Interventions for the detection, monitoring, and management of chronic non-communicable diseases in the prison population: an international systematic review.

BACKGROUND: High rates of health inequalities and chronic non-communicable diseases exist amongst the prison population. This places people in and/or released from prison at heightened risk of multimorbidity, premature mortality, and reduced quality of life. Ensuring appropriate healthcare for people in prison to improve their health outcomes is an important aspect of social justice. This review examines the global literature on healthcare interventions to detect, monitor and manage chronic non-communicable diseases amongst the prison population and people recently released from prison. METHODS: Systematic searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were conducted and supplemented by citation searching and review of the grey literature. The literature searches attempted to identify all articles describing any healthcare intervention for adults in prison, or released from prison in the past 1 year, to detect, monitor, or manage any chronic non-communicable illness. 19,061 articles were identified, of which 1058 articles were screened by abstract and 203 articles were reviewed by full text. RESULTS: Sixty-five studies were included in the review, involving 18,311 participants from multiple countries. Most studies were quasi-experimental and/or low to moderate in quality. Numerous healthcare interventions were described in the literature including chronic disease screening, telemedicine, health education, integrated care systems, implementing specialist equipment and staff roles to manage chronic diseases in prisons, and providing enhanced primary care contact and/or support from community health workers for people recently released from prison. These interventions were associated with improvement in various measures of clinical and cost effectiveness, although comparison between different care models was not possible due to high levels of clinical heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: It is currently unclear which interventions are most effective at monitoring and managing chronic non-communicable diseases in prison. More research is needed to determine the most effective interventions for improving chronic disease management in prisons and how these should be implemented to ensure optimal success. Future research should examine interventions for addressing multimorbidity within prisons, since most studies tested interventions for a singular non-communicable disease.

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain: exploring the role of psychiatrists in managing patients' physical health - challenges, current options and direction for future care.

Antipsychotics and severe mental illness (SMI) are associated with weight gain, and obesity increases the risks of cardiometabolic disease and premature death. These present management and liability issues for psychiatrists. Physical healthcare for people with SMI is poor, and this may partly be owing to training limitations and lack of proactiveness by psychiatrists. Ethically and legally, psychiatrists have a duty to avoid unnecessary harm and to maintain an acceptable standard of care. This would apply particularly to patients receiving compulsory treatment for their SMI owing to their vulnerability. Discrepancy between psychiatric and non-psychiatric approaches to pharmacological treatment creates ambiguity, and weight gain could demotivate antipsychotic adherence. This article explores how the Mental Health Act could be used to address these issues, and the ethical considerations, and proposes how long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists could be introduced into existing psychiatric practice as a treatment option for antipsychotic-induced weight gain and obesity in SMI.

Aripiprazole and Other Third-Generation Antipsychotics as a Risk Factor for Impulse Control Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests an association between third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs) and impulse control disorders (ICDs). This is thought to be due to their partial agonism of dopamine receptors. However, neither the relative nor absolute risks of ICDs in those prescribed TGAs are well established. To inform clinical practice, this systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes and quantifies the current evidence for an association. METHODS: An electronic search of Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Database was undertaken from database inception to November 2022. Three reviewers screened abstracts and reviewed full texts for inclusion. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted with eligible studies. RESULTS: A total of 392 abstracts were retrieved, 214 remained after duplicates were removed. Fifteen full texts were reviewed, of which 8 were included. All 8 studies found that TGAs were associated with increased probability of ICDs. Risk of bias was high or critical in 7 of 8 studies. Three studies were included in the pooled analysis for the primary outcome, 2 with data on each of aripiprazole, cariprazine, and brexpiprazole. Exposure to TGAs versus other antipsychotics was associated with an increase in ICDs (pooled odds ratio, 5.54; 2.24-13.68). Cariprazine and brexpiprazole were significantly associated with ICDs when analyzed individually. Aripiprazole trended toward increased risk, but very wide confidence intervals included no effect. CONCLUSIONS: Third-generation antipsychotics were associated with increased risk of ICDs in all studies included and pooled analysis. However, the risk of bias is high, confidence intervals are wide, and the quality of evidence is very low for all TGAs examined.

A systematic review of licensed weight-loss medications in treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain and obesity in schizophrenia and psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia and antipsychotic use are associated with clinically significant weight gain and subsequent increased mortality. Despite weight loss medications (WLMs) licensed by regulatory bodies (FDA, EMA, and MHRA) being available, current psychiatric guidelines recommend off-label alternatives, which differ from non-psychiatric guidelines for obesity. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the efficacy of licensed WLMs on treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) and obesity in schizophrenia and psychosis (OSP). METHOD: A literature search was conducted using Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library online databases for human studies using licensed WLMs to treat AIWG and OSP. RESULTS: Three RCTs (two liraglutide, one naltrexone-bupropion), one unpublished open-label trial (naltrexone-bupropion), and seven observational studies (five liraglutide, one semaglutide, one multiple WLMs) were identified. Results for liraglutide showed statistically significant improvement in weight, BMI, waist circumference, HbA1c, cholesterol, and LDL readings on meta-analysis. Evidence was mixed for naltrexone-bupropion with no detailed studies conducted for setmelanotide, or stimulants. CONCLUSION: Evidence is strongest for liraglutide compared to other licensed WLMs. The findings, particularly the inclusion of human trial data, provide evidence for liraglutide use in treating AIWG and OSP, which would better align psychiatric practice with non-psychiatric practices around obesity. The findings also identify continued literature gaps regarding other licensed WLMs.