For years, moderate drinking was seen as harmless or even beneficial. This study challenges that, revealing how even modest alcohol consumption can raise brain iron levels and impair cognitive function.
 

What is the impact of alcohol use in teens on their risk for developing depression? Spoiler alert: If it were a clear linear relationship, there would be no story here. Read this research update and use it to improve your process for screening for alcohol use.

It was once thought that moderate alcohol intake was protective against cardiovascular disease. However, new research has revealed flaws in the methodology of these old studies and instead finds that even in moderation, alcohol does not have health benefits and can increase mortality at lower doses than once thought, particularly for women.

Dr. Ponce Martinez highlights the need to identify and manage alcohol withdrawal in psychiatric settings, underscoring the use of the CIWA-Ar scale for monitoring symptom progression. While benzodiazepines remain the primary treatment, she reviews alternative treatment strategies and tells us which patients are so high risk that they must be transferred to a medical unit for care.

Substance-induced psychosis (SIP) presents diagnostic challenges in distinguishing it from primary psychotic disorders, with substance timing, symptom type, and duration being key differentiators. Effective treatment combines antipsychotic medications and substance cessation strategies. Dr. Athanasiou reviews key points in the management of SIP.

Older adults with substance use disorders present to clinicians in various stages of change. Dr. Bogunovic discusses brief clinical interventions including motivational interviewing and how to approach harm reduction.

With three FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorders and three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorders, it can be hard to know where to start. Here we review the pros and cons of these six medications—and provide recommendations for their use in older adults.