Shane Darke
Biographic Data
| ID | 4235908 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Shane Darke |
| GIVEN NAMES | Shane |
| FAMILY NAME | Darke |
| SIGNATURE | DARKE S |
| AFFILIATIONS | UNSW Sydney |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8718-7055 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1988 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Rates and Clinical Characteristics of Self‐Administered Fatal Ketamine‐Related Poisoning in Australia, 2000–2025
Characteristics of drug‐related deaths where individuals are found submerged in a bath or hot tub in the United Kingdom, 1997–2023
Drugs and Drowning
Changes in the rates and characteristics of gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB)‐related death in Australia, 2001–2023
Emergence of deaths due to nitazene toxicity in Australia
Nitazenes are highly potent opioids, classed as new psychoactive substances (NPS), that were never registered for clinical use due to concerns regarding their toxicity. As with all opioids, the main mechanism of toxicity is respiratory depression. In recent years, there have been reports from Australia and elsewhere of hospitalisations for nitazene toxicity [1]. To date, no study has examined deaths due to nitazene toxicity in Australia. To exami…
Characteristics, toxicology and major organ pathology of deaths due to acute alcohol toxicity in Australia, 2011–2022
Clinical characteristics of fatal cocaine toxicity in Australia, 2000–2021
Patterns and Predictors of Heroin Use, Remission, and Psychiatric Health Among People with Heroin Dependence
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-022-01006-6
Characteristics of fatal tapentadol‐related toxicity in Australia
Who would try (or use more) cannabis if it were legal
Synthetic cannabis’
Prevalence and correlates of multiple non-fatal opioid overdoses among people who inject drugs who utilise needle syringe programs in Australia
Mitigating and learning from the impact of Covid‐19 infection on addictive disorders
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures required to address it are cutting a swathe through people's lives and the global economy. People with addictive disorders are particularly badly affected as a result of poverty, physical and mental health vulnerabilities and disruption of access to services. The pandemic may well increase the extent and severity of some addictive disorders. Current research is suffering from the termination of face-to-face …
Diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants among illicit drug users
The study aimed to examine diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants among illicit psychostimulant users, providing the first data of this type. A total of 269 regular illicit psychostimulant users were administered a structured interview measuring demographics, illicit drug use and treatment history, use and misuse of prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants, illicit use of diverted pharmaceutical stimulants, and illicit psychostimulant depe…
Prevalence and correlates of traumatic brain injury amongst heroin users
The study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) amongst heroin users, and its associations with cognitive functioning and drug use histories. TBI and drug use histories were taken from 175 heroin users enrolled in maintenance or residential treatment, and neuropsychological tests administered measuring executive function, working memory, information processing speed, verbal learning and non-verbal learning…
Patterns of psychological distress related to regular methamphetamine and opioid use
In order to determine the independent associations of methamphetamine and heroin use to global psychological distress, symptom patterns and personality disorder, 400 regular users of these drugs were administered the Brief Symptom Inventory. The mean global severity score was 2.39 standard deviations above the population norm, and 24% were classified as cases. After controlling for potential confounders, higher levels of global psychological dist…
Drug Trafficking
Major physical and psychological harms of methamphetamine use
Issues . The major physical and psychological health effects of methamphetamine use, and the factors associated with such harms. Approach . Comprehensive review. Key Findings . Physical harms reviewed included toxicity and mortality, cardiovascular/cerebrovascular pathology, dependence and blood‐borne virus transmission. Psychological harms include methamphetamine psychosis, depression, suicide, anxiety and violent behaviours. Implications . Whil…
Patterns of Nonfatal Heroin Overdose Over a 3-Year Period
Attempted Suicide among Injecting and Noninjecting Cocaine Users in Sydney, Australia
Heroin Overdose
Accidental Fatalities Among Heroin Users in South Australia, 1994-1997
A total of 101 accidental deaths were identified among heroin users in South Australia for the period 1994-1997. Mean age at death was 29.9 years. Cases typically involved a single, unemployed, Caucasian male in his late twenties with a history of heroin and other drug use. Two or more drug types were detected in 80% of cases. The total number of substance types identified increased significantly with age. In comparison to younger fatalities, alc…
Overdose Among Heroin Users
An evidence-based intervention addressing overdose among heroin users was developed and evaluated in South Australia. The intervention comprised three strands: information materials, peer educator training and achievement of structural change through the establishment of partnerships with user groups, police and ambulance services. Liaison with police and ambulance services resulted in new guidelines being developed for police attendance at overd…
Self-report among injecting drug users
The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS)
The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) was devised to provide a short, easily administered scale which can be used to measure the degree of dependence experienced by users of different types of drugs. The SDS contains five items, all of which are explicitly concerned with psychological components of dependence. These items are specifically concerned with impaired control over drug taking and with preoccupation and anxieties about drug use. The SD…
Effects of anxiety on inferential reasoning task performance
Three experiments were conducted in which high anxiety and low anxiety subjects were required to construct inferences. In Experiment 1 there was no anxiety-related performance deficit when inferring a necessary anaphoric relation, a process argued to be automatic. Experiments 2 and 3 involved the verification of unnecessary inferences, a process argued to involve the utilization of the working memory system. In both Experiments 2 and 3 there was …
Patterns of Nonfatal Heroin Overdose Over a 3-Year Period
Effects of anxiety on inferential reasoning task performance
Three experiments were conducted in which high anxiety and low anxiety subjects were required to construct inferences. In Experiment 1 there was no anxiety-related performance deficit when inferring a necessary anaphoric relation, a process argued to be automatic. Experiments 2 and 3 involved the verification of unnecessary inferences, a process argued to involve the utilization of the working memory system. In both Experiments 2 and 3 there was …
The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS)
The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) was devised to provide a short, easily administered scale which can be used to measure the degree of dependence experienced by users of different types of drugs. The SDS contains five items, all of which are explicitly concerned with psychological components of dependence. These items are specifically concerned with impaired control over drug taking and with preoccupation and anxieties about drug use. The SD…
Injecting and sexual risk-taking behaviour among regular amphetamine users
A sample of 301 regular amphetamine users were interviewed regarding injecting and sexual risk-taking behaviours. Two-thirds of subjects were injecting the drug, with males being 1.8 times more likely to do so. Nearly half (41%) of injectors had shared injecting equipment in the preceding month. Females were twice as likely as males to report recent needle sharing. Having a regular sexual partner who injects amphetamines, using benzodiazepines an…
Self-report among injecting drug users
Overdose Among Heroin Users
An evidence-based intervention addressing overdose among heroin users was developed and evaluated in South Australia. The intervention comprised three strands: information materials, peer educator training and achievement of structural change through the establishment of partnerships with user groups, police and ambulance services. Liaison with police and ambulance services resulted in new guidelines being developed for police attendance at overd…
Accidental Fatalities Among Heroin Users in South Australia, 1994-1997
A total of 101 accidental deaths were identified among heroin users in South Australia for the period 1994-1997. Mean age at death was 29.9 years. Cases typically involved a single, unemployed, Caucasian male in his late twenties with a history of heroin and other drug use. Two or more drug types were detected in 80% of cases. The total number of substance types identified increased significantly with age. In comparison to younger fatalities, alc…
Heroin Overdose
Attempted Suicide among Injecting and Noninjecting Cocaine Users in Sydney, Australia
Patterns of Nonfatal Heroin Overdose Over a 3-Year Period
Major physical and psychological harms of methamphetamine use
Issues . The major physical and psychological health effects of methamphetamine use, and the factors associated with such harms. Approach . Comprehensive review. Key Findings . Physical harms reviewed included toxicity and mortality, cardiovascular/cerebrovascular pathology, dependence and blood‐borne virus transmission. Psychological harms include methamphetamine psychosis, depression, suicide, anxiety and violent behaviours. Implications . Whil…
Drug Trafficking
Patterns of psychological distress related to regular methamphetamine and opioid use
In order to determine the independent associations of methamphetamine and heroin use to global psychological distress, symptom patterns and personality disorder, 400 regular users of these drugs were administered the Brief Symptom Inventory. The mean global severity score was 2.39 standard deviations above the population norm, and 24% were classified as cases. After controlling for potential confounders, higher levels of global psychological dist…
Prevalence and correlates of traumatic brain injury amongst heroin users
The study aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) amongst heroin users, and its associations with cognitive functioning and drug use histories. TBI and drug use histories were taken from 175 heroin users enrolled in maintenance or residential treatment, and neuropsychological tests administered measuring executive function, working memory, information processing speed, verbal learning and non-verbal learning…
Diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants among illicit drug users
The study aimed to examine diversion and misuse of pharmaceutical stimulants among illicit psychostimulant users, providing the first data of this type. A total of 269 regular illicit psychostimulant users were administered a structured interview measuring demographics, illicit drug use and treatment history, use and misuse of prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants, illicit use of diverted pharmaceutical stimulants, and illicit psychostimulant depe…
Mitigating and learning from the impact of Covid‐19 infection on addictive disorders
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures required to address it are cutting a swathe through people's lives and the global economy. People with addictive disorders are particularly badly affected as a result of poverty, physical and mental health vulnerabilities and disruption of access to services. The pandemic may well increase the extent and severity of some addictive disorders. Current research is suffering from the termination of face-to-face …
Synthetic cannabis’
Prevalence and correlates of multiple non-fatal opioid overdoses among people who inject drugs who utilise needle syringe programs in Australia
Characteristics of fatal tapentadol‐related toxicity in Australia
Who would try (or use more) cannabis if it were legal
Clinical characteristics of fatal cocaine toxicity in Australia, 2000–2021
Patterns and Predictors of Heroin Use, Remission, and Psychiatric Health Among People with Heroin Dependence
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-022-01006-6
Emergence of deaths due to nitazene toxicity in Australia
Nitazenes are highly potent opioids, classed as new psychoactive substances (NPS), that were never registered for clinical use due to concerns regarding their toxicity. As with all opioids, the main mechanism of toxicity is respiratory depression. In recent years, there have been reports from Australia and elsewhere of hospitalisations for nitazene toxicity [1]. To date, no study has examined deaths due to nitazene toxicity in Australia. To exami…
Characteristics, toxicology and major organ pathology of deaths due to acute alcohol toxicity in Australia, 2011–2022
Characteristics of drug‐related deaths where individuals are found submerged in a bath or hot tub in the United Kingdom, 1997–2023
Drugs and Drowning
Medicine (25 works) · Psychiatry (18 works) · Drug (15 works) · Psychology (14 works) · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment (11 works) · Heroin (10 works) · Internal Medicine (10 works) · Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis (9 works) · Poison control (9 works) · Demography (7 works)