Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich announced a new program last week that will enable children who have mental health and substance abuse issues to get better help. Called Illinois DocAssist, the consultation program helps primary care providers offer better treatment.

"Due to a shortage of child psychiatrists, many children who have special mental healthcare needs or who are battling substance abuse problems receive treatment not from psychiatrists but from pediatricians and family doctors. Through Illinois DocAssist, those providers will have access to consultations, the latest in educational tools, trainings and other resources..."

By making these resources available, the program will improve the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of psychiatric and substance abuse disorders by primary care physicians and pediatricians. Source: EMaxHealth

Labels: abuse, mental_health, treatment

Teenagers with bipolar disorder are eight times more likely to abuse substances than are teens with no mood disorders, according to a new study from Harvard University.

The study also found that teens who developed bipolar symptoms during adolescence - as opposed to those who exhibited signs earlier in childhood - are the most likely to smoke, drink, and abuse drugs.

Dr. Timothy Wilens, an associate professor of psychiatry, and his colleagues followed 105 teens with bipolar disorder and 98 who had no mood disorders from age 14 into adulthood. About 34 percent of the bipolar group abused drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, compared to only four percent in the control group.

"Bipolar disorder in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse," Dr. Wilens said. "[It is] as big a risk factor as juvenile delinquency."

He said the study indicates that more research should be done to determine if there is a "genetic switch" that activates both bipolar disorder and substance abuse during the teen years. Scientists also need to study the helpfulness of treating bipolar disorder, especially at key "intervention points," as a way to cut the risk of substance abuse, Wilens said.

This study appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Labels: bipolar, delinquency, mental_health

A study that appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry found that teenagers who use marijuana are at an increased risk for full-blown mental illnesses later in life. This study, the largest of its kind to date, included information gathered from more than 6,000 teenagers.

"Dr. Juoko Miettunen, who led the research at the University of Oulu in Finland, said the findings were significant because they demonstrated a link with psychosis at a very early stage of cannabis use."

Some of the symptoms that indicated of risk of psychosis included feeling like something strange was happening, feelings of paranoia, and difficulty controlling speed of thought. Source: Medical News Today

Labels: marijuana, mental_health, research

A study in South Africa may not appear relevant to those living in the United States. But some of the findings may raise red flags for officials in America.

"[South Africa's Medical Research Council] MRC discovered that the relationship between mental health and tik [methamphetamine] use also indicate societal reasons for tik's popularity in the Western Cape. 'Our initial findings seem to indicate that tik use in the Western Cape is most high where gangsterism is most engrained in the society... The communities tend to have a depressed mood and some use tik to alleviate it,' said senior MRC scientist Andreas Pluddemann."

A recently discovered mixture called 'sugars' has officials concerned as well. 'Sugars' is a highly addictive mixture of cocaine and heroin. The purity is often very low and may be mixed with rat poison to help the mixture pass into the bloodstream. Read more online.

Labels: cocaine, heroin, mental_health

German researchers have found that regularly smoking marijuana or hashish doubles the risk of developing schizophrenia, a severe mental illness.

Dr. Peter Falkai, reporting to the German Society of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology, found that marijuana consumption among those who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia advances the onset of the disease by about eight years.

Many mental diseases, including schizophrenia and bi-polar disease, usually first appear during adolescence.

The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment is the premiere residential treatment center to asses your child for a variety of conditions including: self harm propensity, depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.

Once the Aspen Institute conducts all of the assessments necessary they provide a fully integrated diagnostic and treatment program for your child. Learn more about The Aspen Institute of Behavioral Assessment online.

Labels: adolescence, mental_health, pot