Compassionate use of esketamine intranasal in patients with severe major depressive disorder resistant to the treatment.

BACKGROUND: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined as the failure of at least two antidepressants in adequate doses and timing during a major depressive episode. Esketamine intranasal (ESK-IN) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of TRD in combination with other antidepressants. AIMS: To assess the effectiveness and tolerability of a sample of TRD patients who received treatment with ESK-IN as part of the compassionate use program. METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was carried out on patients with a diagnosis of TRD enrolled in the early access program of ESK-IN in nine centers. Effectiveness was assessed with the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) at four time points: baseline, 28, 90, and 180 days of treatment. RESULTS: The sample included 71 patients (70% women) with a mean baseline MADRS score of 38.27 ± 5.9 and total or partial work disability rates of 85%. ESK-IN treatment was associated with a statistically and clinically significant reduction in the severity of depressive symptoms at all time points assessed. The presence of side effects was common but the majority were mild in severity and resolved after the observation period. Those patients who received psychotherapy in combination with ESK-IN showed a significantly lower MADRS score at 90 and 180 days than those patients who did not undergo psychotherapy. CONCLUSION: ESK-IN has proven to be effective and safe in a clinical sample of patients with severe TRD. To optimize clinical outcomes, the pharmacological treatment for TRD should always be integrated into a comprehensive therapeutic plan that encompasses strategies such as psychotherapy, social support, and family interventions.

Aripiprazole for the treatment of schizophrenia: Recommendations of a panel of Spanish experts on its use in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic with a partial agonism of dopamine D2 and D3 receptors. This differential mechanism implies a rigorous appraisal of the appropriate therapeutic strategies in certain situations. To answer currently unsolved clinical questions about the use of oral and long-acting injectable (LAI) aripiprazole, we present here an expert consensus from 12 Spanish psychiatrists and a pharmacologist with extensive experience in the use of this antipsychotic. METHODS: Through one face-to-face session and online collaboration, we reached consensus and established practical recommendations based on scientific evidence and clinical experience. We classified the available scientific literature according to SIGN system and attributed a level of evidence to each reviewed article. RESULTS: The recommendations were divided according to (i) chronological dimension (based on previous treatments, including patients naïve or not to antipsychotic treatment and maintenance regimen), and (ii) dimension related to therapeutic options, comprising switches to aripiprazole and the most used combinations with this antipsychotic. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend considering aripiprazole as first treatment option in the early stages of schizophrenia and in patients with affective symptoms and contemplating a switch to aripiprazole LAI in all candidate patients. Importantly, switches from other antipsychotics should consider previous antipsychotic history and exposure to aripiprazole. KEYPOINTSAripiprazole can be considered as first treatment option in early stages of schizophrenia and in patients with significant affective symptoms.Aripiprazole LAI shows better adherence than oral aripiprazole and could be considered in all candidate patients.Before switching to aripiprazole, detailed information about previous antipsychotic history should be gathered.Switch to aripiprazole should be managed differently for aripiprazole naïve and non-naïve patients.Rigorous and controlled studies on antipsychotics in real clinical practice should be carried out.

Chemsex and Psychosis: A Systematic Review.

Chemsex is presented as a major challenge in public health, with numerous physical and mental consequences. The general objective of this review was to analyze the relationship between the practice of chemsex and the development of psychosis. A mixed systematic review model was chosen. PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched following a predetermined search strategy. The studies were selected, and their information was extracted following a systematic method. A total of 10 articles were included. Psychotic symptoms ranged from 6.7% to 37.2%, being one of the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses. Slamsex, polydrug use and smoked methamphetamine posed up to a 3-fold increased risk of psychosis within this practice. The risk factors found were foreign or ethnic minority status, location in large cities, stress and anxiety, trauma, loneliness, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hepatitis, and previous psychotic history. In conclusion, chemsex is associated with psychosis development; we found numerous converging risk factors and a clear mediating role of drugs. It is important, in approaching the prevention and treatment of this addiction, to take into account motivations and psychosocial circumstances.

Antiretroviral treatment adherence and mental disorders: observational case-control study in people living with HIV in Spain.

Mental disorders hamper immunological control of HIV infection by exerting a negative influence on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. We sought to address the possible relationship between non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART), mental disorders and substance use in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Spain, which presents a high prevalence of intravenously transmitted HIV infection. We assessed 125 PLWHA attending regular outpatient follow-up. The main adherence measure was pill collection from the Hospital Pharmacy. We included sociodemographic variables, mental disorders diagnosis, and substance use in the 12 months prior to the assessment. Harmful alcohol consumption (OR: 6.834; 95% CI: 2.008-23.257; p = 0.002), suffering from depression (OR: 5.851; 95% CI: 1.470-23.283; p = 0.012) and being at risk of suicide (OR: 3.495; 95% CI: 1.136-10.757; p = 0.029) increased the likelihood of non-adherence. 29.6% of the sample had been infected via blood contact. HCV co-infection was present in 46.4% of the study sample, increasing the likelihood of non-adherence (OR: 3.223; 95% CI: 1.119-9.286; p = 0.030). Harmful alcohol use and some serious mental disorders (especially depression and suicide risk) are consistently associated with non-adherence to ART. HCV co-infection could be an important risk marker of non-adherence among PLWHA with a high prevalence of intravenous drug use.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute inpatient psychiatric units in Spain.

Patients with more severe mental health symptoms are treated in acute inpatient psychiatric units (AIPUs), but the functioning of these units throughout Spain has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study to assess the situation. An online survey was distributed to all hospitals with AIPUs in Spain and made accessible for 28 days. Two scientific coordinators were appointed to supervise the scientific and methodological aspects of the study. The most relevant findings include reductions in numbers of beds and staff, insufficient material resources, changes in action protocols and in admission processes, and limitations in routine therapies, such as group and occupational therapy, psychotherapy and psychoeducational programmes. The possibility of performing ECT was also seriously curtailed. This is the first study to evaluate the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on AIPUs. These data may help improve the quality of care of patients with mental illness in the future.

Personality and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adult patients.

OBJECTIVE: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been able to transform HIV infection into a chronic disease. However, ART adherence remains an important barrier and personality traits have been postulated as a factor to be considered. This study aims to identify personality traits that can affect ART adherence, taking into account other potentially influencing factors. METHODS: Case-control study. Controls and cases were classified using the percentage ART dispensation as recorded in the Hospital Pharmacy database. Controls were defined as people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with percentage ART dispensation during the last year >95% and cases were defined as PLWHA with percentage ART dispensation during the last year <90%. Sociodemographic, clinical parameters of HIV infection, psychopathological and neuropsychological factors were collected. Personality was assessed using the NEO PI-R Personality Inventory, questionnaire based on the Five Factor Model of Personality. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression (SPSS v.22). RESULTS: 125 PLWHA were included: 79 controls and 46 cases. After adjusting for confounding variables, logistic regression analysis showed that poor adherence was associated with Neuroticism (OR 1.2, 95%CI: 1.021-1.385) and Impulsivity (N5) (OR 1.5, 95%CI: 1.066-2.163). In contrast, each additional point in Order (C2) (OR 0.8, 95%CI: 0.679-0.992) or Values (O6) (OR 0.8, 95%CI: 0.710-0.974) were associated with good ART adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Personality is a variable to be considered in ART adherence. Implementation of the personality in the assessment of PLWHA helps identify those individuals potentially more likely to exhibit poorer ART adherence.

Cariprazine in Three Acute Patients with Schizophrenia: A Real-World Experience.

There are still some unmet needs in the treatment of schizophrenia like the persistence of negative symptoms. Cariprazine is a new-generation antipsychotic with partial agonism of the dopamine receptors, distinct from other antipsychotics by its 10 times greater affinity for D3 receptors. This mechanism of action could be especially favorable on patients with predominant negative symptoms. This report is showing three clinical cases of acute schizophrenia exacerbation that required hospitalization and were successfully treated with cariprazine. All of them had predominant positive symptoms and two of them had substance use. Efficacy of cariprazine was also crucial on negative and cognitive symptoms with excellent tolerability.

Influence of substance use and cognitive impairment on adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV+ patients. / Influencia del consumo de sustancias y el deterioro cognitivo en la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral en pacientes VIH.

Strict adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) is needed to ensure the effectiveness of HIV treatment. The adverse effects of substance abuse and neurocognitive impairment on medication adherence have both been suggested by several studies. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study the relationship among adherence to ART, cognitive dysfunction, and abuse of certain substances (alcohol, heroin, cocaine, other stimulants, cannabis and benzodiazepines) and/or methadone treatment in our social environment. We performed an observational case-control study with a sample of 125 HIV+ patients, who were classified as patients with poor adherence (cases) and subjects with adequate compliance (controls). Adherence was defined by the Hospital Pharmacy and verified with the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) and the reference physician's clinical impression. Cognitive functioning was measured with the Zoo Map Test and Trail Making Test (TMT). Substance abuse was collected through a semi-structured clinical interview protocol. Statistical analysis was made using a binary logistic regression model. The results indicate that both alcohol abuse and neurocognitive impairment measured by Zoo Map Test were significantly associated with poorer adherence to ART. No significant association was found between adherence and other substance use, or between adherence and TMT score. Screening of cognitive impairment measured by the Zoo Map Test and alcohol abuse may lead to the development of strategies to improve de adherence to ART in HIV+ patients.

La adherencia estricta al tratamiento antirretroviral (TAR) es imprescindible para que este sea eficaz en la disminución de la morbimortalidad asociada al VIH. Se ha sugerido que el consumo de sustancias y el deterioro cognitivo constituyen factores de riesgo para una mala adherencia. En este sentido, el objetivo de este estudio es evaluar cuál es la influencia sobre la adherencia al TAR de la disfunción cognitiva, así como del consumo de determinadas sustancias (alcohol, heroína, cocaína, otros estimulantes, cannabis y benzodizepinas) y/o el tratamiento con metadona, en el marco concreto de una población española de referencia. Se realizó un estudio observacional tipo casos y controles con una muestra de 125 pacientes VIH+, que se dividieron en sujetos malos adherentes (casos) y buenos adherentes al TAR (controles). La adherencia se evaluó mediante el reporte de Farmacia Hospitalaria, contrastada con la escala Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) y la opinión del profesional médico de referencia. La función cognitiva fue evaluada con el Test del Mapa del Zoo y el Trail Making Test (TMT), y el consumo de sustancias, mediante un protocolo de historia clínica semi-estructurada. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante regresión logística binaria. Los resultados mostraron que el abuso de alcohol y el deterioro en la función cognitiva ejecutiva, medida por el Test del Mapa del Zoo, constituyen factores de riesgo independientes para una mala adherencia. No se ha demostrado relación de la adherencia al TAR con el consumo de otras sustancias ni con la puntuación obtenida en el TMT. La detección de deterioro cognitivo mediante el Test del Mapa del Zoo, así como del consumo de alcohol, podrían ayudar a desarrollar estrategias de mejora del cumplimiento terapéutico en pacientes VIH+.

Relationship between alcohol consumption, whether linked to other substance use or not, and antiretroviral treatment adherence in HIV+ patients. / Relación entre la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral en pacientes VIH+ y el consumo de alcohol, asociado o no al uso de otras sustancias.

Hazardous alcohol consumption is a common diagnosis among people living with HIV infection. The relationship between alcohol consumption and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy has been highlighted in different studies, yet few of them performed a parallel analysis of other substance use. In Spain, alcohol consumption is frequently associated with other substance use, mainly cannabis and cocaine. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of hazardous alcohol consumption both combined with other substances (cocaine, heroin, methadone and/or cannabis) or alone on antiretroviral therapy adherence in our social environment. We performed an observational case-control study including 119 HIV+ individuals. We recruited 40 non-adherent patients, defined by less than 90% compliance according to hospital pharmacy refill data, and corroborated by the Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) and referring professional's opinion. Control cases (n=79) were defined as those patients with similar characteristics but considered adherent according to the same parameters. Data collection took place between May 2013 and September 2015. Statistical analysis was performed using a binary logistic regression model. Our results indicate that alcohol consumption decreases adherence to antiretroviral therapy. The use of methadone represents a statistically significant increased risk of poor adherence. No significant differences were found between adherent and non-adherent groups regarding cocaine, heroin or cannabis use in this study. In summary, the detection of substance use and especially alcohol consumption in HIV+ patients can improve the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy by identifying and treating at-risk individuals for a poor therapeutic adherence.

El consumo perjudicial de alcohol es un diagnóstico de elevada prevalencia en pacientes VIH+. Distintos estudios han destacado la influencia negativa del mismo sobre la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral, aunque pocos de ellos valoran además el consumo de otras sustancias. En España, el consumo de alcohol se presenta frecuentemente en situación de policonsumo, fundamentalmente de cannabis y cocaína. El objetivo es comprobar cómo influye el consumo de alcohol, asociado o no al uso de otras sustancias (cocaína, heroína, metadona y/o cannabis), en la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral en nuestro entorno. Se ha realizado un estudio observacional tipo casos y controles sobre una muestra de 119 individuos VIH+. Conforman los casos (n=40) sujetos no adherentes al tratamiento farmacológico según reporte de Farmacia Hospitalaria, corroborado por el Simplified Medication Adherence Questionnaire (SMAQ) y la opinión del profesional de referencia. Se consideran controles (n=79) una muestra de pacientes de características similares con buena adherencia terapéutica según los mismos métodos de valoración. La recogida de datos se hizo entre mayo 2013 y septiembre 2015. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante regresión logística binaria. Los resultados muestran que el consumo de alcohol empeora la adherencia al tratamiento antirretroviral. El uso de metadona supone un incremento estadísticamente significativo del riesgo de no adherencia. No se han encontrado diferencias significativas entre los grupos del estudio respecto a los consumos de cocaína, heroína o cannabis. Por tanto, la detección del consumo de sustancias, especialmente de alcohol, y su abordaje en pacientes VIH+ puede repercutir positivamente en el cumplimiento terapéutico, en beneficio de una mayor efectividad de la terapia antirretroviral.