This commentary paper critically discusses the recent debate paper by Petry et al. (2014) that argued there was now an international consensus for assessing Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Our collective opinions vary considerably regarding many different aspects of online gaming. However, we contend that the paper by Petry and colleagues does not provide a true and representative international community of researchers in this area. This paper critically discusses and provides commentary on (i) the representativeness of the international group that wrote the ‘consensus’ paper, and (ii) each of the IGD criteria. The paper also includes a brief discussion on initiatives that could be taken to move the field towards consensus. It is hoped that this paper will foster debate in the IGD field and lead to improved theory, better methodologically designed studies, and more robust empirical evidence as regards problematic gaming and its psychosocial consequences and impact.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are highly prevalent, painful, and costly disorders. The MSD Cohort was created to characterize variation in pain, comorbidities, treatment, and outcomes among patients with MSD receiving Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care across demographic groups, geographic regions, and facilities. We searched electronic health records to identify patients treated in VHA who had ICD9-CM codes for diagnoses including, but not limited to, joint, back and neck disorders, and osteoarthritis. Cohort inclusion criteria were two or more outpatient visits occurring within 18 months of one another or one inpatient visit with an MSD diagnosis between 2000 and 2011. The first diagnosis is the index date. Pain intensity numeric rating scale (NRS) scores, comorbid medical and mental health diagnoses, pain-related treatments, and other characteristics were collected retrospectively and prospectively. The cohort includes 5,237,763 patients; their mean age was 59, 6% were women, 15% identified as Black, and 18% reported severe pain (NRS ≥ 7) on the index date. Non-traumatic joint (27%), back (25%) and osteoarthritis (21%) were the most common MSD diagnoses. Patients entering the cohort in recent years had more concurrent MSD diagnoses and higher NRS scores. The MSD cohort is a rich resource for collaborative pain-relevant health service research.
Using 9-year mortality data on a community sample of 3,560 adults aged 40 and over, this study assessed the effects of cognitive functioning and one-year declines in cognitive functioning on mortality controlling for comorbid chronic medical illness, physical disability, and psychiatric illness. The study determined the 9-year vital status and, among the decreased, date of death of respondents who were first interviewed in 1980 by the New Haven Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Mortality risk by cognitive functioning, as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), was estimated using Cox Proportional Hazards Models controlling for baseline assessments of physical and mental health. For both men and women, lower scores on the MMSE decreased the risk of survival, although the effect was stronger for younger respondents than older respondents. Decline in MMSE scores over the course of one year had no additional effect on mortality beyond the resulting MMSE score. Cause-specific mortality was also examined.
Purpose There has been an increase in the abuse of prescription opioids, especially in younger individuals. The current study explores the association between alcohol, cigarette, and/or marijuana use during adolescence and subsequent abuse of prescription opioids during young adulthood. Methods We used demographic/clinical data from community-dwelling individuals in the 2006–2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. We used logistic regression analyses, adjusted for these characteristics, to test whether having antecedent alcohol, cigarette, or marijuana use was associated with an increased likelihood of subsequently abusing prescription opioids. Results 12% of the survey population of 18–25 year olds (n=6496) reported current abuse of prescription opioids. For this population, prevalence of prior substance use was 57% for alcohol, 56% for cigarettes, and 34% for marijuana. We found prior alcohol use was associated with the subsequent abuse of prescription opioids in young men but not young women. Among both men and women, prior marijuana use was 2.5 times more likely than no prior marijuana to be associated with subsequent abuse of prescription opioids. We found that among young boys, all prior substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana) but only prior marijuana use in young girls was associated with an increased likelihood of subsequent abuse of prescription opioids during young adulthood. Conclusions Prior alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use were each associated with current abuse of prescription opioids in 18–25 year old men but only marijuana use was associated with subsequent prescription opioids in young women. Prevention efforts targeting early substance abuse may help to curb the abuse of prescription opioids.
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