Mind Matters — Gleanings from Psychological Research

Did you know that the rate of prescription painkiller abuse among American adolescents has become the second-most common type of illegal drug use after marijuana? In fact, such abuse is 40% higher than in previous generations. The trend for abuse of drugs such as Vicodin, Valium, and Oxycontin exists for both genders and across all racial and ethnic groups (Journal of Adolescent Health, October, 16, 2012).

That is one factoid gleaned from Amy Novotny’s In Brief column in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology. Here are a few more of the research findings she has reported on in her columns:

Stay tuned for more updates on psychological/scientific research across the world.