Summary: Researchers know that changes in gut microbiota have an adverse impact on mental health management. These changes are among the significant reasons for the rise of common mental health problems. Using germ-free mice, researchers can now understand the role of different types of gut microbiota in mental health. Additionally, they can also start using gut microbiota to manage mental health issues. It means that science can now progress from developing the understanding to practical application.

Different types of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and various neurodegenerative diseases are rising. However, science has been struggling to explain why these mental health disorders have been rising so briskly in the last few decades. It now appears that most adults are living with one or another common mental health problems.

It is pretty easy to guess that it has much to do with a fast-changing environment. These diseases used to be rare just a century back. So, it means that fast-changing environmental factors and lifestyles predispose humans to mental health issues.

However, perhaps the bigger question remains: What kind of environmental and lifestyle changes are causing a rise in mental health issues, what is the role of various such changes, and what is the underlying mechanism? 

It is not easy to understand, as tens of factors are implicated in the rise of mental health issues. One such factor contributing to the increase in mental health issues is dysbiosis or severe changes in the gut microbiota. It has been seen that painkiller addiction helps in the rise of such cases as well. 

Studies show that changes in gut microbiota may affect physical and mental health. But, understanding what changes cause these health disorders is challenging. There are trillions of microorganisms living in the gut, and health disorders occur due to minor changes in their population. Therefore, understanding these small changes in the population of gut microbiota is very challenging. Nonetheless, researchers have been making some progress.

To understand how gut microbiota influences mental and physical health, researchers use so-called germ-free mice. These are mice that lack any kind of gut microflora. Then by introducing gut microflora in these mice, researchers can see the impact of different types of microbiota on mental and physical health. This helps us understand how and what changes in the gut microbiota are harmful and suggests ways of normalizing gut microbiota.

Researchers now know that gut microbiota produces neurotransmitters, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, vitamins, lactate, and many other bioactive compounds, thus impacting health. They are now also learning to appreciate the importance of various bioactive compounds produced by gut microbiota, modulating their levels by tweaking the gut microbiota.

In the future, researchers think that understanding how to use microbiota to alter the production of various bioactive compounds may help manage most mental health disorders, from depression, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

There are many good things about such a therapy. First, it is a more natural way to treat mental health disorders. Such methods may work slowly, but they can provide prolonged relief without causing any significant side effects.

Moreover, it is vital to understand that though there are hundreds of medications to treat mental health disorders, they work only in a small number of cases. Additionally, these drugs cause severe side effects.

Just take the example of depression. There are tens of drugs to treat the condition. Yet, these drugs barely work in less than half of all cases. It means that medications almost completely fail to help in more than 50% of the cases. Even worse, they have many side effects, they help slowly, and people must take these medications for long, sometimes even lifelong.

Unlike medical drugs, novel therapies like using gut microbes may provide prolonged relief. Moreover, once the healthy gut population has been reinstated, one can start living without the need to take any medications. Thus, such an approach is not only safe, but it also helps mental health management. 

It is therefore suggested to take expert help in case of common mental health problems. Telehealth addiction treatment offered by Addictionology Center helps you in mental health management right in the comfort of your home. 

Summary: Alcohol use disorder is a significant problem in the US and is associated with significant mortality. However, there are very few medications to treat alcohol use disorder. Now a new study suggests that one of the commonly available medications used to treat hypertension may help reduce alcohol cravings. A recent study found that those who used this medication to manage heart issues or hypertension reported significantly reduced alcohol intake. The drug was especially good for reducing alcohol intake in those with the highest alcohol intake.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a significant problem in the US. It causes 380 deaths a day or 140,000 deaths each year. Yes, these numbers are massive. Moreover, many of those who die due to excessive alcohol use are relatively young adults. Additionally, millions of lives are affected by excessive alcohol consumption. 

Though most are able to drink alcohol responsibly, nonetheless, alcohol use disorder is a significant issue in the US and globally. Alcohol is readily and legally available, and more than 80% of adults use alcohol now and then. Thus, no surprise that many use alcohol excessively.

Despite alcohol use disorder being an age-old problem, it has received relatively little attention. However, many people living with the condition require medical treatment for painkiller addiction help. Regretfully, very few drugs are moderately effective in the condition. Thus, doctors may use medications affecting alcohol metabolism, making alcohol consumption unpleasant. Or they might use drugs that reduce alcohol cravings. However, most medicines used to treat alcohol use disorders are moderately effective. Unfortunately, some of them have unpleasant side effects. Thus, researchers are looking for safer and more effective remedies, and it appears that one such remedy may be one of the popular heart medicine.

This popular heart medicine is called spironolactone. It is a diuretic used to manage hypertension. It has been in clinical use for a long, and thus it has a proven safety track record. However, now animal studies and clinical trials suggest that it may be quite good for treating alcohol use disorder, as it reduces alcohol cravings. The findings of the latest study were published in Molecular psychiatry2.

Spironolactone is an exciting drug in many ways, and studies have shown that it has many other health effects. That is why doctors are also exploring it for other brain disorders. It is even used to manage hair loss and many other health issues.

Researchers found that when mice were given spironolactone, they had a reduced urge to drink alcohol. Similarly, studies show that when spironolactone is prescribed for treating high blood pressure, people also report reduced alcohol intake due to a reduced urge to use alcohol.

Studies suggest that this may have something to do with its influence on mineralocorticoid receptors. These receptors are located throughout the brain and other organs that play an important role in fluid and electrolyte balance. It appears that expression or, rather, overexpression of these receptors in the brain has something to do with alcohol use disorder. Consequently, blocking these receptors appears to reduce alcohol urges or cravings in those living with alcohol use disorder.

In the study, researchers analyzed US Veterans Affairs healthcare system data and found that those taking spironolactone reported reduced alcohol intake. Interestingly, researchers found that those with the highest alcohol intake were more likely to reduce their intake after treatment with spironolactone.

Researchers say that these findings are highly encouraging. It is well-known that spironolactone is a nonselective mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist. Furthermore, it appears to modulate alcohol-seeking behavior by acting on these receptors in the brain.

Investigators also found that spironolactone independently reduced alcohol intake. In addition, its dose-dependently reduced alcohol self-administration. 

Researchers say that there is strong evidence from studies in rodents and clinical trials that it works. Thus, there is an urgent need to further test this drug for treating alcohol use disorder. Since the drug is already approved for treating other health conditions, it can be readily introduced for alcohol use disorder management. Repurposing a drug already in clinical use is much easier than developing some new treatment.

Summary: Cases of PTSD are on the rise globally, yet there are very few effective treatments for the condition. To date, psychotherapy is the most effective way of managing the condition. New studies show that MDMA or psilocybin may significantly increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. It appears that these substances, when used as medications or part of PTSD treatment, make individuals more receptive to psychotherapy, thus helping rewire the brain faster.

Due to covid and various international conflicts like the Ukraine war, PTSD is on the rise in the US and globally. However, it is among the conditions that are still not treated effectively with existing drug therapy. Moreover, even if medications help, they take a long time to show results. Thus, there is a need to find medications that act fast, are effective, and are safe for managing the condition.

Researchers are testing many treatments. However, it appears that MDMA (“ecstasy”) and psilocybin (“magic mushroom”) are now among the most promising remedies. These remedies appear to act fast and are especially good for managing PTSD when combined with psychotherapy. A recent study regarding their promising role in PTSD management has been published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology. 

These therapies are not to replace psychotherapy. Instead, they work better when combined with them. Psychological counseling remains the most effective and safe way to manage PTSD. However, combining it with MDMA or psilocybin may result in significantly better results.

It appears that due to some inherent qualities, some people are prone to PTSD. Those affected by the condition develop severe issues like nightmares, intrusive thoughts, mood swings, avoidance, and various other physical and emotional reactions. In addition, they sometimes find it difficult to control these physical and emotional responses, causing significant disability. 

Researchers say psychotherapy remains the treatment of choice, as it is the only way to rewire their brains. However, psychotherapy is a prolonged and often quite expensive process. In addition, it means that using it on a massive scale is quite challenging. 

Of course, there are many other drugs in development. However, researchers say that MDMA and psilocybin are among the most promising agents. Here it is vital to understand that these drugs mainly work by increasing the action of psychotherapy and not due to their hallucinogenic properties. They may help individuals become more receptive to psychological instructions. In addition, they ensure better and faster brain rewiring. 

Researchers have already done 4 larger clinical studies. In all the studies, they found that combining psychotherapy with psychedelics was better than psychotherapy alone1.

Of course, “ecstasy” and “magic mushroom” are still the substance of abuse. Thus, their use in medicine is not legal. However, now things are changing fast, as regulatory agencies realize their benefits in PTSD. Hence, it is expected that MDMA may get approval for managing PTSD in a couple of years.

Clinicians are very excited about the perspectives of MDMA approval for clinical use, as they think that it will revolutionize PTSD treatment. Not only that, but it will also open doors for testing these therapeutic approaches in other mental health conditions. For example, there is already sound evidence that psychedelics are quite good for managing depression when used along with psychotherapy.

If approved, doctors will have a potent tool in their hands to rewire patients’ brains. 

Moreover, it is worth understanding that MDMA was created by a pharmaceutical company a long time ago. However, when it was created, doctors tested it for other health conditions, in which MDMA did not work well. 

Additionally, it appears that doctors and regulatory agencies are now changing their attitudes toward MDMA. Though its uncontrolled use may pose a health risk, when used under medical supervision or in the clinics, it is a highly safe way to manage various mental health issues.

Summary: In the US, more than a million suicides are attempted each year, causing more than 45000 deaths, most of which are young adults. Yet, there is no known effective treatment to reduce suicides significantly. Now a new study shows that a simple measure of using a folic acid supplement may reduce suicide risk by as much as 44%.

This is a very unusual and accidental finding of one of the new studies showing that folic acid may considerably reduce suicide risk.

it has long been known that vitamins are associated with better mental health, brain health, and energy levels, especially vitamin Bs. However, no one thought that it could reduce the suicide rate in such a significant manner, particularly in the case of opioid addiction treatment. Suicides or attempted suicides are generally associated with depression, and almost close to 5% of US adults are living with the condition. Each year about 12 million think of suicide and 10% of them attempt it, and it results in more than 45,000 deaths every year.

Despite so much progress in science, mental health disorders are increasing. There are tens of drugs to treat depression, yet none seems to work in all cases. Anti-depressants are moderately effective in treating depression. But, even worse, they fail to help in many instances.

In the new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers were looking for a possible association between depression risk and the use of various medications, a subject that is poorly explored yet.

For the purpose of the study, researchers analyzed the data of close to a million patients. They used the drug refill data to see if there is any association between the intake of various drugs and suicide risk. To understand this, they almost analyzed the patients’ use of close to 1000 drugs. To their surprise, their analysis showed that folic acid appears to be associated with significantly lower suicide risk.

Therefore, they decided to focus particularly on folic acid, also known as vitamin B9. The role of vitamin B-complex in brain health is known. Therefore, folic acid is often prescribed during prenatal care as it is essential for fetal brain development and reduces the risk of certain congenital disabilities.

For this purpose, they collected data from 866,586 patients who were given folic acid between 2012 to 2017. Since folic acid is more commonly prescribed to women, overwhelming numbers of those who took folic acid were women (80%).

When they analyzed the data, they found that people who took folic acid had a significantly lower suicide risk. However, since most patients who used folic acid were pregnant women, it is easy to understand such findings. Pregnant women are the least likely to commit suicide.

Nonetheless, researchers decided to move forward with their study and analyze the data of males. They were amazed to see that in men, folic acid intake reduced suicide risk by almost 44%, even after adjusting for various other confounding factors. These are incredible findings, as folic acid is readily available and is quite safe for prolonged use2.

There were some other interesting findings in the study, like a linear relationship between folic acid intake and reduced risk of suicides. The study found that folic supplementation for each month reduced suicide risk by about 5% and maxed out at about 44%. That is a massive benefit.

Since folic acid has many health effects similar to cyanocobalamin or vitamin B12, the researchers also decided to see if vitamin B12 could also help reduce suicide risk. However, they did not find any correlation between vitamin B12 intake and suicides. Hence, it appears that this benefit is unique to folic acid.

These findings have huge clinical relevance and must be tested in further well-designed clinical trials. It is vital to understand why folic acid is so helpful in preventing suicides. It is also essential to explore its role in treating depression.

If these findings are confirmed in clinical trials, then folic acid may emerge as a cheap and safe treatment for depression and preventing suicides, and it may help save thousands of lives.

Summary: Corticosteroids are among the most commonly used drugs. They are used to manage various health conditions, from pain, inflammation, allergies, and autoimmune disorders. However, their prolonged use is also associated with many side effects, including a higher risk of mood swings, depression, reduced cognition, and more. A new study comparing MRI brain scans of steroid users with non-users found that these effects on mental health are due to structural changes in the brain that occur due to prolonged use of steroids.

Steroids are among the most commonly used drugs to manage pain and inflammation. They are among the most common medications for allergies and autoimmune diseases. Quite often, people have to use steroids continually for years to keep their disease condition in control. Here, of course, we are talking about corticosteroids, not androgens, which are performance-enhancing drugs. The human body has many different steroidal hormones with various functions. Sex hormones are not the only steroids. Corticosteroids are very close to the hormones secreted by the adrenal gland in their structures.

Corticosteroids are the drugs of choice for managing severe asthma, autoimmune disorders, and even chronic pain. Doctors may prescribe these drugs for either inhalation or oral intake. Though these drugs are relatively safe when inhaled, on prolonged use, inhaled and oral drugs have similar side effects. Some of the common side effects of corticosteroids are increased infection risk, water retention, high blood pressure, mood swings, behavioral changes, stomach upset, weight gain, and more. Doctors have long known these side effects. Nonetheless, they have to prescribe these medications for many disease conditions, as there are no other options. Online addiction counseling is also a helpful treatment option for those who suffer from addiction, including opioid dependence. Combining corticosteroids with online addiction counseling may help to manage chronic pain and opioid dependence more effectively.

For example, inhaled corticosteroids are the most effective treatment for many asthma patients. Similarly, doctors may require using corticosteroids to manage chronic inflammatory conditions. Though doctors have long known that corticosteroids cause mood swings and symptoms like anxiety, depression, mania, and other mental health issues, but they do not know the cause of these side effects. They are unsure if these side effects are due to some metabolic changes, hormonal changes, altered levels of neurotransmitters, or something else. Now, study shows that these mental health issues probably arise due to structural brain changes caused by prolonged corticosteroid use.

In the new study, researchers used a UK biobank that contains data from more than half a million adults aged 40 to 69 years. For their study, researchers analyzed the MRI brain scans of 222 people using systemic steroids and another 557 using inhaled steroids. In addition, they compared their brain scans with 24,106 non-steroid users.

The study found that both inhaled and systemic steroid use was associated with structural brain changes like reduced white and gray matter in the brain. It means that neuronal connectivity is compromised by prolonged steroid use. The study found that white matter structures were especially less intact in long-term steroid users. Needless to say, researchers also found that such brain damage was more prominent in oral steroids users compared to inhaled steroids users. 

Additionally, the study found systemic steroid use resulted in larger caudate, whereas inhaled steroids caused a smaller amygdala. Both these structures play important roles in cognition and emotional processing. These structural changes in the brain of systemic steroid users were also associated with more severe signs of depression, fatigue, restlessness, and apathy. 

It is among the first studies to show that prolonged corticosteroids cause structural changes in the brain, which results in neuropsychiatric side effects. Moreover, the study found that such side effects are common with oral and inhaled corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are widely used drugs and are regarded as irreplaceable in many disease conditions. Thus, researchers say that this study shows an urgent need to find safer alternatives to synthetic corticosteroids.

Summary: Ketamine is an anesthetic and can also reduce pain sensation. However, its use to treat depression is new. Studies show that few ketamine infusions can provide prolonged relief from depression. However, some doctors have raised concerns regarding the risk of ketamine abuse. Fortunately, a new study in rodents shows that ketamine is not addictive. It does cause an increase in dopamine. However, any such upsurge is short-lived and thus does not appear enough to cause addiction.

Ketamine is an anesthetic, and it is also known to help with pain. However, its use in managing depression is new. There is significant interest in ketamine treatment for depression as the studies show that it may help provide prolonged relief, unlike traditional antidepressants.

However, conversely, it is no secret that ketamine is also a club drug, a substance of abuse. It causes euphoria at higher dosages. Therefore, doctors worry that its frequent use may put their patients at risk, and many might become addicted to it. 

But some experts think that though it is psychotropic, it does not appear addictive. After all, it has been available for a long time, and there are not many people addicted to ketamine. Now, a new study shows that though it may stimulate the reward pathway, it also affects some other brain pathways that help prevent ketamine abuse.

Addiction vs. Dependence

Before discussing the risk of addiction further, it is vital to understand that addiction and dependence are two different things. Addiction is when one seeks a substance despite its negative health consequences. Addiction is a kind of behavioral disorder. For instance, opioid addiction treatment is carried out when abuse of opioids begins to produce negative effects on the body.  

Dependence, on the other hand, causes withdrawal syndrome on discontinuation of the use of the substance. In addition, dependence often causes severe physical signs. Drugs that cause dependence may affect most people who use them regularly.

Although most people may become dependent on some substances after their prolonged use, the same is not true for addiction. Studies show that only some people become addicted. Moreover, addiction only affects a small number of people.

For example, studies show that only one-fifth of cocaine users are really addicted to it. And for opiates, this rate is about 30%. In a recent study, researchers tried to understand the risk of addiction to ketamine.

Ketamine has a short-lived impact on the reward pathway

Generally, people get addicted to substances as they increase the levels of the pleasure molecule dopamine. For example, cocaine can boost the brain’s dopamine level for a long time. However, after some time, it would start falling, and thus a person would seek the drug to increase dopamine level again.

In the new study, researchers used a special device that allowed mice to self-administer ketamine. They found that it increased dopamine levels in mice, so they repeated the self-administration. However, they found dopamine levels elevated due to ketamine also falling quite quickly, unlike many other drugs of abuse.

Ketamine also seems to have the effect that prevents reward pathway stimulation

Researchers wanted to know why, unlike other drugs of abuse, ketamine treatment for depression causes such a short-lived increase in dopamine levels. They found that ketamine increased dopamine by inhibiting NMDA receptors. However, it also modulated other receptors, called the D2 receptors, that act as a brake on the rapidly increasing dopamine. 

Hence, they found that it is this dual mechanism that helps prevent permanent changes in the brain, unlike other drugs. Therefore, ketamine does not cause long-term behavioral changes. The increase in dopamine levels is for such a short time that it is not enough to cause addiction. The researchers concluded that there is almost zero addiction risk of ketamine in rodents.

Of course, these are still early findings. Nonetheless, it provides the basis for further studies. There is a need to find out if this is also true for humans. Considering that quite often, what works in rodents also works in humans, it is likely that it does not cause addiction. Even if it does cause, any such effect is probably quite low.

Summary: Childhood abuse is not rare in the US and affects about one in seven children. It is well known that such a trauma can cause many issues during adolescence and young adulthood. Those exposed to childhood abuse may have mental health issues, behavioral problems, and risky behavior. However, now a study suggests that it may even significantly increase the risk of mental and physical ailments in old age. It may almost double the depression, anxiety, and even COPD risk.

 

Older adults who had a traumatic childhood are more likely to develop chronic painful conditions and various chronic disorders like cancer, depression, anxiety, COPD, and others.
These days chronic non-communicable diseases have emerged as a significant issue. Medical science may manage these conditions well, but they are challenging to treat. Conditions like COPD, depression, anxiety, or even cancer, may not kill immediately, but these issues cause significant pain and disability.

 

Researchers want to understand why certain painful and chronic conditions are rising so quickly despite improved living standards. There are many reasons for the increased mental health disorders and chronic painful conditions. It appears that childhood abuse is one such significant factor.

 

CDC data suggests that childhood abuse and neglect are quite a common problem. It affects almost one in seven children. It means that there are millions of adults who had traumatic experiences in their childhood. Childhood abuse could be physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect. Over the long term, children who were abused are more likely to engage in risky behavior and have unhealthy lifestyles. However, now a study suggests that the ill effects of childhood trauma continue to haunt a person even in old age.

 

A new study shows that childhood abuse continues to cause pain in old age

 

Childhood abuse causing issues at school age, increasing the risk of substance abuse, and risky behavior are well known. Childhood trauma may also cause mental health issues and behavioral disorders in adolescents and young adults. However, what researchers did not know is that painful childhood may significantly contribute to the painful conditions in old age

 

The new study was done in British Columbia, Canada. In the study, researchers enrolled 409 older adults living with various ailments. First, there were all survivors of childhood abuse, and now they were older than 60 years.

 

Researchers did not expect childhood memories and pain to continue to haunt even in old age. Thus, they decided to compare the prevalence of painful conditions in older adults with difficult childhood to those with a normal childhood. Researchers were amazed to see the marked difference between the two groups.

 

The researchers found that childhood trauma increased the risk of anxiety, depression, and COPD by as much as twice. This is a massive difference, something that researchers did not expect. They also found that childhood abuse survivors have a 50% higher risk of cancers and a 70% greater risk of migraines and debilitating pain. They are also at a 33% higher risk of developing arthritis. Interestingly, it seems that childhood abuse only slightly increases heart disease risk.

 

Doctors cannot fully explain the association between childhood abuse and a higher risk of painful conditions in older adults. Nonetheless, they think that there are multiple mechanisms of action. For example, those with childhood trauma have altered stress responses and neural pathways and are more likely to live with chronic inflammation. In addition, they often have abnormal cortisol levels.

 

These findings are relevant as one is not likely to pay much attention to the possible link between childhood abuse and a higher risk of chronic painful ailments in older adults. However, the present study shows that it may be a significant contributing factor in some cases. Furthermore, childhood trauma can significantly increase the risk of multiple health conditions. Thus, anyone treating chronic pain conditions in older adults must have telehealth treatment regarding this

Summary: In recent years, many telehealth platforms have sprung up. Tele mental help has some distinct benefits like accessibility and lower cost. However, experts think that telehealth platforms for mental health conditions may not be effective in many cases. There are many reasons why experts doubt the efficacy of these platforms. Mental health specialists working on these platforms are not well paid. These are often specialists with minimum experience in managing mental health conditions. Although video calls seem to be quite helpful, other ways of communication like texting are not proven to be effective ways of providing help to those with mental health issues. There are also concerns regarding virtual pharmacies, as these platforms prescribe drugs without seeing the patient and physical examination.

Telehealth has some distinct benefits over traditional medicine. It makes healthcare more accessible, with lower consultation fees, better availability, and higher communication. This does make it one of the excellent ways of providing mental healthcare. Nonetheless, it also lacks some of the traits of traditional medicine and the benefits of face-to-face meetings. Additionally, therapists providing help on some online platforms may lack the expertise to manage mental health issues remotely. Thus, experts are skeptical about the benefits of telehealth.

In recent years, telehealth startups have grown significantly, and the industry is undergoing a boom. This may be explained by increasing rates of mental health issues. CDC data shows that almost 40% of US adults are living with mental health issues or substance use disorders. These are significant numbers. It is not possible to provide help to so many people by using traditional methods. This underlines the importance of exploring innovative methods of providing help to those who need it most. It appears that telehealth may be the way.

Experts remain skeptical about tele help for mental health

The sheer number of people living with mental health issues shows that mental health therapists cannot cope with the problem through traditional channels. This has forced millions of people to turn to online telehealth startups like BetterHelp, and other similar platforms. These platforms provide quick help through face-to-face online meet and also texting.

However, there are many issues associated with these platforms. For example, these platforms have lower consultation fees when compared to traditional therapists. However, experts say that this also means less attention to the patient. Additionally, many psychologists and mental health specialists on these platforms are not experienced enough. Many of these therapists are just starting their journey and are ill-trained to provide adequate help. There are also concerns regarding how these online platforms offer support.

Therapy via texting

Mental healthcare experts are also skeptical about the way online platforms deliver help. Two main ways of understanding patients’ problems and providing psychological support are face-to-face video calls and texting.

Though many claim that these methods work, there is still limited data regarding their efficacy. Among these two methods, direct face-to-face virtual interaction seems to work, as there is some research into the subject. Some studies suggest that these online calls may be as effective as visiting the therapist’s office. However, such interaction would be helpful only in some mental health conditions and not all mental health issues.

There is a complete lack of data when it comes to the efficacy of messaging, texting, and other similar methods. Therefore, it is difficult to say if such methods have significant value in managing mental health issues. However, experts say this is the predominant way of providing help on the telemental health care platforms.

Virtual pharmacies

Another significant concern is the virtual prescriptions that are merely based on the doctor-patient interaction. Even this interaction is often concise. In many cases, doctors need to prescribe antidepressants, psychotropic substances, and other controlled substances. In the case of telehealth, they do it without a physical examination and sufficient testing. This is quite worrisome. DEA has temporarily allowed prescribing controlled substances virtually, mainly due to Covid-19.

Some healthcare experts think that patients may even imitate mental health issues, get virtual prescriptions, and then abuse these substances. This can do more harm than good.

To conclude, this is not to suggest that telemedicine services are not helpful. However, it has its limitations. It may be good in some cases, but in most cases, the traditional way of visiting the healthcare provider is safe and effective.

Summary: Researchers have long known that dementia is caused by the disruption of synaptic connections in the brain. They also know that these disruptions have a lot to do with changes in the brain’s immune system, that is functioning of microglial cells. Studies show that antianxiety drugs may alter the working of microglial cells, and thus lead to mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons, and thus leading to dementia. This is one of the contributing factors to the rise of dementia. Understanding this mechanism may help find effective treatment or preventive measures for dementia.

The rise in the prevalence of certain brain disorders has puzzled researchers. For example, if the prevalence of anxiety is relatively easy to explain, science has been finding it hard to explain the epidemic of dementia.

 

Most people would experience anxiety during their life. Many of them would suffer from severe anxiety. It has much to do with modern lifestyle choices. Many of these individuals would need to seek medical treatment. However, new studies suggest that antianxiety drugs might be contributing to the risk of dementia.

 

Understanding the factors behind the risk of dementia is vital, as it has become a major health threat in the western world. In addition, science knows that human genetics have not changed significantly in the last hundred years. Thus, an increase in dementia has much to do with lifestyle and environmental changes.

 

It is quite likely that some of the drugs people are using to manage various common ailments might increase the risk of dementia. One such drug used commonly is an antianxiety medication like diazepam.

 

A study sheds light on how antianxiety drugs might increase the risk of dementia

 

Before trying to understand the latest finding, there is a need to understand that the brain’s activity depends on the neurons and the connections between them. These connections are called synapses. If the connections between the neurons are lost or damaged, it causes cognitive decline.

 

Although people know a lot about the working of neurons, most people do not realize that the most common cells in the brain are not neurons but glial cells. These cells act as connective tissues, form immune cells, provide vital nutrients to neurons, and more. In addition, glial cells provide support to neurons so they can stay healthy.

 

New studies suggest that antianxiety drugs not only act on neurons but also affect the working of microglial cells. Microglial cells form the brain’s immune system and play a vital role in maintaining neuronal connectivity.

 

It seems that antianxiety drugs may influence microglial cells, thus negatively impacting the neurons, particularly their connections with each other or synapses.

 

To understand how antianxiety drugs may influence the working of the brain, researchers focused on the protein called “Guwiyang Wurra.” This protein plays an important role in mitochondrial energy generation in neurons. Therefore, disrupting this protein would cause mitochondrial dysfunction, thus the malfunctioning of neurons.

 

A new study found that antianxiety drugs can affect mitochondrial energy production by knocking out the Guwiyang Wurra protein. This may ultimately lead to the breakdown of various synapses or connections. This may eventually start affecting the working of different brain centers.

 

Researchers have long known that antianxiety drug intake is associated with a greater risk of dementia in adults. However, they were unsure of the underlying mechanism of action.

 

Researchers used a special mice model developed by ANSTO known as the “Guwiyang Wurra -TSPO knockout” to prove their concept. Studies show that antianxiety drugs act by suppressing Guwiyang Wurra protein through TSPO. However, they found that if TSPO protein was knocked out or absent in the mouse, then antianxiety medicines did not cause brain damage1.

 

Researchers think that these findings are relevant in many ways. First, antianxiety drugs are not the only cause of dementia. Studies show that there could be many reasons for the overactivity of the brain’s immune system leading to mitochondrial dysfunction.

 

Studies show that prolonged fatigue, deficiency of certain nutrients, prolonged illness, and viral infections like Covid-19 can cause the brain’s immune system to behave abnormally. These changes in the working of microglial cells ultimately lead to disruption in Guwiyang Wurra. It means that finding ways like opioid addiction treatment  to prevent this disruption can help prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and help reduce the risk of dementia.

Summary: Substance abuse disorder (SUD) is a significant health problem. Drug addiction is among the leading causes of mortality in young adults. Medical specialists often struggle to treat SUD, and it has a high relapse rate. A new longitudinal study with a follow-up period of 32 years shows that those who abuse substances in adolescence are more likely to abuse substances in their older age. Thus, people are not likely to grow out of their old addiction. This underlines the importance of seeking early addiction treatment and prolonged care.

Substance abuse disorders are the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in young adults. The problem of substance use disorder (SUD) is even increasing in older adults. Studies now suggest that it is something that starts in adolescence, and people are unlikely to grow out of it.

SUD, or addiction to various substances, including drug addiction, is now a well-studied phenomenon. It is a problem of colossal scale. What is worrisome is that there are no signs that people are anywhere close to overcoming this problem. It remains a major health problem, and even worse are the findings that its prevalence continues to increase.

Treating teenage drug and alcohol abuse is challenging, and there are high relapse rates. Thus, there is a need to counter the problem in its early stages. Hence, it is vital to prevent or manage SUD in adolescents and young adults.

Generally, as people grow older, their habits and preferences change. Therefore, they are pretty likely to give up certain habits. However, the new findings published in the journal JAMA are worrisome, as they indicate that people are not likely to grow out of the problem of SUD.

The findings of the study done by the New University of Michigan are pretty grim. It has been quite a long study with a follow-up period of 32 years. The study found that most of those addicted to various substances at the age of 18 were still suffering from SUD, even after three decades.

Some of the significant findings of study were:

• The study found that addiction problems or SUD was common in adolescents, with 12% living with severe symptoms.
• The follow-up study found that those with severe SUD were more likely to abuse substances or suffer from addiction as adults.
• This relationship between SUD at an early age and the risk of addiction later in life was more visible in those addicted to alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs in their adolescence.
• Most adults prescribed medications like opioids, sedatives, and benzodiazepines were those living with SUD during their adolescence.

Experts say this is a wake-up call, as it shows that the problem of SUD starts quite early and continues to affect people for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, it means that treating addiction at a young age is of significant importance, as preventing addiction in those living with SUD in adolescence is quite challenging.

Another issue is the choice of medications. Many medications used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction may also increase the risk of SUD later in life. Thus, people treated with anti anxiety drugs, painkillers, and given sedatives at a young age are also more likely to develop SUD later in life.

It also underlines the importance of history taking when treating older adults living with SUD. Knowing more about their past habits and what medications they took as young adults is vital.

The study also found that most people living with SUD did not seek opioid treatment. Thus, educating people and raising awareness of the topic is also necessary. This education regarding the health risks of addiction must continue through adulthood.

Additionally, people with a history of abusing multiple substances during adolescence must be treated as high-risk individuals. These are the people who are pretty likely to misuse drugs later in their life.

Further, experts recommend that there is a need to find innovative ways of preventing SUD in older adults. For example, health insurance may include other services aimed at preventing and treating relapse later in life.

This study clearly highlights the importance of long-term follow-up of individuals who were treated for SUD as young adults. Such individuals should get continuous education and care during their adulthood.