Recent research and reports have highlighted the drug pregabalin due to its potential for dependence and abuse, and an increase in pregabalin-related overdose deaths in several European countries. As a prescription-only central nervous system (CNS) depressant analogue to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), it is used for an array of conditions, including neuropathic pain, epilepsy, generalised anxiety disorder, and fibromyalgia.¹ In a 2020 study published in Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems, Brennan and Van Hout present qualitative insights into the experiences of patients in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) with pregabalin.² The authors selected OAT patients as their study population because of their increased risk for problematic use of pregabalin and overdose.³ Though related research in Ireland is sparse, international evidence has demonstrated that using pregabalin leads to the development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms when ceased. The combined use of both opiates and pregabalin as two CNS depressants, while highly prevalent, has been shown to increase the risk of overdose and death.⁴ The current study was the first in Ireland to capture the experiences of OAT patients using pregabalin.

In November 2019, Dr Sarah Morton and Dr Megan Curran of University College Dublin published the results of a Tusla-funded study, Fostering understanding, empowering change: practice responses to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intergenerational patterns of domestic violence.¹

The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of women at the Cuan Saor Women’s Refuge, a domestic violence service in Co Tipperary. The focus was to identify the level of ACEs experienced by the women who accessed the service. Based on the ACEs routine enquiry process, trauma-informed responses (TIRs) to women’s childhood experiences and the intergenerational transmission of trauma were examined as well as the role of ACEs routine enquiry and intervention in relation to infant mental health (IMH), a key area of work for childcare workers within domestic violence (p. 10).

In October 2019, Kieran O’Dwyer, a consultant and trainer within the field of criminal justice and restorative practices, published an article, entitled Reducing youth crime: the role of mentoring.¹ The article discussed the results of an evaluation of a La Chéile mentoring programme, which is delivered to young people aged 12–21 years who come before the criminal courts in Ireland.²