Treatment of cannabis dependence using escitalopram in combination with cognitive-behavior therapy: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Background: Cannabis is the most frequently used illegal substance in the United States and Europe. There is a dramatic increase in the demand for treatment for cannabis dependence. Cannabis users frequently have co-morbid mood symptoms, especially depression and anxiety, and regular cannabis users may self-medicate for such symptoms.

A comparative study of Arab and Jewish patients admitted for psychiatric hospitalization in Jerusalem: the demographic, psychopathologic aspects, and the drug abuse comorbidity.

Background: The influence of ethnicity on different aspects of psychiatric hospitalization is far from clear.

The Aim Of The Study: The main aim of the study was to compare the Arab and the Jewish inpatients, at the time of admission, for the demographic factors, severity of psychotic, and affective psychopathology and comorbid drug abuse rate. POPULATION, METHOD, AND TOOLS: Among 250 consecutively admitted patients in the Jerusalem Mental Health Center-Kfar Shaul Hospital, 202 Jews and 42 Arabs (aged 18-65 years) were examined within 48 hours after admission.

A comparative study of psychiatric inpatients in a general hospital and a psychiatric hospital in Israel: demographics, psychopathological aspects and drug abuse patterns.

Background: Some specialists and policy makers advocate progression of the mental health reform in Israel by transferring beds from psychiatric to general hospitals.

Objectives: To compare the demographic, diagnostic and psychopathological profiles of psychiatric inpatients hospitalized in psychiatric and general hospitals, as well as their patterns of drug abuse, and to estimate the preparedness of general hospitals for the possible expansion of their psychiatric services.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2006 a total of 250 patients were consecutively admitted to the Jerusalem Mental Health Center-Kfar Shaul Hospital and 220 to the psychiatric department of Sheba Medical Center, a general hospital in central Israel; the patients' ages ranged from 18 to 65.

Volatile substance misuse among youth in Israel: results of a national school survey.

Volatile substance misuse (VSM) among Israeli youth has been identified as widespread and growing. Using data from the 2009 National School Survey of 12-18 year olds (N = 7,166), this study describes VSM prevalence among Jews and Arabs, examining relationships between past-month VSM and sociodemographic, behavioral, psychological, and interpersonal characteristics. Past-month VSM, reported by 7.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy among women in Israel.

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a range of disabilities caused by gestational exposure of the fetus to alcohol. Alcohol consumption in Israel has increased dramatically in the last decades. Our previous study revealed limited knowledge among Israeli medical professionals of the risks and potential long-term effects of FASD.

The effect of alcohol, THC and their combination on perceived effects, willingness to drive and performance of driving and non-driving tasks.

Background: Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) is one of the main causes of car accidents. Alcohol and marijuana are the most popular drugs among recreational users. Many classify these drugs as "Light" drugs and therefore allow themselves to drive after consuming them.

Druze adolescent dropouts in Israel and their use of psychoactive substances.

The current study examines rates of psychoactive substance use among Druze adolescent dropouts and links between use rates and socio-demographic, interpersonal, cognitive, and personality characteristics. 204 adolescents took part in the study in late 2004. Approximately 21% had consumed tobacco 10 times or more in the last year, 25% reported consuming alcohol in the same timeframe, and nearly 6% used an illegal substance at least once in the last year.

Neurodevelopmental and psychological assessment of adolescents born to drug-addicted parents: effects of SES and adoption.

Objectives: Prenatal exposure to heroin may have long-term consequences for development during early and middle childhood. The present research studied the cognitive, social, and emotional functioning of adolescents exposed to drugs prenatally, and investigated the extent to which the early adoption of children exposed prenatally to drugs would alleviate the possible effects of exposure.

Methods: The study included 191 adolescents (12-16 years of age) and their parents in Israel, who had or had not been exposed prenatally to drugs and differing in socio-economic status (SES), and in adoptive status.

Knowledge about Hepatitis-C among methadone maintenance treatment patients in Israel.

Ignorance about Hepatitis-C (HCV) among drug users, treatment staff, and policy makers thwarts treatment uptake and facilitates virus transmission. We assessed knowledge about HCV among methadone patients in Israel, where effective HCV-treatment is provided at low-cost within the national health insurance framework, yet few infected methadone patients are treated. In 2006, 512 patients in two methadone clinics in Israel were interviewed, of whom 53% were HCV-positive.

Cannabis abuse and severity of psychotic and affective disorders in Israeli psychiatric inpatients.

The influence of cannabis abuse on the severity of existing psychotic and affective symptoms is still unclear. Among 470 consecutively admitted psychotic or affective patients, 54 active (in the previous month) cannabis abusers were detected via urine tests (Sure Step TM kits; Applied Biotech Inc, San Diego, Calif) and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID- IV) questionnaire. In 24 cases, substances other than cannabis were abused; 392 patients were nonabusers.

Strategy for increasing detection rates of drug and alcohol abuse in paediatric emergency departments.

Aim: To determine whether implementation of criteria for performing a toxicology screen and increasing staff awareness improve detection of substance abuse among adolescents presenting to the emergency department.

Methods: Patients 12 to 18 years of age presenting to one of three emergency departments in Israel were included in a prospective cohort study. In the 'study' hospital, a set of criteria for urine toxicology screen and measurements of ethanol serum level were implemented.

Illicit drug and alcohol users admitted to the pediatric emergency department.

Background: Clinicians' impression of adolescents' alcohol or drug involvement may underestimate substance-related pathology.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics of adolescents presenting to the pediatric emergency department due to substance abuse and to determine whether physicians can reliably identify these patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of all patients aged 12-18 years presenting to a pediatric emergency department between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2006 for whom a urine drug screen or ethanol blood levels was ordered.

Substance abuse in hospitalized psychiatric patients.

Background: The co-morbidity rate of illicit substance abuse and major mental problems in Israel is far from clear.

Objectives: To investigate the extent of drug abuse in a sample of psychiatric patients hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital and in the psychiatric department of a general hospital in Israel, to compare demographic and other background factors in dual-diagnosis patients with those of abuse-free mental inpatients, and to examine the time correlation between drug abuse and the appearance of major mental problems.

Methods: Our data were derived from self-report and urine tests.

Substance use among Druze adolescent students in Israel: identifying predictors and patterns of use.

Objective: The current study examines the rates of legal and illegal psychoactive substance use among Druze secondary school students, as well as the correlations between use rates and sociodemographic, interpersonal, cognitive, and personality characteristics. This is the fi rst comprehensive study to focus exclusively on substance use in the Druze population.

Method: Druze secondary school students (n = 519), Grades 7-12, participated in the study in late 2004.

Patterns of psychoactive substance use among Arab secondary school students in Israel.

The current study examines patterns and trends in the use of psychoactive substances among Arab secondary school students throughout Israel. Data were collected in late 2004 using self-report questionnaires. The sample consisted of 2,944 students, Grades 7 through 12.

A study investigating the acute dose-response effects of 13 mg and 17 mg Delta 9- tetrahydrocannabinol on cognitive-motor skills, subjective and autonomic measures in regular users of marijuana.

Heavy use of marijuana is claimed to damage critical skills related to short-term memory, visual scanning and attention. Motor skills and driving safety may be compromised by the acute effects of marijuana. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of 13 mg and 17 mg Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on skills important for coordinated movement and driving and on subjective and autonomic measures in regular users of marijuana.

Psychoactive substance use among Arab adolescent school dropouts in Israel: a phenomenon and its implications.

This comprehensive study is the first to examine rates of legal and illegal psychoactive substance use and their predictors specifically among Arab adolescent school dropouts. It investigates the links between sociodemographic, interpersonal, cognitive and personality characteristics and use rates. Four hundred and seventy-six Arab adolescents aged 12-18 from throughout Israel, who had dropped out of school, participated in the study in late 2004.

Effects of THC on driving performance, physiological state and subjective feelings relative to alcohol.

Background: The effects of marijuana or THC on driving has been tested in several studies, but usually not in conjunction with physiological and subjective responses and not in comparison to alcohol effects on all three types of measures.

Objective: To assess the effects of two dosages of THC relative to alcohol on driving performance, physiological strain, and subjective feelings.

Method: We tested the subjective feelings and driving abilities after placebo, smoking two dosages of THC (13 mg and 17 mg), drinking (0.

Melatonin for perceived sleep disturbances associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal among patients in methadone maintenance treatment: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of melatonin in attenuating sleep difficulties during benzodiazepine (BDZ) withdrawal.

Design: Double-blind cross-over control study.

Setting: Methadone maintenance treatment clinic.

Brain imaging study of the acute effects of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on attention and motor coordination in regular users of marijuana.

Procedure: Twelve regular users of marijuana underwent two positron emission tomography (PET) scans using [18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), one while subject to the effects of 17 mg THC, the other without THC. In both sessions, a virtual reality maze task was performed during the FDG uptake period.

Results: When subject to the effects of 17 mg THC, regular marijuana smokers hit the walls more often on the virtual maze task than without THC.

Drug and alcohol use among the Bedouin of the Negev: prevalence and psychosocial correlates.

The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among the Bedouin of the Negev. A representative sample of 821 adults and 440 adolescents were surveyed using the Arabic version of the Israeli National Epidemiological Questionnaire. Almost 14% of adult Bedouins used alcohol and 11.

The effect of mianserin add-on, on the intensity of opioid withdrawal symptoms during detoxification program--a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, prospective study.

Background: Based on pre-clinical studies regarding the interaction of various antidepressant drugs with the opioid system, we designed a clinical study to be carried out in the 'in-patient detoxification unit' within a large community centre for treatment of drugs dependent people. We evaluated the effect of mianserin add-on, on the intensity of opioid withdrawal symptoms in opiate dependent subjects undergoing medication-supported physical detoxification and integrated psychosocial and psychotherapeutic intervention for the treatment of dependence.

Methods: Mianserin (or placebo) was added to the routine medication protocol, during the 3-week in-patient phase of detoxification in a prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study.

Mianserin and trazodone significantly attenuate the intensity of opioid withdrawal symptoms in mice.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of trazodone and mianserin on opioid-withdrawal symptoms in morphine-dependent mice. We used a comparative study of the effect of each drug on withdrawal symptoms in one model of acutely high-dose morphine-dependent mice, and two models (high-dose and lu-dose) of chronically morphine-dependent mice at the Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine's laboratory.Trazodone, mianserin or both were given to the morphine-dependent mice together with a high dose of naloxone.

Family history and other characteristics of heroin-dependent Jewish males in Israel: results of a case-control study.

Background: Various studies support the concept of an inherited vulnerability to drug dependency, while emphasizing the importance of social and environmental influences and their interactions.

Objectives: To compare the characteristics of heroin-dependent Jewish men in Israel with those of the general population, focusing on the nature of family history of substance abuse.

Method: This case-control study compares 64 heroin-dependent Jewish male residents of Jerusalem with a community sample of 131 randomly selected Jerusalem residents with no drug use disorder.