Integration of Mental Health Support Teams in COVID-19 Units within French General Hospitals: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the lived experience of mental health professionals (mhPs) who had been redeployed on support teams (MHSTs) implemented in general hospital for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their families, in order to scale up mental and physical health care integration in times of epidemic crisis. Methods: This multicentered qualitative study followed an IPSE (Inductive Process to analyze the Structure of lived Experience) research design. MhPs' recruitment took place in three general hospitals of Seine-Seine-Denis department, in Paris suburbs (France). Results: Twenty-two participants were included. Data analysis produced three central axes: 1) the mhP in the epidemic crisis, underlying how participants confronted the unknown and adapted; 2) retrieving fundamentals of support therapy, that were: being present and listening, bonding with patients' families, and ensuring care continuity; and 3) moving forward with other health professionals, highlighting the collaborative work they developed and experienced. Discussion: The epidemic prompted mhPs to rethink the values likely to guide the integration of their intervention with other individual and organizational care stakeholders, at different levels of health system. Normative integration based on shared appraisal of patients' and families' needs is highly required to overcome the multiple and sometimes contradictory health issues inherent in the crisis. Conclusion: Person- and family-centered approach of integrated care (IC) is essential to address fragmentation between mental and physical health care in times of epidemic crisis. Hospital and political leaders should support and draw from bottom-up mental health IC initiatives such as MHSTs, that embody this vision, in order to improve health systems preparedness for future crises.

Introduction: Cette étude a visé à explorer l'expérience de professionnels de santé mentale (mhPs) redéployés sur des équipes de soutien (MHSTs) implantées à l'hôpital général pour les patients atteints par la maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) et leurs familles, afin d'améliorer l'intégration des soins de santé mentale et physique en période de crise épidémique. Méthodes: Cette étude qualitative multicentrique a suivi le protocole de recherche IPSE (Inductive Process to analyze the Structure of lived Experience). Le recrutement des mhPs a eu lieu dans trois hôpitaux généraux du département de Seine-Saint-Denis, en banlieue de Paris (France). Résultats: Vingt-deux participants ont été inclus. L'analyse des données a fait émerger trois axes centraux : 1) le mhP dans la crise épidémique, soulignant comment les participants se sont confrontés à l'inconnu et se sont adaptés ; 2) retrouver les fondamentaux de la thérapie de soutien, qui étaient : être présent et écouter, faire du lien avec les familles des patients, et assurer la continuité des soins ; 3) avancer avec les autres professionnels de santé, sur la base du travail collaboratif que les participants ont développé et dont ils ont fait l'expérience. Discussion: L'épidémie a conduit les mhPs à repenser les valeurs susceptibles de guider l'intégration de leur intervention avec les autres acteurs du soin, individuels et organisationnels, à différents niveaux du système de santé. Une intégration normative basée sur une compréhension partagée des besoins des patients et de leurs familles apparaît primordiale pour répondre aux enjeux de santé multiples, et parfois contradictoires, inhérents à une telle crise. Conclusion: Une approche du soin intégré centrée à la fois sur le patient et la famille est essentielle pour palier la fragmentation des soins de santé mentale et physique en période de crise épidémique. Les décideurs hospitaliers et politiques devraient soutenir et s'appuyer sur des initiatives de soin intégré émanant du terrain telles que les MHSTs, qui incarnent cette vision, afin d'améliorer la préparation des systèmes de santé à de futures crises.

Aripiprazole in Children and Adolescents.

Objective: To review the use of aripiprazole in children and adolescents. Methods: Medline and Embase databases were systematically searched using the keywords aripiprazole and child or adolescent over the period from 2000 to 2019. The initial screen yielded 163 publications, from which 99 studies were reviewed. Results: Aripiprazole is one of the most widely prescribed atypical antipsychotics. Like others, its use in children and adolescents is becoming commonplace and occurs in off-label indications. Aripiprazole has proven efficacy for several indications in children and adolescents, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Tourette's syndrome, and behavioral impairments associated with autism and intellectual disability. Adverse effects are more important in children and adolescents than adults, particularly weight gain, drowsiness, extrapyramidal effects, and metabolic effects, even though the latter may appear less important than with other atypical antipsychotics. Severe adverse effects often occur in multiple-prescription settings. At present, postprescription monitoring is very poor. Conclusion: Aripiprazole has proven efficacy for several indications in children and adolescents. However, its use requires clinical and paraclinical monitoring to assess the occurrence of adverse events that may challenge the benefit/risk ratio. In addition, off-label prescriptions should be limited, as they appear to account for a significant proportion of aripiprazole use worldwide.

Chronic smoking and cognition in patients with schizophrenia: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with schizophrenia display a very high rate of smoking in comparison with the general population. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to assess the association between cognitive performances and smoking status in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This review was registered at PROSPERO, number CRD42019126758. After a systematic search on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and clinicaltrials.gov databases, all studies measuring neurocognitive performances in both smoking and nonsmoking patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were included. Original data were extracted. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated with the means and standard deviations extracted using a random-effect model. Cognitive performances were compared between smoking and nonsmoking patients with schizophrenia. Meta-regressions were performed to explore the influence of sociodemographic and clinical variables on SMD. RESULTS: Eighteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. Chronic smoking in patients with schizophrenia, compared to nonsmoking, was associated with a significant more important impairment in attention (p = 0.02), working memory (p < 0.001), learning (p < 0.001), executive function (EF) reasoning/problem solving (p < 0.001) and speed of processing (p < 0.001), but not in delayed memory, EF abstraction/shifting, EF inhibition and language. The meta-regression analysis found that attention impairment could be influenced by age (p < 0.001) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides strong evidence that, in patients with schizophrenia, chronic smoking is related to cognitive impairment. This association emphasizes the importance of paying careful attention to both tobacco addiction and cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia.