[Case report: the psychotic-mystical effects related to an unaware use of Salvia divinorum.] / Gli effetti psicotico-mistici di un'assunzione inconsapevole di Salvia divinorum: un caso clinico.

It's well known that exotoxicosis can originate various psychiatric clinical pictures. The psychic impact of "classic" substances of abuse is well known and easily detectable with the usual methods of examination. In the last years new psychoactive substances (NPS) are spreading worldwide, determining not easily recognizable situations, with a significant clinical and organizational impact on psychiatry. In this case report, we present a clinical picture treated in hospital and outpatient settings in Vigevano (Pavia - Italy) and characterized by a psychotic onset secondary to an unaware use of Salvia divinorum. After the failure of two psychopharmacological treatment, the patient showed an excellent response to brexiprazole, with substantial restitutio ad integrum in the absence of significant side effects.

Gender Differences in Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder with No Language or Intellectual Disability.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often unrecognized, especially in mild forms and in women. Studies evaluating features associated with missed/misdiagnosis in men and women with ASD are warranted. 61 subjects (22 females, 39 males, age 28.5 ± 10.8 years) with ASD with no language/intellectual deficit were enrolled in the service for the treatment of psychiatric comorbidities in adults with ASD of the ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan (Italy). A detailed clinical history was gathered, and two self-report questionnaires (Autism Spectrum Quotient-AQ and Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum-AdAS Spectrum) were administered. 75.4% received their ASD diagnosis average eight years later than the first evaluation by mental health services. Compared to males, females showed a significantly greater delay in referral to mental health services and a significantly higher age at diagnosis of ASD. Among men, diagnostic delay inversely correlated with scores on the AdAS Spectrum total, Verbal communication, Empathy and Inflexibility and adherence to routine domains. Among women, diagnostic delay positively correlated with the Attention to detail score while the age at diagnosis of ASD positively correlated with the AdAS Spectrum Verbal communication and Restricted interests and rumination domain scores. Females were less likely to be correctly diagnosed and more likely to be misdiagnosed at first evaluation than men. Females reported significantly higher scores than men in the Hyper/Hyporeactivity to sensory input domain only among subjects who were misdiagnosed. Our findings provide gender-specific information about ASD patients seeking help for comorbid conditions and might be a primary ground for future research.

Survey on centres and procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD in public services in Italy.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often persists into adulthood. Although its persistence and relative high prevalence, ADHD in adults is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in Italy, leading to poor clinical and functional outcomes, and higher costs of illness. The aims of the study were to identify the Italian mental health services for ADHD in adults, describe the diagnostic and treatment procedures they follow, and compare this offer with the recommendations of the German and English guidelines. The centres, that adopt a clinical and assessment protocol for adult ADHD diagnosis (carried out by specifically trained personnel) and prescribe pharmacological treatment for adult ADHD, were selected from the list of accredited services provided by the Appendix B.2 of the ISTISAN 16/37 Reports of the ISS. An ad-hoc survey including open-ended and close-ended questions was sent to each selected centre in February 2020. The overall picture resulting from the data analysis was compared with the recommendations of the German and English guidelines. The present survey shows that only a few centres are specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults in Italy. Furthermore, there are no national guidelines for adult ADHD in Italy. The collected data also suggest that there is no a unified practice shared by the Centres both for the patient's transition from child and adolescent to adult mental health services and for the diagnostic-therapeutic process. It is therefore crucial to create specific protocols and develop national guidelines to better identify and diagnose ADHD in adults and provide targeted and more efficient multimodal treatments.

Sleep quality among adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder: which is the role of gender and chronotype?

Both Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present increased prevalence rates of sleep difficulties, which persist into adulthood. However, it is still unclear whether in adults these disorders show specific sleep patterns and which role is played by comorbidities, circadian preferences and gender. This study aimed to describe and compare subjective measures of sleep in adults with ADHD and high-functioning ASD, in relation to the levels of anxiety and depression, chronotype and gender. In a sample of 136 adults (43 ADHD, 43 high-functioning ASD, 50 controls) subjective sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and clinical scales were used to assess chronotype and the levels of anxiety and depression. The three groups showed a significant difference in the distribution of chronotypes, with greater prevalence of an Evening chronotype among ASD compared to controls. The MANCOVA using PSQI subscale scores as dependent variables and MEQ-SA score and depression range as covariates showed that the three groups significantly differ in quality, latency, efficiency, and dysfunction scores with a significant differences between ASD and ADHD in efficiency and dysfunction. Compared to men, women showed higher scores on PSQI total and quality subscale across the three groups and higher duration scores only within ASD group. Our results indicate that both ADHD and ASD adults show unique sleep disturbances and suggest that ASD patients, especially women, may display more pronounced disordered sleep.

ADHD in adults: clinical subtypes and associated characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an early onset clinical condition characterized by attention difficulties, hyperactivity and impulsivity which can persist across the lifespan, significantly influencing the evolutionary course and facilitating the rise of psychiatric comorbidities. The presence of different ADHD subtypes in adults is a heterogeneity factor to be recognized in order to orient prognosis and treatment, as indicated by studies that described differences in the characterization of different subtypes in relation to both severity and comorbidities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study we evaluated the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of a sample of adults with ADHD and the characteristics associated with the different disorder subtypes. We described 60 patients aged between 18 and 65 years (mean age 34.1) with primary diagnosis of ADHD consecutively admitted to the Regional Centre for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults in Milan. RESULTS: We observed high severity of symptoms and low quality of life, in particular in the "life outlook" dimension. The subtypes distribution was the following: 18.3% inattentive subtype, 8.3% hyperactive/impulsive subtype and 70% combined subtype. The hyperactive/impulsive subtype showed a significantly higher frequency in females, while the inattentive subtype was more frequent in males. Patients with the hyperactive/impulsive subtype showed worse quality of life and more frequent anxiety disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the different clinical profiles among various subtypes, these data add relevance to subtypes classification of adult ADHD.

Novel psychoactive substance consumption is more represented in bipolar disorder than in psychotic disorders: A multicenter-observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Comorbidities between psychiatric diseases and use of traditional substances of abuse are common. Nevertheless, there are few data regarding the use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) among psychiatric patients. Aim of this multicentre survey is to investigate the consumption of a number of psychoactive substances in a young psychiatric sample. METHODS: Between December 2013 and September 2015, a questionnaire was administered in 10 Italian psychiatric care facilities to a sample of 671 patients, aged 18-26 (mean age 22.24; SD 2.87). RESULTS: About 8.2% of the sample declared to have used NPS at least once, and 2.2% had consumed NPS in the previous 3 months. The three psychiatric diagnoses most frequently associated with NPS use were bipolar disorder (23.1%), personality disorders (11.8%), and schizophrenia and related disorders (11.6%). In univariate regression analysis, bipolar disorder was positively associated with NPS consumption, an association that did not reach statistical significance in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The use of NPS in a young psychiatric population appears to be frequent, and probably still underestimated. Bipolar disorder shows an association with NPS use. Careful and constant monitoring and an accurate evaluation of possible clinical effects related to NPS use are necessary.

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors in pregnancy and the risk of major malformations: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review studies conducted to establish the risk of major congenital malformations in women exposed to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) during the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: A literature search [corrected] was conducted within PsycINFO [corrected] EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane databases from 1966 to October 2006, to identify studies assessing the risk of major malformations in infants whose mother was taking SRIs (SSRIs and SNRIs) during the first trimester of pregnancy. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were selected for the analysis: seven adopted a prospective cohort design and seven a retrospective design, of these one was a case-control study. DATA SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSIONS: The reviewed studies suggest that exposure to fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram and venlafaxine in early pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations. For paroxetine, recent data call for caution in prescribing such a drug in early pregnancy. For the other SRIs, the risk remains substantially undetermined, as data are so far scanty. Given this background, large prospective cohort studies are urgently needed to better assess the risk/benefit ratio of SRIs-treatment during pregnancy.

[Antidepressant drugs and breastfeeding]. / L'impiego dei farmaci antidepressivi nel puerperio.

The post-partum period, as well as pregnancy, is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and/or affective disorders. Postnatal depression, frequently in co-morbidity with anxiety symptoms, is recognised as the most frequent form of maternal morbidity after delivery, with a prevalence rate estimated between 5% to 15%. Among antidepressant drugs, the SSRIs are considered the drugs of choice in the treatment of post-partum affective disorders, particularly in the major depression. It is, thus, crucial from a clinical standpoint to establish, in the newborn whose mother needs to be treated with an SSRI, the safety profile of these drugs during breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding, on the other hand, both for the nursing mother and the infant, are in fact very well documented. Unfortunately, all antidepressant drugs, including SSRIs, cross into breast milk and the milk-to-plasma ratio, a measure proposed to establish the amount of drug transferred to maternal milk, does not seem to be a reliable parameter to predict the safety of these drugs. From the available literature, however, it seems that among SSRIs, paroxetina and sertralina offer the best safety profile, as these drugs has never been associated with unsafe reports in suckling infants. Despite these reassuring but preliminary data, more studies are needed to better assess the safety of the antidepressant drugs in the infants exposed during breastfeeding. As general rule, it is important to recommend if the mother wishes to breastfeed her infant while taking an antidepressant, that the baby should be closely monitored in order to detect, as soon as possible, any unwanted drug-related side effect.

[Pharmacologic therapy of depression during pregnancy]. / L'impiego dei farmaci antidepressivi in gravidanza.

The pregnancy is considered to be relatively high risk period for depressive episodes in women, particularly for those with pre-existing affective disorders. Epidemiological studies indicate that between 10% to 16% of pregnant women fulfil the diagnostic criteria for major depression and on average 20% is affected by an anxiety disorder. Pharmacological treatment of depression during pregnancy, however, brings with it certainties and dilemmas. It has been reported that untreated depression is associated with impaired feto-placental function, premature delivery, miscarriage, low fetal growth and perinatal unwanted effects. On the other hand, the use of antidepressant drugs in pregnancy might be at risk of major malformations (teratogenesis), neonatal toxicity, especially withdrawal symptoms and neuropsychological-behavioural impairment. In addition, the abrupt discontinuation of antidepressants, because of fear for adverse fetal effects, exposes women to serious clinical problems, in particular the disease relapse. A number of reviews indicates that among antidepressant drugs, the older SSRIs (in particular fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram) seem to be avoided of teratogenic risks; for these reasons such drugs are nowadays considered of choice for the treatment of depression during pregnancy. Less information is available for other drugs, including triciclycs, venlafaxine, mirtazapine, bupropion, escitalopram and duloxetine. Withdrawal symptoms have been reported for all antidepressants; these symptoms, however, were self-limiting in majority of cases and had a favourable outcome. Inconclusive findings emerge, so far, from the few longitudinal studies focusing on the long-term neurodevelopment outcome in children.

Modulation of hyperreactivity to 35% CO2 after one week of treatment with paroxetine and reboxetine: a double-blind, randomized study.

The effects of short treatments (7 days) with paroxetine and with reboxetine on the reactivity to inhalations of 35% carbon dioxide (CO2)/65% oxygen (O2) were compared in 28 patients with Panic Disorder who had positive responses to 35% CO2 inhalations. A double-blind, randomized design was applied. Each patient was given the 35% CO2 challenge on days 0 (before starting the treatment) and 7. Anxiety reactivity to CO2 decreased significantly with both drugs but the decrease was significantly stronger in the group treated with paroxetine. The rate of patients whose reactivity has reduced of at least 50% after 7 days was significantly higher in the group treated with paroxetine (10/14, 71.5%) than in the one treated with reboxetine (3/14, 21.5%). These results indicate that the modulation of the serotonergic system is more relevant for CO2 hyperreactivity than the modulation of the noradrenergic one.

Approximate entropy of respiratory patterns in panic disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Considerable evidence suggests a connection between panic disorder and respiration, but the nature of the respiratory abnormalities in panic disorder remains unclear. The authors investigated the breath-by-breath complexity of respiration dynamics in panic disorder. METHOD: Respiratory physiology was assessed in 40 patients with panic disorder and 31 healthy comparison subjects by using a breath-by-breath stationary system for testing cardiorespiratory function. Irregularity in the breathing pattern was determined by applying the approximate entropy index, which is an indicator of the irregularity and the "disorder" of the measure. RESULTS: The patients with panic disorder showed significantly higher approximate entropy indexes than the healthy subjects for the measured respiratory parameters. Sighs contributed to the irregularity of breathing patterns but did not account for all the differences in approximate entropy between the patients with panic disorder and the comparison subjects. Anxiety state, severity of illness, and somatic and individual variables such as participation in sports and cigarette smoking did not seem to influence the results. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with panic disorder showed greater entropy in baseline respiratory patterns, indicating higher levels of irregularity and complexity in their respiratory function. Greater respiratory entropy could be a factor in vulnerability to panic attacks.