Most college binge drinkers and drug users don’t develop lifelong problems. But new mental-health guidelines will label too many of them addicts and alcoholics.
Addiction
DSM-5 Debate: Committee Backs Off Some Changes, Re-Opens Comments
The committee responsible for revising the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — psychiatry’s diagnostic “bible” commonly referred to as the DSM — has dropped the inclusion of two …
Can Addictive Behaviors Be Predicted in Preschool?
Children’s behavior at age 3 offers some surprising clues about their risk of developing addictive behaviors like problem gambling or drug misuse in their 30s
Zapping Memories of Drug Addiction Without Medication
Medications may not be needed to eliminate the drug-related memories that trigger relapse in addicts. Appropriately timed behavioral interventions may do the trick, according to new research published in Science.
TEDMED: How the Power of Self-Identity Affects Your Health
When is a label a badge of honor, and when is it a harmful stigma of sickness or deviance?
Can Food Really Be Addictive? Yes, Says National Drug Expert
Compare the proportion of obese people in America to those who are addicted to drugs and then try to argue that food isn’t as addictive as crack cocaine, says Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
How Getting Tipsy May Inspire Creativity
A new study finds that men who got moderately drunk on vodka cranberries did better on tests of inspired thinking.
Sexually Frustrated Flies Are Driven to Drink
When she says no, the bottle beckons more brightly — for men and for fruit flies, according to a new study that found that male flies that had been repeatedly spurned by females were more likely to turn to alcohol to …
Study Linking Abortion to Mental Health Problems Is Flawed
A psychiatry journal has distanced itself from a controversial and widely cited study it published in 2009 linking abortions with mental health problems in women.
The Conundrum of Risky Painkillers for Veterans with PTSD
War veterans with severe pain may need drugs like morphine and hydrocodone to manage it, but the medications are associated with higher rates of overdose and self-harm in those with post-traumatic stress.
10% of the U.S. Population Has Overcome Drugs or Alcohol
A new poll finds that 1 in 10 adults — or 23.5 million Americans — has successfully overcome a problem with alcohol or illegal drugs.
Decision-Making Under Stress: The Brain Remembers Rewards, Forgets Punishments
It’s counterintuitive, but under stress we tend to focus more on the rewards than on the risks of any decision.
Q&A: Charles DuHigg on Changing Your Habits
They mostly operate below the level of consciousness, but everyday habits and routines govern a surprisingly large portion of our behavior, according to Charles DuHigg, author of The Power of Habit.