Suchergebnisse

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Alcohol dependence (AD) is frequently associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). <b><i>Objective:</i></b> Aim of this study was to investigate whether in patients with AD, ADHD is associated with an increased rate of exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and PTSD, with increased PTSD severity and higher impact on daily functioning. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Patients with AD were thoroughly assessed for ADHD during long-term residential treatment. Participants also completed the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS). The PDS is a 49-item self-report instrument that assesses exposure to different PTEs, DSM-IV criteria for PTSD, severity of PTSD, and related functional impairment. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of 341 patients with AD, 66 were diagnosed with ADHD (19%). ADHD was associated with a more frequent exposure to PTEs (88 vs. 65%, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). In patients with PTEs (<i>n</i> = 237), odds for PTSD were higher in ADHD versus no-ADHD patients (OR 8.9, 95% CI 3.9–20.5). Furthermore, PTSD severity and functional impairment were increased in ADHD patients. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> ADHD in patients with AD is associated with a higher frequency of PTEs and PTSD with more severe and more impairing PTSD symptoms. In alcohol-dependent patients with ADHD, regular screening for PTSD should be considered.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Similar to other countries, the government of Germany has implemented various restrictions of social life in March 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. This results in millions of people being isolated for long periods, which may increase feelings of worry and anxiety. As the consumption of alcohol and tobacco is an often used dysfunctional strategy to cope with such feelings, these restrictions might cause an increase of consumption. Already at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that increased alcohol consumption during the lockdown can increase the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in the future. However, up to now little is known about the changes in alcohol-drinking behavior and tobacco smoking in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> To address this theme, we investigated the changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption in the German population aged between 18 and 80 years via an online survey. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In total, 3,245 persons participated in the survey; 35.5% of them reported an increase in drinking during the lockdown (42.9% did not change their drinking behavior, 21.3% drank less, and 0.3% started drinking). The odds of consuming more alcohol during lockdown were associated with middle age, higher subjective stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lower agreement with the importance of the restrictions, and consuming alcohol more than once per week before the lockdown. Also, 45.8% of the participants increased their smoking during the lockdown. The odds of smoking more during lockdown were associated with higher subjective stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> These findings suggest that it is important to start campaigns to inform the general population about potential long-term effects of increased alcohol and tobacco consumption and to raise the health-care professionals' awareness of this topic.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Previous studies on Internet addiction point towards a particular constellation of personality traits and deficits in social competence of players addicted to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are hypothesized to result from impairments in self-concept. The aim of this study was to examine differences in self-concept and degree of avatar identification in World of Warcraft addicted, non-addicted and naive (nonexperienced) participants. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Participants (n = 45) completed interviews and self-report questionnaires on social, emotional and physical aspects of self-concept. Attributes of participants' 'actual self', 'ideal self' and their avatar were assessed using the Giessen test. The extent of avatar identification was examined by assessing differences between 'ideal self' and avatar evaluations. <b><i>Results:</i></b> In contrast to nonaddicted and naive participants, addicted players showed a more negative body appraisal and lower self-esteem as well as lower permeability, social response, general mood and social potency on the Giessen test subscales. They further showed significantly lower discrepancies between 'ideal self' and avatar ratings on nearly all Giessen test subscales. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> The results point towards impairments in self-concept and a higher degree in avatar identification in addicted MMORPG players compared to the remaining participants. These results could have important implications for the treatment of addicted MMORPG players.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Smartphones are often helpful in our everyday lives. Yet, they also tend to interrupt us during other activities. It has been argued that such distractions contribute to <i>attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder</i>-like symptoms. However, since there are mostly correlational studies, the causal nature of this relationship is unclear. Our aim was to test whether reducing smartphone-related distractions might have a beneficial effect on inattention and hyperactive symptoms. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted a 1-week field experiment with 37 healthy undergraduates and quasi-randomly assigned them to an intervention or control group (CG). The intervention group was given theory-based specific instructions that aimed at reducing smartphone-related distractions, whereas the CG received no intervention. The outcomes of interest were inattention level, hyperactive symptoms, and working memory accuracy. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to those in the control condition, participants who limited their smartphone use showed considerable reductions in hyperactive symptoms after 1 week – particularly those who displayed high problematic smartphone use. However, there were no group differences regarding inattention symptoms and working memory accuracy. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> The results give a first hint that strategically reducing smartphone-related distractions via specific but simple use modifications can mitigate hyperactive symptoms. Especially people with problematic smartphone use seem to profit from such an intervention. Remaining questions and directions are discussed.

Zusammenfassung. Ziel der Studie: Untersucht wurden die Einstellungen gegenüber Menschen mit Alkoholabhängigkeit und die Akzeptanz neurobiologischer sowie sozialer Krankheitsursachen. Methodik: Mit einem 75-Item Fragebogen wurden die Ansichten von 254 Teilnehmern erfragt und die Einstellungen gegenüber alkoholabhängigen Patienten von Betroffenen und gesunden Menschen verglichen. Die betroffenen alkoholabhängigen Patienten (n = 122) wurden während einer stationären qualifizierten Entzugsbehandlung befragt, nachdem der körperliche Entzug vorüber war. In den Vergleichsgruppen wurden medizinisches Personal (n = 70) sowie Studierende (n = 62) ohne medizinisches Hintergrundwissen befragt. Ergebnisse: Zwischen den Betroffenen und dem medizinischen Personal fanden wir keine Unterschiede bezüglich der Zuschreibung neurobiologischer Faktoren als Ursachen der Alkoholabhängigkeit. Studierende hielten neurobiologische Faktoren für weniger ursächlich für Alkoholabhängigkeit als Betroffenen und als medizinisches Personal. Bezüglich der sozialen Faktoren als Ursachen der Alkoholabhängigkeit ergaben sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen den drei Gruppen. Die Betroffenen bewerteten die Charaktereigenschaften alkoholabhängiger Patienten insgesamt positiver als das medizinische Personal und die Studierenden.Schlussfolgerung: Betroffene berichten positivere Einstellungen gegenüber Menschen die an einer Alkoholabhängigkeit leiden, als medizinisches Personal und als Studierende.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Preclinical studies have shown that calcium seems to be the active component of the anti-craving drug acamprosate (Ca²⁺ bis-acetyl-homotaurinate). Clinical effects in humans have also indicated an association between increased calcium plasma concentration due to acamprosate treatment and better outcome relating to time to relapse and cumulative abstinence. In contrast, low calcium concentration in alcohol-dependent patients was related with craving for alcohol. The main goal of the trial was to investigate whether an oral calcium administration is able to affect craving, withdrawal, and relapse risk in alcohol-dependent patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted a single-blind, randomized, monocentric, controlled clinical two-arm trial in alcohol-dependent patients (Clinical Trials Registration: DRKS00011293). A total of 55 alcohol-dependent subjects received calcium carbonate (800 mg + 5 μg vitamin D) versus sodium bicarbonate (1,000 mg) daily during the 14 days of inpatient alcohol-withdrawal treatment. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Based on an intention-to-treat protocol, withdrawal intensity (assessed with CIWA-Ar) in the calcium carbonate group attenuated faster than in the sodium bicarbonate subgroup. Alcohol craving (assessed with OCDS) in the calcium carbonate subgroup was also significantly reduced versus the sodium bicarbonate subgroup. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our data support earlier findings and show that treatment with calcium carbonate during alcohol withdrawal reduces symptoms of alcohol withdrawal as well as alcohol craving in a controlled clinical pilot study. Mode of actions will need to be determined to allow the further development of pharmacological interventions beyond Ca²⁺ bis-acetyl-homotaurinate.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most common personality disorders among persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) and is characterized by severe clinical symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate if the effect of dialectical behavior therapy for substance use disorders (DBT-S) inpatient treatment on psychopathological symptom load in patients suffering from both BPD and SUD can be augmented by weekly 60-min "Trauma Informed Hatha Yoga" sessions. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients suffering from comorbid BPD and SUD were consecutively in time included in this quasi-experimental pilot study (first intervention then control group). In the intervention group, weekly Trauma Informed Hatha Yoga sessions were added to standard DBT-S for 8 weeks. The participants of the control group received standard DBT-S. All participants completed several self-report questionnaires to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, symptoms of BPD, and their subjective stress perception at three points in time during the study course. Results: A repeated measures analysis of variance with patients' psychopharmacological medication as covariate revealed a significant main effect of time for each of the psychometric scales (State and Trait Anxiety Inventory subscale for state anxiety [STAI-S] p = 0.001, Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] p < 0.001; Borderline Symptom List 23 [BSL] p = 0.036) indicating that the psychopathological symptom load of the patients was significantly lower at the end of the DBT-S therapy compared to the beginning in both study groups. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect of group*time on the psychometric scales STAI-T (subscale for trait anxiety) sum score (p = 0.010) and the sum score of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (p = 0.043). This was expressed by the fact that the participants of the intervention group showed a significant reduction of the STAI-T sum score as well as the sum score of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), while the control group did not. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, correction for multiple testing was omitted. Conclusion: Although they are very preliminary, our results suggest that practicing Trauma Informed Hatha Yoga on a regular basis in addition to DBT-S inpatient treatment seems to reduce the level of trait anxiety and perceived stress significantly more than DBT-S inpatient treatment alone. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of Trauma Informed Hatha Yoga in reducing trait anxiety and perceived stress in patients suffering from SUD und BPD must be tested in large randomized controlled trials.