A review of Brazilian scientific output on crack - contributions to the political agenda

Object: scientific literature about crack abuse published in Brazilian journals indexed in SCIELO.Objective: systematic review of literature treating findings as a framework for agenda-setting orienting policy decision makers.Methodology: SCIELO online journals research since 02/06/2013 on tag crack as "key word searched" and in indexes as "research amplitude". An amount of 199 references were identified and their abstracts were analyzed getting to a final group of 59 articles specifically studying crack issues in Brazil. Analysis: institutional criteria (journal, subject area, and publishing time) and analytical categories created by the authors: "Social Risk", "Treatment", "Use/Abuse", "Profile", "Social Relations", and "Study".Results: crack use impact Brazilian journals since 2011; health field is prominent; articles about "Associated Risk" and "Treatment" prevail; SUS cannot face demand;investment improvement in CAP and harm reduction; therapeutic communities need to match with SUS standards; youngers, black people and poor express users profile; rave style use; repressive policies were not well succeeded; and multidisciplinary approach are necessary

Comparison of individual and group cognitive-behavioral therapy for alcohol and/or drug-dependent patients

Aims and design. A randomized clinical trial was performed to evaluate the influence of two formats of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (individual vs. group) in the treatment of alcohol and/or drug dependent patients. Setting. Public outpatient drug dependence service. Participants. One hundred and fifty-five alcohol and/or drug-dependent patients. Intervention. the patients were randomly assigned to individual (n = 77) or group (n = 78) treatment formats. the treatment was developed into two phases: acquisition (eight sessions) and maintenance (nine sessions), distributed over an 8-month period. Measurements. Alcohol and drug use, severity of dependence, and alcohol- and drug-related problems were evaluated at pre-treatment and 15 months after admission to treatment. Findings. At follow-up evaluation both groups of patients presented similar levels of drug consumption, dependence and associated problems. Although group-treated patients reported slightly higher levels of alcohol consumption (both at baseline and follow-up) differences between the formats disappear if baseline levels are included as covariates. Compliance with treatment and a measure of drug severity were predictors of success for the drug dependents. the number of sessions attended and high GGT levels at admission were positively correlated with success for the alcohol dependents. Conclusions. the two modalities presented similar outcomes and, as the group format could present a better cost-benefit ratio, it may be used without decreasing compliance with treatment or treatment effectiveness.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

The use of promethazine to decrease the craving in alcohol dependent patients: Proposal of a randomized double-blind study controlled by placebo.

Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc