The incidence rate of planned and emergency physical health hospital admissions in people diagnosed with severe mental illness: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: People with severe mental illness (SMI) have more physical health conditions than the general population, resulting in higher rates of hospitalisations and mortality. In this study, we aimed to determine the rate of emergency and planned physical health hospitalisations in those with SMI, compared to matched comparators, and to investigate how these rates differ by SMI diagnosis. METHODS: We used Clinical Practice Research DataLink Gold and Aurum databases to identify 20,668 patients in England diagnosed with SMI between January 2000 and March 2016, with linked hospital records in Hospital Episode Statistics. Patients were matched with up to four patients without SMI. Primary outcomes were emergency and planned physical health admissions. Avoidable (ambulatory care sensitive) admissions and emergency admissions for accidents, injuries and substance misuse were secondary outcomes. We performed negative binomial regression, adjusted for clinical and demographic variables, stratified by SMI diagnosis. RESULTS: Emergency physical health (aIRR:2.33; 95% CI 2.22-2.46) and avoidable (aIRR:2.88; 95% CI 2.60-3.19) admissions were higher in patients with SMI than comparators. Emergency admission rates did not differ by SMI diagnosis. Planned physical health admissions were lower in schizophrenia (aIRR:0.80; 95% CI 0.72-0.90) and higher in bipolar disorder (aIRR:1.33; 95% CI 1.24-1.43). Accident, injury and substance misuse emergency admissions were particularly high in the year after SMI diagnosis (aIRR: 6.18; 95% CI 5.46-6.98). CONCLUSION: We found twice the incidence of emergency physical health admissions in patients with SMI compared to those without SMI. Avoidable admissions were particularly elevated, suggesting interventions in community settings could reduce hospitalisations. Importantly, we found underutilisation of planned inpatient care in patients with schizophrenia. Interventions are required to ensure appropriate healthcare use, and optimal diagnosis and treatment of physical health conditions in people with SMI, to reduce the mortality gap due to physical illness.

Longitudinal associations between stroke and psychosis: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The co-occurrence of stroke and psychosis is a serious neuropsychiatric condition but little is known about the course of this comorbidity. We aimed to estimate longitudinal associations between stroke and psychosis over 10 years. METHODS: A 10-year population-based study using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. A structured health assessment recorded (i) first-occurrence stroke and (ii) psychosis, at each wave. Each were considered exposures and outcomes in separate analyses. Logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier methods were used. Models were adjusted for demographic and health behaviour covariates, with missing covariates imputed using random forest multiple imputation. RESULTS: Of 19 808 participants, 24 reported both stroke and psychosis (median Wave 1 age 63, 71% female, 50% lowest quintile of net financial wealth) at any point during follow-up. By 10 years, the probability of an incident first stroke in participants with psychosis was 21.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 12.1-29.6] compared to 8.3% (95% CI 7.8-8.8) in those without psychosis (absolute difference: 13.1%; 95% CI 20.8-4.3, log rank p < 0.001; fully-adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 3.57; 95% CI 2.18-5.84). The probability of reporting incident psychosis in participants with stroke was 2.3% (95% CI 1.4-3.2) compared to 0.9% (95% CI 0.7-1.1) in those without (absolute difference: 1.4%; 95% CI 0.7-2.1, log rank p < 0.001; fully-adjusted HR: 4.98; 95% CI 2.55-9.72). CONCLUSIONS: Stroke is an independent predictor of psychosis (and vice versa), after adjustment for potential confounders.

Antipsychotic polypharmacy and adverse drug reactions among adults in a London mental health service, 2008-2018.

BACKGROUND: Antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) occurs commonly but it is unclear whether it is associated with an increased risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Electronic health records (EHRs) offer an opportunity to examine APP using real-world data. In this study, we use EHR data to identify periods when patients were prescribed 2 + antipsychotics and compare these with periods of antipsychotic monotherapy. To determine the relationship between APP and subsequent instances of ADRs: QT interval prolongation, hyperprolactinaemia, and increased body weight [body mass index (BMI) ⩾ 25]. METHODS: We extracted anonymised EHR data. Patients aged 16 + receiving antipsychotic medication at Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2018 were included. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to elucidate the relationship between APP and the subsequent presence of QT interval prolongation, hyperprolactinaemia, and/or increased BMI following a period of APP within 7, 30, or 180 days respectively. RESULTS: We identified 35 409 observations of antipsychotic prescribing among 13 391 patients. Compared with antipsychotic monotherapy, APP was associated with a subsequent increased risk of hyperprolactinaemia (adjusted odds ratio 2.46; 95% CI 1.87-3.24) and of registering a BMI > 25 (adjusted odds ratio 1.75; 95% CI 1.33-2.31) in the period following the APP prescribing. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that APP should be carefully managed with attention to hyperprolactinaemia and obesity.

Association between the pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder and risk of traumatic injuries: a self-controlled case series study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) are prone to engage in risk-taking behaviours and self-harm, contributing to higher risk of traumatic injuries requiring medical attention at the emergency room (ER).We hypothesize that pharmacological treatment of BPD could reduce the risk of traumatic injuries by alleviating symptoms but evidence remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between pharmacological treatment and the risk of ER admissions due to traumatic injuries. METHODS: Individuals with BPD who received mood stabilizers and/or antipsychotics were identified using a population-based electronic healthcare records database in Hong Kong (2001-2019). A self-controlled case series design was applied to control for time-invariant confounders. RESULTS: A total of 5040 out of 14 021 adults with BPD who received pharmacological treatment and had incident ER admissions due to traumatic injuries from 2001 to 2019 were included. An increased risk of traumatic injuries was found 30 days before treatment [incidence rate ratio (IRR) 4.44 (3.71-5.31), p < 0.0001]. After treatment initiation, the risk remained increased with a smaller magnitude, before returning to baseline [IRR 0.97 (0.88-1.06), p = 0.50] during maintenance treatment. The direct comparison of the risk during treatment to that before and after treatment showed a significant decrease. After treatment cessation, the risk was increased [IRR 1.34 (1.09-1.66), p = 0.006]. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the hypothesis that pharmacological treatment of BPD was associated with a lower risk of ER admissions due to traumatic injuries but an increased risk after treatment cessation. Close monitoring of symptoms relapse is recommended to clinicians and patients if treatment cessation is warranted.

Prediction of individuals at high risk of chronic kidney disease during treatment with lithium for bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Lithium is the most effective treatment in bipolar disorder. Its use is limited by concerns about risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to develop a model to predict risk of CKD following lithium treatment initiation, by identifying individuals with a high-risk trajectory of kidney function. METHODS: We used United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) electronic health records (EHRs) from 2000 to 2018. CPRD Aurum for prediction model development and CPRD Gold for external validation. We used elastic net regularised regression to generate a prediction model from potential features. We performed discrimination and calibration assessments in an external validation data set. We included all patients aged ≥ 16 with bipolar disorder prescribed lithium. To be included patients had to have ≥ 1 year of follow-up before lithium initiation, ≥ 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measures after lithium initiation (to be able to determine a trajectory) and a normal (≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) eGFR at lithium initiation (baseline). In the Aurum development cohort, 1609 fulfilled these criteria. The Gold external validation cohort included 934 patients. We included 44 potential baseline features in the prediction model, including sociodemographic, mental and physical health and drug treatment characteristics. We compared a full model with the 3-variable 5-year kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) and a 3-variable elastic net model. We used group-based trajectory modelling to identify latent trajectory groups for eGFR. We were interested in the group with deteriorating kidney function (the high-risk group). RESULTS: The high risk of deteriorating eGFR group included 191 (11.87%) of the Aurum cohort and 137 (14.67%) of the Gold cohort. Of these, 168 (87.96%) and 117 (85.40%) respectively developed CKD 3a or more severe during follow-up. The model, developed in Aurum, had a ROC area of 0.879 (95%CI 0.853-0.904) in the Gold external validation data set. At the empirical optimal cut-point defined in the development dataset, the model had a sensitivity of 0.91 (95%CI 0.84-0.97) and a specificity of 0.74 (95% CI 0.67-0.82). However, a 3-variable elastic net model (including only age, sex and baseline eGFR) performed similarly well (ROC area 0.888; 95%CI 0.864-0.912), as did the KFRE (ROC area 0.870; 95%CI 0.841-0.898). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals at high risk of a poor eGFR trajectory can be identified before initiation of lithium treatment by a simple equation including age, sex and baseline eGFR. Risk was increased in individuals who were younger at commencement of lithium, female and had a lower baseline eGFR. We did not identify strong predicters of eGFR decline specific to lithium-treated patients. Notably, lithium duration and toxicity were not associated with high-risk trajectory.

Using epidemiological evidence to forecast population need for early treatment programmes in mental health: a generalisable Bayesian prediction methodology applied to and validated for first-episode psychosis in England.

Background: Mental health policy makers require evidence-based information to optimise effective care provision based on local need, but tools are unavailable. Aims: To develop and validate a population-level prediction model for need for early intervention in psychosis (EIP) care for first-episode psychosis (FEP) in England up to 2025, based on epidemiological evidence and demographic projections. Method: We used Bayesian Poisson regression to model small-area-level variation in FEP incidence for people aged 16-64 years. We compared six candidate models, validated against observed National Health Service FEP data in 2017. Our best-fitting model predicted annual incidence case-loads for EIP services in England up to 2025, for probable FEP, treatment in EIP services, initial assessment by EIP services and referral to EIP services for 'suspected psychosis'. Forecasts were stratified by gender, age and ethnicity, at national and Clinical Commissioning Group levels. Results: A model with age, gender, ethnicity, small-area-level deprivation, social fragmentation and regional cannabis use provided best fit to observed new FEP cases at national and Clinical Commissioning Group levels in 2017 (predicted 8112, 95% CI 7623-8597; observed 8038, difference of 74 [0.92%]). By 2025, the model forecasted 11 067 new treated cases per annum (95% CI 10383-11740). For every 10 new treated cases, 21 and 23 people would be assessed by and referred to EIP services for suspected psychosis, respectively. Conclusions: Our evidence-based methodology provides an accurate, validated tool to inform clinical provision of EIP services about future population need for care, based on local variation of major social determinants of psychosis.

Childhood sexual abuse in patients with severe mental Illness: Demographic, clinical and functional correlates.

OBJECTIVE: To use data from electronic health records (EHRs) to describe the demographic, clinical and functional correlates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in patients with severe mental illness (SMI), and compare their clinical outcomes (admissions and receipt of antipsychotic medications) to those of patients with no recorded history of CSA. METHODS: We applied a string-matching technique to clinical text records of 7000 patients with SMI (non-organic psychotic disorders or bipolar disorder), identifying 619 (8.8%) patients with a recorded history of CSA. Data were extracted from both free-text and structured fields of patients' EHRs. RESULTS: Comorbid diagnoses of major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and personality disorders were more prevalent in patients with CSA. Positive psychotic symptoms, depressed mood, self-harm, substance use and aggression were also more prevalent in this group, as were problems with relationships and living conditions. The odds of inpatient admissions were higher in patients with CSA than in those without (adjusted OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.64-2.33), and they were more likely to have spent more than 10 days per year as inpatients (adjusted OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.07-1.62). Patients with CSA were more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medications (adjusted OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.69-3.66) and be given over 75% of the maximum recommended daily dose (adjusted OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.44-2.04). CONCLUSION: Data-driven approaches are a reliable, promising avenue for research on childhood trauma. Clinicians should be trained and skilled at identifying childhood adversity in patients with SMI, and addressing it as part of the care plan.

Acute day units for mental health crises: a qualitative study of service user and staff views and experiences.

BACKGROUND: Acute Day Units (ADUs) provide intensive, non-residential, short-term treatment for adults in mental health crisis. They currently exist in approximately 30% of health localities in England, but there is little research into their functioning or effectiveness, and how this form of crisis care is experienced by service users. This qualitative study explores the views and experiences of stakeholders who use and work in ADUs. METHODS: We conducted 36 semi-structured interviews with service users, staff and carers at four ADUs in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Peer researchers collected data and contributed to analysis, and a Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) provided perspectives across the whole project. RESULTS: Both service users and staff provided generally positive accounts of using or working in ADUs. Valued features were structured programmes that provide routine, meaningful group activities, and opportunities for peer contact and emotional, practical and peer support, within an environment that felt safe. Aspects of ADU care were often described as enabling personal and social connections that contribute to shifting from crisis to recovery. ADUs were compared favourably to other forms of home- and hospital-based acute care, particularly in providing more therapeutic input and social contact. Some service users and staff thought ADU lengths of stay should be extended slightly, and staff described some ADUs being under-utilised or poorly-understood by referrers in local acute care systems. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-site qualitative data suggests that ADUs provide a distinctive and valued contribution to acute care systems, and can avoid known problems associated with other forms of acute care, such as low user satisfaction, stressful ward environments, and little therapeutic input or positive peer contact. Findings suggest there may be grounds for recommending further development and more widespread implementation of ADUs to increase choice and effective support within local acute care systems.

Individual and combined associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength with common mental disorders: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that increase physical health risks and are leading causes of global disability. Several forms of physical fitness could be modifiable risk factors for common mental disorders in the population. We examined associations between individual and combined markers of cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength with the incidence of common mental disorders. METHODS: A 7-year prospective cohort study in 152,978 UK Biobank participants. An exercise test and dynamometer were used to measure cardiorespiratory and grip strength, respectively. We used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 scales to estimate the incidence of common mental disorders at follow-up. RESULTS: Fully adjusted, longitudinal models indicated a dose-response relationship. Low and medium cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with 1.485 (95% CIs, 1.301 to 1.694, p <  0.001) and 1.141 (95% CIs, 1.005 to 1.297, p = 0.041) higher odds of depression or anxiety, compared to high cardiorespiratory fitness. Low and medium grip strength was associated with 1.381 (95% CIs, 1.315 to 1.452, p <  0.001) and 1.116 (95% CIs, 1.063 to 1.172, p <  0.001) higher odds of common mental disorder compared to high grip strength. Individuals in the lowest group for both cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength had 1.981 (95% CIs, 1.553 to 2.527, p <  0.001) higher odds of depression, 1.599 (95% CIs, 1.148 to 2.118, p = 0.004) higher odds of anxiety, and 1.814 (95% CIs, 1.461 to 2.252, p <  0.001) higher odds of either common mental disorder, compared to high for both types of fitness. CONCLUSIONS: Objective cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness markers represent modifiable risk factors for common mental disorders. Public health strategies to reduce common mental disorders could include combinations of aerobic and resistance activities.

The association of loneliness after sudden bereavement with risk of suicide attempt: a nationwide survey of bereaved adults.

PURPOSE: We aimed to test the hypothesis that among people who experience sudden bereavement, loneliness is associated with post-bereavement suicide attempt and post-bereavement suicidal ideation, even when adjusting for network size. METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional data collected in the 2010 UCL Bereavement Study, to identify 3193 respondents who had experienced sudden bereavement. We used multivariable logistic regression to test for an association between loneliness (using a newly-developed eight-item loneliness measure) and post-bereavement suicide attempt and suicidal ideation, adjusting for socio-demographic factors, pre-bereavement depression and self-harm, and network size. RESULTS: Among bereaved adults, loneliness was significantly associated with probability of post-bereavement suicide attempt (AOR 1.19; 95% CI 1.14-1.25) and of post-bereavement suicidal ideation (AOR 1.24; 95% CI 1.20-1.28), with estimates unchanged by adding perceived stigma of the bereavement to adjusted models. There was no association between suicide bereavement and loneliness (adjusted coefficient 0.22; 95% CI - 0.12 to 0.45; p = 0.063). The association of loneliness and suicide attempt risk was similar whether participants were bereaved by suicide or not. CONCLUSIONS: People who report feeling lonely after sudden bereavement are more likely to make a suicide attempt after their loss, even when taking into account their network size and the perceived stigma of the sudden bereavement. There is no evidence that the effects of loneliness on suicidality are specific to suicide bereavement. This work identifies loneliness as a potential target for suicide prevention interventions among bereaved people. It also fuels interest in longitudinal research investigating loneliness as a putative mediator of suicide risk.

Trazodone use and risk of dementia: A population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In vitro and animal studies have suggested that trazodone, a licensed antidepressant, may protect against dementia. However, no studies have been conducted to assess the effect of trazodone on dementia in humans. This electronic health records study assessed the association between trazodone use and the risk of developing dementia in clinical practice. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The Health Improvement Network (THIN), an archive of anonymised medical and prescribing records from primary care practices in the United Kingdom, contains records of over 15 million patients. We assessed patients from THIN aged ≥50 years who received at least two consecutive prescriptions for an antidepressant between January 2000 and January 2017. We compared the risk of dementia among patients who were prescribed trazodone to that of patients with similar baseline characteristics prescribed other antidepressants, using a Cox regression model with 1:5 propensity score matching. Patients prescribed trazodone who met the inclusion criteria (n = 4,716; 59.2% female) were older (mean age 70.9 ± 13.1 versus 65.6 ± 11.4 years) and were more likely than those prescribed other antidepressants (n = 420,280; 59.7% female) to have cerebrovascular disease and use anxiolytic or antipsychotic drugs. After propensity score matching, 4,596 users of trazadone and 22,980 users of other antidepressants were analysed. The median time to dementia diagnosis for people prescribed trazodone was 1.8 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 0.5-5.0 years). Incidence of dementia among patients taking trazodone was higher than in matched users of other antidepressants (1.8 versus 1.1 per 100 person-years), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56-2.09; p < 0.001). However, our results do not suggest a causal association. When we restricted the control group to users of mirtazapine only in a sensitivity analysis, the findings were very similar to the results of the main analysis. The main limitation of our study is the possibility of indication bias, because people in the prodromal stage of dementia might be preferentially prescribed trazodone. Due to the observational nature of this study, we cannot rule out residual confounding. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of UK population-based electronic health records, we found no association between trazodone use and a reduced risk of dementia compared with other antidepressants. These results suggest that the clinical use of trazodone is not associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Diagnosed depression and sociodemographic factors as predictors of mortality in patients with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Potentially modifiable risk factors for developing dementia have been identified. However, risk factors for increased mortality in patients with diagnosed dementia are not well understood. Identifying factors that influence prognosis would help clinicians plan care and address unmet needs.AimsTo investigate diagnosed depression and sociodemographic factors as predictors of mortality in patients with dementia in UK secondary clinical care services. METHOD: We conducted a cohort study of patients with a dementia diagnosis in an electronic health records database in a UK National Health Service mental health trust. RESULTS: In 3374 patients with 10 856 person-years of follow-up, comorbid depression was not associated with mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.94; 95% CI 0.71-1.24). Single patients had higher mortality than those who were married (adjusted hazard ratio 1.25; 95% CI 1.03-1.50). Patients of Asian ethnicity had lower mortality rates than White British patients (adjusted hazard ratio 0.50; 95% CI 0.34-0.73). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically diagnosed depression does not increase mortality in patients with dementia. Patients who are single are a potential high-mortality risk group. Lower mortality rates in Asian patients with dementia that have been reported in the USA also apply in the UK.Declaration of interestNone.

Mortality gap for people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: UK-based cohort study 2000-2014.

BackgroundBipolar disorder and schizophrenia are associated with increased mortality relative to the general population. There is an international emphasis on decreasing this excess mortality.AimsTo determine whether the mortality gap between individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and the general population has decreased.MethodA nationally representative cohort study using primary care electronic health records from 2000 to 2014, comparing all patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and the general population. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.ResultsIndividuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia had elevated mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.79, 95% CI 1.67-1.88 and 2.08, 95% CI 1.98-2.19 respectively). Adjusted HRs for bipolar disorder increased by 0.14/year (95% CI 0.10-0.19) from 2006 to 2014. The adjusted HRs for schizophrenia increased gradually from 2004 to 2010 (0.11/year, 95% CI 0.04-0.17) and rapidly after 2010 (0.34/year, 95% CI 0.18-0.49).ConclusionsThe mortality gap between individuals with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and the general population is widening.

Adverse Renal, Endocrine, Hepatic, and Metabolic Events during Maintenance Mood Stabilizer Treatment for Bipolar Disorder: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: There is limited, poorly characterized information about adverse events occurring during maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. We aimed to determine adverse event rates during treatment with lithium, valproate, olanzapine, and quetiapine. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a propensity score adjusted cohort study using nationally representative United Kingdom electronic health records from January 1, 1995, until December 31, 2013. We included patients who had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and were prescribed lithium (n = 2148), valproate (n = 1670), olanzapine (n = 1477), or quetiapine (n = 1376) as maintenance mood stabilizer treatment. Adverse outcomes were chronic kidney disease, thyroid disease, hypercalcemia, weight gain, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and hepatotoxicity. The propensity score included important demographic, physical health, and mental health predictors of drug treatment allocation. The median duration of drug treatment was 1.48 y (interquartile range 0.64-3.43). Compared to patients prescribed lithium, those taking valproate, olanzapine, and quetiapine had reduced rates of chronic kidney disease stage 3 or more severe, following adjustment for propensity score, age, and calendar year, and accounting for clustering by primary care practice (valproate hazard ratio [HR] 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-0.69; p < 0.001, olanzapine HR 0.57; 95% CI 0.45-0.71; p < 0.001, quetiapine HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.47-0.80; p < 0.001). Hypothyroidism was reduced in those taking valproate (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.40-0.89; p = 0.012) and olanzapine (HR 0.48; 95% CI 0.29-0.77; p = 0.003), compared to those taking lithium. Rates of new onset hyperthyroidism (valproate HR 0.24; 95% CI 0.09-0.61; p = 0.003, olanzapine HR 0.31; 95% CI 0.13-0.73; p = 0.007) and hypercalcemia (valproate HR 0.25; 95% CI 0.10-0.60; p = 0.002, olanzapine HR 0.32; 95% CI 0.14-0.76; p = 0.008, quetiapine HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.07-0.73; p = 0.013) were also reduced relative to lithium. However, rates of greater than 15% weight gain on valproate, olanzapine, and quetiapine were higher (valproate HR 1.62; 95% CI 1.31-2.01; p < 0.001, olanzapine HR 1.84; 95% CI 1.47-2.30; p < 0.001, quetiapine HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.24-2.20; p < 0.001) than in individuals prescribed lithium, as were rates of hypertension in the olanzapine treated group (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.06-1.87; p = 0.017). We found no significant difference in rates of chronic kidney disease stage 4 or more severe, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or hepatotoxicity. Despite estimates being robust following sensitivity analyses, limitations include the potential for residual confounding and ascertainment bias and an inability to examine dosage effects. CONCLUSIONS: Lithium use is associated with more renal and endocrine adverse events but less weight gain than commonly used alternative mood stabilizers. Risks need to be offset with the effectiveness and anti-suicidal benefits of lithium and the potential metabolic side effects of alternative treatment options.

Mental disorders across the adult life course and future coronary heart disease: evidence for general susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: Depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders have been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It is unclear whether this association between mental health and CHD is present across a wider range of mental disorders. METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants were 1 107 524 Swedish men conscripted at a mean age of 18.3 years. Mental disorders were assessed by psychiatric interview on conscription, and data on hospital admissions for mental disorder and CHD were obtained from national registers during 22.6 years of follow-up. An increased risk of incident CHD was evident across a range of mental disorders whether diagnosed at conscription or on later hospital admission. Age-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) according to diagnoses at conscription ranged from 1.30 (1.05, 1.62) (depressive disorders) to 1.90 (1.58, 2.38) (alcohol-related disorders). [corrected]. The equivalent figures according to diagnoses during hospital admission ranged from 1.49 (1.24-1.80) (schizophrenia) to 2.82 (2.53-3.13) (other substance use disorders). Associations were little changed by adjustment for parental socioeconomic status, or body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and blood pressure measured at conscription, but they were partially attenuated by the adjustment for smoking, alcohol intake, and intelligence measured at conscription, and for education and own socioeconomic position. CONCLUSIONS: Increased risk of incident CHD is present across a range of mental disorders and is observable when the disorders are diagnosed at a young age.

Lithium and the risk of fractures in patients with bipolar disorder: A population-based cohort study.

Lithium is considered to be the most effective mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder. Evolving evidence suggested lithium can also regulate bone metabolism which may reduce the risk of fractures. While there are concerns about fractures for antipsychotics and mood stabilizing antiepileptics, very little is known about the overall risk of fractures associated with specific treatments. This study aimed to compare the risk of fractures in patients with bipolar disorder prescribed lithium, antipsychotics or mood stabilizing antiepileptics (valproate, lamotrigine, carbamazepine). Among 40,697 patients with bipolar disorder from 1993 to 2019 identified from a primary care electronic health record database in the UK, 13,385 were new users of mood stabilizing agents (lithium:2339; non-lithium: 11,046). Lithium was associated with a lower risk of fractures compared with non-lithium treatments (HR 0.66, 95 % CI 0.44-0.98). The results were similar when comparing lithium with prolactin raising and sparing antipsychotics, and individual antiepileptics. Lithium use may lower fracture risk, a benefit that is particularly relevant for patients with serious mental illness who are more prone to falls due to their behaviors. Our findings could help inform better treatment decisions for bipolar disorder, and lithium's potential to prevent fractures should be considered for patients at high risk of fractures.

Incidence of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multinational network study.

AIMS: Population-wide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may create barriers to mental health diagnosis. This study aims to examine changes in the number of incident cases and the incidence rates of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: By using electronic health records from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the UK and claims data from the US, this study conducted interrupted time-series analyses to compare the monthly incident cases and the incidence of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol misuse or dependence, substance misuse or dependence, bipolar disorders, personality disorders and psychoses diagnoses before (January 2017 to February 2020) and after (April 2020 to the latest available date of each database [up to November 2021]) the introduction of COVID-related restrictions. RESULTS: A total of 629,712,954 individuals were enrolled across nine databases. Following the introduction of restrictions, an immediate decline was observed in the number of incident cases of all mental health diagnoses in the US (rate ratios (RRs) ranged from 0.005 to 0.677) and in the incidence of all conditions in France, Germany, Italy and the US (RRs ranged from 0.002 to 0.422). In the UK, significant reductions were only observed in common mental illnesses. The number of incident cases and the incidence began to return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels in most countries from mid-2020 through 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers should be prepared to deliver service adaptations to mitigate burdens directly or indirectly caused by delays in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.

Association between the mood stabilizing treatment of bipolar disorder and risk of suicide attempts: A self-controlled case series study.

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is associated with high rates of suicide attempts but the anti-suicidal effect of mood stabilizing agents remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between mood stabilizing agents (lithium, valproate, lamotrigine, carbamazepine or antipsychotics) and risk of suicide attempts in patients with BPD using self-controlled case series study design. Among 14,087 patients with BPD who received mood stabilizing agents from 2001 to 2020 in Hong Kong, 1316 patients had at least one suicide attempts during the observation period. An increased risk of suicide attempts was observed 14 days before treatment initiation compared to non-exposed period. Following treatment initiation, an increased risk with smaller magnitude was found with the use of mood stabilizing agents. A lower risk was observed with lithium and antiepileptics while the risk remained attenuated with decreasing magnitude with antipsychotics. During 30-day post-treatment period, the risk was elevated. Therefore, this study suggests that use of mood stabilizing agents is not causally associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts. Indeed, there are potential protective effects of lithium and antiepileptics against suicide attempts. Assiduous monitoring of symptoms relapse and warning signs of suicide should be part of the management plan and discussed between clinicians, caregivers and patients.

Gabapentinoid consumption in 65 countries and regions from 2008 to 2018: a longitudinal trend study.

Recent studies raised concerns about the increasing use of gabapentinoids in different countries. With their potential for misuse and addiction, understanding the global consumption of gabapentinoids will offer us a platform to examine the need for any interventional policies. This longitudinal trend study utilised pharmaceutical sales data from 65 countries and regions across the world to evaluate the global trends in gabapentinoid consumption between 2008-2018. The multinational average annual percentage change of gabapentinoid consumption was +17.20%, increased from 4.17 defined daily dose per ten thousand inhabitants per day (DDD/TID) in 2008 to 18.26 DDD/TID in 2018. High-income countries had the highest pooled gabapentinoid consumption rate (39.92 DDD/TID) in 2018, which was more than six times higher than the lower-middle income countries (6.11 DDD/TID). The study shows that despite differences in healthcare system and culture, a consistent increase in gabapentinoid consumption is observed worldwide, with high-income countries remaining the largest consumers.

Morale in the English mental health workforce: questionnaire survey.

BACKGROUND: High-quality evidence on morale in the mental health workforce is lacking. AIMS: To describe staff well-being and satisfaction in a multicentre UK National Health Service (NHS) sample and explore associated factors. METHOD: A questionnaire-based survey (n = 2258) was conducted in 100 wards and 36 community teams in England. Measures included a set of frequently used indicators of staff morale, and measures of perceived job characteristics based on Karasek's demand-control-support model. RESULTS: Staff well-being and job satisfaction were fairly good on most indicators, but emotional exhaustion was high among acute general ward and community mental health team (CMHT) staff and among social workers. Most morale indicators were moderately but significantly intercorrelated. Principal components analysis yielded two components, one appearing to reflect emotional strain, the other positive engagement with work. In multilevel regression analyses factors associated with greater emotional strain included working in a CMHT or psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU), high job demands, low autonomy, limited support from managers and colleagues, age under 45 years and junior grade. Greater positive engagement was associated with high job demands, autonomy and support from managers and colleagues, Black or Asian ethnic group, being a psychiatrist or service manager and shorter length of service. CONCLUSIONS: Potential foci for interventions to increase morale include CMHTs, PICUs and general acute wards. The explanatory value of the demand-support-control model was confirmed, but job characteristics did not fully explain differences in morale indicators across service types and professions.