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Category: mental health

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Mental health

The Two Faces of Opioids: A Global Crisis of Access and Excess

In one part of the world, a mother watches her child suffer in agony from advanced cancer, unable to get the pain relief he desperately needs. In another, a man battles opioid addiction, his life unraveling due to a prescription he was given years ago. These are the two faces of the global opioid crisis—one […]

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Mental health

Understanding Overdose Spikes

Imagine you’re a public health official in Massachusetts. After weeks of routine overdose data reporting, a sudden spike in deaths hits your desk: an alarming five extra fatalities in just one day. What caused this? A bad batch of fentanyl? A sudden lapse in services? These are not just hypothetical questions. They highlight the challenges […]

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Mental health

Can Telehealth Bridge the Gap in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment? For Medicaid Patients, the Answer is Complicated

Imagine this: A single mother in Illinois struggles to balance work, childcare, and her battle with opioid use disorder (OUD). The COVID-19 pandemic, which upended daily life for millions, seems like it could provide a silver lining: telehealth services, offering remote access to essential treatment. But for her and many others on Medicaid, the promise […]

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Mental health

The High Stakes of Problem Gambling

A colleague and I were talking about an assessment process, and someone raised a good question. Are all types of gambling equal? That is, are problem gambling rates the same in BINGO halls as they are for sports betting apps. So we went to the literature and found a semi-recent study from Massachusetts that sheds […]

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Mental health

January 2025 Marks SAMHSA’s First Annual SUD Treatment Month

The start of a new year often inspires change, and this January, SAMHSA launches its first annual Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Month to emphasize hope, recovery, and action. Each week will focus on critical themes: This initiative highlights the importance of addressing substance use, exploring effective treatment options, and creating supportive communities. Tom Coderre, […]

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Mental health

What If We Could Predict the Perfect Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?

Imagine a future where every person struggling with opioid use disorder (OUD) could be matched with the treatment most likely to work for them—saving lives, reducing relapses, and offering hope to thousands of families. Achieving this vision has long been a challenge for clinicians, but researchers behind a groundbreaking study at the U, Columbia, and […]

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Mental health

A Closer Look at Gambling Harms and the Power of Peer Support

Imagine feeling trapped in a cycle where the harder you try to escape, the more stuck you become. For many people experiencing gambling-related harms, this cycle isn’t just about losing money—it’s also about the crushing weight of stigma. In fact, stigma can be just as harmful as the financial and emotional toll of gambling itself. […]

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Mental health

Firearm Storage Practices, Mental Health, and Suicide Risk Among Service Members

2021 marked a record high in firearm-related suicides in the U.S., with service members and veterans profoundly impacted by these numbers. Recent studies have spotlighted the connection between firearm ownership, mental health, and unsecured storage practices within military communities. These findings are more than just statistics—they highlight real, actionable insights that can inform suicide prevention […]

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Mental health

How Fantasy Worlds and Authenticity Shape Adolescent Media Preferences

In a world where screens dominate almost every facet of adolescent life, the 2024 Teens and Screens report offers an insightful look into how American teens and young adults navigate the ever-expanding universe of digital media. From the rise of fantasy content to their desire for more authentic portrayals in media, this report sheds light […]

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