Moderate Alcohol Consumption Predicts Tobacco Use And Illicit Drug Abuse: Implications For Health Screening

ABSTRACTBackgroundDSM-IV criteria for illicit drug abuse and dependence are largely based on criteria developed for alcohol use disorders and there is a lack of research evidence on the psychometric properties of these symptoms when applied to illicit drugs.MethodThis study utilizes data on abuse/dependence criteria for cannabis, cocaine, stimulants, sedatives, tranquilizers, opiates, hallucinogens and inhalants from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC, n=43 093). Analyses included factor analysis to explore the dimensionality of illicit drug abuse and dependence criteria, calculation of item difficulty and discrimination within an item response framework and a descriptive analysis of ‘diagnostic orphans’: individuals meeting criteria for 1–2 dependence symptoms but not abuse. Rates of psychiatric disorders were compared across groups.ResultsResults favor a uni-dimensional construct for abuse/dependence on each of the eight drug classes. Factor loadings, item difficulty and discrimination were remarkably consistent across drug categories. For each drug category, between 29% and 51% of all individuals meeting criteria for at least one symptom did not receive a formal diagnosis of either abuse or dependence and were therefore classified as ‘orphans’. Mean rates of disorder in these individuals suggested that illicit drug use disorders may be more adequately described along a spectrum of severity.ConclusionsWhile there were remarkable similarities across categories of illicit drugs, consideration of item difficulty suggested that some alterations to DSM regarding the relevant severity of specific abuse and dependence criteria may be warranted.

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Neuropathological Alterations in Illicit Drug Abuse

Academic Forensic Pathology ◽

10.23907/2012.035 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 235-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andreas Büttner

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Illicit Drug Abuse

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Total hip arthroplasty following illicit drug abuse

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery ◽

10.1007/s00402-018-2980-3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 138 (10) ◽

pp. 1353-1358 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tim Ramczykowski ◽

Christiane Kruppa ◽

Thomas Armin Schildhauer ◽

Marcel Dudda

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Total Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Total Hip ◽

Illicit Drug Abuse

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Collaborative Representation of Statistically Independent Filters’ Response: An Application to Face Recognition Under Illicit Drug Abuse Alterations

Image Analysis - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-59129-2_38 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 448-458

Author(s):

Raghavendra Ramachandra ◽

Kiran Raja ◽

Sushma Venkatesh ◽

Christoph Busch

Keyword(s):

Face Recognition ◽

Drug Abuse ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Collaborative Representation ◽

Illicit Drug Abuse

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772 Examining sleep difficulties and suicide ideation among those reporting abuse and dependence on illicit drugs and alcohol

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.769 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A300-A301

Author(s):

Rebecca Robbins ◽

Ralph J DiClimente ◽

Matthew Weaver ◽

Catherine Di Gangi ◽

Isabel Chalem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Drug Abuse ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Sleep Disturbance ◽

Suicidal Behavior ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Drugs And Alcohol ◽

Illicit Drug Abuse ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbance is associated with poor mental health and may contribute to initiating or continuing use/abuse of alcohol and drugs. Using data from a nationwide survey, we examined the relationship between sleep disturbance and suicide behaviors among youth and adults, including those who report drug/alcohol use and abuse. Methods We analyzed data from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey collecting information about the use of illicit drugs and alcohol among non-institutionalized U.S. youth (age 12–17) and adults (age>17). The 2018 survey included 9,398 youth and 43,026 adult respondents. Depression was assessed in adults with the Kessler-6 and in youth with several questions assessing psychological distress. Those who scored at risk for psychological distress were also asked about sleep disturbance and suicidal behaviors (i.e., ideation, planning, attempt). All were asked to report their drug/alcohol use and/or abuse. Our study population included those who reported psychological distress. We conducted binary logistic regression to examine the relationship between suicidal behavior and sleep disturbance in this population. We also conducted sub-analyses to explore the relationship between suicidal behavior and sleep disturbance among those reporting drug/alcohol use and abuse. Results Youth were 29% male and 71% female, adults were 36% male and 64% female. Adult participants, 39% were 18 to 25, 22% were 26 to 34, and 39% were age 35 and older. Among those with psychological distress, suicidal behavior was more likely among those who reported sleep disturbance (youth: OR=2.7, 95%CI:1.8–4.0; adults: OR=1.3, 95%CI:1.2–1.5). Also, among those with psychological distress, suicidal behavior was more likely among those who reported concomitant sleep disturbance and either alcohol abuse/alcoholism (youth: OR:3.3, 95%CI:1.6–7.0; adults: OR=1.4, 95%CI:1.1–1.7); illicit drug abuse (youth: OR=3.5, 95%CI:1.6–7.4; adults: OR=1.3, 95%CI:1.0–1.6); or alcohol and illicit drug abuse (youth: OR=3.2, 95%CI:1.5–6.9; adults: OR=1.4, 95%CI:1.1–1.7). Conclusion Youth and adults with psychological distress and sleep disturbance are more likely to also report suicidal behaviors. Alcohol and drug use or abuse increase their risk for suicidal behavior compared to those who do not report sleep disturbance. Future work should include examination of causality and of interventions. Support (if any) NIH K24-HL105664, P01-AG009975, T32-HL007901, K01HL150339, 1R56HL151637

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