Showing papers on "Addiction published in 2020"
TL;DR: The risks of the collision of the COVID-19 and addiction epidemics are described, which could put at risk those who have opioid use disorder and methamphetamine use disorder.
Abstract: People with substance use disorder may be especially susceptible to COVID-19, and compromised lung function from COVID-19 could also put at risk those who have opioid use disorder and methamphetamine use disorder. This commentary describes the risks of the collision of the COVID-19 and addiction epidemics.
580 citations
TL;DR: The intricate bi-directional relationship between COVID-19 and addiction is analyzed, showing surge of addictive behaviors (both new and relapse) including behavioral addiction in this period and people with SUD are at greater risk of worse CO VID-19 outcome.
Abstract: Background and aims 2019-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is causing insurmountable psychosocial impact on the whole mankind. Marginalized community, particularly those with substance use disorders (SUD), are particularly vulnerable to contract the infection and also likely to suffer from greater psychosocial burden. This article analyses the intricate bi-directional relationship between COVID-19 and addiction. Methods Pubmed and Google Scholar are searched with the following key terms- “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV2”, “Pandemic”, “Addiction”, “Opioid”, “Alcohol”, “Smoking”, “Addiction Psychiatry”, “Deaddiction”, “Substance use disorders”, “Behavioral addiction”. Few newspaper reports related to COVID-19 and addiction have also been added as per context. Results People with SUD are at greater risk of worse COVID-19 outcome. There is surge of addictive behaviors (both new and relapse) including behavioral addiction in this period. Withdrawal emergencies and death are also being increasingly reported. Addicted people are especially facing difficulties in accessing the healthcare services which are making them prone to procure drugs by illegal means. Conclusion COVID-19 and addiction are the two pandemics which are on the verge of collision causing major public health threat. While every effort must be taken to make the public aware of deleterious effects of SUD on COVID-19 prognosis, the resumption of deaddiction services and easier accessibility of prescription drugs are needs of the hour.
271 citations
TL;DR: Compelling evidence indicates that plasticity in the brain pain emotional systems is triggered by acute excessive drug intake and becomes sensitized during the development of compulsive drug taking with repeated withdrawal and contributes to the development and persistence ofCompulsive opioid-seeking behavior.
254 citations
TL;DR: The authors observed excessive Internet use among Chinese children and adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19, and age, gender, depression, and stress were the potential key factors affecting IA.
Abstract: Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease presenting a major threat to public health. This study aims to assess Internet use characteristics and objectively examine the potential psychological factors associated with Internet addiction (IA) during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymized, self-reported survey was conducted among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years old. Participants completed questionnaires containing Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and questions regarding demographic information and Internet use characteristics. Results: A total of 2050 participants (mean age:12.34±4.67 years old, female: 48.44%) were enrolled. Fifty-five (2.68%) participants met the criterion for addictive Internet use (IAT≥70), while six hundred and eighty-four (33.37%) participants were classified as problematic Internet users (69≥IAT≥40). Internet usage had grown during the COVID-19 epidemic, including the frequency and duration of recreational Internet use, and the frequency of stay-up Internet use. A linear regression analysis showed female gender (β=-0.091, p<0.001), age (β=0.066, p=0.001), depression (β=0.257, p<0.001) and stress (β=0.323, p<0.001) were significantly correlated with the IAT total scores (R=0.539, R2=0.291, p<0.001). Conclusions: We observed excessive Internet use among Chinese children and adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. Age, gender, depression and stress were the potential key factors affecting IA. Extended family and professional support should be considered for vulnerable individuals during these unprecedented times.
237 citations
TL;DR: This Review integrates accounts of the neuropharmacological mechanisms that underlie the transition to compulsion with overarching learning theories, to outline how compulsion develops in addiction, highlighting the conceptual distinctions between compulsive drug-seeking behaviour and compulsivedrug-taking behaviour.
Abstract: Compulsion is a cardinal symptom of drug addiction (severe substance use disorder). However, compulsion is observed in only a small proportion of individuals who repeatedly seek and use addictive substances. Here, we integrate accounts of the neuropharmacological mechanisms that underlie the transition to compulsion with overarching learning theories, to outline how compulsion develops in addiction. Importantly, we emphasize the conceptual distinctions between compulsive drug-seeking behaviour and compulsive drug-taking behaviour (that is, use). In the latter, an individual cannot stop using a drug despite major negative consequences, possibly reflecting an imbalance in frontostriatal circuits that encode reward and aversion. By contrast, an individual may compulsively seek drugs (that is, persist in seeking drugs despite the negative consequences of doing so) when the neural systems that underlie habitual behaviour dominate goal-directed behavioural systems, and when executive control over this maladaptive behaviour is diminished. This distinction between different aspects of addiction may help to identify its neural substrates and new treatment strategies.
225 citations
Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging1, University of Duisburg-Essen2, University of Lübeck3, Eötvös Loránd University4, Hannover Medical School5, University of Giessen6, Flinders University7, University of Amsterdam8, Public Health Research Institute9, Heidelberg University10, University of Cambridge11, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust12, University of Hertfordshire13, National Health Service14, University of Nevada, Las Vegas15, University of Lausanne16, Yale University17
TL;DR: A meta-level criteria for considering potential addictive behaviors as fulfilling the category of "other specified disorders due to addictive behaviors" is suggested and may help guide both research efforts and clinical practice.
Abstract: © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial purposes, provided the original author and source are credited, a link to the CC License is provided, and changes – if any – are indicated.
164 citations
TL;DR: D dopamine receptors expressed in the brain are decreased, thereby reducing interest in activities not already stamped in by habitual rewards, and most addictive drugs cause elevations in extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Abstract: Addiction is commonly identified with habitual nonmedical self-administration of drugs. It is usually defined by characteristics of intoxication or by characteristics of withdrawal symptoms. Such addictions can also be defined in terms of the brain mechanisms they activate; most addictive drugs cause elevations in extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Animals unable to synthesize or use dopamine lack the conditioned reflexes discussed by Pavlov or the appetitive behavior discussed by Craig; they have only unconditioned consummatory reflexes. Burst discharges (phasic firing) of dopamine-containing neurons are necessary to establish long-term memories associating predictive stimuli with rewards and punishers. Independent discharges of dopamine neurons (tonic or pacemaker firing) determine the motivation to respond to such cues. As a result of habitual intake of addictive drugs, dopamine receptors expressed in the brain are decreased, thereby reducing interest in activities not already stamped in by habitual rewards.
142 citations
TL;DR: The current state of the field in understanding the behavioral and neural circuitry in the context of co-use with common pairings of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other addictive substances is reviewed, and key considerations when developing polysubstance models are outlined.
Abstract: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease with a highly multifaceted pathology that includes (but is not limited to) sensitivity to drug-associated cues, negative affect, and motivation to maintain drug consumption. SUDs are highly prevalent, with 35 million people meeting criteria for SUD. While drug use and addiction are highly studied, most investigations of SUDs examine drug use in isolation, rather than in the more prevalent context of comorbid substance histories. Indeed, 11.3% of individuals diagnosed with a SUD have concurrent alcohol and illicit drug use disorders. Furthermore, having a SUD with one substance increases susceptibility to developing dependence on additional substances. For example, the increased risk of developing heroin dependence is twofold for alcohol misusers, threefold for cannabis users, 15-fold for cocaine users, and 40-fold for prescription misusers. Given the prevalence and risk associated with polysubstance use and current public health crises, examining these disorders through the lens of co-use is essential for translatability and improved treatment efficacy. The escalating economic and social costs and continued rise in drug use has spurred interest in developing preclinical models that effectively model this phenomenon. Here, we review the current state of the field in understanding the behavioral and neural circuitry in the context of co-use with common pairings of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other addictive substances. Moreover, we outline key considerations when developing polysubstance models, including challenges to developing preclinical models to provide insights and improve treatment outcomes.
129 citations
TL;DR: Data suggest that human addiction is primarily driven by excessive goal-directed drug choice under negative affect, and less by habit or compulsion.
128 citations
TL;DR: The present study found that the Chinese BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 were all adequate instruments to validly assess internet-related addictions among university students.
126 citations
TL;DR: Current evidence points toward opioids promoting higher levels of permissive histone acetylation and lower levels of repressive histone methylation as well as alterations to DNA methylation patterns and noncoding RNA expression throughout the brain's reward circuitry.
TL;DR: The main goals of the research consortium are to identify triggers and modifying factors that longitudinally modulate the trajectories of losing and regaining control over drug consumption in real life, and to study underlying behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological mechanisms to implicate mechanism‐based interventions.
Abstract: One of the major risk factors for global death and disability is alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use. While there is increasing knowledge with respect to individual factors promoting the initiation and maintenance of substance use disorders (SUDs), disease trajectories involved in losing and regaining control over drug intake (ReCoDe) are still not well described. Our newly formed German Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) on ReCoDe has an interdisciplinary approach funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with a 12-year perspective. The main goals of our research consortium are (i) to identify triggers and modifying factors that longitudinally modulate the trajectories of losing and regaining control over drug consumption in real life, (ii) to study underlying behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological mechanisms, and (iii) to implicate mechanism-based interventions. These goals will be achieved by: (i) using mobile health (m-health) tools to longitudinally monitor the effects of triggers (drug cues, stressors, and priming doses) and modify factors (eg, age, gender, physical activity, and cognitive control) on drug consumption patterns in real-life conditions and in animal models of addiction; (ii) the identification and computational modeling of key mechanisms mediating the effects of such triggers and modifying factors on goal-directed, habitual, and compulsive aspects of behavior from human studies and animal models; and (iii) developing and testing interventions that specifically target the underlying mechanisms for regaining control over drug intake.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that D1- and D2-MSNs can bidirectionally control reward and aversion, explaining the existence of controversial studies in the field, and highlights that the proposed striatal functional opposition needs to be reconsidered.
Abstract: Deficits in decoding rewarding (and aversive) signals are present in several neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and addiction, emphasising the importance of studying the underlying neural circuits in detail. One of the key regions of the reward circuit is the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The classical view on the field postulates that NAc dopamine receptor D1-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) convey reward signals, while dopamine receptor D2-expressing MSNs (D2-MSNs) encode aversion. Here, we show that both MSN subpopulations can drive reward and aversion, depending on their neuronal stimulation pattern. Brief D1- or D2-MSN optogenetic stimulation elicited positive reinforcement and enhanced cocaine conditioning. Conversely, prolonged activation induced aversion, and in the case of D2-MSNs, decreased cocaine conditioning. Brief stimulation was associated with increased ventral tegmenta area (VTA) dopaminergic tone either directly (for D1-MSNs) or indirectly via ventral pallidum (VP) (for D1- and D2-MSNs). Importantly, prolonged stimulation of either MSN subpopulation induced remarkably distinct electrophysiological effects in these target regions. We further show that blocking κ-opioid receptors in the VTA (but not in VP) abolishes the behavioral effects induced by D1-MSN prolonged stimulation. In turn, blocking δ-opioid receptors in the VP (but not in VTA) blocks the behavioral effects elicited by D2-MSN prolonged stimulation. Our findings demonstrate that D1- and D2-MSNs can bidirectionally control reward and aversion, explaining the existence of controversial studies in the field, and highlights that the proposed striatal functional opposition needs to be reconsidered.
TL;DR: Future findings on the neurobiological bases of 'liking' and 'wanting' can continue to improve understanding of both normal food reward and causes of clinical eating disorders.
TL;DR: High impulsivity, high virtual social support, older in age, low subjective well-being, low family function, and high alexithymia was all independently predictive in the forward logistic regression analyses of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has significantly disrupted normal activities globally. During this epidemic, people around the world were expected to encounter several mental health challenges. In particular, Internet addiction may become a serious issue among teens. Consequently, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of Internet addiction and identify the psychosocial risk factors during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study was constructed using a cross-sectional design with 1060 participants recruited from among junior high school students around Taiwan using stratified and cluster sampling methods. Taiwan's first COVID-19 case was diagnosed on 28 January 2020. New cases exploded rapidly in February, and as a result, participants were surveyed during March 2 through 27 March 2020. The prevalence of Internet addiction was found to be 24.4% during this period. High impulsivity, high virtual social support, older in age, low subjective well-being, low family function, and high alexithymia was all independently predictive in the forward logistic regression analyses. The prevalence rate of Internet addiction was high among junior high school students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Results from this study can be used to help mental health organizations and educational agencies design programs that will help prevent Internet addiction in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TL;DR: A reverse translational approach is proposed, whose goal is to develop models that mimic successful treatments: opioid agonist maintenance, contingency management and the community-reinforcement approach that may provide an ecologically relevant platform from which to discover new circuits, test new medications and improve translation.
Abstract: Critical features of human addiction are increasingly being incorporated into complementary animal models, including escalation of drug intake, punished drug seeking and taking, intermittent drug access, choice between drug and non-drug rewards, and assessment of individual differences based on criteria in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Combined with new technologies, these models advanced our understanding of brain mechanisms of drug self-administration and relapse, but these mechanistic gains have not led to improvements in addiction treatment. This problem is not unique to addiction neuroscience, but it is an increasing source of disappointment and calls to regroup. Here we first summarize behavioural and neurobiological results from the animal models mentioned above. We then propose a reverse translational approach, whose goal is to develop models that mimic successful treatments: opioid agonist maintenance, contingency management and the community-reinforcement approach. These reverse-translated ‘treatments’ may provide an ecologically relevant platform from which to discover new circuits, test new medications and improve translation. Recent advances in animal addiction models have emphasized translational challenges. In this Review, Venniro and colleagues introduce a reverse translational approach that may provide an ecologically relevant platform from which to discover new circuits, test new medications and improve translation.
TL;DR: Recent clinical and preclinical findings on the neuroanatomical and neurochemical adaptations triggered by prolonged pain states in the brain reward pathway are discussed and evidence of mechanisms underlying comorbidities among pain, depression, and addiction is highlighted.
TL;DR: The current crisis tests the sustainability of the service to provide the high standard of care required for patients suffering from addiction, and the necessary adaptations to service provision are needed.
Abstract: 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. Service provision is an ongoing challenge not only due to the increasing need for services given the increased mental health burden of COVID-19 but also the restrictions in place in clinical areas to achieve social distancing. The necessary adaptations to service provision provide opportunities for the analysis of current processes used in our addiction unit and the introduction of new processes to our service. The current crisis tests the sustainability of the service to provide the high standard of care required for these patients.
TL;DR: Stigma and the Toll of Addiction Among the challenges in delivering appropriate care to the millions of people in the United States with substance use disorder is the chilling effect of stigma.
Abstract: Stigma and the Toll of Addiction Among the challenges in delivering appropriate care to the millions of people in the United States with substance use disorder is the chilling effect of stigma. Sti...
TL;DR: A relatively high prevalence of internet addiction among younger participants was revealed and a detached family relationship and living away from the family were significant determinants along other factors.
Abstract: In the last decades, the use of internet has increased many folds, and internet addiction has become a severe public health issue around the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of internet addiction among young adults (19–35 years) in Bangladesh and to identify factors associated with it. A total of 454 participants were selected from three administrative divisions of Bangladesh using multistage cluster sampling for this cross-sectional study. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data which included Young’s 20 items internet addiction test to assess internet addiction. The overall prevalence of internet addiction was 27.1%. Addiction rate was 28.6% in the subgroup 19–24 years and 23.5% among 25–35 years old. In both chi-square and logistic regression analyses, internet addiction was significantly associated with living setup, time spent daily on the internet, a detached family relationship, physical activity, and smoking habit (p < 0.05). Spending time on social media websites was the most common online activity among the participants. Our study revealed a relatively high prevalence of internet addiction among younger participants. A detached family relationship and living away from the family were significant determinants along other factors. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness among young generation and their parents towards predictors of internet addiction.
TL;DR: An overview of Virtual Reality (Head Mounted Devices) in the field of addiction medicine for craving assessment and treatment suggests that VR provide benefits in the Assessment and treatment of substance use disorders and behavior addictions and achieve high levels of ecological validity.
Abstract: Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and behavioral addictions are common and require a multidisciplinary approach. New technologies like Virtual Reality could have the potential to improve assessment and treatment of these disorders. Objective: In the present paper, we therefore present an overview of Virtual Reality (Head Mounted Devices) in the field of addiction medicine for craving assessment and treatment. Method: We conducted a systematic review by querying PubMed database for the titles of articles published up to March 2019 with the terms [virtual] AND [addictive] OR [addiction] OR [substance] OR [alcohol] OR [cocaine] OR [cannabis] OR [opioid] OR [tobacco] OR [nicotine] OR [methamphetamine] OR [gaming] OR [gambling]. Results: We screened 319 abstracts and analyzed 37 articles, dividing them into two categories, the first for assessment of cue reactivity (craving, psychophysiological response and attention to cue) and the second for intervention, each drug (nicotine, cocaine, alcohol, cannabis, gambling) being detailed within each category. Conclusions: This overview suggest that VR provide benefits in the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders and behavior addictions and achieve high levels of ecological validity. While, craving provocation in VR is effective across addiction disorders, treatments based exclusively on virtual exposure to drug related cues as shown heterogenous results.
TL;DR: A systematic literature search was conducted to find all relevant articles on SA and PSU published between 2017 and 2019 to better understand if they are distinct from other addictions that merely use the smartphone as a medium, and how the disorder(s) may fall on a continuum of addictive behaviors that at some point could be considered an addiction.
Abstract: Due to the high accessibility and mobility of smartphones, widespread and pervasive smartphone use has become the social norm, exposing users to various health and other risk factors. There is, however, a debate on whether addiction to smartphone use is a valid behavioral addiction that is distinct from similar conditions, such as Internet and gaming addiction. The goal of this review is to gather and integrate up-to-date research on measures of smartphone addiction (SA) and problematic smartphone use (PSU) to better understand (a) if they are distinct from other addictions that merely use the smartphone as a medium, and (b) how the disorder(s) may fall on a continuum of addictive behaviors that at some point could be considered an addiction. A systematic literature search adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was conducted to find all relevant articles on SA and PSU published between 2017 and 2019. A total of 108 articles were included in the current review. Most studies neither distinguished SA from other technological addictions nor clarified whether SA was an addiction to the actual smartphone device or to the features that the device offers. Most studies also did not directly base their research on a theory to explain the etiologic origins or causal pathways of SA and its associations. Suggestions are made regarding how to address SA as an emerging behavioral addiction.
TL;DR: In Mexico, fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection has had devastating consequences on mental health, such as anxiety, depression and sleeping disturbances, and internet abuse and the consequent overexposure to rapidly spreading misinformation are associated to anxiety and depression.
Abstract: Objectives To describe the prevalence and distribution of anxiety and depression among Mexican population, and to examine its association with internet addiction during the COVID-19 outbreak. Design A web-based cross-sectional study. Setting General population in Mexico. Participants 561 subjects were recruited (71% female, mean age 30.7 ± 10.6 years). Interventions An online survey to assess personal attitudes and perceptions towards COVID-19, sleep-disorders related, the Mexican version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was applied. Primary and secondary outcome measures Prevalence of anxiety, depression, internet addiction and sleep disorders and associated factors. Also, prevalence for anxiety and depression were compared to an historic control group. Results During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic the prevalence for anxiety and depression was 50% (95% CI, 45.6% to 54.1%) and 27.6%, (95% CI 23.8% to 31.4%), respectively. We found a 51% (33% to 50%) increase in anxiety and up to 86% increase in depression during the initial weeks of the lock-down compared to the control group. According to the IAT questionnaire, 62.7% (95% CI 58.6% to 68.8%) of our population had some degree of internet addiction. Odds ratio for development of anxiety symptoms was 2.02 (95% CI1.56-2.1, p=0.0001) and for depression was 2.15 (95% CI 1.59-2.9, p=0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, younger age (p=0.006), sleep problems (p=0.000), and internet addiction (p=0.000) were associated with anxiety and depression. Conclusions Our study provides valuable information on the psychological impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Mexican population. As in other parts of the globe, in Mexico, fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection has had devastating consequences on mental health, such as anxiety, depression and sleeping disturbances. Internet abuse and the consequent overexposure to rapidly spreading misinformation (infodemia) are associated to anxiety and depression. Strengths and limitations of this study Our study have addressed the immediate psychological effect of the pandemic in the general population in a Latin American country, specifically in Mexico, a nation with high population density. Using the IAT (a specific tool to assess internet dependency), we found internet addiction was highly prevalent and correlated to anxiety and depression. We used the snowball sampling strategy; thus, our population is biased and may not reflect the actual pattern of general population. We decided to compare anxiety and depression with an historic cohort, and although this control group is not exactly matched to our studied population, the prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders are like those reported previously in Mexico. Other limitations include response bias due to fewer older subjects participating, the fact that sleep problems were not rigorously evaluated with a specific tool, and some states in our country were not represented in this work.
TL;DR: In this article, a rapid scoping review was conducted to describe the prevalence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) using guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR).
Abstract: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the DSM-5 in 2013 as a condition requiring further research, and gaming disorder (GD) was included in the ICD-11 in 2018. Given the importance of including these conditions in diagnostic guidelines, a review was conducted to describe their prevalence. Using guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), we conducted a rapid scoping review. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library were searched for literature published from inception to July 2018. All review stages were pilot-tested to calibrate reviewers. The titles/abstracts and full-text articles were screened by one reviewer to include quantitative primary studies that reported GD or IGD prevalence. Excluded citations were screened by a second reviewer to confirm exclusion. Charting was conducted by one reviewer and verified by another, to capture relevant data. Results were summarized descriptively in tables or text. We assessed 5550 potentially relevant citations. No studies on GD were identified. We found 160 studies of various designs that used 35 different methods to diagnose IGD. The prevalence of IGD ranged from 0.21–57.50% in general populations, 3.20–91.00% in clinical populations, and 50.42–79.25% in populations undergoing intervention (severe cases). Most studies were conducted in the Republic of Korea (n = 45), China (n = 29), and the USA (n = 20). Results are also presented for severe IGD and by geographic region, gender/sex, and age groups (child, adolescent, adult). The five most frequently reported health-related variables were depression (67 times), Internet addiction (54 times), anxiety (48 times), impulsiveness (37 times), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (24 times). Due to the variability in diagnostic approaches, knowledge users should interpret the wide IGD prevalence ranges with caution. In addition to further research on GD, consensus on the definition of IGD and how it is measured is needed, to better understand the prevalence of these conditions.
TL;DR: Findings point toward a predisposing vulnerability in the causation of addiction, related to impaired goal-directed actions, as well as countervailing resilience systems implicated in behavioral regulation, and may inform novel strategies for therapeutic and preventative interventions.
Abstract: Regular drug use can lead to addiction, but not everyone who takes drugs makes this transition. How exactly drugs of abuse interact with individual vulnerability is not fully understood, nor is it clear how individuals defy the risks associated with drugs or addiction vulnerability. We used resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) in 162 participants to characterize risk- and resilience-related changes in corticostriatal functional circuits in individuals exposed to stimulant drugs both with and without clinically diagnosed drug addiction, siblings of addicted individuals, and control volunteers. The likelihood of developing addiction, whether due to familial vulnerability or drug use, was associated with significant hypoconnectivity in orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortical-striatal circuits-pathways critically implicated in goal-directed decision-making. By contrast, resilience against a diagnosis of substance use disorder was associated with hyperconnectivity in two networks involving 1) the lateral prefrontal cortex and medial caudate nucleus and 2) the supplementary motor area, superior medial frontal cortex, and putamen-brain circuits respectively implicated in top-down inhibitory control and the regulation of habits. These findings point toward a predisposing vulnerability in the causation of addiction, related to impaired goal-directed actions, as well as countervailing resilience systems implicated in behavioral regulation, and may inform novel strategies for therapeutic and preventative interventions.
TL;DR: Stigma Reduction to Combat the Addiction Crisis Using “person-first” language and sympathetic narratives and emphasizing solutions and societal rather than individual causes of addiction may help reduce stigma.
Abstract: Stigma Reduction to Combat the Addiction Crisis Using “person-first” language and sympathetic narratives and emphasizing solutions and societal rather than individual causes of addiction may help r...
TL;DR: Focusing on amygdala nuclei and their projections, evidence is provided suggesting that aberrant CRF expression and function may underlie augmented connectivity of the nucleus accumbens with fear/anxiety regions, disrupting the function of this critical locus of pleasure and reward.
TL;DR: The conceptual model of these hypothetical interactions between internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming internet disorder, and hikikomori-tendencies is proposed to solve these crucial issues for contemporary urban societies.
Abstract: Purpose of review Internet society has made our daily life more convenient, while its negative consequences especially internet, smartphone, and gaming addiction are emerging. At the same time, the phenomenon of pathological social withdrawal called 'hikikomori' has been increasingly highlighted as a problematic behavior in Japan. Now hikikomori is becoming a global mental health issue. The interaction between internet society, internet addiction, and hikikomori has not been well clarified. Recent findings A case vignette survey among psychiatrists suggested that hikikomori cases could be comorbid with internet addiction. In reality, hikikomori cases with internet addiction have been reported internationally. A recent survey among college/university students in Japan has indicated positive interactions between internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming internet disorder, and hikikomori-tendencies. Summary The cause of hikikomori has not been well understood, and the emergence of internet may be one of the important contributing factors for the occurrence of hikikomori. Whether pathological social withdrawal creates internet addiction, or internet overuse creates hikikomori remains unclear. Both possibilities exist, and we herein propose the conceptual model of these hypothetical interactions. Clarifying the mechanisms of both conditions will help to solve these crucial issues for contemporary urban societies.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the association between Instagram popularity and subjective happiness and test the mediating roles of cyber victimization and social media addiction, and find that adolescents whose activity on Instagram is more passive, and less dominated by digital status seeking behaviors, may be less exposed to these negative consequences.