◽  
Ifeoma N. Onyeka

Abstract Objective Substance use disorder (SUD) is a global concern. Evidence from high-income countries suggests that SUD training for psychiatry residents is less than optimal but it is unknown whether the situation is different in low-/middle-income settings. This study assessed psychiatry residents’ perception of their SUD training. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among general psychiatry residents in Nigeria from November 2018 to May 2019. Data were collected through self-completion of an English-language questionnaire with multiple-choice and open-ended questions administered face-to-face and online. Results A total of 51 participants completed the questionnaire, mean age 33.6 years and 76.5% men. Most participants (70.6%) expressed interest in addiction psychiatry, and 47.1% perceived their SUD training as inadequate. When asked to rate satisfaction with the SUD training they have received so far, 52.9% were unsatisfied, and the absence of in-house SUD training (29.4%) was the leading cause of dissatisfaction. For those who were satisfied, the most common reasons were availability of SUD training and treatment-related factors (31.4%). The most frequent suggestions for making addiction psychiatry subspecialty attractive to psychiatry residents were provision of SUD treatment units, structured SUD training, and continuity of such training. Equipping existing SUD treatment units and creating more treatment units were the most common suggestions for improving current SUD training. Conclusion This study demonstrated a high level of interest in addiction psychiatry, but satisfaction with SUD training was mixed. Addressing causes of dissatisfaction and areas suggested for improvement would be necessary to sustain interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlan Xie ◽  
Ping Fang ◽  
Zhihao Zhang ◽  
Ronglei Luo ◽  
Bibing Dai

Previous studies have shown that the behavioral inhibition/activation systems (BIS/BAS) have substantial effects on substance use disorder and emotional disorders, and substance use disorder and emotional disorders often occur; in particular, females with substance use disorder are more likely to also have serious emotional disorders including depression than their male counterparts. However, the associations between the BIS/BAS and depression in females with substance use disorder have received little attention. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of these relations are largely unknown. The present study examines the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and anhedonia in the associations between the BIS/BAS and depression among females with substance use disorder from the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework. A total of 303 females with substance use disorder from a compulsory substance abuse detention center were tested using a cross-sectional survey involving BIS/BAS Scales, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The path analysis model revealed that both the BIS and BAS had a direct effect on depression, that the BIS had an indirect effect on depression through intolerance of uncertainty, and that the BAS had an indirect effect on depression via anhedonia. These findings contribute to a more thorough understanding of how the BIS/BAS influence depression among females with substance use disorder and suggest that the utility of targeting these associations in treatments would help reduce depression in females with substance use disorder.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Brigo ◽  
Simona Lattanzi ◽  
Giorgia Giussani ◽  
Laura Tassi ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.


Author(s):  
Vikneswaran Sabramani ◽  
Idayu Badilla Idris ◽  
Halim Ismail ◽  
Thiyagar Nadarajaw ◽  
Ezarina Zakaria ◽  
...  

Adolescents involved in bullying can be at risk of developing behavioural problems, physical health problems and suicidal ideation. In view of this, a quantitative research design using a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bullying and associated individual, peer, family and school factors. The study involved 4469 Malaysian public-school students who made up the response rate of 89.4%. The students were selected using a randomized multilevel sampling method. The study found that 79.1% of student respondents were involved in bullying as perpetrators (14.4%), victims (16.3%), or bully–victims (48.4%). In a multivariate analysis, the individual domain showed a significant association between students’ bullying involvement and age (OR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.12–1.70), gender (OR = 1.73; 95% CI 1.47–0.91), ethnicity (OR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.47–0.91), duration of time spent on social media during the weekends (OR = 1.43; 95% CI 1.09–1.87) and psychological distress level (OR = 2.55; 95% CI 1.94–3.34). In the peer domain, the significantly associated factors were the number of peers (OR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.56–0.86) and frequency of quarrels or fights with peers (OR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.24–3.26). Among the items in the school domain, the significantly associated factors were students being mischievous in classrooms (OR = 1.52; 95% CI 1.06–2.06), student’s affection towards their teachers (OR = 1.53; 95% CI 1.06–2.20), frequency of appraisal from teachers (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.16–1.94), frequency of friends being helpful in classrooms (OR = 1.92; 95% CI 1.09–3.38) and frequency of deliberately skipping class (OR = 2.91; 95% CI 2.90–1.72). As a conclusion, the study revealed high levels and widespread bullying involvement among students in Malaysia. As such, timely bullying preventions and interventions are essential, especially in terms of enhancing their mental health capacity, which substantially influences the reduction in the prevalence rates of bullying involvement among students in Malaysia.


2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart D M Thomas ◽  
Mairead Dolan ◽  
Jenny Shaw ◽  
Samantha Thomas ◽  
Graham Thornicroft ◽  
...  

Historically, a substantial proportion of women have been unduly detained in conditions of high security in England due to the lack of suitable alternative facilities. There have been no studies that have comprehensively examined the individual needs of these women in relation to their placement needs. A cross sectional survey was undertaken of the individual and placement needs of all females detained in the three high security psychiatric hospitals (HSPHs) in England on 18th October 1999. Whilst there are clearly differences in accommodation needs among the women, those requiring lower secure services are significantly less likely to have needs in relation to violence (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.14-0.62) and drugs (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12-0.67) when length of stay is taken into account. They also have lower security, treatment and dependency needs than women still requiring HSPH treatment. A significant reorganisation of services is required. There is a need to gain further understanding of the relationships between traumatic histories, clinical presentation and antisocial behaviour and how these impact on assessed risk, treatment and care needs and outcome. The special needs of these women should be considered a priority when developing treatment and care packages.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Curtis ◽  
Brandon Bergman ◽  
Austin Brown ◽  
Jessica McDaniel ◽  
Kristen Harper ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Research suggests that digital recovery support services (D-RSSs) may help support individual recovery and augment the availability of in-person supports. Previous studies highlight the use of D-RSSs in supporting individuals in recovery from substance use but have yet to examine the use of D-RSSs in supporting a combination of behavioral health disorders, including substance use, mental health, and trauma. Similarly, few studies on D-RSSs have evaluated gender-specific supports or integrated communities, which may be helpful to women and individuals recovering from behavioral health disorders. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to evaluate the SHE RECOVERS (SR) recovery community, with the following 3 aims: (1) to characterize the women who engage in SR (including demographics and recovery-related characteristics), (2) describe the ways and frequency in which participants engage with SR, and (3) examine the perception of benefit derived from engagement with SR. METHODS This study used a cross-sectional survey to examine the characteristics of SR participants. Analysis of variance and chi-square tests, as well as univariate logistic regressions, were used to explore each aim. RESULTS Participants (N=729, mean age 46.83 years; 685/729, 94% Caucasian) reported being in recovery from a variety of conditions, although the most frequent nonexclusive disorder was substance use (86.40%, n=630). Participants had an average length in recovery (LIR) of 6.14 years (SD 7.87), with most having between 1 and 5 years (n=300). The most frequently reported recovery pathway was abstinence-based 12-step mutual aid (38.40%). Participants reported positive perceptions of benefit from SR participation, which did not vary by LIR or recovery pathway. Participants also had high rates of agreement, with SR having a positive impact on their lives, although this too did vary by recovery length and recovery pathway. Participants with 1 to 5 years of recovery used SR to connect with other women in recovery at higher rates, whereas those with less than 1 year used SR to ask for resources at higher rates, and those with 5 or more years used SR to provide support at higher rates. Lifetime engagement with specific supports of SR was also associated with LIR and recovery pathway. CONCLUSIONS Gender-specific and integrated D-RSSs are feasible and beneficial from the perspective of participants. D-RSSs also appear to provide support to a range of recovery typologies and pathways in an effective manner and may be a vital tool for expanding recovery supports for those lacking in access and availability because of geography, social determinants, or other barriers.


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