Tools for optimising pharmacotherapy in psychiatry (therapeutic drug monitoring, molecular brain imaging and pharmacogenetic tests): focus on antidepressants.

Objectives: More than 40 drugs are available to treat affective disorders. Individual selection of the optimal drug and dose is required to attain the highest possible efficacy and acceptable tolerability for every patient.Methods: This review, which includes more than 500 articles selected by 30 experts, combines relevant knowledge on studies investigating the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics of 33 antidepressant drugs and of 4 drugs approved for augmentation in cases of insufficient response to antidepressant monotherapy. Such studies typically measure drug concentrations in blood (i.e. therapeutic drug monitoring) and genotype relevant genetic polymorphisms of enzymes, transporters or receptors involved in drug metabolism or mechanism of action. Imaging studies, primarily positron emission tomography that relates drug concentrations in blood and radioligand binding, are considered to quantify target structure occupancy by the antidepressant drugs in vivo. Results: Evidence is given that in vivo imaging, therapeutic drug monitoring and genotyping and/or phenotyping of drug metabolising enzymes should be an integral part in the development of any new antidepressant drug.Conclusions: To guide antidepressant drug therapy in everyday practice, there are multiple indications such as uncertain adherence, polypharmacy, nonresponse and/or adverse reactions under therapeutically recommended doses, where therapeutic drug monitoring and cytochrome P450 genotyping and/or phenotyping should be applied as valid tools of precision medicine.

Consensus Guidelines for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Neuropsychopharmacology: Update 2017.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the quantification and interpretation of drug concentrations in blood to optimize pharmacotherapy. It considers the interindividual variability of pharmacokinetics and thus enables personalized pharmacotherapy. In psychiatry and neurology, patient populations that may particularly benefit from TDM are children and adolescents, pregnant women, elderly patients, individuals with intellectual disabilities, patients with substance abuse disorders, forensic psychiatric patients or patients with known or suspected pharmacokinetic abnormalities. Non-response at therapeutic doses, uncertain drug adherence, suboptimal tolerability, or pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions are typical indications for TDM. However, the potential benefits of TDM to optimize pharmacotherapy can only be obtained if the method is adequately integrated in the clinical treatment process. To supply treating physicians and laboratories with valid information on TDM, the TDM task force of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP) issued their first guidelines for TDM in psychiatry in 2004. After an update in 2011, it was time for the next update. Following the new guidelines holds the potential to improve neuropsychopharmacotherapy, accelerate the recovery of many patients, and reduce health care costs.

[Job stress of nursing aides in Swiss nursing homes : Nonlinear canonical analysis]. / Arbeitsbelastung von Pflegehelfenden in Schweizer Alters- und Pflegeheimen : Nichtlineare kanonische Korrelationsanalyse.

BACKGROUND: Due to demographic changes, the demand for care in nursing homes for the elderly and infirmed is growing. At the same time nursing staff shortages are also increasing. Nursing aides are the primary care providers and comprise the largest staff group in Swiss nursing homes. They are exposed to various forms of job stress, which threaten job retention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to discover which features of the work situation and which personal characteristics of the nursing aides were related to the workload. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from nursing aides in Swiss nursing homes were investigated through a secondary analysis of a national quantitative cross-sectional study, using descriptive statistics and a nonlinear canonical correlation analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1054 nursing aides were included in the secondary analysis, 94.6 % of whom were women between the ages of 42 and 61 years. The job stress most frequently mentioned in the descriptive analysis, almost 60 % of the participants referred to it, was staff shortage. The nonlinear canonical correlation analysis revealed that many job strains are caused by social and organizational issues. In particular, a lack of support from supervisors was associated with staff not feeling appreciated. These job strains correlated with a high level of responsibility, the feeling of being unable to work independently and a feeling of being exploited. These strains were predominant in the nursing aides between 32 and 51 years old who had part time jobs but workloads of 80-90 %. CONCLUSION: Middle-aged nursing aides who worked to 80-90 % are particularly at risk to resign from the position prematurely. Measures need to be mainly implemented in the social and organizational areas. It can be assumed that a targeted individual support, recognition and promotion of nursing aides may decrease the level of job strain.

Once-monthly paliperidone palmitate in recently diagnosed and chronic non-acute patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the treatment response, tolerability and safety of once-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP1M) in non-acute patients switched from oral antipsychotics, stratified by time since diagnosis as recently diagnosed (≤3 years) or chronic patients (>3 years). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Post hoc analysis of a prospective, interventional, single-arm, multicentre, open-label, 6-month study performed in 233 recently diagnosed and 360 chronic patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion achieving treatment response (defined as ≥20% improvement in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] total score from baseline to endpoint) and maintained efficacy (defined as non-inferiority in the change in PANSS total score at endpoint [Schuirmann's test]). RESULTS: 71.4% of recently diagnosed and 59.2% of chronic patients showed a ≥20% decrease in PANSS total score (p = 0.0028 between groups). Changes in PANSS Marder factors, PANSS subscales, and the proportion of patients with a Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP) total score of 71-100 were significantly greater in recently diagnosed compared with chronic patients. PP1M was well tolerated, presenting no unexpected safety findings. CONCLUSION: These data show that recently diagnosed patients treated with PP1M had a significantly higher treatment response and improved functioning, as assessed by the PSP total score, than chronic patients.

Sexual Dysfunction Related to Drugs: a Critical Review. Part V: α-Blocker and 5-ARI Drugs.

UNLABELLED: Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms) drugs: this article is a critical review of the current literature. Many studies have been published on this topic. Methodological flaws limit the conclusions of these studies, mainly because of the lack of diagnostic criteria for ejaculatory and sexual desire dysfunction. Few of these studies are RCTs. The α-blocker (also called α1-adrenergic antagonist, alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, alpha-blocker or AB) and 5-ARI (also called 5α-reductase inhibitor or testosterone-5-alpha reductase inhibitor) drugs can in particular cause erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders and reduction of sexual desire. The sexual side effect profile of these drugs is different. Among the α-blockers, silodosin appears have the highest incidence of ejaculatory disorders. Persistent sexual side effects after discontinuation of finasteride has recently been reported, however further studies are needed to clarify the true incidence and the significance of this finding. It is desirable that future studies include validated tools to assess and diagnose sexual dysfunction induced by these medications, especially for ejaculation and sexual desire disorders. Only a small amount of research has intentionally set out to investigate sexual dysfunction caused by α-blocker and 5-ARI drugs: studies to specifically assess sexual dysfunction induced by these drugs are needed. Further studies are also needed to assess in the long term the role of combined therapy of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and α-blockers or 5-ARIs in treating LUTS/BPH. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2014 using the paper and electronic resources of the library of the "Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS)" in Trento, Italy (http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793). The library has access to a wide range of databases including DYNAMED, MEDLINE Full Text, CINAHL Plus Full Text, The Cochrane Library, Micromedex healthcare series, BMJ Clinical Evidence. The full list of available journals can be viewed at http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793, or at the APSS web site (http://www.apss.tn.it). In completing this review, a literature search was conducted using the key words "benign prostatic hyperplasia drugs", "lower urinary tract symptoms drugs", "α-blockers", "5-ARIs", "sexual dysfunction", "sexual side effects", "treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction", "phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors". All resulting listed articles were reviewed. Studies published between 2002 and December 2014 were included in the review. We included all studies that explicitly reported data on sexual dysfunction during treatment with α-blockers and 5-ARIs. We also reviewed studies that have evaluated the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in combination with these drugs. The purpose was to identify possible intervention strategies for sexual dysfunction related to these drugs.

Sexual dysfunction related to drugs: a critical review. Part IV: cardiovascular drugs.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of cardiovascular drugs: this article is a critical review of the current literature. Many studies have been published on this topic. Most of these studies are not methodologically robust, few are RCTs and most did not use a validated rating scale to evaluate sexual functioning. In addition, other methodological flaws limit greatly the conclusions of these studies. Most studies relate to male populations and only a few have been conducted on women. Also, the majority of studies on sexual dysfunction induced by cardiovascular drugs relate to antihypertensive drugs. While there is evidence to suggest that older antihypertensive drugs (diuretics, beta-blockers, centrally acting agents) have a negative impact on erectile function, newer agents seem to have either neutral (ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists) or beneficial effects (i. e., angiotensin receptor blockers, nebivolol). Other cardiovascular drugs analyzed in this review also appear to have an inhibitory action on sexual function. For men, there is some weak evidence supporting the use of specific treatment strategies for sexual dysfunction associated with these drugs. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2014 using the paper and electronic resources of the library of the "Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS)" in Trento, Italy (http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793). The library has access to a wide range of databases including DYNAMED, MEDLINE Full Text, CINAHL Plus Full Text, The Cochrane Library, Micromedex healthcare series, BMJ Clinical Evidence. The full list of available journals can be viewed at http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793 or at the APSS web site (http://www.apss.tn.it). In completing this review, a literature search was conducted using the key words "cardiovascular", "adrenergic beta antagonist", "α1-adrenoceptor antagonist", "angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor", "angiotensin receptor antagonist", "angiotensin receptor blocker", "beta blocker", "beta receptor antagonist", "calcium channel blocker", "diuretic", "antihypertensive", "sexual dysfunction", "sexual side effects", "treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction". All resulting listed articles were reviewed. CONCLUSION: The review includes studies that investigated the relationship between these drug treatments and sexual dysfunction. The purpose was to identify possible intervention strategies for sexual dysfunction related to these drugs.

Intense Foxp3+ CD25+ regulatory T-cell infiltration is associated with high-grade cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and counterbalanced by CD8+/Foxp3+ CD25+ ratio.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have revealed the therapeutic potential of cell-mediated immunity in neoplasms such as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). OBJECTIVES: To define the antigenic coexpression of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and assess the CD8(+) /Foxp3(+) CD25(+) cell ratio at peritumoral and intratumoral levels in order to investigate a correlation with the aggressiveness of SCC tumours. METHODS: We evaluated the content and distribution of Foxp3(+) CD25(+) Treg and CD123(+) pDC infiltration and assessed CD8(+) /Foxp3(+) CD25(+) cell ratio at peritumoral and intratumoral levels in 40 SCCs (20 well-differentiated, G1; and 20 moderately to poorly differentiated, G2-G3) to investigate a correlation with their aggressiveness. We determined the profiles of Tregs and CD123(+) cells; immunostained for CD4, CD8, CD123, interleukin (IL)-1 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1; and unequivocally double stained for Foxp3CD25. RESULTS: Peritumorally, CD4, CD8 and Foxp3 expression showed no difference between the two groups. CD123(+) cells were fewer in G2-G3 (P = 0·0005), while Foxp3(+) CD25(+) cells were more numerous (P = 0·0005). The Foxp3(+) CD25(+) /Foxp3(+) ratio was higher in G2-G3 cases (P = 0·0005), confirming the trend in this group of activated T lymphocytes towards total Treg Foxp3(+) cells, while the CD8(+) /Foxp3(+) CD25(+) ratio was higher in G1 (P = 0·0005). Intratumorally, CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells infiltrated G2-G3 (P = 0·048) more than G1 (P = 0·004), whereas almost all cells were CD123 negative. Regarding Foxp3CD25, TGF-ß1 and IL-10, they were less expressed in G1, whereas they were positive in G2-G3 (P < 0·05). The CD8(+) /Foxp3(+) CD25(+) ratio was similar to that observed in peritumoral infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that intratumoral recruitment of Tregs, high expression of TGF-ß1 and IL-10, almost negative CD123+, and a low CD8(+) /Foxp3(+) CD25(+) T-cell ratio may contribute to the aggressiveness of cutaneous SCC, as already evidenced for other solid tumours.

Association between baseline serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels and response to electroconvulsive therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is implicated in different neuronal processes involved in major depressive disorder (MDD) and in the mechanisms of action of antidepressants. The aim of this study was to investigate whether VEGF serum levels before treatment might be associated with the antidepressant response. METHOD: Two groups of patients were enrolled. One was composed of 50 MDD patients receiving an antidepressant drug treatment. Illness severity was measured before the treatment (T0) and after 12 weeks (T1). The second group was composed of 67 treatment-resistant depressed (TRD) patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Illness severity was assessed before the treatment (T0) and 1 month after the end of ECT (T1). Blood samples for VEGF measurements were collected for both groups at the baseline (T0). RESULTS: A significant correlation was observed between baseline VEGF serum levels and the percentage reduction in depressive symptomatology after ECT (P = 0.003). In particular, VEGF levels at baseline were significantly lower in patients showing no response to ECT at follow-up (P = 0.008). No correlation between T0 VEGF concentrations and drug treatment outcome was found. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that VEGF plays a role in the mechanism of response to ECT.

[Therapeutic drug monitoring in psychiatry. A brief summary of the new consensus paper by the task force on TDM of the AGNP]. / Therapeutisches Drug-Monitoring in der Psychiatrie. Kurze Zusammenfassung des neuen Konsensuspapiers der Arbeitsgruppe TDM der AGNP.

In October 2011 the Task Force Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of the Association for Neuropsychopharmacology and Pharmacopsychiatry (AGNP) published an update (Pharmacopsychiatry 2011, 44: 195-235) of the first version of the consensus paper on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) published in 2004. This article summarizes the essential statements to make them accessible to a wider readership in German speaking countries.

Sexual dysfunction related to psychotropic drugs: a critical review. Part III: mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs: this article presents a critical review of the current literature. Although many studies have been published on sexual side effects of psychopharmacological treatment, only a minority relate to mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs. Most of these studies are not methodologically robust, few are RCTs and most did not use a validated rating scale to evaluate sexual functioning. In addition, many of the studies on sexual dysfunction associated with mood stabilizers and anxiolytic drugs are limited by other methodological flaws. While there is evidence to suggest that mood stabilizers, with some exceptions, negatively affect sexual functioning, there is still insufficient evidence to draw any clear conclusions about the effects of anxiolytic drugs on sexual function. There is some weak evidence to indicate that switching from enzyme-inducing to non-enzyme-inducing anticonvulsant drugs, could be clinically useful. Some researchers recommend that sexual dysfunction in patients taking antiepileptic drugs should in general be treated according to standard guidelines for the management of sexual dysfunction, since reliable data on special populations is not available. However, specific approaches may be useful, but cannot yet be recommended until further validating research has been conducted. We did not find evidence supporting the use of any specific treatment strategy for sexual dysfunction associated with anxiolytic treatment. METHODS: This study was conducted in 2013 using the paper and electronic resources of the library of the Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS) in Trento, Italy (http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793). The library has access to a wide range of databases including DYNAMED, MEDLINE Full Text, CINAHL Plus Full Text, The Cochrane Library, Micromedex healthcare series, BMJ Clinical Evidence. The full list of available journals can be viewed at http://atoz.ebsco.com/Titles/2793, or at the APSS web site (http://www.apss.tn.it). In completing this review, a literature search was conducted using the key words "anxiolytic drugs", "mood stabilizers", "benzodiazepines", "psychotrophic drugs", "sexual dysfunction", "sexual side effects", "treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction". All resulting listed articles were reviewed. DISCUSSION: This review includes studies that investigated the relationship between mood stabilizer and anxiolytic drug treatment and sexual dysfunction. The purpose was to identify possible intervention strategies for sexual dysfunction related to these drugs.

Sexual dysfunction related to psychotropic drugs: a critical review part II: antipsychotics.

Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of antipsychotic drugs: this article presents a critical review of the current literature. Although many studies have been published on the subject, only some used a validated sexual function rating scale and most lacked either a baseline or placebo control or both. In addition, many of the studies on sexual dysfunction associated with antipsychotic medication are limited by other methodological flaws. However, there is consistent evidence to suggest that a large number of antipsychotic drugs adversely affect one or more of the 3 phases of sexual response (desire, arousal and orgasm). Among the antipsychotics, the so called "prolactin-raising" are probably most associated with sexual dysfunction, even if further studies to confirm this are needed: the reviewed literature shows no consistent evidence that any one antipsychotic drug has a significantly superior side effect profile over another and current information on this topic is often based on methodologically weak research. Clinicians must be aware of drug-induced sexual dysfunction, since its presence can have important consequences for clinical management and compliance.

Sexual dysfunction related to psychotropic drugs: a critical review--part I: antidepressants.

Sexual dysfunction is a potential side effect of antidepressant drugs: this article presents a critical review of the current literature. Although many studies have been published on this subject, only some have used a validated sexual function rating scale and most lacked either a baseline or placebo control or both. In addition, many of the studies on sexual dysfunction associated with antidepressants are limited by other methodological flaws. However, there is consistent evidence to suggest that antidepressant medication adversely affects one or more of the 3 phases of sexual response (desire, arousal and orgasm). Antidepressants with strong serotonergic properties have the highest rate of sexual side effects. Clinicians must be aware of drug-induced sexual dysfunction, since its presence can have important consequences on clinical management and compliance.

The potential impact of biomarker-guided triage decisions for patients with urinary tract infections.

OBJECTIVES: Current guidelines provide limited evidence as to which patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) require hospitalisation. We evaluated the currently used triage routine and tested whether a set of criteria including biomarkers like proadrenomedullin (proADM) and urea have the potential to improve triage decisions. METHODS: Consecutive adults with UTI presenting to our emergency department (ED) were recruited and followed for 30 days. We defined three virtual triage algorithms, which included either guideline-based clinical criteria, optimised admission proADM or urea levels in addition to a set of clinical criteria. We compared actual treatment sites and observed adverse events based on the physician judgment with the proportion of patients assigned to treatment sites according to the three virtual algorithms. Adverse outcome was defined as transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), death, recurrence of UTI or rehospitalisation for any reason. RESULTS: We recruited 127 patients (age 61.8 ± 20.8 years; 73.2 % females) and analysed the data of 123 patients with a final diagnosis of UTI. Of these 123 patients, 27 (22.0 %) were treated as outpatients. Virtual triage based only on clinical signs would have treated only 22 (17.9 %) patients as outpatients, with higher proportions of outpatients equally in both biomarker groups (29.3 %; p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in adverse events between outpatients according to the clinical (4.5 %), proADM (2.8 %) or urea groups (2.8 %). The mean length of stay was 6.6 days, including 2.2 days after reaching medical stability. CONCLUSIONS: Adding biomarkers to clinical criteria has the potential to improve risk-based triage without impairing safety. Current rates of admission and length of stay could be shortened in patients with UTI.

AGNP consensus guidelines for therapeutic drug monitoring in psychiatry: update 2011.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), i. e., the quantification of serum or plasma concentrations of medications for dose optimization, has proven a valuable tool for the patient-matched psychopharmacotherapy. Uncertain drug adherence, suboptimal tolerability, non-response at therapeutic doses, or pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions are typical situations when measurement of medication concentrations is helpful. Patient populations that may predominantly benefit from TDM in psychiatry are children, pregnant women, elderly patients, individuals with intelligence disabilities, forensic patients, patients with known or suspected genetically determined pharmacokinetic abnormalities or individuals with pharmacokinetically relevant comorbidities. However, the potential benefits of TDM for optimization of pharmacotherapy can only be obtained if the method is adequately integrated into the clinical treatment process. To promote an appropriate use of TDM, the TDM expert group of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP) issued guidelines for TDM in psychiatry in 2004. Since then, knowledge has advanced significantly, and new psychopharmacologic agents have been introduced that are also candidates for TDM. Therefore the TDM consensus guidelines were updated and extended to 128 neuropsychiatric drugs. 4 levels of recommendation for using TDM were defined ranging from "strongly recommended" to "potentially useful". Evidence-based "therapeutic reference ranges" and "dose related reference ranges" were elaborated after an extensive literature search and a structured internal review process. A "laboratory alert level" was introduced, i. e., a plasma level at or above which the laboratory should immediately inform the treating physician. Supportive information such as cytochrome P450 substrate and inhibitor properties of medications, normal ranges of ratios of concentrations of drug metabolite to parent drug and recommendations for the interpretative services are given. Recommendations when to combine TDM with pharmacogenetic tests are also provided. Following the guidelines will help to improve the outcomes of psychopharmacotherapy of many patients especially in case of pharmacokinetic problems. Thereby, one should never forget that TDM is an interdisciplinary task that sometimes requires the respectful discussion of apparently discrepant data so that, ultimately, the patient can profit from such a joint eff ort.

AGNP Consensus Guidelines for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Psychiatry: Update 2011.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), i. e., the quantification of serum or plasma concentrations of medications for dose optimization, has proven a valuable tool for the patient-matched psychopharmacotherapy. Uncertain drug adherence, suboptimal tolerability, non-response at therapeutic doses, or pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions are typical situations when measurement of medication concentrations is helpful. Patient populations that may predominantly benefit from TDM in psychiatry are children, pregnant women, elderly patients, individuals with intelligence disabilities, forensic patients, patients with known or suspected genetically determined pharmacokinetic abnormalities or individuals with pharmacokinetically relevant comorbidities. However, the potential benefits of TDM for optimization of pharmacotherapy can only be obtained if the method is adequately integrated into the clinical treatment process. To promote an appropriate use of TDM, the TDM expert group of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP) issued guidelines for TDM in psychiatry in 2004. Since then, knowledge has advanced significantly, and new psychopharmacologic agents have been introduced that are also candidates for TDM. Therefore the TDM consensus guidelines were updated and extended to 128 neuropsychiatric drugs. 4 levels of recommendation for using TDM were defined ranging from "strongly recommended" to "potentially useful". Evidence-based "therapeutic reference ranges" and "dose related reference ranges" were elaborated after an extensive literature search and a structured internal review process. A "laboratory alert level" was introduced, i. e., a plasma level at or above which the laboratory should immediately inform the treating physician. Supportive information such as cytochrome P450 substrate- and inhibitor properties of medications, normal ranges of ratios of concentrations of drug metabolite to parent drug and recommendations for the interpretative services are given. Recommendations when to combine TDM with pharmacogenetic tests are also provided. Following the guidelines will help to improve the outcomes of psychopharmacotherapy of many patients especially in case of pharmacokinetic problems. Thereby, one should never forget that TDM is an interdisciplinary task that sometimes requires the respectful discussion of apparently discrepant data so that, ultimately, the patient can profit from such a joint effort.

Therapeutic drug monitoring in Italian psychiatry.

INTRODUCTION: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) aims to optimize pharmacotherapy treatment. Knowledge, availability and use of TDM for psychiatric patients, however, differ between countries. In this survey we analysed the practice in Italy of TDM for psychoactive drugs. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was sent out to 211 mental health centres (centro di salute mentale) and 10 university hospitals from each region in Italy. RESULTS: Feedback was obtained from 44 centres. Information collected by the questionnaires indicated that in Italian psychiatry TDM is used for lithium, valproic acid and carbamazepine. With regard to clozapine, TDM was regarded as the blood cell counting which is obligatory when prescribing this drug. TDM was not employed for antidepressant or antipsychotic drug prescribing. Moreover, it appeared that only a few laboratories in Italy offer TDM services for psychiatric patients. Nevertheless, interest was expressed about receiving further information about TDM in psychiatry and participating in training programmes. DISCUSSION: This nationwide survey revealed that in Italy, TDM of psychoactive drugs is restricted to only a few drugs. In response to interest expressed, mental health workers should be educated about TDM and more laboratories should be encouraged to establish TDM services for psychotropic drugs.