Constipation in hospitalized psychiatric patients: An underestimated common phenomenon. Retrospective epidemiological study in an adult psychiatric hospital setting.

OBJECTIVE: Constipation is more common in patients with mental disorders than in the general population. However, its frequency in hospitalized patients, its association with drugs and how teams become aware of it and take care of it are not fully identified. METHOD: The retrospective study included 141 male and 127 female new patients admitted for routine treatment at France's largest psychiatric hospital between November 15 and December 11, 2017. A physician reviewed electronic medical records to diagnose constipation and record variables of interest: socio-demographic factors, diagnosis, drugs prescribed and taken. We calculated an anticholinergic impregnation score (AIS) for each patient by using a validated French scale. Patients were then classified into two groups by state of constipation defined by the physician. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to study the frequency of constipation, factors associated with it and its management. RESULTS: The prevalence of constipation was 38% (95% CI 32-44). Associated factors were taking antipsychotics and the burden of anticholinergic treatment. On multiple regression analysis, the only remaining factor was anticholinergic treatment: AIS≥5 was associated with constipation (odds ratio 1.80 [95% CI 1.07-3.14], P=0.027). Only 44.0% of patients were prescribed a preventive laxative, systematically in half of the cases. Above all, only 11.2% were administered this laxative (i.e., 25% of that prescribed). Digestive transit was poorly recorded in the table of constants (34.7%). We found one case of sub-occlusion as a severe case. CONCLUSION: Constipation is common in psychiatric inpatients. The more the patient is prescribed drugs with a pronounced anticholinergic effect, the greater the risk. Alongside the preventive measures common to all psychiatric patients which must be promoted (concerning diet, physical activity, etc.), polymedication with this type of anticholinergic must be better monitored to prevent complications: prescription and administration of a preventive laxative, monitoring transit in the table of constants. Thus, a better knowledge of the subject and specific training are essential.

Retrospective study of hepatitis C screening and seroprevalence in the GHU Paris.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been estimated to be approximately ten times higher in patients with psychiatric disorders, but European data are rare and only two French studies have recently been published on the subject. Our objective was to determine the HCV screening rate and the prevalence of HCV in adult patients hospitalised in the largest French psychiatric hospital. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of all adult patients hospitalised at GHU Paris, from 2019 to 2022, including age, gender, HCV screening, HCV serological status, and the existence of an ICD-10 diagnosis of psychoactive substance use disorder. Descriptive statistics used means±standard deviations and percentages. Bivariable comparisons used Student's t test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: The overall HCV screening rate was 55.4% and increased over the four years from 37.1% in 2019 to 69.4% in 2022. Patients screened were significantly younger people and with a substance use disorder than unscreened patients. The prevalence of HCV over this 4-year period was 2.8% and remained stable. The HCV-positive patients were significantly more male, older and more likely to have substance use disorders than the HCV-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found a prevalence rate of HCV ten times higher than the prevalence in the general population, in line with findings in many other European countries. The eradication of HCV will not be possible without the elimination of this "forgotten reservoir" of the virus. Efforts must be made in psychiatric hospitals to test all patients in order to treat patients suffering from hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals.

A recovery-oriented day hospital in psychiatry: A springboard for reintegration.

Psychiatric disorders are common and can cause psychological disabilities. While the creation of day hospitals (DHs) was intended to direct psychiatric care towards community settings, they may have paradoxically contributed to a form of chronicity. Furthermore, the heterogeneity and lack of evaluation of care within DHs prevent the availability needed to collect objective data on users outcomes. In this article, we aim to describe and measure the effects of a transformation of practice within a sector-based DH initially focused on traditional institutional psychiatry towards a rehabilitation model of care which offers different therapeutic tools, structured in three stages, and whose main objective is professional integration. This retrospective mirror study compares, before and after the transformation of this DH, several indicators including the rate of professional integration and its maintenance after two years. We found that this psychosocial rehabilitation model for care allowed a very clear increase in the professional integration rate and its maintenance at two years while reducing the length of stay to around 18 months. These promising results therefore highlight the pivotal role of DHs as "stepping stones" in addressing psychological disabilities towards recovery.

Spinal cord stimulation and return to work of patients with failed back surgery syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain has a substantial negative impact on work-related outcomes, which underlines the importance of interventions to reduce the burden. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) efficiently relieves pain in specific chronic pain syndromes and is recommended for treating failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) or post-surgical chronic back pain that is refractory to other treatments. To examine the impact of SCS in patients with FBSS on the return to work (RTW), we determined the RTW rate and the factors positively associated with the RTW. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 106 patients with FBSS who benefitted from SCS at a single institution in France between September 1999 and March 2010, we retrospectively included 59 who had stopped work at the time of SCS because of disability or sick leave and evaluated the RTW (rate and predictors, estimating odds ratios [ORs] and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]). RESULTS: The mean (SD) post-surgery follow-up for the 59 patients (34 men; mean [SD] age 46.9 [7.4] years) was 7.5 (3.6) years (range 5-15). The RTW rate was 30.5%, with a median [IQR] recovery time of 5.5 months [3-8.5]. RTW was improved with functional improvement evolution (OR 1.1, 95% CI [1.01-1.1], p = 0.02) and was reduced with unemployment > 3 years (OR 0.1, 95% CI [0.01-0.7], p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our protocol for SCS for patients with FBSS, including a strict selection of patients and a multidisciplinary approach, led to good results, especially for the RTW. RTW should be a therapeutic goal, directly affecting indirect costs related to FBSS.

Kidney biopsy in very elderly patients: indications, therapeutic impact and complications.

BACKGROUND: Few data is available on the risk/benefit balance of native kidney biopsy (KB) in very elderly patients. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective cohort study in the Aix-Marseille area: the results of KB and medical charts of all patients over 85 years biopsied between January 2010 and December 2018 were reviewed. RESULTS: 104 patients were included. Median age was 87 years. Indications for KB were: acute kidney injury (AKI) in 69.2% of patients, nephrotic syndrome (NS) with AKI in 13.5%, NS without AKI in 12.5%, and proteinuria in 4.8%. Median serum creatinine was 262 µmol/L, 21% of patients required dialysis at the time of KB. Significant bleeding occurred in 7 (6.7%) patients, requiring blood cell transfusion in 4 (3.8%), and radiological embolization in 1 (1%). The most frequent pathological diagnoses were: non-diabetic glomerular diseases (29.8%, including pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis in 9.6%), hypertensive nephropathy (27.9%), acute interstitial nephritis (16.3%), renal involvement of hematological malignancy (8.7%), and acute tubular necrosis (6.7%). After KB, 51 (49%) patients received a specific treatment: corticosteroids (41.3%), cyclophosphamide (6.7%), rituximab (6.7%), bortezomib (3.8%), other chemotherapies (3.8%). Median overall survival was 31 months. CONCLUSIONS: KB can reveal a diagnosis with therapeutic impact even in very elderly patients. Severe bleeding was not frequent in this cohort, but KB may have not been performed in more vulnerable patients.

Are surgeons happy in practice? Examining a quarter-century of Alberta's surgical graduates.

Every year, hundreds of new surgeons graduate from residency programs across Canada. Much time and effort is spent on preparing these surgeons for independent practice, but there is little literature about the career trajectories of surgeons after they finish training and enter practice. We surveyed all surgeons graduating from the residency programs of a single Canadian medical school over 25 years (1985­2010). Most respondents rated their job satisfaction as high/very high and indicated they would still pursue a residency in surgery and/or their specialty if they had it to do over again. This commentary discusses important information about where our graduates go and what their careers are like, challenging existing stereotypes about careers in surgery. Our survey findings should be communicated to students interested in careers in surgery.

Factors associated with the psychosis continuum among homeless people: Comparison between natives and migrants in the SAMENTA study.

Background: In the last decades, there has been a documented increase in the proportion of migrants among homeless people in Europe. While homelessness is associated with psychosis, little is known about the factors associated with psychosis among migrants in this context. Methods: Our study analyzed data collected in the SAMENTA cross-sectional survey conducted among 859 adult French-speaking homeless people living in the Greater Paris area. We analyzed the prevalence of psychosis and psychotic-like experiences (PLE) and associated factors by migrant status, using bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Our sample comprised 280 natives and 559 migrants in France. Psychosis was significantly more prevalent among natives (21.6 %) than among migrants (7.5 %) (p = 0.003). The total prevalence of PLE was 30.8% (95 % CI: 24.3 - 38.2), and not statistically different between groups (p = 0.215) or sex (p = 0.528). Adverse events over the past year were associated with the increased odds of psychosis in both groups and with PLE among migrants. Sexual abuse during childhood was associated with both outcomes among natives. Among migrants, exposure to war or life-threatening events increased the odds of psychosis and PLE. Increased odds of psychosis were found among migrants who had been living in France for more than 10 years (OR = 3.34, 95 % CI: 1.41-7.93, p = 0.007). Conclusion: Differences were found in the factors associated with the psychosis continuum by migrant status, they highlight the impact of experiences related to migration. Prospective studies are needed to better understand these underlying pathways.

Predicting treatment resistance in schizophrenia patients: Machine learning highlights the role of early pathophysiologic features.

Detecting patients with a high-risk profile for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) can be beneficial for implementing individually adapted therapeutic strategies and better understanding the TRS etiology. The aim of this study was to explore, with machine learning methods, the impact of demographic and clinical patient characteristics on TRS prediction, for already established risk factors and unexplored ones. This was a retrospective study of 500 patients admitted during 2020 to the University Hospital Group for Paris Psychiatry. We hypothesized potential TRS risk factors. The selected features were coded into structured variables in a new dataset, by processing patients discharge summaries and medical narratives with natural-language processing methods. We compared three machine learning models (XGBoost, logistic elastic net regression, logistic regression without regularization) for predicting TRS outcome. We analysed feature impact on the models, suggesting the following factors as markers of a high-risk TRS profile: early age at first contact with psychiatry, antipsychotic treatment interruptions due to non-adherence, absence of positive symptoms at baseline, educational problems and adolescence mental disorders in the personal psychiatric history. Specifically, we found a significant association with TRS outcome for age at first contact with psychiatry and medication non-adherence. Our findings on TRS risk factors are consistent with the review of the literature and suggest potential in using early pathophysiologic features for TRS prediction. Results were encouraging with the use of natural-langage processing techniques to leverage raw data provided by discharge summaries, combined with machine leaning models. These findings are a promising step for helping clinicians adapt their guidelines to early detection of TRS.

Characteristics and correlates of seclusion and mechanical restraint measures in a Parisian psychiatric hospital group.

Introduction: Seclusion or restraint (S/R) are last-resort measures used in psychiatry to ensure the safety of the patient and the staff. However, they have harmful physical and psychological effects on patients, and efforts to limit their use are needed. We describe the characteristics and correlates of S/R events in four Parisian psychiatric centers. Methods: Within a 3-month period, November 5, 2018 to February 3, 2019, we recorded data for patients experiencing an S/R measure as well as characteristics of the measures. We studied the mean duration of a S/R event, the time between hospital admission and the occurrence of the event, as well as correlates of these durations. We also examined factors associated with use of a restraint versus a seclusion measure. Results: For the 233 patients included, we recorded 217 seclusion measures and 64 mechanical restraints. Seclusion measures mostly occurred after the patient's transfer from the emergency department. The duration of a seclusion measure was about 10 days. Patients considered resistant to psychotropic treatments more frequently had a longer seclusion duration than others. The mean duration of a mechanical restraint measure was 4 days. Male sex and younger age were associated with experiencing mechanical restraint. Discussion: S/R measures mostly occur among patients perceived as resistant to psychotropic drugs who are arriving from the emergency department. Developing specific emergency department protocols might be useful in limiting the use of coercive measures.

Use of mental health services in the aftermath of COVID-19 waves: a retrospective study conducted in a French Psychiatric and Neurosciences University Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictive measures taken to prevent its propagation had profound effects on mental health and well-being, especially in children and young adults (<25 years old). This study aimed to analyse the medium and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of the mental health services, by age groups and gender. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective study using the medical and administrative information system databases of patients, between 2019 and 2021. SETTING: This study was conducted in the Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences. OUTCOME MEASURES: We reported three indicators: the number of new patients attending outpatient clinics, the number of emergency department (ED) visits and the number of hospital admissions. METHODS: We considered the weekly number of each indicator, by age groups and by gender. We also collected the reasons of ED visits and hospital admissions. The 2020 and 2021 data were compared with the same period in 2019. The evolution of the indicators over the 3 years was analysed with interrupted time-series analysis. RESULTS: All three indicators showed a dramatic decrease during the first lockdown period (March 2020) especially for the youngest. In 2021, the activity resumed but without reaching its prepandemic level. Moreover, mental healthcare seeking was significantly lower since the beginning of the pandemic compared with the prepandemic period for all age groups, except for young women (<25 years old). Among them, there was a higher level of mental health services use in 2021, compared with 2019: +20% of new patients at the outpatient clinics, +39% of ED visits and+17% of hospital admissions. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe consequences on populations' mental health, especially among young women, which seem to persist months after the end of restrictive measures.

Characteristics of older patients in the largest French psychiatric emergency centre.

Despite an increasing number of adults older than 60 years with psychiatric disorders, there are few studies on older patients in psychiatric emergencies and no European data. We aimed to describe the population of patients aged 60 years and older who presented to the main French psychiatric emergency centre and identify predictors of psychiatric hospitalization. This monocentric study included 300 consecutive patients aged 60 years and older. Patients presenting because of psychiatric emergencies were frequently female and lived autonomously. More than 40% had a history of at least one psychiatric hospitalization and 44% had consulted a psychiatrist in the previous 6 months. The most common reasons for consultation were depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and suicidal thoughts. Psychiatric disorders were mainly mood disorders; neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders; and schizophrenic, schizotypal and delusional disorders. Only 10% had a diagnosis of organic mental disorders. Overall, 39% of the patients were admitted to the psychiatric hospital. Factors predicting hospitalization were a history of psychiatric hospitalization, suicidal thoughts and a diagnosis of a mood disorder or schizophrenia/schizotypal/delusional disorder. In conclusion, among people aged 60 years and older who consulted for psychiatric emergencies, 39% had to be hospitalized in psychiatry and only psychiatric factors influenced the decision to hospitalize. Our study highlights the need for further studies of older people in psychiatric emergencies in Europe, to anticipate the needs of this specific population and adapt multidisciplinary mental health care.

[The confidentiality of medical records before the judge]. / De la confidentialité des données médicales devant le juge.

Since August 1st, 2011, all patients hospitalised without consent now have the right for their hospitalisation to be reviewed by the liberty and detention judge. The open court principle being made public raises questions regarding the confidentiality of medical records as well as the protection of the patient against any possible stigmatisation.

Effect of cyamemazine on the steady-state plasma concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone: a preliminary retrospective study.

Administration of cyamemazine, an antipsychotic drug with anxiolytic properties, together with other antipsychotic agents is common in patients with schizophrenia. This retrospective study investigated the effects of cyamemazine on the steady-state plasma concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in 47 patients treated with 1 to 12 mg/day of risperidone. Of these 47 patients, 24 were receiving cyamemazine comedication ("cyamemazine" group) and 23 patients were treated with risperidone alone ("control" group). Plasma concentrations were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method with photodiode-array ultraviolet detection. The median plasma concentration of risperidone was significantly higher in the cyamemazine group (31.5 ng/mL) than in the control group (5.0 ng/mL), whereas the 9-hydroxyrisperidone median concentration was significantly lower in the cyamemazine group (16.5 ng/mL versus 39.0 ng/mL in the control group). However, the sum of risperidone plus 9-hydroxyrisperidone (active moiety) plasma concentration was not significantly affected by cyamemazine comedication. A combination with cyamemazine resulted in an inverted metabolic ratio (risperidone/9-hydroxyrisperidone). These findings suggest that cyamemazine inhibits the 9-hydroxylation of risperidone and is probably an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 2D6 as are many other phenothiazine drugs.

Mental Healthcare Utilization among Homeless People in the Greater Paris Area.

The healthcare utilization of homeless people is generally considered insufficient, and studies often suffer from methodological bias (institutionalized vs. street samples). To adapt public health policies in France, epidemiological data on this population are scarce. The objective of this study was to analyze the use of psychiatric care by homeless people with mental health problems in the Greater Paris area and to define the factors influencing this use. The data were from the SAMENTA survey performed in 2009 with a representative random street sample of 859 homeless people from the Greater Paris area. The survey studied the use of psychiatric care (lifelong use, current follow-up, discontinuation of follow-up and treatment) and factors potentially associated with this use for people with a diagnosis of a psychotic, mood or anxiety disorder, with the diagnosis established with an original survey device. Because of our complex sampling design, we describe data for only a weighted estimated prevalence, weighted estimation of the number of people in the population (N) and unweighted total subgroup studied in the survey (n). Among 840 homeless people with useable data, 377 (N = 9762) had a psychiatric disorder. The use of whole-life care for these people may seem high, estimated at 68.7%, but few people were followed up for their disorders (18.2%); individuals with a psychotic disorder were more frequently followed up (36.5%) than others were (p < 0.05). Among those followed up (n = 86, N = 1760), 63.0% were taking medication. Access to care for these people seemed preserved, but the maintenance of care seemed problematic; indeed, among people with a lifelong whole use of care (n= 232, N = 6705), 72.3% could be considered to have discontinued care. The factors that improved lifetime health service utilization or follow-up were socio-demographic (age < 42 years, more educated), social (with social security coverage, not living in a hotel), and medical (psychotic disorder, personality disorder, suicide risk, somatic chronic illness, perception of mental suffering). Improving the care of homeless people with psychiatric disorders requires improving access to care for those isolated from the health system (in particular those living in hotels) and to guarantee continuity of care, by adapting the organization of the care system and promoting social rehabilitation.

Patient flow in the largest French psychiatric emergency centre in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To date, we have no French data about the psychiatric consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the confinement. In the largest French psychiatric emergency centre, we compared the average number of consultations per day during the confinement with the same period preceding the confinement and with the same periods of previous years, and we observed a significant drop in attendance. Our team had to adapt promptly to these changes in public mental health services, and we set up a telephone hotline dedicated to psychiatric patients and their families, in order to prevent a secondary psychiatric crisis.

Hallucinations in narcolepsy with and without cataplexy: contrasts with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Narcolepsy and Parkinson's disease (PD) are associated with hallucinations, excessive daytime sleepiness, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), as well as complete (narcolepsy with cataplexy) vs. partial (PD, narcolepsy without cataplexy) hypocretin-1 deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To compare the hallucinations associated with narcolepsy to those of PD. METHODS: One hundred patients with narcolepsy (with and without cataplexy) and 100 patients with PD were consecutively interviewed about their hallucinations (frequency, phenomenology, insight into unreality and association with sleep) as well as their risk factors. RESULTS: Hallucinations occurred more frequently and with more motor and multimodal aspects in narcolepsy with cataplexy (59%) than in narcolepsy without cataplexy (28%) and PD (26%). Compared to PD, the hallucinations in narcolepsy were less frequently of the passage/presence type (passage: brief visions of a person or animal passing sideways; presence: perception that a living character or an animal is behind or near the subject, without the subject actually seeing, hearing or touching it), more frequently auditory and more often associated with sleep. However, in 40% of the patients with narcolepsy and 54% of the patients with PD, the hallucinations occurred while the patients were wide awake. Patients with cataplexy had reduced immediate insight into the unreality of their hallucinations compared to patients with PD, but the delusions were exceptional (2%), transient and based on hallucinations in both groups. The risk factors for hallucinations were sleep paralysis and RBD in narcolepsy and motor disability and sleepiness in PD. CONCLUSIONS: The multimodal, dreamlike aspect of hallucinations in narcolepsy with cataplexy could transiently impair the patients' insight. The high frequency of these hallucinations (compared to those in narcolepsy without cataplexy or PD) suggests that complete (more than partial) hypocretin-1 deficiency promotes hallucinations.