Caffeine Withdrawal Syndrome Could Be New Medical Diagnosis

Changing the reference book doctors use to diagnose mental disorders changes has the effect of changing the way doctors practice medicine. The new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due to be published in 2013, may add new illnesses such as caffeine abuse disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, cannabis withdrawal syndrome, [...]

Patients in Psychotherapy Sometimes Rationalize Self-Medication

 Many drug addicts and alcoholics tell their therapists that using substances is their way of controlling their anxiety and mood disorders, or their distress over past sexual, physical or other abuse. They often say that using drugs makes them feel “normal.” Some research has indicated that certain kinds of drugs actually “travel” with certain kinds [...]

Comparing Substance Use in the United States and South Korea

In recent years there has been increasing research focusing on the brain functions related to reward and punishment, in the hope of identifying specific areas dedicated to addiction behaviors. However, equally important in the development of addiction are the social and environmental influences that can increase a person’s risk of developing a substance abuse problem. [...]

E-Cigarettes: Researchers Warn They’re Crude Nicotine Drug Delivery Systems

In the latest salvo over marketing of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, as they are commonly called, researchers at Schroeder Institute warn that e-cigarettes are little more than crude drug delivery systems for refined nicotine. Furthermore, e-cigarettes pose unknown risks with few new benefits to smokers, according to the researchers. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post [...]