Discriminative characteristics of marginalised novel psychoactive users: A transnational study

New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to be considered as a major public health concern in many European countries. The study was implemented within the framework of a transnational project of six European countries (Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal). Our aim here is to report on the distinct and differentiating characteristics of marginalised NPS users. Three subgroups of a total of 3023 adult NPS users (socially marginalised, night life, online community) were examined regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, substance use, and external motives towards NPS use. Poland and Hungary reported higher rates of NPS use in comparison to traditional controlled drugs. The external/contextual motives did not play a central role in the background of NPS use, the least important motives were alleged legality and non-detectability of these substances. Marginalised (defined as those accessing low threshold harm reduction services) users’ substance use patterns are different from the other two groups in terms of showing more intense and riskier drug use. The most important variables which contributed to be categorised as a marginalised NPS user were lower level education, being older, having an unfavourable labour market position and using drugs intravenously. Contextual motives did not play a decisive role in being categorised as a marginalised user when drug use pattern was controlled. These identified discriminative features of marginalised drug users should inform policy makers to develop and implement tailor-made interventions targeting this user group to successfully tackle the elevated public health concerns associated with NPS use

Why do people use new psychoactive substances? Development of a new measurement tool in six European countries.

This study was supported by the European Union (New Psychoactive Substances: transnational project on different user groups, user characteristics, extent and patterns of use, market dynamics, and best practices in prevention [HOME/2014/JDRU/AG/DRUG/7077]), the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (Grant number: KKP126835; NKFIH1157-8/2019-DT). The study was also supported for the realization of this international cofinanced science project in 2016-2017 by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Máté Kapitány-Fövény acknowledges the support by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the support by the ÚNKP-19 New National Excellence Program of the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology. The funding institutions had no role in the study design or the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication

Health and social problems associated with recent Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS) use amongst marginalised, nightlife and online users in six European countries.

Continued diversification and use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) across Europe remains a public health challenge. The study describes health and social consequences of recent NPS use as reported in a survey of marginalised, nightlife and online NPS users in the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal, Ireland, Germany and Poland (n = 3023). Some respondents were unable to categorise NPS they had used. Use of ‘herbal blends’ and ‘synthetic cannabinoids obtained pure’ was most reported in Germany, Poland and Hungary, and use of ‘branded stimulants’ and ‘stimulants/empathogens/nootropics obtained pure’ was most reported in the Netherlands. Increased heart rate and palpitation, dizziness, anxiety, horror trips and headaches were most commonly reported acute side effects. Marginalised users reported substantially more acute side effects, more mid- and long-term mental and physical problems, and more social problems. Development of country-specific NPS awareness raising initiatives, health and social service needs assessments, and targeted responses are warranted

Sharing, group-buying, social supply, offline and online dealers: how users in a sample from six European countries procure new psychoactive substances (NPS).

Given the multiple ways of regulations and market situations for new psychoactive substances (NPS), it is of interest how NPS users procure their drugs in different countries as well as in different user groups. Data comes from a face-to-face and online survey conducted in six EU countries, covering three groups of current (12-month) adult NPS users: (1) socially marginalized, (2) users in night life, and (3) users in online communities. While the supply situation differed considerably between countries, friends were the most prevalent source for buying, followed by online shops and private dealers. Marginalized users were more likely to buy from dealers, while online respondents showed the highest rates for buying online. While buying NPS from online or offline shops was relatively prevalent, we also found high rates for social supply and buying from dealers. A considerable part of this market may be classified as “social online supply,” with private suppliers procuring their drugs online. The market features among marginalized users resemble more those of illicit drug markets than those for other NPS users

Zaburzenia hazardowe – rozpowszechnienie, oferta terapeutyczna, dostępność leczenia i predyktory podjęcia leczenia. Przegląd literatury

Introduction: The aim of the review is to present the complexity of issues related to treatment of gambling disorders, including definition of gambling and diagnostic criteria, the coexistence of gambling disorders and other disorders, epidemiology of the phenomenon, the prevalence of help seeking, the therapeutic offer for gamblers and its effectiveness, motivations and barriers to treatment. Material and method: The review of the literature was conducted using the MEDLINE database and Google Scholar. Two general search terms: “gambling” and “treatment” were used, and exploration was limited to 2000–2014. A total number of 96 publications were included in the review. Results: The legalisation of gambling contributed to a growth in the social acceptance for this type of behaviour. Gambling disorders are often associated with mental disorders (mood, neurotic and personality disorders), and psychoactive substance dependence. The vast majority of gamblers do not seek treatment and about one third of them recover without professional help. Among those who decided on treatment, participation in the Gamblers Anonymous meetings is the most preferred form. Cognitive behavioural therapy, brief interventions and controlled gambling are effective forms of treatment as confirmed by evaluation studies. Gamblers decide to take treatment mainly for economic reasons or because of concerns about their mental and physical health. Barriers to treatment are primarily gamblers’ beliefs that they can solve their problems themselves, shame, fear of stigma, lack of information on what the treatment is and doubts about its effectiveness and quality

Problem współwystępowania zaburzeń hazardowych z zaburzeniami psychicznymi. Przegląd literatury

Introduction: The problem of gambling and mental disorder comorbidity has been well documented. The aim of the review is to discuss issues concerning the comorbidity of gambling disorders and substance use and other mental disorders. Method: The literature review was carried out in July and August 2015 with use of scientific databases MEDLINE and ProQuest. Two search terms “gambling” and “comorbidity” were used to cover a broad spectrum of scientific problems related to the issue of comorbidity of gambling disorders and substance use and other mental disorders. Finally, after eliminating items not related to the review subject, 47 articles were included. Results: The article presents data on the prevalence of the comorbidity problem and characterises the issue of gambling and mental disorder comorbidity, including disorders related to alcohol and illicit psychoactive substances use. The social determinants of the comorbidity problem are presented as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities and their limitations. Summary: The comorbidity of gambling and mental disorders is a significant problem because of its relatively great prevalence and implications for a clinical practice. Due to the high prevalence of gambling and mental disorder comorbidity, professionals working in psychiatric treatment as well as in the addiction field should carry out the possible complex diagnosis with use of gambling disorder screening tests