Thursday, June 17, 2004

Recovery Month Will Highlight Success of Drug Treatment: Report Shows Many Need Treatment for Substance Abuse
SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today unveiled a new kit and other materials to be used as part of the 15th annual Recovery Month celebrations in September, as well as a new state report showing that overall 2.7 percent of persons 12 and older nationwide needed, but did not receive treatment for an illicit drug problem; and 7.3 percent needed but did not receive treatment for an alcohol problem. Recovery Month spotlights the need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and recovery, and honors both those in recovery and treatment providers..." See also the Recovery Month web site and the report, State Estimates of Persons Needing But Not Receiving Substance Abuse Treatment (available in both HTML and Adobe Acrobat formats) and related materials at the Office of Applied Studies web site.  
  

Drug Firms Trying to Make Painkillers Less Abusable
June 13 Washington Post story - "Millions of Americans suffer from intense but poorly treated pain that could be helped by today's broad array of morphine-based prescription painkillers. Millions of others abuse prescription narcotics, using them to get high rather than to ease pain, and many become addicted. This dilemma -- that legal painkillers are both under-used and abused -- has become a pressing issue since the introduction in the mid-1990s of the extended-release opioid OxyContin. The drug has provided enormous relief to many pain sufferers and could help many more, but it has also become a drug of choice for many addicts, who promptly discovered how to disable the extended-release aspect of the drug to get high on the enhanced dose. With the problem now clearly identified, dozens of researchers have embarked on a difficult and high-stakes race to find ways to keep the benefits of prescription painkillers available to pain sufferers while eliminating or reducing the possibility for abuse..." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]  
  

Communities around state start teen mental health screening programs (Pennsylvania)
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader story on a 10-minute computer-assisted survey that "... could identify students who need further evaluation for depression, anxiety, substance abuse and other problems ... Based on the success of the university's TeenScreen Program at sites around the country, including in Erie, program organizers hope to expand into more high schools and recreational programs. The program is meant to identify teenagers who need a more detailed assessment. The survey asks a variety of questions about mental well-being, including how feelings of anxiety impair daily activities. Students also answers questions about suicide attempts, alcohol and drug use."