Mental Health | Prolonged use of acetaminophen during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk..

.. for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research shows.

Mental Health | Teen use of marijuana may raise the risk of major depression and suicidal thoughts later in life, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that cannabis use during the teenage years was associated with a nearly 40 percent bump in the risk of depression and a 50 percent increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts in adulthood, according to the study, published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.

The study comes at a time when cannabis use continues to be high among teens.

Mental Health Update | Heightened awareness of the dangers of prescription opioids has prompted a movement to limit use of opioid therapies for patients with acute or chronic pain.

Primary care practitioners stand on the front lines of this care shift, and many are curtailing prescribing opioids in response.

But is the solution to the drug epidemic this straightforward?

Mental Health Matters | Study bolsters link between prenatal nicotine exposure and ADHD

Pregnant women who have nicotine in their systems from smoking are more likely to have children who develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests.

And the higher the level of nicotine in a pregnant woman’s blood, the greater her child’s risk of later being diagnosed with ADHD, researchers report in Pediatrics.

Mental Health Minnesota | Increased Screen Time May Affect Child Development

Cognitive delays and poor academic performance are negative outcomes associated with excessive screen time.

Excessive screen exposure can negatively affect child development, and clinicians should direct parents on appropriate lengths and consequences associated with increased screen time,

How safe is Kratom here in the USA? 

Kratom, a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, has been growing in popularity in the US, with circulating claims of it being a safe treatment with a range of healing properties, not so fast there.....

Cannabis use is on the rise here in Minnesota, mental health is going to be impacted by this.

Just because you can get it, doesn't mean it is going to be safe for your long term health. 

Knowledge and good sense matters.

Cannabis use continues to gain acceptance with the US, studies will be part of our lives to better understand cause / effect of Marijuana use. Here we go:

"Historically, cannabis has predominantly been smoked using various implements such as joints, pipes, bongs, and blunts."

In any case, recreational marijuana has been legalized in nine states, and it seems likely that more are on the way.

People who haven't ever smoked pot—or maybe haven't since that one time they tried in college and spent 2 hours trying to define what a "corner" really is—may be trying it again. And when they try, they may use the new hotness of vaping to deliver THC into their bloodstream.

Now, thanks to researchers at Johns Hopkins, we have high-quality pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to suggest just what the reefer will do in that situation.

Mental Health | Low levels of marijuana use — as few as one or two times — may change the teen brain, according to a new study.

Benzo use is up | The drugs Clonazepam and Diazepam are both benzodiazepines;

they're better known by the brand names Klonopin and Valium. The drug class also includes Ativan, Librium and Halcion.

The percentage of outpatient medical visits that led to a benzodiazepine prescription doubled from 2003 to 2015, according to a study published Friday. And about half those prescriptions came from primary care physicians.