Minerva

“In a typical week, how many days do you get drunk?” This single question identifies college students who have a higher than normal risk of injury as a result of their own and others' drinking. Researchers report that 54% of students got drunk at least once a week, and that this group had higher odds of being hurt or injured at least once during the past year than those who didn't get drunk that frequently. They were also more likely to cause injury to others—severe burns, falls, and motor vehicle crashes. Questions about binge drinking were not as useful at identifying students at high risk (Academic Emergency Medicine 2006;13: 629-36).

A bust of the late EM Jellinek and C$5000 are up for grabs for the winner of the 2007 Jellinek Memorial Award. Research into the effects of alcohol, specifically “epidemiology and population studies,” should be forwarded by 30 November 2006 to http://www.jellinekaward.org/, where you can also discover more about the great man himself and his pioneering work on the science and treatment of alcoholism.

The offspring of depressed parents followed up for an average of 20 years had a three times greater risk for anxiety, depression, and substance dependence than the offspring of non-depressed parents (American Journal of Psychiatry …