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New Psychoactive Substances and Suicidality: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

Background and Objectives:  Over the past twenty years a large number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have entered and modified the recreational drug scene. Their intake has been associated with health-related risks, especially so for vulnerable populations such as people with severe mental illness, who might be at higher risk of suicidality or self-injurious behavior. This paper aims at providing an overview of NPS abuse and the effects on mental health and suicidality issues, by performing a literature review of the current related knowledge, thereby identifying those substances that, more than others, are linked to suicidal behaviors. Read more

People Who Use NPS/Stimulants: Basic Needs and Barriers in Access to HIV Related Medical and Social Services in Moldova

Despite grand achievements on national, regional and international levels in response to the HIV epidemic, it remains a major public health issue. The representatives of Key Populations (KP) and their sexual partners have been disproportionately affected by the rise in HIV infections, which is further exacerbated by inadequate availability of integrated HIV prevention services. Read more

People Who Use NPS/Stimulants: Basic Needs and Barriers in Access to HIV Related Medical and Social Services in Ukraine

Today, while much has been achieved in the fight against the HIV epidemic, it remains a major global public health problem. The growing number of HIV infections that disproportionately affect representatives of Key Populations (KP) and their sexual partners is aggravated by inadequate availability of integrated HIV prevention services. Read more

The short history of New Psychoactive substances in Ukraine

During the last decade, the rapid emergence of diverse range of substances pragmatically clustered under the term novel psychoactive substances (NPS), has significantly reshaped the Ukrainian and global drug scene. Read more

New psychoactive substances in Eurasia: a qualitative study of people who use drugs and harm reduction services in six countries

This study examines the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and the harm reduction response in six Eurasian countries: Belarus, Moldova, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Georgia. The aim is to identify current patterns of NPS use and related harms in each country through recording the perspectives and lived experience of people who use drugs and people who provide harm reduction services in order to inform the harm reduction response. Read more

New psychoactive substances

The rapid emergence of a large number of NPS on the global drug market poses a significant risk to public health and a challenge to drug policy. Often, little is known about the adverse health effects and social harms of NPS, which pose a considerable challenge for prevention and treatment. The analysis and identification of a large number of chemically diverse substances present in drug markets at the same time is demanding. Monitoring, information sharing, early warning and risk awareness are essential to respond to this situation. Read more