Facing the Growing Heroin Problem in Colombia: The New Methadone-assisted Treatment Programs.

Objective: Colombia is facing a rising epidemic of intravenous heroin use. Knowledge of the methadone-assisted treatment programs in the country is crucial in order to propose improvement strategies.

Methods: 13 programmes from priority regions were surveyed.

Mortality Associated With Opioid Overdose: A Review of Clinical Characteristics and Health Services Received in the Year Prior to Death.

Objective: To assess missed opportunities for reducing fatal opioid overdoses, characteristics of decedents by opioid overdose with and without problematic opioid use who received health care services within one year of death were examined.

Methods: Of 157 decedents in the Worcester, Massachusetts, area between 2008 and 2012, 112 had contact with the health care system. Electronic medical records were reviewed for clinical characteristics, health service use, universal precautions, and substance use disorder management.

Buprenorphine-naloxone treatment responses differ between young adults with heroin and prescription opioid use disorders.

Background And Objectives: Opioid use disorder among young adults is rising sharply with an increase in morbidity and mortality. This study examined differences in treatment response to a fixed dose of buprenorphine-naloxone between heroin (HU) and prescriptions opioids (POU) users.

Methods: Eighty opioid dependent young adults (M = 22 years) were treated with buprenorphine-naloxone 16-4 mg/day for 8 weeks.

Memantine improves buprenorphine/naloxone treatment for opioid dependent young adults.

Background: Opioid use disorders are considered a serious public health problem among young adults. Current treatment is limited to long-term opioid substitution therapy, with high relapse rates after discontinuation. This study evaluated the co-administration of memantine to brief buprenorphine pharmacotherapy as a treatment alternative.

Breakdowns of eye movement control toward smoking cues in young adult light smokers.

Background: Many studies suggest that dependent smokers have a preference or attentional bias toward smoking cues. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of infrequent non-dependent light smokers to control their eye movements by look away from smoking cues. Poor control in the lightest of smokers would suggest nicotine cue-elicited behavior occurring even prior to nicotine dependency as measured by daily smoking.

Competency of psychiatric residents in the treatment of people with severe mental illness before and after a community psychiatry rotation.

Objective: psychiatric rehabilitation is an evidence-based service with the goal of recovery for people with severe mental illness. Psychiatric residents should understand the services and learn the principles of psychiatric rehabilitation. This study assessed whether a 3-month rotation in a psychiatric rehabilitation center changes the competency level of second-year psychiatric residents in evidence-based treatment of severe mental illness.

Mental health service delivery following health system reform in Colombia.

Background: In 1993, Colombia underwent an ambitious and comprehensive process of health system reform based on managed competition and structured pluralism, but did not include coverage for mental health services.

Aims Of The Study: In this study, we sought to evaluate the impact of the reform on access to mental health services and whether there were changes in the pattern of mental health service delivery during the period after the reform.

Methods: Changes in national economic indicators and in measures of mental health and non-mental health service delivery for the years 1987 and 1997 were compared.