The Latest News from Our Field

Treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder does not appear to help many young children, a new study concludes.

The maker of the sweet alcoholic drink Four Loko will put an “alcohol facts panel” on the back of cans containing more than two servings of alcohol, to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s charges of deceptive marketing.

Researchers at the University of Mississippi have developed a patch to deliver THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. They say it could be used to treat pain, glaucoma, and the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.

Veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome are often prescribed medications not supported by existing government guidelines, according to a new study. Most of these prescriptions are written by mental health care providers.

A task force of doctors, public health experts and social workers in Florida has released a report designed to combat the growing problem of babies born to mothers who are addicted to prescription drugs.

While extensive research exists on the effects of tobacco use in the general population, few studies focus on individuals with mental illnesses. Further research is needed to address tobacco cessation efforts in this underserved community, explains Legacy President and CEO Cheryl Healton

Teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are significantly more likely to have substance abuse issues and to smoke cigarettes, compared with their peers without a history of the disorder, according to a nationwide study.

A growing number of pets are being accidentally poisoned, and prescription medicines are largely to blame, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Depressive symptoms in problem drinkers often are the result of heavy alcohol intake, a new study suggests.

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill that would strengthen the nation’s mental health care system, and improve access in communities, according to The Washington Post. The bill would require about 2,000 federally qualified community behavioral health centers to provide substance abuse treatment and 24-hour care.

The Colorado legislature is gearing up to debate where to set the limit on how much marijuana can be in a person’s system before they are considered to be driving under the influence, according to The Denver Post.

A new report links acute kidney injury with use of synthetic marijuana. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say doctors should consider the possibility of synthetic marijuana use in young adult patients with negative urine drug screens who have acute kidney damage.

People view addiction to food in a less negative light than addiction to alcohol or tobacco, according to a study by researchers at Yale University.

Many doctors in the United Kingdom (U.K.) are reluctant to prescribe painkillers, CNN reports. Patients in the U.K. take less than half the pain medication consumed by American patients.

Over the past decade, America has experienced a rampant rise in the number of people addicted to prescription painkillers, heroin and other opioids. We truly face an epidemic, says Dr. Marvin Seppala of Hazelden.

Illegal street sales of take-home doses of liquid methadone, prescribed to treat opioid addiction, are on the rise, according to law enforcement officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

Relatives of patients who overdosed on painkillers told federal regulators Thursday they want changes on the labels of narcotic painkillers, The Wall Street Journal reports. Pain patients concerned such action could limit their access to the medications spoke against the proposed changes.

The percentage of teenagers who received substance abuse prevention messages from the media in the past year dropped from 83.2 percent in 2002, to 75.1 percent in 2011, according to a new government report.

Deaths caused by alcohol drop when minimum alcohol prices increase, a new study finds. Researchers in British Columbia found boosting the price of the cheapest alcohol by 10 percent led to a 32 percent drop in the drinking-related death rate, Reuters reports.

The ability to legally buy alcohol before age 21 is associated with an increased risk of binge drinking later in life, a new study suggests. The study included more than 39,000 people who started drinking in the 1970s, when some states allowed people as young as 18 to purchase alcohol.

For decades, patients in most psychiatric hospitals were allowed—even encouraged—to smoke. Now state and federal health officials are changing course, and banning smoking in a growing number of these facilities, according to The New York Times.

About 10 percent of young teens with mental illness frequently use alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana, a new Australian study suggests. This substance abuse pattern becomes more common as teenagers grow older.

A bond is growing between the fledging medical marijuana industry and labor unions, Reuters reports.

The rate of smoking for adults with some form of mental illness is 70 percent higher, compared with those without a mental health issue, according to a new government report.

Congressmen from Colorado and Oregon have proposed legislation that would weaken federal restrictions on marijuana, The Wall Street Journal reports. The proposals, which are likely to face stiff opposition, would begin to address the disparity between federal and state marijuana laws.