The objective of the present research is to understand the factors that initiate drug consumption and intervene in the escalation of drug consumption; in this sense, a wide range of etiopathogenesis of substance use disorders (SUD) was considered.

In order to assess the risk factors involved in the onset and maintenance of SUD we compared two groups (the study group - 60 people who admit that they have consumed drugs at least at a recreational level, and the control group, equivalent in terms of numbers, age, sex ratio, and use only of legal drugs).

The methods of collecting qualitative data were: clinical interview, observation, diagnosis of drug disorder and other psychiatric diagnosis as according to Kid-SCID.

A questionnaire was developed in order to collect data regarding age at the beginning of consumption, family, environment, pattern of drug consumption.

For the quantitative data three questionnaires were applied: Cloninger Personality Test, the Constructive Thought Inventory and the Parental Stress Index.

The majority of users of psychoactive substances present a disharmonic family situation. The results of the Cloninger Personality Test describe the drug consuming teenager as shy, in search of new sensations, impulsive. In our study, the people in the experimental group have obtained significantly lower scores than the control group in: behavioural and emotional coping, conscientiousness (Constructive Thought Inventory).

For an adequate result in the fight against drugs, the pronounced integration of etiopathogenic elements and of the basic mechanisms of consumption is needed.

This study estimated Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for accidents, suicide, homicide, and natural causes following treatment for cannabis use disorders. Predictors of death within the sample and the time of death in relation to treatment start and ending were determined.

This was a register-based cohort study of 6445 individuals in treatment for cannabis use disorders in Denmark between 1996 and 2006. The register of individuals in treatment for cannabis use disorders was linked with registers on causes of death and psychiatric treatment. The sample was followed after treatment entry and 142 deaths were recorded during 26584 person-years of follow-up.

The all-cause Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) was 4.9. For different causes of death the SMRs were: accidents: 8.2 (95% CI 6.3–10.5), suicide: 5.3 (95% CI 3.3–7.9), homicide: 3.8 (95% CI 1.5–7.9), and natural causes: 2.8 (95% CI 2.0–3.7). Secondary opioid use predicted all-cause mortality as well as death from accidents and homicide, while higher age predicted all-cause mortality and death from natural causes. After exclusion of those with secondary opioid use, excess mortality from homicide was no longer observed, while SMR's associated with other causes of death remained largely unchanged. The SMR was 17 in the first two weeks after treatment start, fell during the following year, and rose again thereafter. No excess mortality was observed following the end of treatment.

Individuals with cannabis use disorders have highly increased mortality from accidents, suicide, homicide, and natural causes.

Addiction is a process which is followed by use and abuse of psychoactive substances. It is characterised by behevioral patterns which gradually become dominant in motivational hierarchy of individual. Therefore, heroine addicts, almost as a rule, manifest personality disorder.

The purpose of this study is to show that antisocial personality disorder is often in comorbidity with heroine addiction, as well as to show positive therapeutic effects of the work-occupational therapy.

Personality disorders are diagnosed by applaying Psychiatric interwiew and TCI-9 (Temperament and Character Inventory). Within work-occupational therapy, Scale of Interest and Aggression Evaluation Questionnaire are used in order to include patient in different kinds of sport and recreational activities and to evaluate the level of aggression in first four weeks. Seventy patients who were hospitalised at the addiction department during 2009 and 2010 were tested.

Heroin addiction and antisocial personality disorders are by high percentage in comorbidity 50%, narcissistic personality disorder 14%, borderline personality disorder 11%, paranoid personality disorder 3%, schizoid personality disorder 1%, and 14% without personality disorder. Level of aggressivness and tension was decreasing from week to week, proportional to the activity at the working-occupational therapy.

The results gained from the study confirm a belief that heroine addiction is in high degree in comorbidity with antisocial personality disorder. This study shows that longer and greater activity at the work-occupational therapy leads to the reduction of aggressiveness and almost complete exclusion of medicament therapy.

In the last ten years, there was an increasing interest for comorbidity between schizophrenia and substance abuse, including cannabis. Indeed, the cannabis use is significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia (15 to 40%) than in general population (16%).

The objective of this study was to determine demographic and clinical features of hospitalized schizophrenic patients with a history of cannabis abuse.

The aim of our study is to examine the relationship between cannabis use and the course of illness in schizophrenia.

This was a descriptive and a comparative study. Sixty Tunisian male with schizophrenia were divided in two groups: patients who abuse or are addicted to cannabis (cannabis+, N = 30) and patients who have never used this substance (cannabis-, N = 30).

In the cannabis (+) group, 33,4% of patients had a history of a long stay abroad and 50% had a criminal record. The difference between the two groups was statically significant (respectively p = 0,011 and p = 0,0001).

Antisocial personality disorder was significantly more prevalent in patients with cannabis (+) (p = 0.04), whereas subjects with a schizoid personality were essentially schizophrenic with no history of cannabis use (p = 0.026). Duration of untreated psychosis and number of hospitalizations were significantly associated with cannabis use (respectively p = 0,001 and p = 0,002).

Cannabis seems to complicate the evolution, and the management of schizophrenic illness. Identification and treatment of this addiction in a patient with schizophrenia is essential to ensure a better prognosis.

Pathological Gambling is a disorder of impulse-control, and has a progressive course that usually results in an economical disaster and impairment of family life, and social relations.

Therefore we studied the question if the quality of life is impaired in pathological gamblers.

In 42 subjects who suffered actually (N = 24), or were remitted (N = 18) from pathological gambling, quality of life was assessed by means of the Wisconsin-Quality-of-Life-Questionnair.Gambling Behavior was assessed by the South-Oaks-Gambling Screen, and symptoms of depression by the Beck-Depression-Inventory.

Pathological gamblers rated their overall quality of life as moderately low. Interestingly the impairment of quality of life by symptoms (of depression) was substantially higher than the impairment by the economical situation. Compared to actively gambling subjects, remitted gamblers had a better quality of life in nearly all domains of life.

The quality of life of pathological gamblers is poor, and is better if the disorder is in remission. The economic situation is seen less dramatic by the gambler, maybe because of denial. Thus, psychiatric complaints may be a stronger motivation for treatment than the economic desaster.

Goodman expanded the conceptualization of addictions to embrace not only drug addiction but other behavioral addictions. In some cases, suicidal behaviour can be viewed as a behavioral addiction.

The main objective of the present study is to analyze the relationships between major suicide repeaters (> or =5 lifetime suicide attempts) and measures of suicidal behaviour addiction.

To characterize major suicide repeaters.

Sample and procedure: This is a transversal study of 954 suicide attempters (Montpellier, France). All suicide attempters were assessed using a protocol including: MINI (Axis I disorders), TPQ (personality traits) and BIS-10 (impulsivity), among others. Statistical Analyses: Comparisons between groups was made using logistic regression models with crude odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Major repeaters were more likely to be female and having low educational level than non-major repeaters (OR[95%]=6.95[3.19–15.10]; p < 0.0001; and OR[95%]=2.17[1.38–3.33]; p < 0.001, respectively). As compared with non-major repeaters, major repeaters more often met criteria for bipolar disorder (OR[95%]=1.82[1.22–2.74]; p < 0.05), anxiety disorders (OR[95%]=1.77[1.03–3.07]; p < 0.05) and eating disorders (OR[95%]=2.81[1.79–4.41]; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, compared with non-major repeaters, major repeaters were more frequently diagnosed with cigarette smoking (63.5% vs. 53.5%), alcohol use (29.3% vs. 25.4%) and substance use (15.4% vs. 13.2%), but none of them reached statistical significance. Finally, major repeaters, as compared with non-major repeaters, were more likely to score high in harm avoidance (OR[95%]=2.52[1.52–4.18];p < 0.001), BIS-10 global score (OR[95%]=2.09[1.25–3.47]; p < 0.05) and BIS-10 non-planning impulsiveness (OR[95%]=3.31[1.37–7.99]; p < 0.05).

Our preliminary results give partial support to the addictive hypothesis of suicidal behaviour.

Recent findings in basic scientific research such as neurobiological and neuroimaging studies have suggested common pathways for food as well as drug intake. It was hypothesized that both compete for the same brain reward sites and that a higher BMI may be associated with lower substance use. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and substance use in a large sample of young male adults.

The sample consisted of 1,902 18-year-old males of a province of Austria in a naturalistic cross-sectional setting.

Questionnaires were administered to assess alcohol dependence (CAGE) and nicotine dependence (HSI). Urine samples were collected to assess the prevalence of recent illicit drug use. Associations between BMI and substance use were calculated by means of logistic regression analyses.

An inverse relationship between BMI and illicit substance use was found. This relationship remained significant after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as level of education, nicotine dependence, breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels and alcohol abuse and dependence. No significant association was found between BMI and nicotine and alcohol dependence.

A higher BMI was associated with lower illicit drug use in our sample of young adult males. As BMI increases rates of illicit drug use decrease. These results provide further evidence for the hypothesis that food and drugs may compete for the same brain reward sites.

In PTSD, phenomenon of dissociation is associated with massive emotionally disorganizing experience of extreme traumatic stress. In alcoholism dissociation is a result of psychopharmacological effects of alcohol. Common dissociative mechanisms of formation of alcoholism co-morbid with PTSD and alcoholism with alcoholic psychoses condition compatible likelihood of their further highly progression.

Persons with dual diagnosis - PTSD and alcoholism (F43.1, F10.2) have been examined (n = 78). Control group included 82 healthy persons without mental and addictive disorders. The examined were persons of male and female gender (25–45 years, mean age was 34,89 ± 7,76 years). We used DES - Dissociation Experiences Scale (E. M. Bernstein, F. W. Putnam; 1986); scales CIWA-Ar, ТАS (Toronto Alexithymia Scale).

In alcoholic patients with co-morbid PTSD there is accelerated formation of compulsive component of primary craving to alcohol that is associated with specific motivation to use psychotropic effects of ethanol as an agent of “self-medication”, as palliative variant of stress coping-strategy. The most often motivation to use alcohol is ataractic (82,0%). Obligatory character of interrelationship of alcoholic dissociation with initial massive psychotraumatization in PTSD and disturbances in affective domain is confirmed by high indices (DES - 19,2 ± 2,4 and ТАS - 70,2 ± 4,2), on one hand, and high correlation of TAS with indices of TSQ − questionnaire of traumatic stress (г = 0,48, p < 0,01) - on another.

In alcoholism co-morbid with PTSD, symptoms of alcohol withdrawal have comprehensive character (CIWA-Ar − 62,2 ± 1,4 scores) and reinforce symptoms of psycho-physiologic hyper-activation that provokes continuous cycles of relapsing.

The aim of this pilot study is to assess, in a sample of patients with chemical (alcohol) and behavioural (gambling) dependence, the specifical association between core symptoms and Separation Anxiety Disorder, both in Childhood and in Adulthood.

After a stabilization period of three months, outpatients with alcohol dependence (n = 30), patological gambling (n = 30) and a control group of anxiety disorders (n = 30) will be assessed with the following psychometric battery:

1. • SCI-SAS (Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety) Child and Adult

2. • SASI (Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory)

3. • ASA-27 (Adult Separation Anxiety Questionnaire)

4. • TCI-R (Temperament anc Character Inventory Revised)

5. • GAF (Global Assess of Functioning)

6. • SCL-90-R (Symptom Checklist Revised)

7. • SOGS (South Oaks Gambling Scale)

8. • ADS (Alcohol Dependence Scale)

9. • HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale)

A preliminary analisys of collected datas (n = 33) shows a strong inter-reliability of the Separation Anxiety Scales (SCI-SAS, SASI and ASA-27) with a p = 0.001 and an association between levels of functioning (GAF) and ASA-27 and SASI scores (p = 0.010 and p = 0,001).

It shows a statistical correlation between ASA-27 and TCI-R: inverse proportion with Self Directness (SD) (p = 0.004) and direct relation with Self Trascendency (ST) (p = 0.003).

Even if the sample is still limited we found an interesting trend between Separation Anxiety symptoms, TCI-R dimensions and core symptoms of dependance. We should focus better, when the study will be over, on narrow and specific sub-analisys that should lead us to a better understanding of the disorders.

Clinicians and researchers have long considered stress to play major role in the development and continuation of alcohol use disorders. There are studies which reveal that alcohol dependent individuals manifest dysfunction in hormonal stress response system - the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Some data indicate that there is a connection between the HPA axis dysfunction and a family history of alcohol dependence.

Investigation of the relationship between the HPA axis function, depression and family history of alcohol problem.

40 abstinent, alcohol dependent patients (9 females and 31 males) of inpatient treatment program were tested during the hospitalization with questionnaires (including family history of alcohol problem (FHA) and depressive symptoms measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)) and with combined dexamethasone (DEX) suppression test.

22,5% of subjects had abnormal results of DEX test.

There was significant (p < 0,05) correlation between DEX test and depressive symptoms among alcohol dependent subjects with positive FHA. There was no such correlation in negative FHA group. Abnormal DEX test was connected with higher scores in BDI.

There are correlations between depression, HPA-axis function and family history of alcohol problem.

Learning involves setting up predictions in identical situations. The dopaminergic striato-frontocortical loop plays a major role in setting up these predictions. The activity of the loop may be assessed by measuring the anticipation of eye movements, following a target on a screen, using an eye tracker. We have recently observed that deficits in anticipation were correlated with scores of impulsivity on the UPPS scale.

Measure learning abilities in AD subjects, where PET studies have shown a decrease in striatal dopaminergic activity.

Test the capacity of AD and control subjects on the anticipatory eye movements. Methods: 24 AD subjects were tested at onset and end of a 3 weeks detox and compared with 24 age and gender matched controls also tested twice, in an occulomotor task.

Control subjects displayed higher velocity than AD subjects in the period of anticipation of the target on the screen. Furthermore, control subjects displayed improvement in the velocity and amplitude of this anticipatory eye movement, suggesting the existence of learning abilities supported by the striato-frontocortical loop. On the contrary, no improvement occured in AD subjects even after detox, suggesting a blunting of the learning abilities of these subjects.

The striato-fronto cortical loops that probably plays a role in the learning of the addiction to alcohol in AD subjects is no longer able to support learning processes, which may explain the difficulty of these subjects to unlearn the addiction.

On a festival called “Peninsula Music Festival 2010” we examined the drug usage habit of 256 young participants with a questionnaire. We evaluate correlation with risk factors of preference of ethno-botanical drugs.

Gender distribution: 59.37% man and 40.63 women. Age distribution: Sample size = 256, Mean age 21.60 years, Standard deviation 4.33. The individual's smoking habit influences the judgement of the dangerousness of smoking. Considering the consumed drugs the great majority of students (similarly to the international situation) tried out ethno-botanical drugs and marijuana. This is followed by the abuse of medicine and amphetamines consumption. The changes of both legal and illegal drug use habits conclude to the fact that the same happens in our country as in the western union countries.

The frequency of drug trials grows among the youth, the habits of drug use change, cannabis derivatives and ethno-botanical drugs dominate while the proportion of opiate users is decreasing.

Injection drug use is a major route of HIV transmission in China yet relatively little is known about why so few injection drug users utilize free HIV testing services. This study aim to examine barriers to HIV testing/ VCT service utilization among injection drug users in Shanghai, China.

Utilizing mixed methods, we analyzed data from a survey of 540 compulsory drug abuse treatment patients and data from focus groups with 70 service providers and patients.

Only 24.4% of patients expressed willingness to be tested for HIV. Willingness to be tested was associated with younger age and more positive attitudes toward condom use. Patients reported several barriers to utilization of voluntary HIV testing services, including lack of information about this services, perceptions of no- or low-risk for HIV infection, fear of positive results, and the stigma or discrimination that may be experienced by oneself or family. Having limited skills related to HIV counseling was reported by service providers as the primary barrier to encouraging patients to utilize HIV testing/VCT services.

Special intervention programs targeting injection drug users, their family members, and service providers may increase HIV testing in China.

Social behaviour of drug addicted patients is a key factor in understanding and controlling addiction problem. This study is conducted to investigate the social characteristics of 211 drug addicted males referred to addiction treatment centres in Yasouj, Iran.

More than 80% of participants were smokers among which 40% smoked their first cigarette at about age 14 or younger. Among the respondents 42.8% and 24% had have smoker friends or relatives respectively. 48.7% reported having at least one failed class during their compulsory education. Among the respondents 52.9% had at least one criminal record.

Results suggested smoking as an early and highly common behaviour during drug addiction during adulthood. Moreover, a significant number of the participants had smoker friends or relatives which could act as encouraging and facilitating factor to become addicted. Educational failure was common among addicted males. The above factors may be considered as predicting factor for later drug addiction.