Media and Education Activities

Press Releases

June 22, 2005 - Adult Antisocial Syndromes Common among Substance Abusers.
Data from a recent epidemiologic survey of more than 43,000 U.S. adults show that antisocial syndromes - marked by little concern for the rights of others and violations of age-appropriate societal rules - are more common among people with substance abuse disorders than those without these disorders. The study by researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health, was published in the June 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

June 2, 2005 - NIDA NewsScan #36 - Special Blending Issue
NIDA's June 2005 Blending Conference Brings Clinicians & Researchers Together in Florida
Drug Abuse and Depression Often Co-Occur
Mothers More Likely Than Fathers to Allow Family Interventions
Nicotine Patch Therapy Effective for Adolescents Trying to Quit Smoking
Tobacco Smoking Linked to Cognitive Impairments in Adolescents
Follow-up Care Shows Promise for Alcohol, Cocaine Addiction
Medication in Combination with Behavioral Therapy May Reduce Cocaine Abuse
Childhood Sexual Abuse, PTSD, Depression Increase High-Risk
Sexual Behavior in Men
Patients Who Attend Psychotherapy Sessions Have Better Success with Buprenorphine Treatment

Articles of Interest

June 20, 2005, Washington Post-"What's the Lure of the Edge? The Answer is all in Their Heads"-Interview with Nora D. Volkow M.D.

July 23, 2005, The New Scientist-"Demon Healer, Doctors are Doling out Amphetamines to Children as Well as Adults"-Interview with Nora D. Volkow M.D.

August 2005, Ladies Home Journal-"The Deadliest Drug You've Never Heard Of"-Interview with Joseph Frascella, Ph. D.

Dr. Frank Vocci, Director, DPMCDA, was interviewed by Malini Guha on June 15, 2005, on the effect of an activator of G protein signaling 3 (AGS3) on heroin-seeking behavior in a rodent study (Yao et al., PNAS 102, p. 8746, 2005).

Dr. Frank Vocci was interviewed by Jennifer Holman on July 13, 2005, regarding the development of the nicotine vaccine.

Dr. Frank Vocci was interviewed by Amanda James on August 4, 2005, regarding the current prescribing of buprenorphine.

An interview with Dr. David Gorelick, IRP, on "Smoking and Dieting," appears in the August, 2005 issue of Allure magazine, p. 124. Dr. Gorelick was interviewed about his recently published research study "Calorie Restriction Increases Cigarette Use In Adult Smokers" (Cheskin, L.J., Hess, J.M., Henningfield, J., and Gorelick, D.A. Psychopharmacology 179, pp. 430-436, 2005).

Educational Activities

New SEDAPA Web Site. NIDA has added a new component on the Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership (SEDAPA) program to its web site. The SEDAPA program funds innovative grants for improving science education and knowledge among school children, the general public, and others. This site provides information on the program as well as a brief synopsis of some of the grants that have been funded since the program's inception in 1992. The site can be accessed at http://www.nida.nih.gov/SEDAPA/index.html.

Anabolic Steroids. Recent reports of steroid abuse by professional athletes, many of whom are role models to young people, have increased the need to raise awareness on the dangers that steroids cause. In response to this damaging trend NIDA has re-issued the "Game Plan" Public Service Announcement campaign. "Game Plan" seeks to encourage young men and women to work with what nature has provided and not "cheat" by using steroids and thereby exposing themselves to the negative side-effects associated with these drugs. The announcements, available in English and Spanish, have been distributed to TV stations and other information dissemination outlets nationwide.

Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body. Through a contract and partnership with SCHOLASTIC INC, in October NIDA begins Year 4 (2005/6 school year) of an aggressive outreach to middle school and early high school students and teachers with the Heads Up article inserts for use in the classroom. Magazines such as Junior Scholastic, Science World, and Up Front (a collaboration with The New York Times) have carried these articles, written in collaboration with NIDA program staff and researchers, since 2003. Each Heads Up insert is distributed to nearly 2 million students nationwide, with a reach of nearly 7 million-and this occurs 4-5 times per school year.

NIDA Free Post Card Program. From May 15 through June 15 a mix of our latest HIV/AIDS and methamphetamine awareness post cards were distributed to the general public in free venues nationwide. More than 677,000 cards went to 1,840 venues in the 12 cities with the highest recent HIV increases: Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston, Charlotte, and Newark. Most distribution sites included clubs, restaurants, coffee shops, and book shops. In the smaller cities of Baltimore, Houston, Charlotte, and Newark, they were also distributed in health clubs and beauty salons.

Brain Power! Science Ed for Grade School Students. The Brain Power! series of science education products for grade schoolers was completed with production of the final module, a video designed to introduce 4-5th grade students to the brain and the effects of abused drugs on the brain. This video is summarized in our Publications section.

NIDA's Brain Power Materials Win a Gold National Health Information Award Brain Power! The NIDA Junior Scientists Program for kindergarten and first grade has been selected as a winner in the 2005 National Health Information Awards honoring the Nation's best consumer health information programs and materials. The materials were evaluated for health information content, creativity, and overall excellence. NIDA's materials received a gold award, the highest award possible. The program is organized by the Health Information Resource Center, a national professional clearinghouse for consumer health information.

Conferences/Exhibits

National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors/National Prevention Network Annual Meeting -- June 2-5, 2005

NIDA Blending Clinical Practice and Research -- June 6-7, 2005

National Association of County and City Health Officials and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Joint Meeting -- July 12-16, 2005

Association of Black Psychologists -- August 9-14, 2005

American Psychological Association -- August 18-21, 2005

American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition -- October 8-11, 2005

Employee Assistance Professionals Association Annual Conference -- October 15-17, 2005

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry -- October 18-23, 2005

American School Health Association Annual Conference -- October 19-23, 2005

Bridging Science & Culture to Improve Drug Abuse Research in Minority Communities -- October 24-26, 2005

American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition -- November 5-9, 2005

National Association for the Education of Young Children -- December 7-10, 2005