Dr. David Sack – Addiction Psychiatrist & Mental Health Expert

?The Doctors? TV show recently turned to Dr. David Sack for expert comment on dabbing, a highly dangerous way of ingesting marijuana that is growing in popularity, especially among teens. Dabs, also known as butane hash oil (BHO), honey oil, budder, shatter, crumble and wax, are made by extracting THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis. ?In the old days, marijuana had a concentration of about 5% and now when you?re looking at hash oil, you?re talking about a concentration of 80%,? Dr. Sack explained, pointing out that a single dab ?could be as potent as five joints.? It gets to the brain ?right away,? Dr. Sack said. The result is a high that can lead to extreme paranoia, blackouts, rapid heartbeat and psychosis ? but that?s only part of the danger. Because creating a dab involves heating marijuana plants using butane, manufacturing it is incredibly dangerous. Last year in California alone, 30 people were killed as the result of massive burns and other injuries sustained while cooking up this high. Watch the video here.

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This article on Details.com explores seasonal affective disorder (SAD), specifically what it is, how it happens, and five simple strategies on how to fend it off. Within the article, Dr. Sack explains, ?although seasonal depression is more common in women than in men, when men do deal with it, they tend to experience more severe symptoms.? He then goes on to provide some tips on how to prevent/deal with SAD including, embracing winter weather workouts and getting more vitamin D. Additionally, Dr. Sack stresses that waking up earlier and going to sleep earlier during the winter months, ?can help you maximize the amount of light in your day, while also shifting your biological clock so that you don?t feel sleepy mid-day and bright-eyed at night.? Read the entire article here.

Betting on the Fantasy World, in U.S. News & World Report, discusses how fantasy sports, and sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, offer online gambling games like poker and daily fantasy sports and the affects they have on those who play them. Dr. Sack says, ?Until recently, various kinds of sports betting tended to be much more limited?People were either doing it with their bookie or going to Las Vegas.? He adds, ?When you make [gambling] more available, more people will be casual gamblers, and of those casual gamblers, there are going to be some by virtue of genetics or stress or underlying psychological issues, like anxiety or depression, who are going to become addicted.? Read the entire article here.

In Happiness and Health, on WomensHealth.com, Dr. Sack says, ?Multiple studies confirm that cultivating positive emotions has enormous benefits for our mental and physical health, boosting our immune systems and making us more resistant to illness,? and that, ?They also lower stress, depression, and heart disease risks, and even potentially increase our lifespan.? Read the entire article here.

Dr. Sack was featured on the national show, Newsmax Now, in a segment titled, ?Dr. David Sack discusses an addiction and a pill that could help with alcoholism.? Watch the video here.

Dr. Sack discusses USC coach Steve Sarkisian?s troubles with alcohol in BYU Would Be Logical Next Step For Former USC Coach Steve Sarkisian on KLS.com. The article discusses Sarkisian?s admission into rehab for alcohol addiction, what the next steps are in his treatment/recovery, and the growing trend of athletes recently seeking help for alcoholism. Read the entire store here.

In ?Marijuana Use?and Abuse?in the U.S. Has Doubled in the Past Decade? in Newsweek, Dr. Sack discusses a study that was just released in JAMA on the increasing rates of marijuana use disorders. The general findings are that use of the drug has doubled between 2001 and 2013 and that diagnosis of abuse and dependence has increased from 1.5 percent to 2.9 percent. Read more here.

Listen to Dr. Sack?s interview on America Weekend below. The segment included talking points on addiction and mental health awareness month and the stigma of receiving treatment, porn addiction via technology, food addiction: including sugar addiction and caffeine, addiction via technology across the board including online sports gambling and what signs should be looked for when trying to spot addiction. The segment also included touching on addiction and policies with regards to cost of addictive products such as nicotine and the government and insurance being held accountable for enforcing these parody law. Lastly, the interview discussed presidential candidates and the topic of addiction.

Listen to Dr. Sack?s recent interview from Good Day Doug Stephan?s Show which focused on World Mental Health Day (October 10^th) and touched upon Democratic White House front-runner Hillary Clinton focusing her campaign platform on treating addiction and doing so with a $10 billion plan.

In 10 Habits Keeping You Depressed (and How to Break Them) on Livestrong.com, Dr. Sack provides expert commentary for seven out of the ten slides included within this piece focusing on habits that contribute to depression ? and tips on how to break them. Insights provided by Dr. Sack can be found on slides ? #2: You Drink Alcohol or Use Drugs to Cope, #3: You Isolate Yourself, #4: You?re Obsessed with Social Media, #6: You Don?t Get Enough Sleep, #7: You Make Poor Nutrition Choices, and #8: You Don?t Make Exercise A Priority. View the entire slideshow here.