#Substanceabuse

A groundbreaking study from Aarhus University has revealed that long-term addiction to substances like cocaine and heroin fundamentally shifts how people experience pleasure from music, offering new insights that may transform addiction treatment and rehabilitation practices worldwide, including in Thailand. The research found that individuals with substance use disorders require far more complex rhythms and harmonies in music to experience the same pleasurable urge to move—referred to as “groove”—that most people feel with much simpler beats. This discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and recently highlighted in a summary at MedicalXpress, uncovers how deeply drug dependency changes the brain’s reward system beyond drug-related cues.

A groundbreaking study from Aarhus University reveals that long-term addiction to substances such as cocaine and heroin reshapes how pleasure from music is experienced. For Thai readers, this offers fresh insight into how recovery therapy can harness musical engagement more effectively. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that individuals with substance use disorders need more intricate rhythms and harmonies to feel the urge to move, or groove, than people without such histories. The findings also deepen our understanding of how addiction alters the brain’s reward system beyond drug cues.

A wave of new research is prompting Thai psychiatrists and families to reconsider long-held beliefs about psychosis. Scientists are refining how we distinguish substance-induced psychosis from primary psychotic disorders, with implications for diagnosis, treatment, and hope for patients across Thailand.

Psychosis, a condition marked by a break from reality through hallucinations or delusions, has traditionally been split into two categories: primary psychosis, intrinsic to a psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia, and substance-induced psychosis, triggered by drugs or alcohol. Clear differentiation matters for care decisions, but until now gaps in understanding have complicated clinical judgments and family planning.

A wave of fresh research is prompting Thai psychiatrists and families to reconsider long-held assumptions about psychosis, as scientists explore the crucial differences between substance-induced and primary psychotic disorders. This emerging body of evidence, highlighted in a recent Medscape report, could help guide better diagnosis, tailored treatment, and more hopeful outcomes for patients across Thailand.

Psychosis, a condition marked by a loss of contact with reality—often via hallucinations or delusions—has long been categorized into those primarily caused by a psychiatric illness, like schizophrenia, and others triggered by substance use, such as methamphetamine (“ya ba”) or cannabis. Understanding whether symptoms are “primary” (intrinsic to psychiatric illness) or “substance-induced” (caused by drug or alcohol use) shapes every aspect of medical care, but until now, the true distinctions have often been blurred, fueling debates among clinicians and researchers worldwide.