Nervousness and pain sensitivity: II. Changed relation in ex-addicts as a predictor for early relapse.

We recently demonstrated a coupling between nervousness and pain sensitivity in healthy volunteers, and we defined a mean ratio of nervousness/log pain threshold of 1.95 +/- 1.47 for healthy humans.

Decreased nociceptive sensitivity: a biological risk marker for opiate dependence?

In recent studies using a cold pressor test we could show that former opiate addicts are persistently less pain-sensitive than healthy controls, indicating a neurophysiologic dysfunction in these patients. In the present study we addressed the issue of whether this dysfunction was caused by the drug abuse or already existed prior to the heroin addiction, and whether it is restricted to pain sensitivity or affects somatosensory or nociceptive sensitivity in general. After validating the method we obtained retrospective ratings for the pain, cold and warmth sensitivity for the time before addiction, during addiction and during detoxification.

[Drug dependence and self-injury within the scope of health occupations].

Members of the health profession live within a special field of tensions between permanent contact with disease and dying; the own biography sometimes influences choice of profession, and moreover may contribute irritating factors for the further life in profession; functioning within the professional and the familial situation at the same time; pressure of public opinion. Some examples of profession-specific conflictouse constellations are presented here. They just want to be examples by no means systematic or comprehensive.