Substance-related psychopathology and aggressiveness in a nightlife holiday resort: Results from a pilot study in a psychiatric inpatient unit in Ibiza.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe a sample of subjects admitted to a psychiatric unit after the intake of psychoactive substances for recreational purposes. METHODS: Between June and September 2015, 49 subjects were included. Sociodemographic characteristics and psychopathological aspects were investigated, and urine samples for further analysis were collected. Three subgroups (cannabinoids, stimulants, and depressors users) were identified, according to the structured interview regarding substance use and urinalysis. RESULTS: Level of aggressiveness was found to be significantly higher (p < .05) in the cannabinoids subgroup. Self-reported symptom severity was comparable among groups, but trends could be identified: SCL-90 results showed a prevalence of anxiety symptoms among depressors users, hostility or aggression in the tetrahydrocannabinol subgroup, and psychoticism in the stimulants subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: The use of psychoactive substances was be characterised by poly-use of both traditional and novel substances. The presence of aggressiveness emerged as a main feature associated with the use of cannabis and other cannabinoids. Binge drinking and sleep deprivation also represented a relevant component in almost all the evaluated subjects.

Incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders: a 3-year prospective randomized interventional study.

RATIONALE: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have increased morbidity and mortality, largely due to cardiovascular disease, which is associated with antipsychotic treatment. OBJECTIVES: Because of the link between cardiometabolic risk, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and antipsychotics, we aimed to investigate the development of NAFLD during the first 3 years of antipsychotic treatment in first episode non-affective psychosis patients. RESULTS: A sample of 191 subjects was included in final analyses, randomly assigned to aripiprazole (N = 83), risperidone (N = 12), quetiapine (N = 46), and ziprasidone (N = 50). At intake, 180 patients were antipsychotic naïve. The NAFLD fibrosis score, FIB-4 score, and the fatty liver index (FLI) were calculated at baseline, at 3 months, and then yearly for 3 years. None of the patients showed significant liver fibrosis according to the mentioned scores at baseline, prior to randomization. At 3 years follow-up, 25.1 % individuals showed a FLI score ≥60, which is a predictor of steatosis. Of the individuals considered indeterminate at baseline, 64.7 % developed a FLI score ≥60 and only 16.6 % who had a FLI score <30 at baseline, showed a FLI score predictor of steatosis at endpoint. The FLI score ≥60 at endpoint was associated with an increase of more than 7 % of the body mass index (FLI score ≥ 60, 91.7 %; FLI < 60, 55.9 %; p < 0.001), increased triglyceride levels (FLI score ≥ 60, 54.2 %; FLI < 60, 5.6 %; p < 0.001), decreased HDL levels (FLI score ≥ 60, 41.7 %; FLI < 60, 17.5 %; p = 0.001), hypertension (FLI score ≥ 60, 19.5 %; FLI < 60, 4.5 %; p = 0.002), and waist circumference increase (steatosis 68.8 %; FLI < 60, 14.0 %; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the importance of assessing the potential development of NAFLD in schizophrenia spectrum patients receiving antipsychotic medication.