Substance use and behavioral addictions are escalating on a global scale. The Global Burden of Disease Study underscores a rising impact on disability-adjusted life years attributable to substance use. This challenge influences families, communities, healthcare infrastructure, and legal systems; nevertheless, the majority of individuals suffering from substance use disorders face challenges in...
Introduction Digital addiction, particularly in the context of excessive smartphone and social media use, has been associated with impaired cognitive control, emotional dysregulation, and social withdrawal. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is widely recognized for addressing maladaptive thought patterns, while mindfulness-based strategies enhance present-moment awareness and reduce...
European PsychiatryJune 1, 2026L. Jishkariani, D. Zurabashvili, K. Gigolashvili et al.
Introduction Cannabis decriminalization raises concerns about its psychiatric impact, particularly on psychosis risk. As cannabis became decriminalized in Georgia in 2018, questions emerged regarding changes in substance-related and acute psychotic disorders. Examining these trends is essential to guide prevention, treatment, and policy in a shifting drug landscape. Objectives This study aims...
Aims: Ketamine misuse is an emerging public health concern, with increasing reports of severe physical and psychological complications. Chronic use is associated with hepatobiliary and urinary tract injury, often linked to ketamine’s metabolic pathways and toxicological effects (1-3). This report describes the complications and treatment outcomes of a young adult with severe ketamine dependence...
Aims: Recreational ketamine use and treatment-seeking for associated complications is increasing in England. Complications of ketamine dependence can be debilitating, leading to continued dependence and surgical intervention. However, treatment remains under-researched, with lacking understanding of those seeking treatment or requiring specialist inpatient detoxification. This study aims to...
European PsychiatryJune 1, 2026V. Fournier, André Kuntz, Rafik Bouzegaou et al.
Introduction As the number of treatment resistant patient in the psychiatric field has been growing over the last decades, there is a clear need for new therapeutic options. Over several years, the field of psychedelic assisted psychotherapy has been rapidly developing. In this scope ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) has come into psychiatric use to treat depression resistant depression,...
This article analyses a transformation in Buddhist philosophy and ethics, away from self-centred happiness to what the author calls "relational citizenship". From the fundamental teachings of dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), anattā (non-self), compassion (karuṇā), loving-kindness (mettā), and the Bodhisattva ideal, it articulates that genuine well-being is not a solitary psychological...
The emergence of contemporary psychological stressors, synthetic psychoactive substance abuse, and non-substance behavioral dependency networks presents critical investigative challenges within public healthcare and classical toxicology (Agadatantra), traditionally analyzed through the concepts of Madya (intoxicants), Mada (intoxication), and severe cognitive perversion (Prajñāparādha). This...
NeuropharmacologyJune 1, 2026Evan C Smith, Christos Iliopoulos-Tsoutsouvas, Markos-Orestis Georgiadis et al.
Despite being the most prevalently abused illicit drug class, the neurochemical effects of cannabinoids (CBs) in key reward-related brain regions are not fully understood. Here, we used in vivo microdialysis combined with liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry to delineate how single, intraperitoneal injections of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), and synthetic partial (AM11101) and full...
Les troubles liés à l’usage de substances (TUS) touchent environ 2 % de la population mondiale et sont associés à une morbidité importante ainsi qu’à un risque de rechute élevé. Les envies impérieuses (le craving), définies comme une envie intense de consommer une substance, constituent une caractéristique centrale et transdiagnostique des TUS et représentent un prédicteur clé de rechute. Les...
Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a major public health crisis in the United States, with mental health disorders substantially increasing risk severity. Emerging evidence suggests psychedelics may relate to reduced OUD risk. This exploratory study examined associations between lifetime psychedelic use and OUD severity and tested whether these associations varied by mental health impairment....
Ketamine is increasingly used in clinical settings for mental health and pain management, yet its misuse poses public health risks. While prior studies have examined ketamine trends, few have explored its use among individuals receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUD). Using 2021-2023 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), we analyzed the association between...
This chapter examines how psychoactive substances shape hallucinations by acting on perception, prediction and meaning-making rather than “creating” experiences from nothing. It contrasts the hallucinatory styles of classic psychedelics, stimulants and dissociative drugs, linking their neurochemical effects to characteristic changes in vision, sound, body experience and selfhood. The discussion...
The serotonergic hallucinogen psilocybin has shown potential as a treatment for psychiatric conditions like alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression in clinical studies. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, are hypothesized to contribute to its lasting therapeutic benefits. In this exploratory study, we present the first methylome-wide analysis of psilocybin-induced changes in a...
Addiction remains a major neuropsychiatric challenge, with dopaminergic, serotonergic, and GABAergic dysregulation underlying maladaptive behaviors. Traditional Brazilian medicinal plants offer a rich source of neuroactive compounds, yet their multi-target mechanisms remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the neuropharmacological potential of harmine, caffeine, and damianin through...
Opioid dependence is a public health concern in New Zealand, with limited treatment options beyond opioid substitution therapy (OST). Ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid with reported anti-withdrawal and anti-craving effects for opioid dependence, is legally available by prescription in New Zealand, offering a context for exploring user experiences. A qualitative collective case study design was...
This chapter examines the essential role of personal experience in psychedelic therapy, through a raw and reflective account of the author’s first Ayahuasca ceremony. It illustrates how direct experience with psychedelics can become a profound source of clinical wisdom over time. Drawing on Bateson’s systemic theories and the Taoist concept of “no-mind,” the author explores how psychedelic...
Background: Positive psychology helps individuals enhance their attention, self-awareness, and positive thinking. Recent research has explored the impact of mindfulness—one of the core techniques in positive psychology—on behavioral addictions such as smartphone overuse. However, the effects of positive psychology courses that integrate mindfulness meditation, particularly in promoting digital...
This study aims to examine Islamic mindfulness-based healing techniques, analyze their roles, mechanisms of spiritual recovery, and the spiritual transformation of former drug addicts, as well as explore their contribution to a comprehensive rehabilitation model implemented at Pesantren Al Ghazali Kediri. This research employs a qualitative method with a case study design. Data collection...