Harm reduction of drug use and dependance

Harm reduction is an approach to addiction which supports people who engage in addictive behaviors and their communities by minimizing the negative impact of alcohol, drug and other addictive behaviors. As harm reduction stategies are controversial, information about harm reduction programs is not always easily available, but you can find it here. In Morocco, adoption of a national strategy and implementation of a comprehensive system of risk reduction among injecting drug users are part of the national fight against drug abuse adopted by the Ministry of Health, including the establishment of a comprehensive system to reduce HIV risk among injecting drug users with the creation of fixed units [low threshold] and mobile units and the establishment of a program pilot treatment to opioid substitution methadone. The objective of this paper is to present a history of risk reduction in the field of drugs and then give an overview of key programs and strategies to reduce risk and / or drug-related harm

Opioid substitution therapy

Opiate addiction is a complex phenomenon in which biological, psychological and social interact. Heroin is one of those substances that are highly addictive that some users do very difficult to unravel. Opiate addicts express requirements that require strategies for comprehensive care including medication opioid substitution, methadone and buprenorphine, have a prominent place. These therapies allow patients to reduce or stop their illicit opioid use and thus promote change their consumption patterns and lifestyles. Thereby reducing the various consequential damages, these strategies diversify modes of care and provide access to a significant proportion of people dependent on heroin or opiates to support associated with the substitution, to promote their medical care their social inclusion and reduce the use therapeutic injection. This article provides an overview of the history of these therapies, discuss the goals and outcomes of these treatments, their indications and cons-indications and finally addresses the modalities of care necessary for their implementation and monitoring

[Prescription of psychotropic drugs in pregnant women]

Taking psychotropic drugs during pregnancy is now a common situation. It confronts the prescriber to the problem of risk-benefit balance. In pregnant women, there is a significant increase in the distribution and excretion of drugs; most of psychotropic medications pass easily the placenta, while the capacity of liver metabolism and renal excretion in the fetus are low. The use of those substances [antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers and antipsychotics] is however possible during pregnancy, taking into account the precautions for each class. In the first trimester, the prescription is usually not recommended, especially for mood stabilizers belonging to the family of anticonvulsants. Using the lowest effective dose, of molecules having the more perspective, and reducing dosage, late in pregnancy, is recommended. Finally, parental involvement in decision-making is mandatory

[Psycho-socio-pathological aspects of ulcerative colitis]

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, severe and disabling disease whose etiology remains unclear. Studies are controversial regarding the role of psychopathological factors in its onset and evolution. psychiatrists have studied this disease for a long time. First, through the psychosomatic and psychoanalytic approaches, and then, with the development of neuro-physiology and the concept of stress. Thus, authors have described a number of characteristics in those patients, including the alexithymic dimension of personality; others have emphasized the role of stress and psycho-neuro-endocrine regulation mechanisms. Ulcerative colitis has also been linked with a higher incidence of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression. But only the findings on the psychosocial impact of this disease are universally accepted. The development of psychosocial interventions aiming at ameliorating the quality of life of patients has also improved the prognosis of this disease