Online digital recovery support services: An overview of the science and their potential to help individuals with substance use disorder during COVID-19 and beyond

/in /by

The COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing public health recommendations will have indirect consequences for individuals with current and remitted substance use disorder (SUD). Not only will stressors increase risk for symptom exacerbation and/or relapse, but individuals will also have limited service access during this critical time. Individuals with SUD are using free, online digital recovery support services (D-RSS) that leverage peer-to-peer connection (i.e., social-online D-RSS) which simultaneously help these individuals to access support and adhere to public health guidelines. Read more

FUTURE-AI: international consensus guideline for trustworthy and deployable artificial intelligence in healthcare

/in /by

Despite major advances in artificial intelligence (AI) research for healthcare, the deployment and adoption of AI technologies remain limited in clinical practice. This paper describes the FUTURE-AI framework, which provides guidance for the development and deployment of trustworthy AI tools in healthcare. Read more

World Drug Report 2024

/in /by

The emergence of new synthetic opioids and a record supply and demand of other drugs has compounded the impacts of the world drug problem, leading to a rise in drug use disorders and environmental harms, according to the World Drug Report 2024.
Read more

SAMSHA: Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders (2021)

/in /by

This Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) reviews what is currently known about treating the medical, psychiatric, and SUD-related problems associated with the use of cocaine and methamphetamine (MA) and the misuse of prescribed stimulants (such as those for the treatment of attention defcit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]). Read more

#ScaleUP initiative

/in /by

#ScaleUp is a new initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It builds on previous work and publications of UNODC, partner agencies and international researchers, such as the Discussion Paper on “Stimulant Use Disorders: Current Practices and Current Perspectives” (UNODC, 2019). This document calls for the scale up of effective psychosocial treatment, as well as increased research on pharmacological treatment options with a view to increase treatment engagement, treatment retention and effective treatment options for stimulant dependence. Read more

Online interventions and virtual day centres for young people who use drugs: potential for harm reduction?

/in /by

The methodological part of the large-scale study on the psychosocial distress of young people in Slovenia focused on vulnerable young people who use drugs and explored the potential of online interventions in harm reduction programmes. Authors looked at the needs of young people who, at the time of the research, were attending a virtual Discord day centre hosted by the DrogArt NGO or were involved in the organisation’s other programmes. Authors explored young people’s knowledge of online interventions, their satisfaction with them and the opportunities they offer for harm reduction programmes. Read more

Hydra: Lessons from the world’s largest darknet market

/in /by

Autors present a comprehensive description of Hydra, the largest darknet marketplace in the world until its shutdown in April 2022. Read more

mhGAP Intervention Guide

/in /by

Mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders are highly prevalent, accounting for a large burden of disease and disability globally. There remains a wide gap between available health systems capacity and resources, what is urgently needed, and what is available to reduce the burden. Nearly 1 in 10 people have a mental health disorder, but only 1% of the global health workforce provides mental health care. MNS disorders interfere, in substantial ways, with the ability of children to learn and the ability of adults to function in families, at work, and in society at large. Read more

WHO Classification of digital interventions, services and applications in health

/in /by

The WHO Classification of digital interventions, services and applications in health (CDISAH) categorizes the different ways in which digital health interventions used in digital applications and services are used to address individual and health sector needs and advance health goals. Read more

UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy 2021-2025

/in /by

Synthetic drug manufacture can occur anywhere depending on human creativity and the availability of a few strategic chemicals. Read more