News Highlights

CAMH Connexions

Spring 2006

Does a Common Genetic Difference Cause Alcohol and Nicotine Addiction?

In a paper recently released in the Journal of Neuroscience, CAMH’s Dr. A.D. Lê and colleagues found experimental evidence to support the theory that a shared genetic difference accounts for abuse of both nicotine and alcohol.

The scientists studied the behaviour of rats to see if P rats (a heavy-drinking rat strain bred to prefer alcohol) were more likely to self-administer nicotine, versus NP rats (a strain bred for low alcohol preference). The scientist found that the P rats self-administered more than twice the amount of intravenous nicotine as the NP rats. In addition, the experiments showed that P rats were more likely to start using nicotine again.

The results of this study provide a better understanding about the co-abuse of nicotine and alcohol. This kind of information could lead to diagnostic tools and targeted treatment programs to help prevent and treat alcohol and nicotine addiction in humans.

Unhealthy Working Schedules for Nurses Revealed

A study published in the American Journal of Nursing by CAMH’s Dr. Carles Muntaner and colleagues showed that:

• More than one quarter of the American nurses sampled reported that they typically worked 12 or more hours per day.
• One quarter of the nurses with more than one job worked 50 or more hours per week
• Single parents were as likely as those with more than one job to work 13 to 15 hours per day and many days consecutively.

Anecdotal information has been widely available, but this American study quantifies some of the adverse working conditions experienced by nurses. The next step will be to use this information to implement solutions to protect the health of nurses and patients, and evaluate these measures to help inform policy.

New Name – A Sign of Success

New Workman Arts logo

The Workman Theatre Project is changing its name.

“Our new name is Workman Arts (WA),” says Lisa Brown, Artistic Director, “which better reflects the broader scope of artistic media that the company now works in, namely theatre, film, visual arts, music and literary arts.”

Founded in 1987, the company has grown from 50 to 370 members. Originally, there was a focus on integrating people who receive mental health services (members) with the professional theatre community. Today the membership has evolved to also include people who receive addiction services, and professional artists who have experienced mental illness and/or addictions and who work right across the artistic spectrum.

WA works in partnership with CAMH and other arts and mental health organizations.

“Our mandate is to promote a greater understanding of mental health and addiction issues through various artistic media, and to support individuals with mental illness and/or addiction in their artistic pursuits,” says Lisa.

The list of accomplishments of WA is a lengthy one. To date, WA has produced more than 16 original new Canadian plays, 13 Rendezvous with Madness Film Festivals, eight Annual Being Scene Art Exhibitions, four multidisciplinary festivals and one international festival. It has created numerous theatre and visual arts touring shows.

The next big event for WA is participating in the 2nd Madness and Arts World Festival in Germany in May. Workman Arts will be taking part in two symposiums, Art and Madness and The View from Within, as well as staging four performances of Vincent, a one-act play written specifically for WA by Terry Watada. WA produced the inaugural Madness and Arts World Festival in Toronto in 2003.

“This is a very exciting period of growth for us. Artists with mental illness and addiction are now more than ever before being recognized for the significant contribution they make to our society. We are glad to be part of this growing movement, ” says Lisa.

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