PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Severe mental illness tied to higher rates of substance use

New NIH study shows that certain protective factors do not exist in those with severe mental illness

2014-01-04
(Press-News.org) Contact information: NIDA Press Office
media@nida.nih.gov
301-443-6245
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
Severe mental illness tied to higher rates of substance use New NIH study shows that certain protective factors do not exist in those with severe mental illness People with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a higher risk for substance use, especially cigarette smoking, and protective factors usually associated with lower rates of substance use do not exist in severe mental illness, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Estimates based on past studies suggest that people diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders are about twice as likely as the general population to also suffer from a substance use disorder. Statistics from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate close to 8.4 million adults in the United States have both a mental and substance use disorder. However, only 7.9 percent of people receive treatment for both conditions, and 53.7 percent receive no treatment at all, the statistics indicate.

Studies exploring the link between substance use disorders and other mental illnesses have typically not included people with severe psychotic illnesses.

"Drug use impacts many of the same brain circuits that are disrupted in severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "While we cannot always prove a connection or causality, we do know that certain mental disorders are risk factors for subsequent substance use disorders, and vice versa."

In the current study, 9,142 people diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder with psychotic features, and 10,195 controls matched to participants according to geographic region, were selected using the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort program. Mental disorder diagnoses were confirmed using the Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis and Affective Disorder (DI-PAD), and controls were screened to verify the absence of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in themselves or close family members. The DI-PAD was also used for all participants to determine substance use rates.

Compared to controls, people with severe mental illness were about 4 times more likely to be heavy alcohol users (four or more drinks per day); 3.5 times more likely to use marijuana regularly (21 times per year); and 4.6 times more likely to use other drugs at least 10 times in their lives. The greatest increases were seen with tobacco, with patients with severe mental illness 5.1 times more likely to be daily smokers. This is of concern because smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

In addition, certain protective factors often associated with belonging to certain racial or ethnic groups – or being female – did not exist in participants with severe mental illness. "In the general population, women have lower substance use rates than men, and Asian-Americans have lower substance use rates than white Americans, but we do not see these differences among people with severe mental illness," said Dr. Sarah Hartz, from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and first author on the study. "We also saw that among young people with severe mental illness, the smoking rates were as high as smoking rates in middle-aged adults, despite success in lowering smoking rates for young people in the general population."

Previous research has shown that people with schizophrenia have a shorter life expectancy than the general population, and chronic cigarette smoking has been suggested as a major contributing factor to higher morbidity and mortality from malignancy as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These new findings indicate that the rates of substance use in people with severe psychosis may be underestimated, highlighting the need to improve the understanding of the association between substance use and psychotic disorders so that both conditions can be treated effectively.

INFORMATION:

For a copy of the article by Hartz et al., go to: http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1790914#Abstract.

For more information on the association between substance abuse and mental illness, go to http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/comorbidity-addiction-other-mental-illnesses/why-do-drug-use-disorders-often-co-occur-other-mental-illnesses.

This study was funded by NIH, NIDA under DA062380 and DA025733; NIAAA under AA008401; NCATS under RR024992 and RR024994; NCI under CA089392; and NIMH under MH085548 and MH085542.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at http://www.drugabuse.gov, which is now compatible with your smartphone, iPad or tablet. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA's DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or fax or email requests to 240-645-0227 or drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at http://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov. NIDA's media guide can be found at http://drugabuse.gov/mediaguide/, and its new easy-to-read website can be found at http://www.easyread.drugabuse.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

UC research uncovers how ancient artists used palace floor as a creative canvas

2014-01-03
UC research uncovers how ancient artists used palace floor as a creative canvas The floors of Greek Bronze Age palaces were made of plaster that was often incised and painted with grids containing brightly colored patterns and/or marine animal figures. In researching ...

Amber fossil reveals ancient reproduction in flowering plants

2014-01-03
Amber fossil reveals ancient reproduction in flowering plants CORVALLIS, Ore. – A 100-million-year old piece of amber has been discovered which reveals the oldest evidence of sexual reproduction in a flowering plant – a cluster of 18 tiny flowers ...

ADC evaluation for the changes of infarction core and remote regions after MCAO

2014-01-03
ADC evaluation for the changes of infarction core and remote regions after MCAO Supratentorial cerebral infarction can cause functional inhibition of remote regions such as the cerebellum, which may be relevant to diaschisis. This phenomenon is often analyzed ...

ClC-3 chloride channel in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis

2014-01-03
ClC-3 chloride channel in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis Over-production of nitric oxide and ion disturbance are involved in neuronal apoptosis around the ischemic area following ischemic brain injury. Prof. Quanzhong Chang and team from Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi ...

Role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the loss of RGCs in diabetic retinopathy

2014-01-03
Role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the loss of RGCs in diabetic retinopathy Endoplasmic reticulum stress is closely involved in the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. According a study published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 33, 2013), ...

Novel exfoliation method developed by NUS chemists paves the way for 2-dimensional materials to be used in printable photonics and electronics

2014-01-03
Novel exfoliation method developed by NUS chemists paves the way for 2-dimensional materials to be used in printable photonics and electronics Versatility of new technique shows promise as new benchmark in exfoliation chemistry of 2-dimensional chalcogenides Singapore, ...

Fear of childbirth predicts postpartum depression

2014-01-03
Fear of childbirth predicts postpartum depression Expectant women with prenatally diagnosed fear of childbirth are at an increased risk of postpartum depression, according to a study of over 500,000 mothers in Finland. Women with a ...

25 years of DNA on the computer

2014-01-03
25 years of DNA on the computer A review of the computer simulations of nuclear DNA DNA carries out its activities "diluted" in the cell nucleus. In this state it synthesises proteins and, even though it looks like ...

Higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy could help babies become stronger

2014-01-03
Higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy could help babies become stronger Children are likely to have stronger muscles if their mothers had a higher level of vitamin D in their body during pregnancy, according to new research from the Medical Research Council ...

Nordic study: Few persons with metabolic syndrome adhere to nutrition recommendations

2014-01-03
Nordic study: Few persons with metabolic syndrome adhere to nutrition recommendations Adherence to dietary recommendations is weak among people suffering from metabolic syndrome or having increased risk for metabolic syndrome, according to the Nordic SYSDIET study led by ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] Severe mental illness tied to higher rates of substance use
New NIH study shows that certain protective factors do not exist in those with severe mental illness