In a recent poll a quarter of nurses have reported that anti psychotic drugs are being wrongly prescribed to dementia patients on general hospital wards.
The survey, which polled 650 nurses and 450 nurse managers revealed that the widespread use of these powerful drugs is often just to control ‘difficult’ patients.
In relation to this, research has read more »

It is likely that in years to come drug tests before exams will become routine for student reports The Independent.
‘Smart drugs’ as they have been coined are claimed to enhance academic performance by increasing focus, concentration and stimulation. Those who are desperate to succeed are now turning to drugs such as Ritalin which is ordinarily read more »

Times online have recently created a number of questionnaires to help you determine if you might have a mental illness. If you are worried that your winter blues might be something a little more serious then find out if you need to seek help. We are all guilty of using the terms stressed and depressed read more »

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of women dying drug-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 17% in 2008, and the number of men rose by 8%. The increase in female drug-related deaths came after a period of decline during 2005 and 2007.
The figures include both legal and illegal drugs and read more »

Students leaving education without qualifications are twice as likely to sign on than those who left with qualifications, reports the BBC.
The Prince’s Trust and Sheffield University have spent time analysing previous recessions and have predicted that one in five of the teenagers who are set to receive their GCSE results next week could be receiving read more »

Tranquilisers and over-the-counter drugs are too readily available, causing over two million people to develop addictions to them, reports the Independent.
Drugs such as benzodiazepines (tranquillisers) and opiate-based painkillers (such as morphine and codeine) can have serious side-effects, as well as being habit-forming. There has been a huge rise in addiction to these legal drugs, with read more »

Over one million people in the UK are now taking cocaine, the largest figure for 12 years, reports the Times.
The figure comes from the British Crime Survey, which also reveals that around 125,000 people are taking ketamine, a horse tranquiliser.
Over half of those taking cocaine are aged between 16 and 24, possible due to a read more »

The number of people being admitted to A&E after taking cocaine is at an all time high, reports the BBC, at seventeen a week.
In 2007-2008, 894 people in England were treated for a “cocaine-induced health emergency”, as opposed to 740 in 2006-2007 and 448 in 2003-2004. The number of people being taken to hospital read more »

Families of drug addicts are to be given a drug that can help reverse the affects of an overdose as part of a new trial, reports the Guardian.
In a quarter of over dose cases, a family member is present, but they are left feeling helpless and unable to help the addict, apart from calling an read more »

New patterns in cocaine use could put younger users at even more risk, reports the Guardian.
A new trend amongst cocaine users of mixing the drug in with other substances to allow them to drink for longer is causing health problems for 20 to 30 year olds. However, it is resulting in many users being admitted read more »