"Secondo Rapporto quinquennale sulle dipendenze patologiche in provincia di Bergamo"

Report on the state of legal and illegal substances use in the territory of Bergamo Province.Il Report analizza il fenomeno delle dipendenze nella provincia di Bergamo. La descrizione del fenomeno si sviluppa intorno all\u27analisi degli indicatori individuati dall\u27Osservatorio Europeo delle Dipendenze di Lisbona (OEDT): 1-uso di sostanze nella popolazione generale (questo indicatore va a rilevare i comportamenti nei confronti di alcol e sostanze psicoattive da parte della popolazione generale); 2-prevalenza d\u27uso problematico delle sostanze psicoattive; 3-domanda di trattamento degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 4-mortalit? degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 5-malattie infettive. Altri due importanti indicatori che si stanno sviluppando, e che vengono qui illustrati, sono l\u27analisi delle Schede di Dimissione Ospedaliera (SDO) e gli indicatori relativi alle conseguenza sociali dell\u27uso di droghe (criminalit? droga correlata). Inoltre sono state applicate diverse metodologie standard di stima sia per quantificare la quota parte sconosciuta di utilizzatori di sostanze che non afferiscono ai servizi, sia per identificarne alcune caratteristiche

Poly-substance use and related harms:a systematic review of harm reduction strategies implemented in recreational settings

The growing trends of poly-substance use and associated health and public concerns have been reported in various studies with particular focus on young adults patronising popular recreational settings. Harm reduction interventions targeting this population have been reported for a number of settings, however only limited data is available on the current strategies employed. A systematic review of peer-reviewed journals was conducted to determine interventions published since 1998 which targeted 17-24 year olds within recreational settings: defined as clubs, pubs, discos, festivals or raves. The identified studies were examined for similarities in design, implementation and outcome measures. The findings and their limitations are discussed alongside implications for future research needed to fill a void in the current knowledge base. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p

Clinical outcomes for psychotic and co-morbid patients admitted to acute psychiatric wards in four European centres - follow-up to 6 months

This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the outcome and characteristics of patients admitted to acute psychiatric wards with a diagnosis of psychotic illness and substance misuse. In this multi-centre collaborative and opportunistic study, patients were allocated into four cohorts based on the type of drug use and then were followed up 1 and 6 months later. The total PANSS score improved significantly by the 6 month follow-up in all but the cannabis using cohort, which initially had the lowest symptom level. All cohorts improved significantly in levels of general symptoms, and three out of the four groups improved in the levels of positive symptoms (the cannabis and other drug cohorts were nearing significance at p=0.02). The biggest contrast between the groups was in the levels of negative symptoms. These improved only in the non-drug using cohort; however, even with this significant improvement, levels did not reach the lower levels initially evident in the cannabis only using cohort. Psychopathology and recovery processes of psychotic patients admitted to acute psychiatric wards will differ depending on their use of illicit substances. In particular, those who use cannabis but not other illicit substances are likely to have lower levels of negative symptoms. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC