Journal of psychoactive drugs最新文献

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and other minoritized populations are insufficiently represented in research on therapeutic psychedelics. This research was a phenomenological qualitative exploration of a culturally diverse (Hispanic, African American, Asian, Native American, biracial, or LGBTQIA+) and low-income sample of 15 individuals receiving ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) at a sliding-scale fee community clinic. Participants were interviewed after a ketamine session, after a ketamine integration session, and one month later. The interviews inquired about mental and emotional state prior to treatment and the treatment context (traditionally called set and setting), preparation for treatment, experiences during the ketamine and integration sessions, barriers to treatment, perceived stigma if any, reflections on KAPs' impact, and relevance of culture to the treatment. The current analysis, which focuses on participant comments related to diversity, equity, and inclusion that are uniquely relevant to this sample and the research goals, yielded four major themes: Insufficient Financial Resources, Race, Ethnicity, and LGBTQIA+, Stigma, and Culture and Ritual. Themes and subthemes are presented accompanied by representative quotes. Results demonstrate the high salience of culture in the KAP experience and the need to incorporate issues of race, culture, stigma, ritual, and socioeconomic status into treatment planning and outcome research.

Medical cannabis use among U.S. Veterans has continued to rise. However, data on cannabis use by older Veterans is generally less available. This study aims to understand the characteristics of older Veterans who enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Patient Program in Illinois and analyze their health outcomes and co-use of cannabis and opioids using longitudinal survey data. Overall, participants reported positive outcomes for pain, sleep, and emotional problems because of cannabis use in two survey periods. Approximately, 62% and 85% respondents reported no change in memory and falls, respectively, with only 3% and 1% reporting a negative outcome for the conditions in both surveys. About 20.4% of those who indicated cannabis use only in the initial survey started to co-use opioids in the follow-up survey, while 44.1% of those who indicated the use of both substances in the initial survey reported no longer using opioids in the follow-up survey. However, these changes were not statistically significant ($\alpha =0.05).$ The logistic regression showed that both clinical and contextual factors affected co-use. In conclusion, older U.S. Veterans may be using cannabis to alleviate their pain and other chronic conditions. More research is needed to understand the effect of cannabis use on reducing or substituting opioids.

The study aimed to assess and compare the serum brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in patients with alcohol dependence, depression and alcohol dependence with comorbid depression. Three groups each of 30 alcohol-dependent, depressive and alcohol-dependent with comorbid depressive patients seeking treatment were included. BDNF levels were estimated, and scales were administered to assess severity of alcohol dependence (using severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire, SADQ) and depressive symptoms (using Hamilton depression rating scale, HDRS). The mean BDNF value in ADS, depression and ADS with comorbid depression group was 16.4 ng/mL, 14.4 ng/mL and 12.29 ng/mL respectively, and the differences were statistically significant. In ADS group and ADS with comorbid depression groups significant negative association existed between BDNF and SADQ scores (r = -0.371, p = .043 and r = -0.0474, p = .008 respectively). There were significant negative association between BDNF and HDRS scores in depression and comorbid ADS and depression group (r = -0.400, p = .029 and r = -0.408, p = .025 respectively). The BDNF level was significantly lower in the ADS with comorbid depression group and was associated with severity of dependence and depression across the groups.

The purpose of this study was to examine the dynamic relationships between daily PTSD symptom severity (PTSS), cognitive and behavioral avoidance coping, and negative drinking consequences following recent injury. Participants consisted of 36 injury survivors (M_age = 34.0, SD = 10.8; 75.0% male; 69.4% White) who completed thrice daily assessments of PTSS, avoidance coping, and negative drinking consequences for 7 days at 6-weeks post-injury. Although hypothesized relationships were not statistically significant in full models with covariates that included alcohol consumption, the confidence intervals associated with focal predictors provided support for predictions. Follow-up analyses without covariates indicated that on occasions when an injury survivor engaged in more avoidance coping and experienced higher levels of PTSS, negative drinking consequences increased by 9% (b = 0.02, SE = 0.01, p = .006). This interaction was primarily driven by cognitive avoidance coping (b = 0.03, SE = 0.01, p = .008). Routine screening of avoidance coping, PTSS, and alcohol consumption in the aftermath of recent injury might assist with identifying survivors at risk for negative drinking consequences. Interventions that address cognitive avoidance coping and drinking among survivors experiencing elevated PTSS may help to prevent the development of this comorbidity.

Solitary cannabis use has been associated with greater cannabis problems than social use and may be increasingly prevalent due to pandemic-related isolation. However, little is known about patterns, correlates, and consequences of solitary cannabis use. This study sought to characterize solitary cannabis use since pandemic onset, examine psychosocial risk factors, and examine interactions between solitary and social cannabis use frequency on cannabis consequences. College students (N = 168) who were lifetime cannabis users at a private, northeastern university in the US completed an online cross-sectional survey in fall of 2020. Past-year solitary cannabis use was common among life-time cannabis users (42% past year, 29% monthly or more), especially among past-year regular cannabis users (85% monthly or more). Solitary use frequency was associated with interpersonal sensitivity and pandemic-related stress. Further, solitary use attenuated associations of social use frequency with cannabis consequences, such that social use frequency was associated with greater consequences only among exclusively social users. In contrast, regardless of social use frequency, solitary users reported greater cannabis consequences than exclusively social users. Findings suggest solitary cannabis use is concurrently associated with greater cannabis consequences, and affective risk factors (interpersonal sensitivity, pandemic stress) should be considered for prevention and intervention strategies.