scholarly journals Substance use problem in Sudan: elephant in the room

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed El Mahi
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Aid Policy

Alcohol and cannabis were the two main substances of misuse among certain groups in Sudan, especially young adults. Over the past decade, there has been a surge in the use of other substances, including prescribed drugs, among young people and university students in particular. There are two major shortcomings: first, in the absence of reliable data, the extent of the problem is unknown; second, the preventive and treatment interventions so far being adopted are meagre. To describe the possible causes behind the escalation of this problem and to discuss applicable measures that need to be implemented to control this rapidly growing problem. The paper will highlight the current situation of substance use in Sudan, as well as suggesting preventive measures that need to be taken to curb this problem. Research and evidence-based preventive approaches are desperately needed to aid policy makers in controlling this problem. Culture-specific treatment interventions are also necessary. The implementation of a national substance misuse control strategy is of paramount importance.

scholarly journals Severe and enduring mental health problems within an established substance misuse treatment partnership

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 216-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Walsh ◽  
Alex Copello
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
The Past ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Effective Service

Aims and methodThe study reports findings of an investigation into the presence of severe and enduring mental health problems within the four statutory and non-statutory teams of an established substance misuse treatment partnership.ResultsOf a total of 772 clients in the four teams surveyed, 69 (8.9%) were identified as having severe and enduring mental health problems and problem substance use in the past 12 months. Alcohol was the most prevalent substance used by this predominantly male group. Different rates were found across the four teams, with higher numbers in the non-statutory teams. The clients displayed significant levels of self-harm and suicide risk and were responsible for 131 acute service contacts over the past 12 months.Clinical implicationsClients with severe and enduring mental health problems engaged with substance misuse services display high levels of complex need. It is important to identify the best and most effective service response to this group.

scholarly journals Impact of parents' substance misuse on children: an update

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Velleman ◽  
Lorna J. Templeton
Keyword(s):  
Protective Factors ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Protective Processes ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time

SummaryWe review how research over the past decade both supports existing knowledge about the risk factors that children in the UK affected by parental substance misuse face, and adds to our knowledge about the protective factors, protective processes and evidence of resilience which can reduce the likelihood that children will experience poor outcomes. Further research is needed to understand what areas of resilience are most important to target and how other variables, such as gender or age, may influence how protective factors affect the development of resilience. Longitudinal research is also needed to better understand how an individual's resilience may change over time. Finally, there remain many considerable challenges which practitioners, service providers, commissioners and policy makers face in better meeting the needs of this population of children.

scholarly journals Why policy needs history (and historians)

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 369-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Berridge
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Time History ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Direct Relevance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Evidence Based Policy ◽  
Fresh Starts ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractPolicy makers like the idea of new initiatives and fresh starts, unencumbered by, even actively overthrowing, what has been done in the past. At the same time, history can be pigeonholed as fusty and antiquarian, dealing with long past events of no relevance to the present. Academic historians are sometimes bound up in their own worlds. The debates central to academe may have little direct relevance to the immediate concerns of policy making. The paper argues that history, as the evidence-based discipline par excellence, is as relevant as other approaches to evidence-based policy making. Case studies can show us the nature of that relevance. How to achieve influence for history also needs discussion. The relationship is not straightforward and will vary according to time and place. History is an interpretative discipline, not just a collection of ‘facts’. The paper discusses how historians work and why it is important for policy makers to engage, not just with history, but with historians as well. Historians too need to think about the value of bringing their analysis into policy.

scholarly journals Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Other Substances During the First Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in Europe: a Survey on 36,000 European Substance Users

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Carolin Kilian ◽  
Sinclair Carr ◽  
Miroslav Bartak ◽  
Kim Bloomfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Substance Users ◽  
The Past ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Weighted Data

Abstract Background: SARS-CoV-2 reached Europe in early 2020 and disrupted the private and public life of its citizens, with potential implications for substance use. The objective of this study was to describe possible changes in substance use in the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe. Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional online survey of 36,538 adult substance users from 21 European countries conducted between April 24 and July 22 of 2020. Self-perceived changes in substance use were measured by asking respondents whether their use had decreased (slightly or substantially), increased (slightly or substantially), or not changed during the past month. The survey covered alcohol (frequency, quantity, and heavy episodic drinking occasions), tobacco, cannabis, and other illicit drug use. Sample weighted data were descriptively analysed and compared across substances. Results: Across all countries, use of all substances remained unchanged for around half of the respondents, while the remainder reported either a decrease or increase in their substance use. For alcohol use, overall, a larger proportion of respondents indicated a decrease than those reporting an increase. In contrast, more respondents reported increases in their tobacco and cannabis use during the previous month compared to those reporting decreased use. No distinct direction of change was reported for other substance use. Conclusions: Our findings suggest changes in use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis during the initial months of the pandemic in several European countries. This study offers initial insights into changes in substance use. Other data sources, such as sales statistics, should be used to corroborate these preliminary findings.

scholarly journals Use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other substances during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe: a survey on 36,000 European substance users

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Manthey ◽  
Carolin Kilian ◽  
Sinclair Carr ◽  
Miroslav Bartak ◽  
Kim Bloomfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Substance Users ◽  
The Past ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Weighted Data

AbstractBackgroundSARS-CoV-2 reached Europe in early 2020 and disrupted the private and public life of its citizens, with potential implications for substance use. The objective of this study was to describe possible changes in substance use in the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe.MethodsData were obtained from a cross-sectional online survey of 36,538 adult substance users from 21 European countries conducted between April 24 and July 22 of 2020. Self-perceived changes in substance use were measured by asking respondents whether their use had decreased (slightly or substantially), increased (slightly or substantially), or not changed during the past month. The survey covered alcohol (frequency, quantity, and heavy episodic drinking occasions), tobacco, cannabis, and other illicit drug use. Sample weighted data were descriptively analysed and compared across substances.ResultsAcross all countries, use of all substances remained unchanged for around half of the respondents, while the remainder reported either a decrease or increase in their substance use. For alcohol use, overall, a larger proportion of respondents indicated a decrease than those reporting an increase. In contrast, more respondents reported increases in their tobacco and cannabis use during the previous month compared to those reporting decreased use. No distinct direction of change was reported for other substance use.ConclusionsOur findings suggest changes in use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis during the initial months of the pandemic in several European countries. This study offers initial insights into changes in substance use. Other data sources, such as sales statistics, should be used to corroborate these preliminary findings.

scholarly journals Making predictive ecology more relevant to policy makers and practitioners

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1586) ◽  
pp. 322-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Sutherland ◽  
Robert P. Freckleton
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Model Data ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Social Models ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Horizon Scanning ◽  
Timely Fashion ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Aid Policy

One of the aims of ecology is to aid policy makers and practitioners through the development of testable predictions of relevance to society. Here, we argue that this capacity can be improved in three ways. Firstly, by thinking more clearly about the priority issues using a range of methods including horizon scanning, identifying policy gaps, identifying priority questions and using evidence-based conservation to identify knowledge gaps. Secondly, by linking ecological models with models of other systems, such as economic and social models. Thirdly, by considering alternative approaches to generate and model data that use, for example, discrete or categorical states to model ecological systems. We particularly highlight that models are essential for making predictions. However, a key to the limitation in their use is the degree to which ecologists are able to communicate results to policy makers in a clear, useful and timely fashion.

Substance Use Disorders

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Need For Treatment ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us ◽  
Evidence Based Treatments ◽  
Behavioral Therapies ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
Lay Public

Over the past few years there has been an increased interest in the identification and treatment of substance use disorders, due at least in part to the widespread drug overdose epidemic. Clinicians and the lay public have gained a greater understanding of the need for treatment of substance use disorders and the consequences of avoiding treatment. In addition, there has been a growing understanding of substance use disorders as medical or mental health disorders, rather than as character flaws or merely illegal activities. This book builds on this nascent understanding and presents epidemiology, basic science, and treatment from the perspective of a clinician who wants to gain the knowledge and background needed to work with this patient population. The overall theme of the book is to discuss evidence-based rather than anecdotal or unproved treatments. Section I begins with the epidemiology, etiology, and neurobiology of substance use disorders, including preclinical data. Section II discusses pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders, focusing on medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Section III focuses on other evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, including behavioral therapies, and ends with potential future treatments.

scholarly journals Advances in the treatment of substance use disorder in Cyprus

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-63
Author(s):  
Lampros Samartzis
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Addiction Psychiatry ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reduction Approach

Addiction psychiatry is a relatively new field in Cyprus. This paper presents the advances in the treatment of substance use disorders in the country in the past three decades. These advances have included increased availability of services, increased accessibility, the development of a modern biopsychosocial harm-reduction approach and evidence-based pharmacological treatments.

Increasing Adoption and Use of Evidence- Based Substance Use Screenings in Schools

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Evans ◽  
J. R. Koch ◽  
C. Brady ◽  
P. Meszaros ◽  
J. Sadler
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Evidence Based
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