Tiziano Acciavatti1, Matteo Lupi1, Rita Santacroce1, Andrea Aguglia2, Luigi Attademo3, Laura Bandini4, Paola Ciambrone5, Giulia Lisi6, Giovanni Migliarese7, Federica Pinna8, Diego Quattrone9, Michele Ribolsi6, Maria Salvina Signorelli10, Salvatore Calò11, Fabrizio Schifano12, Massimo di Giannantonio1, Giovanni Martinotti1. 1. Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy. 2. University of Turin, Turin, Italy. 3. University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. 4. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences DIBINEM, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy. 5. Catanzaro University, Catanzaro, Italy. 6. Roma Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy. 7. Department of Neuroscience, Azienda Ospedaliera FateBeneFratelli, Milan, Italy. 8. Department of Public Health, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. 9. Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Messina University, Messina, Italy. 10. Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. 11. SPDC, Lecce, Italy. 12. School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Comorbidities between psychiatric diseases and use of traditional substances of abuse are common. Nevertheless, there are few data regarding the use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) among psychiatric patients. Aim of this multicentre survey is to investigate the consumption of a number of psychoactive substances in a young psychiatric sample. METHODS: Between December 2013 and September 2015, a questionnaire was administered in 10 Italian psychiatric care facilities to a sample of 671 patients, aged 18-26 (mean age 22.24; SD 2.87). RESULTS: About 8.2% of the sample declared to have used NPS at least once, and 2.2% had consumed NPS in the previous 3 months. The three psychiatric diagnoses most frequently associated with NPS use were bipolar disorder (23.1%), personality disorders (11.8%), and schizophrenia and related disorders (11.6%). In univariate regression analysis, bipolar disorder was positively associated with NPS consumption, an association that did not reach statistical significance in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of NPS in a young psychiatric population appears to be frequent, and probably still underestimated. Bipolar disorder shows an association with NPS use. Careful and constant monitoring and an accurate evaluation of possible clinical effects related to NPS use are necessary.
OBJECTIVE: Comorbidities between psychiatric diseases and use of traditional substances of abuse are common. Nevertheless, there are few data regarding the use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) among psychiatricpatients. Aim of this multicentre survey is to investigate the consumption of a number of psychoactive substances in a young psychiatric sample. METHODS: Between December 2013 and September 2015, a questionnaire was administered in 10 Italian psychiatric care facilities to a sample of 671 patients, aged 18-26 (mean age 22.24; SD 2.87). RESULTS: About 8.2% of the sample declared to have used NPS at least once, and 2.2% had consumed NPS in the previous 3 months. The three psychiatric diagnoses most frequently associated with NPS use were bipolar disorder (23.1%), personality disorders (11.8%), and schizophrenia and related disorders (11.6%). In univariate regression analysis, bipolar disorder was positively associated with NPS consumption, an association that did not reach statistical significance in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of NPS in a young psychiatric population appears to be frequent, and probably still underestimated. Bipolar disorder shows an association with NPS use. Careful and constant monitoring and an accurate evaluation of possible clinical effects related to NPS use are necessary.
Authors: Domenico De Berardis; Gabriella Rapini; Luigi Olivieri; Domenico Di Nicola; Carmine Tomasetti; Alessandro Valchera; Michele Fornaro; Fabio Di Fabio; Giampaolo Perna; Marco Di Nicola; Gianluca Serafini; Alessandro Carano; Maurizio Pompili; Federica Vellante; Laura Orsolini; Giovanni Martinotti; Massimo Di Giannantonio Journal: Ther Adv Drug Saf Date: 2018-02-06