When two mental disorders or illnesses occur at the same time, or in sequence, in the same person, it is known as comorbidity; when these conditions are diagnosed, it is called a dual diagnosis. Mental disorders are defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as “A mental condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of….
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A man has died of alcoholic liver failure at the age of just 22 despite a public appeal from his doctors for transplant rules to be waived to give him a chance at life. Gary Reinbach and his family were told that unless he could prove that he could live alcohol-free in the community for….
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A recent survey found that the number of people who have entered treatment for addiction to benzos such as Valium and Xanax as well as narcotic painkillers such as Oxycodone has increased more than 500% in the past ten years. The overall increase in substance abuse treatment admissions during this period of time was just….
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Since addiction has become recognized as an illness, there has been a quest to have more traditional medication treatment alternatives. Two new medicines to help individuals with alcohol dependence, Campral and Vivitrol, have been introduced in the past five years. We’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks surrounding these two medications. Patients need to understand when….
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David is a fairly typical teenager in a fairly typical local high school. He can’t wait to get his driver’s license, he eats like a horse and he’s an accomplished athlete. But, unbeknownst to his parents and siblings, David and his friends were having drinking parties — not all the time but, in his words,….
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