A descriptive pilot survey of behavioural addictions in an adolescent secondary school population in Ireland.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of possible internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties in a secondary school population in Ireland.

Methods: An online survey containing questions related to internet addiction, gaming addiction, gambling addiction and associated mental health difficulties was administered to secondary school adolescents in Ireland. Participants were self-selecting and answered questions on the characteristics of each topic and screening questionnaires for addiction to each behaviour, as well as their respective effects on mental health.

Gambling advertising during live televised male sporting events in Ireland: A descriptive study.

Objectives: There are no data relating to gambling advertisements shown during live sporting events in Ireland. The aim of the present study was to analyze gambling advertisements shown during live sporting events broadcast in Ireland and to assess these advertisements for responsible gambling (RG) practices.

Methods: Sixty-five live televised sporting events comprising Association Football (soccer), Rugby Union, and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) matches broadcast in Ireland were analyzed.

Addiction psychiatry and COVID-19: impact on patients and service provision.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has undoubtedly had a major impact on the provision of physical healthcare in Ireland and worldwide. The mental health impact of this pandemic cannot be underestimated, particularly relating to patients suffering from addiction. Heightened public stress and anxiety levels, increasing isolation and the physical consequences of addiction play a large role in the proliferation and ongoing relapse of substance misuse and behavioural addiction.

A descriptive survey of online gaming characteristics and gaming disorder in Ireland.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to carry out the first ever study of gaming characteristics of individuals engaging in online gaming in Ireland and to ascertain whether features of gaming disorder are present in this population.

Methods: An online survey (comprising 21 questions - 3 demographic questions and 18 questions related to gaming and gaming disorder) was distributed on numerous Irish online gaming forums and Irish online gaming communities. Participants were self-selected and invited to compete the online survey containing questions related to gaming behaviours (age of onset, hours played on weekdays/weekends, type of device used), mobile gaming, motives for online gaming, use of microtransactions, engagement in esports, and a screening tool for the presence of gaming disorder.

Online gaming and gaming disorder: more than just a trivial pursuit.

Gaming disorder is set to be included in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems alongside other behavioural addictions (gambling disorder) and substance-related addictions. Given the popularity of online gaming, this is set to become an increasingly common presentation to general mental health professionals, addiction specialists, and general practitioners. This article briefly examines online gaming and describes the characteristics of gaming disorder.

The gambling control bill: time for action.

A modern regulatory framework for gambling in Ireland is urgently required. The Gambling Control Bill of 2013 represents a decent starting point in developing player protection and much needed treatment services and research facilities for Gambling Disorder. The drafting and enactment of the Gambling Control Bill of 2013 appears to have slipped from legislative priority.

A national survey of online gambling behaviours.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to look at an Irish population in relation to the online gambling activities people are engaging with, the reasons for gambling online, their attitudes to online gambling and the financial/mental health consequences of online gambling.

Methods: The outline for this study was adapted from a study by McCormack et al. (2014) in relation to online gambling, with the aim of replicating this study in an Irish population.

Effectiveness of a national 'Minnesota Model' based residential treatment programme for alcohol dependence in Ireland: outcomes and predictors of outcome.

Objectives: The aims of this study were (a) to examine the effectiveness of an inpatient treatment programme for alcohol dependence based on the 'Minnesota Model' and (b) to examine potential predictors of outcomes from such treatment.

Methods: Demographics and data relating to psychosocial functioning of a group of individuals who commenced treatment for alcohol dependence were gathered at the point of treatment entry. These individuals were then followed up 6 months after they were to complete their inpatient treatment to establish their alcohol-related outcomes.

Anxiety and depression among patients with alcohol dependence: co-morbid or substance-related problems?

Objectives: There are conflicting reports on the levels of anxiety and depression in individuals with alcohol problems and whether these conditions are substance-related or independent of the alcohol problem. The aim of this study was to characterise rates of co-morbid psychiatric symptoms among a group of individuals commencing treatment for alcohol dependence, and to examine the stability of these symptoms following treatment of the alcohol problem.

Methods: Symptoms of anxiety and depression were examined in a group of individuals (n=93) undergoing residential treatment for alcohol dependence.

Randomized trial of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion and NRT plus bupropion for smoking cessation: effectiveness in clinical practice.

Background And Aims: Bupropion was introduced for smoking cessation following a pivotal trial showing that it gave improved efficacy over the nicotine patch and also suggesting combination treatment was beneficial. We tested in clinical practice for an effectiveness difference between bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), whether the combination improves effectiveness and whether either treatment might be more beneficial for certain subgroups of smokers.

Design: Open-label randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.

Postoperative sexual concerns and functioning in patients who underwent lysis of vulvovaginal adhesions.

Objective: This study aimed to determine satisfaction and functioning before and after surgery among women with lichen planus, who have undergone lysis of vulvovaginal adhesions, and to compare their sexual functioning with those of women without this disorder.

Materials And Methods: The study was approved by the University of Michigan Internal Review Board. A retrospective self-administered survey was completed by 22 women (50-76 years).

Strategies for reducing inequalities and improving developmental outcomes for young children in low-income and middle-income countries.

This report is the second in a Series on early child development in low-income and middle-income countries and assesses the effectiveness of early child development interventions, such as parenting support and preschool enrolment. The evidence reviewed suggests that early child development can be improved through these interventions, with effects greater for programmes of higher quality and for the most vulnerable children. Other promising interventions for the promotion of early child development include children's educational media, interventions with children at high risk, and combining the promotion of early child development with conditional cash transfer programmes.

Association between DRD2/ANKK1 Taq1A genotypes, depression and smoking cessation with nicotine replacement therapy.

Objectives: Tobacco dependence and depression are believed to have a common familial component, most probably genetic, and mood disorders have been reliably associated with failure to stop smoking. Variant genotypes of the Taq1A (DRD2/ANKK1, 32806T, rs1800497) polymorphism have been associated with failure to stop smoking in some studies, but not others. We investigated the association between Taq1A genotypes and smoking cessation, while also considering mental health.

Comorbid psychiatric diagnoses among individuals presenting to an addiction treatment program for alcohol dependence.

A retrospective patient record review was conducted to examine comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, and comorbid substance use, among 465 patients below 45 years of age, presenting to a national alcohol addiction treatment unit in Dublin, between 1995 and 2006. Rates were high for depressive disorder (25.3%) particularly among females (35.

Concurrent cocaine and alcohol use in individuals presenting to an addiction treatment program.

Background: National population surveys and information from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System indicate cocaine use is increasing. There is a paucity of studies focusing on comorbid cocaine and alcohol use in Ireland.

Aims: The aims of the study are to examine comorbid cocaine and alcohol use patterns in those under 45 years, presenting to a national addiction treatment unit for alcohol and drug dependence.

Association of the serotonin transporter gene, neuroticism and smoking behaviours.

Cigarette consumption and smoking cessation are influenced in part by genes. Personality traits have also been implicated in the aetiology of smoking. Neuroticism, a personality trait with a heritable component, correlates well with anxiety and depression, increasing the risk of being a smoker and decreasing the chance of smoking cessation.

Association between dopamine transporter genotypes and smoking cessation: a meta-analysis.

This review assessed the evidence of an association between genotypes of the dopamine transporter (DAT1, SLC6A3) 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) and smoking cessation. Five studies (seven cohorts) comprising 2155 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. All gave data on the number of smokers who had stopped smoking and the number still smoking for those with one or more variant 9-repeat alleles and other genotypes.

Co-morbidity and cannabis use in a mental health trust in South East England.

Aim: The prevalence of co-morbidity (severe mental illness and substance) may be less in rural and semi-rural areas than inner cities. The aims were therefore to measure the prevalence of co-morbidity among patients of attending a mental health service in a semi-rural area South East England.

Design And Participants: Cross-sectional prevalence survey of 1,808 patients with detailed assessments from a representative sample of 373 patients identified as having a combination of severe mental illness and substance misuse.

Dopamine transporter polymorphisms are associated with short-term response to smoking cessation treatment.

Objectives: To examine the association between polymorphisms in the dopamine transporter gene (SLC6A3, DAT1) and treatment outcome in smokers attempting to quit using either nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion.

Methods: The sample consisted of 583 smokers recruited from a smoking cessation clinic, and followed throughout the 4 weeks of post-cessation treatment with behavioural support and either nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion.

Results: At 1 week after smoking cessation, the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) and the 30-bp intron 8 VNTR DAT1 genotypes were associated with the ability to stop smoking (3'UTR VNTR, odds ratio=2.

Prevalence of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in opiate-dependent adults.

Background. There is a clear association between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorders in adulthood. Symptoms of attention deficit disorder may also persist into adulthood.

Nurse prescribing in addiction services: client benefits.

Recent changes to prescribing regulations mean that nurse independent prescribers and supplementary prescribers are now able to prescribe any licensed medicine for conditions within their competence, including some controlled drugs. This article discusses the anticipated benefits of these prescribing changes for patients receiving treatment for substance misuse.

A dopamine transporter gene functional variant associated with cocaine abuse in a Brazilian sample.

The dopamine (DA) transporter DAT1 is a major target bound by cocaine in brain. We examined the influence of functional genetic variants in DAT1 on cocaine addiction. Repeat polymorphisms, including a 30-bp variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) in intron 8 (Int8 VNTR) with two common alleles, were genotyped in cocaine-dependent abusers (n = 699) and in controls with no past history of drug abuse (n = 866) from São Paulo, Brazil.

Validation of the 13-Item Beck Depression Inventory in alcohol-dependent people.

Aims. To validate a self-administered questionnaire (the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory) as an instrument for assessing depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent people. Design, setting and participants.

Dying for heroin: the increasing opioid-related mortality in the Republic of Ireland, 1980-1999.

Background: Over the past 20 years there has been a steady rise in mortality associated with opioid misuse in several Western countries. We aimed to examine trends in opioid-related mortality over a 20-year period in the Republic of Ireland.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of deaths attributed to ICD-9 codes 304.