abuse Archives - Mediarabe

Substance Abuse Treatment Is Covered by More Companies as Employers Increase Mental Health Benefits to Combat the Stressors of COVID-19

October 14, 2020

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lionrock Behavioral Health, Inc., the leading telehealth provider of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services in the United States predicts a 100 percent increase in company-accessed online substance abuse benefits in 2021, as stigma surrounding mental health treatment drops amid the pandemic.

Prior to the Coronavirus crisis, a mental health movement was already well underway in work cultures across the United States. Since the pandemic took hold, attention on mental health and wellness has only increased, pushing employers further – to expand mental health benefits in order to keep a healthy and productive staff. Mental health encompasses much more than anxiety and mood disorders; it also includes substance use disorders. Over 40 percent of people with a substance use disorder also have a second mental health condition, yet fewer than half (48 percent) receive treatment for either disorder.

“Online substance use disorder treatment

Pain Pill Abuse Higher in Adolescent CBD Oil Users

October 12, 2020

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Adolescent users of cannabidiol (CBD) oil are far more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors ― such as illegally taking prescription pain medications ― than peers who don’t use CBD, new research indicates.

The study, which included data on 200 youths aged 12 to 23 years, also suggests that 4 in 10 use CBD oil products. Users also reported experiencing increased anxiety over the prior 6 months, but the researchers couldn’t pinpoint whether CBD oil, which is marketed for anxiety relief, might contribute to participants’ anxiety levels.

Nicole Cumbo

“A lot of kids don’t talk to their clinicians about CBD” use, said study author Nicole Cumbo, BS, a third-year medical student at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

“It’s important to ask kids if they’re using CBD, along with vaping and marijuana use, because it could be causing them more problems than it helps,” Cumbo told

FDA Panel: All Thumbs Down for Amphetamine Product Meant to Deter Abuse

October 9, 2020

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An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously Thursday that the risks of a novel amphetamine designed to deter abuse outweighed the benefits, concluding it may in fact be misused and could be even more dangerous than conventional stimulant medications for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The panel also voted 19-2, with two abstentions, that drugmaker Arbor Pharmaceuticals did not adequately address the safety of AR19 (amphetamine sulfate), with many panelists noting that the drug appeared safe when administered orally, but that high levels of talc and polyethylene oxide in the drug’s composition could be toxic if taken through snorting or injection.

The joint meeting of the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee also concluded with a 15-8 vote that Arbor did not adequately demonstrate AR19 would deter intravenous use, and voted 19-4 that it did not adequately demonstrate it would deter intranasal use.

In fact,

‘Abuse Deterrent’ ADHD Tx May Face Uphill Approval Path

October 7, 2020

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An abuse-deterrent stimulant product for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) got a skeptical review from FDA technical staff ahead of an advisory committee meeting later this week.

AR19 is an oral amphetamine sulfate immediate-release capsule formulated to reduce non-oral abuse. The drug, developed by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, will go before the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) and the Drug Safety and Risk Management (DSaRM) Advisory Committee on Thursday.

The main question looming over AR19 is whether it will indeed deter intranasal and IV abuse through its novel formulation. In briefing documents prepared for panel members, FDA staff suggested they weren’t persuaded by the company’s studies.

Non-medical use of prescription stimulants has remained relatively stable since 2010 and, in 2018, 2% of the U.S. population was misusing stimulants, according to the briefing documents. Young adults are more likely than adults of other ages to misuse stimulants, and the vast majority of misuse occurs

New US Relief Funding Package to Include Eligibility for Mental Health, Substance Abuse Providers | Voice of America

October 1, 2020

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The U.S. Health and Human Services Department announced a new funding opportunity Thursday for providers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic Thursday.

The $20 billion relief fund will be provided through the Health Resources and Services Administration and will allow providers who previously have received Provider Relief Fund payments to apply for additional funding.

Under the Phase 3 General Distribution allocation program, financial losses and changes in operating expenses caused by the coronavirus that previously were not covered now will be considered.

Those who were previously ineligible, such as providers who began practicing in 2020, also will be able to apply. In addition, an expanded group of behavioral health providers confronting the mental health and substance abuse issues exacerbated by the pandemic will be able to receive relief benefits.

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that cases involving symptoms of anxiety disorders were

Paris Hilton calls for Utah boarding school’s closure following her abuse allegations, starts petition

October 1, 2020

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Paris Hilton is calling for the Provo Canyon School (PCS) — where the socialite alleges she was abused while she was enrolled as a teen — to be shut down.

The former “Simple Life” star shared never-before-heard details of what she allegedly endured in her new documentary “This is Paris,” as well as in an interview with People magazine last month. Hilton claimed she was traumatized daily at the Provo Canyon School in Utah, where she was enrolled for 11 months at age 17.

Provo Canyon School previously responded to People magazine’s original report, telling Fox News in a statement at the time: “Originally opened in 1971, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time.”

Provo Canyon School did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request seeking additional comment.

PARIS HILTON’S BOARDING

Substance abuse linked to COVID-19 susceptibility: Study

September 27, 2020

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People with substance use disorders may be more likely to become infected and die of COVID-19, according to a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in Molecular Psychiatry.

a group of people riding on the back of a truck: Firefighters and paramedics wear enhanced PPE during the coronavirus pandemic as they transport a patient after responding to a call for a cardiac arrest as a result of a drug overdose on May 6, 2020, in Brooklyn, Md.

© Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters and paramedics wear enhanced PPE during the coronavirus pandemic as they transport a patient after responding to a call for a cardiac arrest as a result of a drug overdose on May 6, 2020, in Brooklyn, Md.

Specifically, the study found that people with opioid use disorder and tobacco addiction were more likely to die of COVID-19.

MORE: Rural moms recovering from addiction struggle to stay connected during pandemic

“Drugs inhibit the ability to fight viral and bacterial infections, disrupting immune function,” Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and co-author of the study, told ABC News.

“Opioids inhibit the respiratory centers in the brain.