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| Keith Humphreys, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs and Stanford University Medical Centers .
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| Mutual Support Groups: What Everyone Needs to Know
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| September 2004 |
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Keith Humphreys
View the answers to questions submitted below for this month's expert: Keith Humphreys, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs and Stanford University Medical Centers.
To view the Webcast, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/2004/multimedia/w.aspx?ID=266.
Transcript
Q: I am wondering how long it takes for [an] acid (LSD) paper hit to clear your system?
A: Like all illegal drugs, LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) does not come in a standardized dose and may be combined with other substances unbeknownst to the user. Thus, there is no firm rule for how long a "hit" takes to clear your system because a "hit" is not the same from user to user, or from seller to seller. That said, many people who use LSD report that the most intense subjective effects, such as visual hallucinations, last up to 4-6 hours, and most people feel fully, subjectively normal after 12 hours. This does not mean the LSD isn't affecting their system after that point, just that they no longer perceive it. For example, LSD may cause permanent chromosomal damage of which the user is not subjectively aware, and this damage may last indefinitely.
Q: If a parent, specifically the mother, has bipolar disorder, what are the chances of her son having it, even if he is the only child? Are there other factors involved?
A: Because our Webcast was about self-help groups, this is a good opportunity to mention the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), which operates more than 1000 peer-led groups all over the country. In addition to providing information about peer-led support groups, the organization's Web page (http://www.dbsalliance.org/) answers common questions about the disorder, including those related to its genetic transmission. The answer to your specific question is that the biggest determining factor for bipolar disorder in a child when the mother has the disorder is whether or not the father has it also. You can read more about this issue on the DBSA Web page in the section called "Bipolar Disorder in Children."
Q: One of the things often heard at self help meetings, and in drug treatment, is that emotional and psychological development stops when you start regularly using drugs and alcohol. I am curious to find out if there is current scientific research to back up this claim and, if so, what researchers would I look for?
A: To my knowledge, this question has never been directly studied. We do know from research and clinical experience that when an individual is addicted to a drug, they spend an enormous amount of time seeking, using, and recovering from that drug. As a result, they miss out on a lot of life experiences that could aid their psychological development. For this reason, it is not unusual for newly clean and sober people to have to deal with certain basic life challenges (e.g., how to have a good marriage or be a good parent) later in life than do people who never used [illicit] drugs and alcohol.
Flier: Mutual Support Groups: What Everyone Needs to Know
Download this flier and use it to help promote Road to Recovery multimedia events. You can use this as a handout at meetings, in information racks, as well as other public venues.
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