Current opinion in psychiatry
-
The present review focuses on the co-occurrence of substance use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, with special attention to measurement and the role of violence as a contributor to the comorbidity. ⋯ Lack of consistency in terms of substance use classification and measurement of post-traumatic stress disorder across studies continues to hinder comparisons of rates of comorbid substance use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. More attention to the role of violence as a contributor to the comorbidity and its impact on treatment outcomes is warranted.
-
The present review focuses on the co-occurrence of substance use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, with special attention to measurement and the role of violence as a contributor to the comorbidity. ⋯ Lack of consistency in terms of substance use classification and measurement of post-traumatic stress disorder across studies continues to hinder comparisons of rates of comorbid substance use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. More attention to the role of violence as a contributor to the comorbidity and its impact on treatment outcomes is warranted.
-
The presentation of major depressive disorder is often complicated by the co-occurrence of substance use disorders, such as alcohol and illicit drug abuse or dependence. The article reviews the recent systematic research on the distinguishing baseline characteristics including demographic characteristics and the influence of family history, and clinical features such as depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation, and the outcome of treatment for depression in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and substance use disorders. The review also addresses the possible explanations cited in the literature as to why these two disorders tend to co-occur and the implications of the comorbidity of these illnesses on treatment. ⋯ Emerging results of recent studies comparing the outcome of major depressive disorder patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and substance use disorders suggest that there are fewer differential effects based on comorbidity than previously anticipated by older assumptions from smaller, less methodologically rigorous studies.
-
Curr Opin Psychiatry · Jan 2008
ReviewComplementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
There is well documented evidence for the increasing widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of physical and psychiatric symptoms and disorders within Western populations. Here we provide a review of the recent literature on evidence for using such interventions in the treatment of anxiety and depression. ⋯ The evidence base for the efficacy of the majority of complementary and alternative interventions used to treat anxiety and depression remains poor. Recent systematic reviews all point to a significant lack of methodologically rigorous studies within the field. This lack of evidence does not diminish the popularity of such interventions within the general Western population.
-
Curr Opin Psychiatry · May 2007
ReviewCannabis use and psychiatric and cogitive disorders: the chicken or the egg?
Cannabis is the world's most commonly used illicit drug. In this review, we consider the recent literature on the effects of cannabis on mental health and on cognition. ⋯ Further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of cannabis on mental health, but intervention strategies to help patients abstain should currently be implemented in psychiatric services, and public education campaigns should be directed at increasing awareness of the health risks of cannabis.