Trajectories of healthcare utilization and costs of psychiatric and somatic multimorbidity in adults with childhood ADHD: a prospective register-based study.

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of the trajectories and economic burden of psychiatric and somatic disorders (multimorbidity) in ADHD from childhood to adulthood is important for guiding more targeted areas for treatment of ADHD and prevention of multimorbidity, and for forecasting demands on the medical infrastructure. This study aimed to investigate patterns of healthcare utilization and costs of multimorbidity across young adulthood in individuals with a childhood ADHD diagnosis, and additionally in individuals who continue to have ADHD-related contact with health services (persisters) and those who do not (remitters). METHODS: We prospectively followed a cohort (N = 445,790) born 1987-1990 from the ages of 18 to 26 years. Data on healthcare utilization were obtained from the Swedish National Patient Register (inpatient and outpatient care) and the Prescribed Drug Register (medication prescriptions). RESULTS: Mean annual costs per capita from multimorbidity was €890 ($1,223) in individuals with a childhood ADHD diagnosis (persisters/remitters: €1,060[$1,456]/€609[$837]) and €304 ($418) in individuals without. Costs were largely driven by inpatient hospital admissions, mainly from drug abuse and injuries. Healthcare utilization and costs of psychiatric and somatic disorders at 18 years was significantly higher in individuals with childhood ADHD compared to those without. These group differences remained stable or increased across young adulthood for most outcomes and were generally larger in women than in men. ADHD remitters continued to show significantly greater healthcare utilization and costs compared to individuals without childhood ADHD, although their profiles were not as severe as ADHD persisters. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood ADHD has long-term associations with both psychiatric and somatic disorders. Findings demonstrate the individual and societal burden of ADHD in adulthood and highlight the importance of continued support from childhood-adolescent to adult health services and early prevention of multimorbidity. Findings also point to specific targets for intervention that may be effective, such as drug abuse and injuries.

Patterns of diagnostic transition in eating disorders: a longitudinal population study in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Transition across eating disorder diagnoses is common, reflecting instability of specific eating disorder presentations. Previous studies have examined temporal stability of diagnoses in adult treatment-seeking samples but have not uniformly captured initial presentation for treatment. The current study examines transitions across eating disorder diagnostic categories in a large, treatment-seeking sample of individuals born in Sweden and compares these transitions across two birth cohorts and from initial diagnosis. METHODS: Data from Swedish eating disorders quality registers were extracted in 2013, including 9622 individuals who were seen at least twice from 1999 to 2013. Patterns of remission were examined in the entire sample and subsequently compared across initial diagnoses. An older (born prior to 1990) and younger birth cohort were also identified, and analyses compared these cohorts on patterns of diagnostic transition. RESULTS: Although diagnostic instability was common, transition between threshold eating disorder diagnoses was infrequent. For all diagnoses, transition to remission was likely to occur following a diagnosis state that matched initial diagnosis, or through a subthreshold diagnostic state. Individuals in the younger cohort were more likely to transition to a state of remission than those in the older cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate more temporal continuity in eating disorder presentations than suggested by previous research and highlight the importance of early detection and intervention in achieving remission.

Binge-eating disorder in the Swedish national registers: Somatic comorbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations between binge-eating disorder (BED) and somatic illnesses and determine whether medical comorbidities are more common in individuals who present with BED and comorbid obesity. METHOD: Cases (n = 850) were individuals with a BED diagnosis in the Swedish eating disorders quality registers. Ten community controls were matched to each case on sex, and year, month, and county of birth. Associations of BED status with neurologic, immune, respiratory, gastrointestinal, skin, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, circulatory, and endocrine system diseases were evaluated using conditional logistic regression models. We further examined these associations by adjusting for lifetime psychiatric comorbidity. Amongst individuals with BED, we explored whether comorbid obesity was associated with risk of somatic disorders. RESULTS: BED was associated with most classes of diseases evaluated; strongest associations were with diabetes [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 5.7 (3.8; 8.7)] and circulatory systems [1.9 (1.3; 2.7)], likely indexing components of metabolic syndrome. Amongst individuals with BED, those with comorbid obesity were more likely to have a lifetime history of respiratory [1.5 (1.1; 2.1)] and gastrointestinal [2.6 (1.7; 4.1)] diseases than those without comorbid obesity. Increased risk of some somatic disease classes in individuals with BED was not simply due to obesity or other lifetime psychiatric comorbidity. DISCUSSION: The association of BED with many somatic illnesses highlights the morbidity experienced by individuals with BED. Clinicians treating patients with BED should be vigilant for medical comorbidities. Nonpsychiatric providers may be the first clinical contact for those with BED underscoring the importance of screening in primary care. © 2016 The Authors International Journal of Eating Disorders Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:58-65).

Predictive validity of parent- and self-rated ADHD symptoms in adolescence on adverse socioeconomic and health outcomes.

There is scarcity of research investigating the validity of self-report of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms compared to other informants, such as parents. This study aimed to compare the predictive associations of ADHD symptoms rated by parents and their children across adolescence on a range of adverse socioeconomic and health outcomes in early adulthood. Parent- and self-rated ADHD symptoms were assessed in 2960 individuals in early (13-14 years) and late adolescence (16-17 years). Logistic regression analyses were used to compare the associations between parent- and self-rated ADHD symptoms at both time points and adverse life outcomes in young adulthood obtained from Swedish national registries. Both parent- and self-ratings of ADHD symptoms were associated with increased risk for adverse outcomes, although associations of parent-ratings were more often statistically significant and were generally stronger (OR = 1.12-1.49, p < 0.05) than self-ratings (OR = 1.07-1.17, p < 0.05). After controlling for the other informant, parent-ratings of ADHD symptoms in both early and late adolescence significantly predicted academic and occupational failure, criminal convictions and traffic-related injuries, while self-ratings of ADHD symptoms only in late adolescence predicted substance use disorder and academic failure. Our findings suggest that both parent- and self-ratings of ADHD symptoms in adolescence provides valuable information on risk of future adverse socioeconomic and health outcomes, however, self-ratings are not valuable once parent-ratings have been taken into account in predicting most outcomes. Thus, clinicians and researchers should prioritize parent-ratings over self-ratings.

The Science Behind the Academy for Eating Disorders' Nine Truths About Eating Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: In 2015, the Academy for Eating Disorders collaborated with international patient, advocacy, and parent organizations to craft the 'Nine Truths About Eating Disorders'. This document has been translated into over 30 languages and has been distributed globally to replace outdated and erroneous stereotypes about eating disorders with factual information. In this paper, we review the state of the science supporting the 'Nine Truths'. METHODS: The literature supporting each of the 'Nine Truths' was reviewed, summarized and richly annotated. RESULTS: Most of the 'Nine Truths' arise from well-established foundations in the scientific literature. Additional evidence is required to further substantiate some of the assertions in the document. Future investigations are needed in all areas to deepen our understanding of eating disorders, their causes and their treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The 'Nine Truths About Eating Disorders' is a guiding document to accelerate global dissemination of accurate and evidence-informed information about eating disorders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Treatment-seeking patients with binge-eating disorder in the Swedish national registers: clinical course and psychiatric comorbidity.

BACKGROUND: We linked extensive longitudinal data from the Swedish national eating disorders quality registers and patient registers to explore clinical characteristics at diagnosis, diagnostic flux, psychiatric comorbidity, and suicide attempts in 850 individuals diagnosed with binge-eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Cases were all individuals who met criteria for BED in the quality registers (N = 850). We identified 10 controls for each identified case from the Multi-Generation Register matched on sex, and year, month, and county of birth. We evaluated characteristics of individuals with BED at evaluation and explored diagnostic flux across eating disorders presentations between evaluation and one-year follow-up. We applied conditional logistic regression models to assess the association of BED with each comorbid psychiatric disorder and with suicide attempts and explored whether risk for depression and suicide were differentially elevated in individuals with BED with or without comorbid obesity. RESULTS: BED shows considerable diagnostic flux with other eating disorders over time, carries high psychiatric comorbidity burden with other eating disorders (OR 85.8; 95 % CI: 61.6, 119.4), major depressive disorder (OR 7.6; 95 % CI: 6.2, 9.3), bipolar disorder (OR 7.5; 95 % CI: 4.8, 11.9), anxiety disorders (OR 5.2; 95 % CI: 4.2, 6.4), and post-traumatic stress disorder (OR 4.3; 95 % CI: 3.2, 5.7) and is associated with elevated risk for suicide attempts (OR 1.8; 95 % CI: 1.2, 2.7). Depression and suicide attempt risk were elevated in individuals with BED with and without comorbid obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable flux occurs across BED and other eating disorder diagnoses. The high psychiatric comorbidity and suicide risk underscore the severity and clinical complexity of BED.

Conduct disorder - a comprehensive exploration of comorbidity patterns, genetic and environmental risk factors.

Conduct disorder (CD), a common mental disorder in children and adolescents, is characterized by antisocial behavior. Despite similarities with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and possible diagnostic continuity, CD has been shown to precede a range of adult-onset mental disorders. Additionally, little is known about the putative shared genetic liability between CD and adult-onset mental disorders and the underlying gene-environment interplay. Here, we interrogated comorbidity between CD and other mental disorders from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (n = 114 500) and investigated how polygenic risk scores (PRS) for mental health traits were associated with CD/CD traits in childhood and adolescence. Gene-environment interplay patterns for CD was explored with data on bullying and parental education. We found CD to be comorbid with several child and adult-onset mental disorders. This phenotypic overlap corresponded with associations between PRS for mental disorders and CD. Additionally, our findings support an additive gene-environment model. Previously conceptualized as a precursor of ASPD, we found that CD was associated with polygenic risk for several child- and adult-onset mental disorders. High comorbidity of CD with other psychiatric disorders reflected on the genetic level should inform research studies, diagnostic assessments and clinical follow-up of this heterogenous group.

COSGAP: COntainerized Statistical Genetics Analysis Pipelines.

Summary: The collection and analysis of sensitive data in large-scale consortia for statistical genetics is hampered by multiple challenges, due to their non-shareable nature. Time-consuming issues in installing software frequently arise due to different operating systems, software dependencies, and limited internet access. For federated analysis across sites, it can be challenging to resolve different problems, including format requirements, data wrangling, setting up analysis on high-performance computing (HPC) facilities, etc. Easier, more standardized, automated protocols and pipelines can be solutions to overcome these issues. We have developed one such solution for statistical genetic data analysis using software container technologies. This solution, named COSGAP: "COntainerized Statistical Genetics Analysis Pipelines," consists of already established software tools placed into Singularity containers, alongside corresponding code and instructions on how to perform statistical genetic analyses, such as genome-wide association studies, polygenic scoring, LD score regression, Gaussian Mixture Models, and gene-set analysis. Using provided helper scripts written in Python, users can obtain auto-generated scripts to conduct the desired analysis either on HPC facilities or on a personal computer. COSGAP is actively being applied by users from different countries and projects to conduct genetic data analyses without spending much effort on software installation, converting data formats, and other technical requirements. Availability and implementation: COSGAP is freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/comorment/containers) under the GPLv3 license.

Lipid Biomarker Research in Bipolar Disorder: A Scoping Review of Trends, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a disabling disorder with heterogeneous symptom profiles and trajectories. Like many other neuropsychiatric disorders, clinical decision making related to diagnoses and choice of treatment is based on clinical assessments alone, and risk prediction for treatment success or resistance at an individual level remains sparse. An enormous effort to add biological markers to this risk prediction is ongoing. The role of lipids in normal brain functioning is well established, and several hypotheses about the role of lipids in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, including BD, have been made. The frequent comorbidity between neuropsychiatric disorders and cardiovascular disease, the genetic overlap of risk genes for severe mental disorders and genes involved in lipid regulation, and the lipid-altering effects of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers indicate that lipids could hold promise as biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders, including BD. To date, reviews of lipid biomarkers in schizophrenia and major depression have noted caveats for future investigations, while reviews of lipid biomarker research in BD is missing. In the current scoping review, we present a comprehensive overview of trends in previous research on lipid biomarkers in BD. The current literature varies greatly in the phenotypes investigated and study designs, leading to divergent findings. Small sample size; potential confounders related to physical activity, nutritional status, and medication use; and cross-sectional designs were frequently reported limitations. Future research may benefit from pivoting toward utilization of newer laboratory techniques such as lipidomics, but consistent use of study methods across cohorts is also needed.

Associations Between Symptoms of Premenstrual Disorders and Polygenic Liability for Major Psychiatric Disorders.

Importance: Premenstrual disorders are heritable, clinically heterogenous, with a range of affective spectrum comorbidities. It is unclear whether genetic predispositions to affective spectrum disorders or other major psychiatric disorders are associated with symptoms of premenstrual disorders. Objective: To assesss whether symptoms of premenstrual disorders are associated with the genetic liability for major psychiatric disorders, as indexed by polygenic risk scores (PRSs). Design, Setting, and Participants: Women from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study were included in this genetic association study. PRSs were used to determine whether genetic liability for major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder were associated with the symptoms of premenstrual disorders, using the PRS for height as a somatic comparator. The sample was recruited across Norway between June 1999 and December 2008, and analyses were performed from July 1 to October 14, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: The symptoms of premenstrual disorders were assessed at recruitment at week 15 of pregnancy with self-reported severity of depression and irritability before menstruation. Logistic regression was applied to test for the association between the presence of premenstrual disorder symptoms and the PRSs for major psychiatric disorders. Results: The mean (SD) age of 56 725 women included in the study was 29.0 (4.6) years. Premenstrual disorder symptoms were present in 12 316 of 56 725 participants (21.7%). The symptoms of premenstrual disorders were associated with the PRSs for major depression (ß = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.11-0.15; P = 1.21 × 10-36), bipolar disorder (ß = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.05-0.09; P = 1.74 × 10-11), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ß = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.04-0.09; P = 1.58 × 10-9), schizophrenia (ß = 0.11; 95% CI, 0.09-0.13; P = 7.61 × 10-25), and autism spectrum disorder (ß = 0.03; 95% CI, 0.01-0.05; P = .02) but not with the PRS for height. The findings were confirmed in a subsample of women without a history of psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusions: The results of this genetic association study show that genetic liability for both affective spectrum disorder and major psychiatric disorders was associated with symptoms of premenstrual disorders, indicating that premenstrual disorders have overlapping genetic foundations with major psychiatric disorders.

Epidemiological overview of major depressive disorder in Scandinavia using nationwide registers.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder associated with a high disease burden. This study gives a comprehensive overview of the prevalence, outcomes, treatment, and genetic epidemiology of MDD within and across the Scandinavian countries. Methods: This study has aimed to assess and compare across Norway, Denmark, and Sweden 1) the prevalence and trajectories of MDD and comorbidity, 2) outcomes and treatment, and 3) heritability (Denmark and Sweden only). The analyses leveraged data on 272,944 MDD cases (and 6.2 million non-cases) from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in specialist care in national longitudinal health registers covering 1975-2013. Relying on harmonized public data global comparisons of socioeconomic and health metrics were performed to assess to what extent findings are generalizable. Findings: MDD ranked among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. For many cases, the disorder trajectory was severe, with varying proportions experiencing recurrence, developing comorbid disorders, requiring inpatient treatment, or dying of suicide. Important country differences in specialist care prevalence and treatment were observed. Heritability estimates were moderate (35-48%). In terms of socioeconomic and health indices, the Scandinavian nations were comparable to one another and grouped with other Western nations. Interpretation: The Scandinavian countries were similar with regards to MDD epidemiological measures, but we show that differences in health care organization need to be taken into consideration when comparing countries. This study demonstrates the utility of using comprehensive population-wide registry data, outlining possibilities for other applications. The findings will be of use to policy makers for developing better prevention and intervention strategies. Funding: Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet, award D0886501 to PFS), US National Institutes of Mental HealthR01 MH123724 (to PFS), European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (847776 and 964874, to OA) and European Research Council grant (grant agreement ID 101042183, to YL).

Association Between Pharmacological Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Long-term Unemployment Among Working-Age Individuals in Sweden.

Importance: Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at greater risk for unemployment. Pharmacological treatment is effective in reducing the core symptoms of ADHD, but whether it helps to reduce the unemployment rate among adult patients remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the association between use of ADHD medication and long-term unemployment in working-age adults with ADHD. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data for this population-based cohort study were extracted from Swedish national registers. Among 25 358 individuals with ADHD born from 1958 to 1978, 12 875 middle-aged adults among the workforce were included. The longitudinal cohort was followed up from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2013. Data were analyzed from March 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021. Exposures: Use of medication for ADHD during the previous 2 years was the main exposure, as both categorical and continuous variables. Main Outcomes and Measures: Yearly accumulated unemployed days were derived from the Public Employment Service, and long-term unemployment was defined as 90 or more days of unemployment per year. Overall and sex-specific relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs were estimated using generalized estimating equations. Results: Among 12 875 individuals with ADHD (5343 women [41.50%] and 7532 men [58.50%]; mean [SD] age, 37.9 [5.6] years), the use of ADHD medications during the previous 2 years was associated with a 10% lower risk of long-term unemployment in the following year (adjusted RR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.87-0.95]). An association between use of ADHD medications and long-term unemployment was found among women (RR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.76-0.89]) but not men (RR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.91-1.01]). Longer treatment duration was associated with a lower risk of subsequent long-term unemployment among women (RR for use of 1-6 months, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.78-0.95]; RR for use of 18-24 months, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.58-0.90]; P < .001 for trend). Within-individual comparisons showed that the long-term unemployment rate was lower during periods of ADHD medication treatment compared with nontreatment periods (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85-0.94). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this cohort study suggest that the use of ADHD medication is associated with a lower risk of subsequent long-term unemployment for middle-aged women. These findings should be considered together with the existing knowledge of risks and benefits of ADHD medication when developing treatment plans for working-age adults.

The association between polygenic scores for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and school performance: The role of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, polygenic scores for educational attainment, and shared familial factors.

Background: Polygenic scores (PGS) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) negatively predicts educational attainment (EA), but it remains unclear how ADHD symptoms, PGS for EA, and shared familiar factors influence the associations between PGS for ADHD and school performance. Method: We combined survey data on ADHD symptoms, PGS, and register-based, objective measures of compulsory school performance at age 16 for 6049 twins in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. Linear and instrumental variable (IV) regression models were used to estimate the association between PGS for ADHD and grade point average (GPA), overall and by natural science, humanities, and practically oriented (e.g., sports, arts, music) subject categories. The models were adjusted for parent-rated ADHD symptoms, PGS for EA, and shared familial factors (dizygotic twin comparisons) to examine how these factors influenced the associations between PGS for ADHD and school performance. Results: PGS for ADHD were negatively associated with school performance; ß = -0.12, 95% confidence interval = (-0.15, -0.09) for overall GPA with minor differences by subject category. Adjustment for ADHD symptoms attenuated these associations to a small degree compared to PGS for EA, and shared familial factors respectively. Stronger associations were observed using IV regressions compared to linear regression. However, in the IV regression analyses, most associations between PGS for ADHD and GPA in the practically oriented subject category were not significant. Conclusion: Associations between PGS for ADHD and school performance are to a small degree influenced by ADHD symptoms, compared to PGS for EA and shared familial factors. These results highlight important considerations for research using PGS for ADHD to control for genetic factors, and for future clinical applications aiming to determine genetic liability towards ADHD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and occupational outcomes: The role of educational attainment, comorbid developmental disorders, and intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with ADHD are at increased risk for poor occupational outcomes. Educational attainment and psychiatric comorbidity may be important contributing factors for these outcomes, but the role of these factors is not well characterized. This study aimed to investigate the associations between ADHD and occupational outcomes, and to examine the influence of educational attainment, comorbid developmental disorders and intellectual disability on these associations. METHODS: We linked the Swedish population graduating from compulsory school 1998-2008 (N = 1.2 millions) to population-wide register-based data on clinical psychiatric diagnoses and medications, objective annual measures of educational, and occupational outcomes. Individuals were followed for between 6 to 16 years after graduation. RESULTS: Individuals with ADHD had annually on average 17 percent lower income, ratio = 0.83 (95% CI 0.83-0.84), 12.19 (11.89-12.49) more days of unemployment, and a higher likelihood of receiving disability pension, odds-ratio = 19.0 (18.4-19.6), compared to controls. Comorbid diagnoses of intellectual disability and developmental disorder explained most of the association between ADHD and disability pension, while lifetime educational attainment partially explained associations between ADHD and all occupational outcomes. Analyses of occupational trajectories found that income was lower and unemployment elevated relative to controls with the same educational attainment. Higher educational attainment correlated with higher income similarly among individuals with ADHD and controls after accounting for individual background factors. CONCLUSIONS: The occupational burden associated with ADHD is substantial. Comorbid developmental disorders, intellectual disability and educational difficulties (e.g., failing grades) from childhood to adulthood are important factors to consider when designing interventions to improve occupational outcomes in individuals with ADHD.

Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Educational Achievement in Sweden.

Importance: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with impaired educational performance. Previous studies on the disorder could not control for important measured and unmeasured confounders. Objective: To prospectively investigate the association between PTSD and objective indicators of educational attainment across the life span, controlling for familial factors shared by full siblings, psychiatric comorbidity, and general cognitive ability. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based cohort study included 2 244 193 individuals born in Sweden between January 1, 1973, and December 31, 1997, who were followed-up until December 31, 2013. Clusters of full siblings were used to account for familial factors. Data analyses were conducted between December 2018 and May 2020. Exposure: International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision diagnoses of PTSD in the Swedish National Patient Register. Main Outcomes and Measures: Eligibility to access upper secondary education after finishing compulsory education, finishing upper secondary education, starting a university degree, and finishing a university degree. Results: Of the final cohort of 2 244 193 individuals (1 151 414 [51.3%] men) included in the analysis, 1 425 326 were assessed for finishing compulsory education (919 with PTSD), 2 001 944 for finishing upper secondary education (2013 with PTSD), and 1 796 407 and 1 356 741 for starting and finishing a university degree (2243 and 2254 with PTSD, respectively). Posttraumatic stress disorder was associated with lower odds of achieving each of the educational milestones during the study period, including 82% lower odds of finishing compulsory education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.18; 95% CI, 0.15-0.20), 87% lower odds of finishing upper secondary education (aOR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.12-0.14), 68% lower odds of starting a university degree (aOR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.28-0.35), and 73% lower odds of finishing a university degree (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.23-0.31). Estimates in the sibling comparison were attenuated (aOR range, 0.22-0.53) but remained statistically significant. Overall, excluding psychiatric comorbidities and adjusting for the successful completion of the previous milestone and general cognitive ability did not statistically significantly alter the magnitude of the associations. Conclusions and Relevance: Posttraumatic stress disorder was associated with educational impairment across the life span, and the associations were not entirely explained by shared familial factors, psychiatric comorbidity, or general cognitive ability. This finding highlights the importance of implementing early trauma-informed interventions in schools and universities to minimize the long-term socioeconomic consequences of academic failure in individuals with PTSD.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, School Performance, and Effect of Medication.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for poor school performance, and pharmacological treatment of ADHD may have beneficial effects on school performance. Conclusions from previous research have been limited by small sample sizes, outcome measures, and treatment follow-up. The current study analyzed school performance in students with ADHD compared to students without ADHD, and the association between pharmacological treatment of ADHD and school performance. METHOD: A linkage of Swedish national registers covering 657,720 students graduating from year 9 of compulsory school provided measures of school performance, electronically recorded dispensations of ADHD medication, and potentially confounding background factors such as parental socioeconomic status. Primary measures of school performance included student eligibility to upper secondary school and grade point sum. RESULTS: ADHD was associated with substantially lower school performance independent of socioeconomic background factors. Treatment with ADHD medication for 3 months was positively associated with all primary outcomes, including a decreased risk of no eligibility to upper secondary school, odds ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76-0.84, and a higher grade point sum (range, 0.0-320.0) of 9.35 points, 95% CI = 7.88-10.82; standardized coefficient = 0.20. CONCLUSION: ADHD has a substantial negative impact on school performance, whereas pharmacological treatment for ADHD is associated with higher levels in several measures of school performance. Our findings emphasize the importance of detection and treatment of ADHD at an early stage to reduce the negative impact on school performance.

Association of Tourette Syndrome and Chronic Tic Disorders With Objective Indicators of Educational Attainment: A Population-Based Sibling Comparison Study.

Importance: The influence of Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders on academic performance has not been objectively quantified. Objective: To investigate the association of Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders with objectively measured educational outcomes, adjusting for measured covariates and unmeasured factors shared between siblings and taking common psychiatric comorbidities into account. Design, Setting, and Participants: A population-based birth cohort consisting of all individuals born in Sweden from 1976 to 1998 was followed up until December 2013. Individuals with organic brain disorders, mental retardation, and 2 foreign-born parents were excluded. We further identified families with at least 2 singleton full siblings and families with siblings discordant for Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders. Exposures: Previously validated International Classification of Diseases diagnoses of Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders in the Swedish National Patient Register. Main Outcomes and Measures: Eligibility to access upper secondary school after compulsory education, finishing upper secondary school, starting a university degree, and finishing a university degree. Results: Of the 2 115 554 individuals in the cohort, 3590 had registered a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome or a chronic tic disorder in specialist care (of whom 2822 [78.6%] were male; median [interquartile] age at first diagnosis, 14.0 [11-18] years). Of 726 198 families with at least 2 singleton full siblings, 2697 included siblings discordant for these disorders. Compared with unexposed individuals, people with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders were significantly less likely to pass all core and additional courses at the end of compulsory school (odds ratios ranging from 0.23 [95% CI, 0.20-0.26] for the handcraft textile/wood course to 0.36 [95% CI, 0.31-0.41] for the English language course) and to access a vocational program (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.31; 95% CI, 0.28-0.34) or academic program (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.39-0.47) in upper secondary education. Individuals with the disorders were also less likely to finish upper secondary education (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.32-0.37), start a university degree (aOR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.37-0.46), and finish a university degree (aOR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.32-0.48). The results were only marginally attenuated in the fully adjusted sibling comparison models. Exclusion of patients with neuropsychiatric comorbidities, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and pervasive developmental disorders, resulted in attenuated estimates, but patients with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders were still significantly impaired across all outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: Help-seeking individuals with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders seen in specialist settings experience substantial academic underachievement across all educational levels, spanning from compulsory school to university, even after accounting for multiple confounding factors and psychiatric comorbidities.

A register-based case-control study of health care utilization and costs in binge-eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Capturing trends in healthcare utilization may help to improve efficiencies in the detection and diagnosis of illness, to plan service delivery, and to forecast future health expenditures. For binge-eating disorder (BED), issues include lengthy delays in detection and diagnosis, missed opportunities for recognition and treatment, and morbidity. The study objective was to compare healthcare utilization and expenditure in people with and without BED. METHODS: A case-control design and nationwide registers were used. All individuals diagnosed with BED at eating disorder clinics in Sweden between 2005 and 2009 were included (N = 319, 97% female, M age = 22 years). Ten controls (N = 3190) were matched to each case on age-, sex-, and location of birth. Inpatient, hospital-based outpatient, and prescription medication utilization and expenditure were analyzed up to eight years before and four years after the index date (i.e., date of diagnosis of the BED case). RESULTS: Cases had significantly higher inpatient, hospital-based outpatient, and prescription medication utilization and expenditure compared with controls many years prior to and after diagnosis of BED. Utilization and expenditure for controls was relatively stable over time, but for cases followed an inverted U-shape and peaked at the index year. Care for somatic conditions normalized after the index year, but care for psychiatric conditions remained significantly higher. CONCLUSION: Individuals with BED had substantially higher healthcare utilization and costs in the years prior to and after diagnosis of BED. Since previous research shows a delay in diagnosis, findings indicate clear opportunities for earlier detection and clinical management. Training of providers in detection, diagnosis, and management may help curtail morbidity. A reduction in healthcare utilization was observed after BED diagnosis. This suggests that earlier diagnosis and treatment could improve long-term health outcomes and reduce the economic burden associated with BED.

Association of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Objective Indicators of Educational Attainment: A Nationwide Register-Based Sibling Control Study.

Importance: To our knowledge, the association of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and academic performance has not been objectively quantified. Objective: To investigate the association of OCD with objectively measured educational outcomes in a nationwide cohort, adjusting for covariates and unmeasured factors shared between siblings. Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based birth cohort study included 2 115 554 individuals who were born in Sweden between January 1, 1976, and December 31, 1998, and followed up through December 31, 2013. Using the Swedish National Patient Register and previously validated International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes, we identified persons with OCD; within the cohort, we identified 726 198 families with 2 or more full siblings, and identified 11 482 families with full siblings discordant for OCD. Data analyses were conducted from October 1, 2016, to September 25, 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: The study evaluates the following educational milestones: eligibility to access upper secondary school after compulsory education, finishing upper secondary school, starting a university degree, finishing a university degree, and finishing postgraduate education. Results: Of the 2 115 554 individuals in the cohort, 15 120 were diagnosed with OCD (59% females). Compared with unexposed individuals, those with OCD were significantly less likely to pass all core and additional courses at the end of compulsory school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] range, 0.35-0.60) and to access a vocational or academic program in upper secondary education (aOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.45-0.50 and aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.58-0.63, for vocational and academic programs, respectively). People with OCD were also less likely to finish upper secondary education (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.41-0.44), start a university degree (aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.69-0.75), finish a university degree (aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.56-0.62), and finish postgraduate education (aOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.36-0.77). The results were similar in the sibling comparison models. Individuals diagnosed with OCD before age 18 years showed worse educational attainment across all educational levels compared with those diagnosed at or after age 18 years. Exclusion of patients with comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders, psychotic, anxiety, mood, substance use, and other psychiatric disorders resulted in attenuated estimates, but patients with OCD were still impaired across all educational outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance: Obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly when it has an early onset, is associated with a pervasive and profound decrease in educational attainment, spanning from compulsory school to postgraduate education.

A Register-Based Case-Control Study of Prescription Medication Utilization in Binge-Eating Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED) experience psychiatric and somatic comorbidities and obesity, but the nature and magnitude of prescription medication utilization is unclear. We investigated utilization using Swedish registry data and a case-control design. METHODS: Cases were identified from Riksät and Stepwise longitudinal registers and were individuals diagnosed with BED per DSM-IV-TR criteria between July 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009, at eating disorder clinics (n = 238, 96% female, mean age = 22.8 years). For each case, 10 controls were matched on sex and year, month, and county of birth (n = 2,380). An index date was derived for each control, which was the date of diagnosis of BED in the corresponding case. The association between BED and prescription medication utilization was investigated before and within 12 months after diagnosis. RESULTS: Before diagnosis, cases were significantly more likely than matched controls to have been prescribed nervous system (odds ratio = 6.4; 95% confidence limit = 4.7, 8.6), tumors and immune disorders (3.5; 1.3, 9.3), cardiovascular (2.2; 1.4, 3.5), digestion and metabolism (2.1; 1.5, 2.9), infectious diseases (1.9; 1.4, 2.6), skin (1.8; 1.3, 2.5), and respiratory system (1.3; 1.0, 1.8) medications. Cases also had higher odds of prescription use than controls across most categories within 12 months after diagnosis. Several associations were significant after accounting for lifetime psychiatric comorbidity and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with BED had increased utilization of psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medications compared with matched controls. Findings confirm that the illness burden of BED extends to high medication utilization and underscore the importance of thorough medication reviews when treating individuals with BED.