Illinois lawmakers are working on a bill that would let school nurses give students overdosing on opioid prescriptions or heroin the drug that could save their lives. Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is known as the overdose antidote because it can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and prevent fatalities. This drug is most often…
New findings from a group of American researchers indicate that almost one-fifth of all U.S. college students misuse a prescription medication classified as a stimulant.
Just a year ago binge eating disorder (BED) was not a recognized mental health diagnosis. Though first described in 1959, it wasn’t until May 2013 that it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health. BED has already become the leading eating disorder affecting Americans.
A new, modified screening tool can help doctors identify female veterans exposed to intimate partner violence, recent research from a group of U.S. institutions indicates.
Non-rapid eye movement sleep arousal disorders are a pair of conditions listed in the newest edition of the mental health professionals’ guidebook called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (commonly known as DSM 5). The two disorders—called sleepwalking disorder and sleep terror disorder—are grouped together because they both feature unusually aroused or agitated…
Fox News radio personality Tom Sullivan recently referred to bipolar disorder as “the latest fad.” He claimed the diagnosis was invented by the mental health profession to exploit the masses for profit, and stated his belief that bipolar disorder was neither a disease nor a disability. Sullivan was responding to a caller on his talk…
Screening tools for sex addiction have clear validity and work in a range of population groups, a team of Canadian and German researchers reports. Sex addiction is a form of behavioral addiction that lacks an official definition from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), despite the fact that significant amounts of credible research support the real-world…
Gambling disorder is the only form of non-substance-based behavioral addiction with an official definition provided by the American Psychiatric Association. Affected individuals have an established, dysfunctional pattern of gambling involvement. Modern technology has increased the availability of gambling opportunities for the average consumer, and online gambling is now an option for fairly large numbers of…
In response to a recent story detailing serious quality-control problems at Army substance abuse treatment centers, U.S. Army leadership is taking decisive action. Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Ray Odierno have ordered the Army Inspector General’s office to open an investigation into this developing scandal, giving it free and open access to records…
It began as one person honoring her parent. Today, Project Semicolon is a viral phenomenon, challenging mental illness stereotypes and spreading a message of hope and encouragement to all those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.