A comparison of neighbourhood level variation and risk factors for affective versus non-affective psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Studies typically highlight area level variation in the incidence of non-affective but not affective psychoses. We compared neighbourhood-level variation for both types of disorder, and the specific effects of neighbourhood urbanicity and ethnic density, using Danish national registry data. METHODS: Population based cohort (2,224,464 people) followed from 1980 to 2013 with neighbourhood exposure measured at age 15 and incidence modelled using multilevel Poisson regression. RESULTS: Neighbourhood variation was similar for both disorders with an adjusted median risk ratio of 1.37 (95% CI 1.34-1.39) for non-affective psychosis and 1.43 (1.38-1.49) for affective psychosis. Associations with neighbourhood urbanicity differed: living in the most compared to the least urban quintile at age 15 was associated with a minimal increase in subsequent affective psychosis, IRR 1.13 (1.01-1.27) but a substantial increase in rates of non-affective psychosis, IRR 1.66 (1.57-1.75). Mixed results were found for neighbourhood ethnic density: for Middle Eastern migrants there was an increased average incidence of both affective, IRR 1.54 (1.19-1.99), and non-affective psychoses, 1.13 (1.04-1.23) associated with each decrease in ethnic density quintile, with a similar pattern for African migrants, but for European migrants ethnic density appeared to be associated with non-affective psychosis only. CONCLUSIONS: While overall variation and the effect of neighbourhood ethnic density were similar for both types of disorder, associations with urbanicity were largely confined to non-affective psychosis. This may reflect differences in aetiological pathways although the mechanism behind these differences remains unknown.

Risk Factors, Clinical Features, and Polygenic Risk Scores in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder Depressive-Type.

There is controversy about the status of schizoaffective disorder depressive-type (SA-D), particularly whether it should be considered a form of schizophrenia or a distinct disorder. We aimed to determine whether individuals with SA-D differ from individuals with schizophrenia in terms of demographic, premorbid, and lifetime clinical characteristics, and genetic liability to schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. Participants were from the CardiffCOGS sample and met ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia (n = 713) or SA-D (n = 151). Two samples, Cardiff Affected-sib (n = 354) and Cardiff F-series (n = 524), were used for replication. For all samples, phenotypic data were ascertained through structured interview, review of medical records, and an ICD-10 diagnosis made by trained researchers. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare individuals with schizophrenia and SA-D for demographic and clinical characteristics, and polygenic risk scores (PRS). In the CardiffCOGS, SA-D, compared to schizophrenia, was associated with female sex, childhood abuse, history of alcohol dependence, higher functioning Global Assessment Scale (GAS) score in worst episode of psychosis, lower functioning GAS score in worst episode of depression, and reduced lifetime severity of disorganized symptoms. Individuals with SA-D had higher depression PRS compared to those with schizophrenia. PRS for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder did not significantly differ between SA-D and schizophrenia. Compared to individuals with schizophrenia, individuals with SA-D had higher rates of environmental and genetic risk factors for depression and a similar genetic liability to schizophrenia. These findings are consistent with SA-D being a sub-type of schizophrenia resulting from elevated liability to both schizophrenia and depression.

Family Genetic Risk Scores and the Genetic Architecture of Major Affective and Psychotic Disorders in a Swedish National Sample.

Importance: Family and genetic approaches have traditionally been used to evaluate our diagnostic concepts. Using a novel method, the family genetic risk score (FGRS), can we validate the genetic architecture of major affective and psychotic disorders in a national Swedish sample? Objective: To determine whether FGRSs, calculated for the entire Swedish population, can elucidate the genetic relationship between major affective and psychotic disorders and clarify the association of genetic risk with important clinical features of disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included the native Swedish population born from January 1, 1950, through December 31, 1995, and followed up through December 31, 2017. Data were collected from Swedish population-based primary care, specialist, and hospital registers, including age at first registration for a psychiatric diagnosis and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Data were analyzed from October 15, 2020, to February 2, 2021. Exposures: FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia calculated from morbidity risks for disorders in first- through fifth-degree relatives, controlling for cohabitation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diagnoses of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other nonaffective psychoses (ONAPs), age at registration, and number of registrations for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Diagnostic conversion of major depression to bipolar disorder and ONAPs to schizophrenia was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: The cohort included 4 129 002 individuals (51.4% male) with a mean (SD) age at follow-up of 45.5 (13.4) years. Mean FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia produced distinct patterns for major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and ONAPs with large separations between disorders. In major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, high FGRSs were associated with early age at onset and high rates of recurrence: a high mean FGRS for bipolar disorder was associated with early age at onset (younger than 25 years, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) and higher recurrence (8 or more registrations, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.11-0.12) in major depression. The schizophrenia FGRS was separately associated with psychotic and nonpsychotic forms of major depression (0.10; 95% CI, 0.06-0.14 vs 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.03) and bipolar disorder (0.22; 95% CI, 0.16-0.28 vs 0.11; 95% CI, 0.09-0.12). The bipolar disorder and schizophrenia FGRSs were associated with conversion from major depression to bipolar disorder (eg, hazard ratio, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.63-1.78] for high vs low bipolar FGRS) and ONAP to schizophrenia (eg, hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.27-1.51] for high vs low schizophrenia FGRS). Conclusions and Relevance: In this Swedish cohort study, the FGRSs for major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia for the Swedish population clearly separated major affective and psychotic disorders from each other in a larger and more representative patient sample than previously possible. These findings provide possible validation, from a genetic perspective, for these major diagnostic categories. These results replicated and extended prior observations on more limited samples of the association of FGRS with age at onset, recurrence, psychotic subtypes, and diagnostic conversions.

Un estudio longitudinal de 2 años sobre la experiencia subjetiva de la cognición social en jóvenes con primer episodio de psicosis / A 2-year longitudinal study on subjective experience of social cognition in young people with first episode psychosis

INTRODUCCIÓN: En la literatura, se detectaron deficiencias en la cognición social (CS) en primer episodio de psicosis (PEP) utilizando exclusivamente pruebas neurocognitivas. Los objetivos de este estudio son: (1) evaluar la experiencia subjetiva de la CS en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes con PEP en comparación con pacientes sin PEP; (2) investigar posibles asociaciones significativas de la CS con psicopatología y funcionamiento en pacientes con PEP; (3) monitorear longitudinalmente la estabilidad de la CS después de un periodo de 2 años de follow-up. MÉTODOS: Los participantes (141 con PEP y 98 sin PEP), de 13 a 35 años, completaron la CAARMS («Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States») y la escala GEOPTE de la CS para la psicosis. En el grupo de pacientes con PEP, también se realizó un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple con las puntuaciones totales de la escala GEOPTE como variables independientes y las dimensiones de la CAARMS como variables dependientes. RESULTADOS: En comparación con los pacientes sin PEP, los participantes con PEP mostraron puntuaciones totales de la escala GEOPTE significativamente más altos. Después 12 y 24 meses de follow-up, los pacientes con PEP mostraron una disminución significativa en la gravedad de la subescala «Cognición Social» de la GEOPTE. En el grupo de pacientes con PEP, las puntuaciones totales de la escala GEOPTE mostraron correlaciones positivas significativas con las dimensiones «Síntomas Negativos» y «Psicopatología General» de la CAARMS. Los resultados del análisis de regresión mostraron una contribución significativa de la CS subjetiva en la predicción de la depresión. CONCLUSIONES: Las deficiencias de CS son prominentes en los pacientes con PEP, donde en la evaluación inicial parece estar asociada a síntomas negativos y predecir la dimensión depresiva

INTRODUCTION: Impairments in Social Cognition (SC) in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) were reported exclusively using neurocognitive tests. Aim of this study is (1) to assess subjective experience of SC in FEP adolescent and young adults compared to non-FEP help-seeking peers, (2) to investigate any significant association of SC with psychopathology and functioning in FEP individuals; and (3) to monitor longitudinally the stability of SC after a 2-year follow-up period. METHODS: Participants (141 FEP and 98 non-FEP), aged 13-35 years, completed the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and the GEOPTE scale of SC for psychosis. Within the FEP group, a multiple linear regression analysis (with GEOPTE total scores as independent variables and CAARMS dimension subscores as dependent variables) was also performed. RESULTS: In comparison with non-FEP, FEP patients showed significantly higher GEOPTE SC scores. After both 12 and 24 months of follow-up, FEP subjects had a significant decrease in severity on GEOPTE SC subscore. In the FEP group, GEOPTE total scores showed significant positive correlations with negative symptoms and general psychopathology. Regression analysis results showed a significant contribution of subjective SC in predicting depression. Conclusions - SC deficits are prominent in FEP patients, where at baseline seems to be associated with negative symptoms and to predict clinical depression

Reactive psychoses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: clinical perspectives from a case series / Psicosis reactivas en el contexto de la pandemia del COVID-19: perspectivas clínicas de una serie de casos

INTRODUCTION: The world is currently undergoing an extremely stressful scenario due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This unexpected and dramatic situation could increase the incidence of mental health problems, among them, psychotic disorders. The aim of this paper was to describe a case series of brief reactive psychosis due to the psychological distress from the current coronavirus pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report on a case series including all the patients with reactive psychoses in the context of the COVID-19 crisis who were admitted to the Virgen del Rocío and Virgen Macarena University Hospitals (Seville, Spain) during the first two weeks of compulsory nationwide quarantine. RESULTS: In that short period, four patients met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for a brief reactive psychotic disorder. All of the episodes were directly triggered by stress derived from the COVID-19 pandemic and half of the patients presented severe suicidal behavior at admission. CONCLUSIONS: We may now be witnessing an increasing number of brief reactive psychotic disorders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of psychosis has a high risk of suicidal behavior and, although short-lived, has a high rate of psychotic recurrence and low diagnostic stability over time. Therefore, we advocate close monitoring in both the acute phase and long-term follow-up of these patients

INTRODUCCIÓN: El mundo está experimentando un escenario extremadamente estresante a causa de la pandemia del COVID-19. Esta situación inesperada y dramática podría incrementar la incidencia de los problemas de salud mental y, entre estos, los trastornos psicóticos. El objetivo de este documento es describir una serie de casos de psicosis reactiva breve, debidos al distrés psicológico debido a la pandemia actual de coronavirus. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Reportamos una serie de casos que incluye a todos los pacientes con psicosis reactiva en el contexto de la crisis del COVID-19, ingresados en los Hospitales Universitarios Virgen del Rocío y Virgen Macarena (Sevilla, España) durante las 2 primeras semanas de la cuarentena obligatoria a nivel nacional. RESULTADOS: En este breve espacio de tiempo, 4 pacientes cumplieron los criterios de trastorno psicótico breve del manual diagnóstico y estadístico de trastornos mentales (DSM-5). Todos los episodios fueron desencadenados por el estrés derivado de la pandemia del COVID-19, y la mitad de los pacientes presentaron un comportamiento suicida grave a su ingreso. CONCLUSIONES: Actualmente podemos estar asistiendo a un incremento del número de trastornos psicóticos reactivos breves, como resultado de la pandemia del COVID-19. Este tipo de psicosis tiene un elevado riesgo de comportamiento suicida y, aunque es transitorio, tiene una elevada tasa de recurrencia psicótica y baja estabilidad diagnóstica a lo largo del tiempo. Por tanto, somos partidarios de una supervisión estrecha tanto en la fase aguda como en el seguimiento a largo plazo de estos pacientes

Mental and substance use disorders and food insecurity among homeless adults participating in the At Home/Chez Soi study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined how food insecurity changes over time when living with severe mental disorders or substance use disorders. This study identifies food insecurity trajectories of homeless adults participating in a trial of a housing intervention and examines whether receiving the intervention and having specific mental and substance disorders predict food insecurity trajectories. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 520 participants in the Toronto site of the At Home/Chez-Soi project. Food insecurity data were collected at seven times during a follow-up period of up to 5.5 years. Mental and substance use disorders were assessed at baseline. Food insecurity trajectories were identified using group based-trajectory modeling. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the effects of the intervention and mental and substance use disorders on food insecurity trajectories. RESULTS: Four food insecurity trajectories were identified: persistently high food insecurity, increasing food insecurity, decreasing food insecurity, and consistently low food insecurity. Receiving the intervention was not a predictor of membership in any specific food insecurity trajectory group. Individuals with major depressive episode, mood disorder with psychotic features, substance disorder, and co-occurring disorder (defined as having at least one alcohol or other substance use disorder and at least one non-substance related mental disorder] were more likely to remain in the persistently high food insecurity group than the consistently low food insecurity group. CONCLUSION: A persistently high level of food insecurity is common among individuals with mental illness who have experienced homelessness, and the presence of certain mental health disorders increases this risk. Mental health services combined with access to resources for basic needs, and re-adaptation training are required to enhance the health and well-being of this population.

Early environmental factors and somatic comorbidity in schizophrenia and nonschizophrenic psychoses: A 50-year follow-up of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

BACKGROUND: We studied the cumulative incidence of physical illnesses, and the effect of early environmental factors (EEFs) on somatic comorbidity in schizophrenia, in nonschizophrenic psychosis and among nonpsychotic controls from birth up to the age of 50 years. METHODS: The sample included 10,933 members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, of whom, 227 had schizophrenia and 205 had nonschizophrenic psychosis. Diagnoses concerning physical illnesses were based on nationwide registers followed up to the end of 2016 and classified into 13 illness categories. Maternal education and age, family type at birth and paternal socioeconomic status were studied as EEFs of somatic illnesses. RESULTS: When adjusted by gender and education, individuals and especially women with nonschizophrenic psychosis had higher risk of morbidity in almost all somatic illness categories compared to controls, and in some categories, compared to individuals with schizophrenia. The statistically significant adjusted hazard ratios varied from 1.27 to 2.42 in nonschizophrenic psychosis. Regarding EEFs, single-parent family as the family type at birth was a risk factor for a higher somatic score among men with schizophrenia and women with nonschizophrenic psychosis. Maternal age over 35 years was associated with lower somatic score among women with nonschizophrenic psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with nonschizophrenic psychoses have higher incidence of somatic diseases compared to people with schizophrenia and nonpsychotic controls, and this should be noted in clinical work. EEFs have mostly weak association with somatic comorbidity in our study.

Methamphetamine Use and Antipsychotic-related Extrapyramidal Side-effects in Patients with Psychotic Disorders.

Objective: Extrapyramidal side-effects (EPSE) are frequent in patients treated with antipsychotics and comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs). Methamphetamine has been shown to act as a dopaminergic neurotoxin. We aimed to determine whether EPSE occur more often in patients with psychotic disorders and co-occurring methamphetamine (MA) use disorders, and we examined the relationship between MA use, antipsychotic type, dose and EPSE. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of data from three separate primary studies. Across all studies, psychiatric and SUD diagnoses were determined using the SCID-I for DSM-IV. EPSE were determined using the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) for Parkinsonism, the Barnes Akathisia Rating scale (BARS), and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) for tardive dyskinesia. Participants were classified as having any EPSE if they scored above the cutoff on any of the EPSE scales (SAS, BARS, AIMS). We analyzed data using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: The sample included 102 patients with non-affective or affective psychotic disorders. Of the total sample, 65.7% were male, 54.9% had schizophrenia spectrum disorders, 20.5% bipolar type I disorder with psychotic features, 11.7% schizoaffective disorder and 12.7% had substance-induced psychosis. A diagnosis of a methamphetamine use disorder (abuse or dependence) was present in 25.5% of participants. EPSE occurred in 38.2% of patients and were significantly associated with MA use in the unadjusted and adjusted analysis, ORadj = 4.01, 95% CI [1.07, 14.98], p = .039. Patients with MA dependence and MA use >3 years were significantly more likely to have EPSE. We found a significant interaction effect between MA use disorders and standardized antipsychotic dose on the occurrence of EPSE, ORadj = 1.01, 95% CI [1.00, 1.01], p = .042, with MA users having a disproportionally higher likelihood of having EPSE compared to MA non-users as antipsychotic dosage increased. There were no significant associations of EPSE with comorbid alcohol, cannabis, or methaqualone use disorders. Conclusions: Patients with a MA use disorder were significantly more likely to have EPSE with evidence for a dose-response effect. Clinicians should carefully titrate antipsychotic dosage from lower to higher doses to avoid EPSE in patients with MA use disorders.

Ethnic inequalities in the incidence of diagnosis of severe mental illness in England: a systematic review and new meta-analyses for non-affective and affective psychoses.

PURPOSE: Although excess risks particularly for a diagnosis of schizophrenia have been identified for ethnic minority people in England and other contexts, we sought to identify and synthesise up-to-date evidence (2018) for affective in addition to non-affective psychoses by specific ethnic groups in England. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of ethnic differences in diagnosed incidence of psychoses in England, searching nine databases for reviews (citing relevant studies up to 2009) and an updated search in three databases for studies between 2010 and 2018. Studies from both searches were combined in meta-analyses allowing coverage of more specific ethnic groups than previously. RESULTS: We included 28 primary studies. Relative to the majority population, significantly higher risks of diagnosed schizophrenia were found in Black African (Relative risk, RR 5.72, 95% CI 3.87-8.46, n = 9); Black Caribbean (RR 5.20, 95% CI 4.33-6.24, n = 21); South Asian (RR 2.27, 95% CI 1.63-3.16, n = 14); White Other (RR 2.24, 95% CI 1.59-3.14, n = 9); and Mixed Ethnicity people (RR 2.24, 95% CI 1.32-3.80, n = 4). Significantly higher risks for diagnosed affective psychoses were also revealed: Black African (RR 4.07, 95% CI 2.27-7.28, n = 5); Black Caribbean (RR 2.91, 95% CI 1.78-4.74, n = 16); South Asian (RR 1.71, 95% CI 1.07-2.72, n = 8); White Other (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.32-1.83, n = 5); Mixed Ethnicity (RR 6.16, 95% CI 3.99-9.52, n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: The risk for a diagnosis of non-affective and affective psychoses is particularly elevated for Black ethnic groups, but is higher for all ethnic minority groups including those previously not assessed through meta-analyses (White Other, Mixed Ethnicity). This calls for further research on broader disadvantages affecting ethnic minority people.

First-episode psychosis and vocational outcomes: A predictive model.

Most studies on predictors of vocational outcomes are cross-sectional and results are varied. This study aimed to examine the vocational rates of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), identify factors predicting a lack of engagement in age-appropriate roles, and evaluate the predictive ability of a model with baseline sociodemographic information and 2-year symptom and functioning trajectories on vocational outcomes. The Singapore Early Psychosis Intervention Program (EPIP) has maintained a standing database on patient clinico-demographic information. The primary outcome, vocational status, was operationalized as "meaningfully employed", that is, being gainfully employed or engaged in an age-appropriate role, and "unemployed". Using logistic regression, the predictive ability of the proposed model was evaluated. Vocational data was available for 1177 patients accepted into EPIP between 2001 and 2012. At the end of two years in the service, 829 (70.4%) patients were meaningfully employed and 348 (29.6%) patients were unemployed. The binary logistic regression model on the prediction of 2-year vocational outcomes yielded an AUC of 0.759 (SE = 0.016, p-value < 0.001). Clinico-demographic risk factors for being unemployed at the end of two years included being Malay, single, and unemployed at baseline; having a longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP); a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or delusional disorder at baseline; and belonging to the 'delayed response' or 'slower response and no response' general psychopathology trajectories. We have proposed a model that allows vocational outcomes to be predicted with high specificity. The results of this study will be relevant in developing future intervention models to improve outcomes among FEP patients with different illness trajectories.

Severe Mental Illness in Community Mental Health Care in Spain: Prevalence and Related Factors.

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of severe mental illness (SMI) in patients in contact with mental health services and to determine the factors associated with SMI. A total of 260 patients who met diagnostic criteria for SMI were assessed using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale and Health of the Nation Outcome Scales. The overall prevalence of SMI was 6.08 per thousand. According to the three different cutoff points with GAF, the prevalence of SMI ranged from 5.38 per thousand under the weak criterion (GAF < 70) to 1.01 per thousand under the strict criterion (GAF < 50). In the regression model, the dependent variable (presence of SMI) was defined using a GAF < 60, and the variables independently associated with the dependent variable were years of disease duration since diagnose, mental health service use, alcohol or other substance abuse, and depressive anxiety and other psychological symptoms.

Risk factors for suicide in depression in Finland: first-hospitalized patients followed up to 24 years.

OBJECTIVE: To examine longitudinally risk factors for suicide in depression, and gender differences in risk factors and suicide methods. METHOD: We linked data from (i) The Finnish Hospital Discharge Register, (ii) the Census Register of Statistics Finland, and (iii) Statistics Finland's register on causes of deaths. All 56 826 first-hospitalized patients (25 188 men, 31 638 women) in Finland in 1991-2011 with a principal diagnosis of depressive disorder were followed up until death (2587 suicides) or end of the year 2014 (maximum 24 years). RESULTS: Clinical characteristics (severe depression adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.19 [95% CI 1.08-1.30]; psychotic depression AHR 1.45 [1.30-1.62]; and comorbid alcohol dependence AHR 1.26 [1.13-1.41]), male gender (AHR 2.07 [1.91-2.24]), higher socioeconomic status and living alone at first hospitalization were long-term predictors of suicide deaths. Highest risk was associated with previous suicide attempts (cumulative probability 15.4% [13.7-17.3%] in men, 8.5% [7.3-9.7%] in women). Gender differences in risk factors were modest, but in lethal methods prominent. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics at first hospitalization predict suicide in the long term. Inpatients with previous suicide attempts constitute a high-risk group. Despite some gender differences in risk factors, those in lethal methods may better explain gender disparity in risk.

Stratification of the risk of bipolar disorder recurrences in pregnancy and postpartum.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and childbirth are a period of high risk for women with bipolar disorder and involve difficult decisions particularly about continuing or stopping medications.AimsTo explore what clinical predictors may help to individualise the risk of perinatal recurrence in women with bipolar disorder. METHOD: Information was gathered retrospectively by semi-structured interview, questionnaires and case-note review from 887 women with bipolar disorder who have had children. Clinical predictors were selected using backwards stepwise logistic regression, conditional permutation random forests and reinforcement learning trees. RESULTS: Previous perinatal history of affective psychosis or depression was the most significant predictor of a perinatal recurrence (odds ratio (OR) = 8.5, 95% CI 5.04-14.82 and OR = 3.6, 95% CI 2.55-5.07 respectively) but even parous women with bipolar disorder without a previous perinatal mood episode were at risk following a subsequent pregnancy, with 7% developing postpartum psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: Previous perinatal history of affective psychosis or depression is the most important predictor of perinatal recurrence in women with bipolar disorder and can be used to individualise risk assessments.Declaration of interestNone.

The relationship between illicit amphetamine use and psychiatric symptom profiles in schizophrenia and affective psychoses.

This study examines whether illicit amphetamine use is associated with differences in the prevalence of specific psychiatric symptoms in a community sample of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or affective psychotic disorders. Data was drawn from the Australian Survey of High Impact Psychosis. The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis was used to measure substance use and psychiatric symptoms. Participants had used amphetamine within their lifetime and had an ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 347) or an affective psychotic disorder (n = 289). The past year prevalence of psychiatric symptoms was compared among those who had used amphetamine in the past year (past-year use, 32%) with those who had not (former use, 68%). Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that past-year users with schizophrenia had a significantly higher past year prevalence of hallucinations, persecutory delusions, racing thoughts, dysphoria, and anhedonia relative to former amphetamine users with schizophrenia. There were no significant differences in symptoms between past-year and former users with affective psychotic disorders. The relationship between amphetamine use and specific psychiatric symptoms varies across different psychotic disorders. Amphetamine use may hinder prognosis by exacerbating symptoms of schizophrenia through dopaminergic dysfunctions or depressive vulnerabilities, however, this needs to be confirmed by prospective longitudinal research.

Association of Environment With the Risk of Developing Psychotic Disorders in Rural Populations: Findings from the Social Epidemiology of Psychoses in East Anglia Study.

Importance: Social determinants are important risk factors for the development of first-episode psychosis (FEP); their effects in rural areas are largely unknown. Objective: To investigate neighborhood-level factors associated with FEP in a large, predominantly rural population-based cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study extracted data on referrals for treatment of potential FEP at 6 Early-Intervention Psychosis services from the Social Epidemiology of Psychoses in East Anglia naturalistic cohort study data set, which covered a population of more than 2 million people in a rural area in the East of England for a period of 3.5 years. All individuals aged 16 to 35 years who presented to Early-Intervention Psychosis services and met diagnostic criteria for first episodes of nonaffective psychoses and affective psychoses (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision diagnostic codes F20-33) were included (n = 631). Persons whose disorders had an organic basis (diagnostic codes F06.X) and those meeting the criteria for substance-induced psychosis (diagnostic codes F1X.5) were excluded. We derived 4 neighborhood-level exposures from a routine population data set using exploratory factor analysis (racial/ethnic diversity, deprivation, urbanicity, and social isolation) and investigated intragroup racial/ethnic density and fragmentation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Multilevel Poisson regression was performed to determine associations between incidence rates and neighborhood-level factors, after adjustment for individual factors. Results were reported as incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results: The study included 631 participants who met criteria for FEP and whose median age at first contact was 23.8 years (interquartile range, 19.6-27.6 years); 416 of 631 (65.9%) were male. Crude incidence of FEP was calculated as 31.2 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 28.9-33.7). Incidence varied significantly between neighborhoods after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. For nonaffective psychoses, incidence was higher in neighborhoods that were more economically deprived (IRR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.06-1.20) and socially isolated (IRR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04-1.19). It was lower in more racially/ethnically diverse neighborhoods (IRR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.87-1.00). Higher intragroup racial/ethnic density (IRR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-1.00) and lower intragroup racial/ethnic fragmentation (IRR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00) were associated with a reduced risk of affective psychosis. Conclusions and Relevance: Spatial variation in the incidence of nonaffective and affective psychotic disorders exists in rural areas. This suggests that the social environment contributes to psychosis risk across the rural-urban gradient.

Psychotic (delusional) depression and suicidal attempts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: It still remains unclear whether psychotic features increase the risk of suicidal attempts in major depressive disorder. Thus, we attempted, through a systematic review coupled with a meta-analysis, to elucidate further whether unipolar psychotic depression (PMD) compared to non-PMD presents higher levels of suicidal attempts. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO as well as in various databases of the so-called gray literature for all studies providing data on suicidal attempts in PMD compared to non-PMD, and the results were then subjected to meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty studies met our inclusion criteria, including in total 1,275 PMD patients and 5,761 non-PMD patients. An elevated risk for suicide attempt for PMD compared to non-PMD patients was found: The total (lifetime) fixed-effects pooled OR was 2.11 (95% CI: 1.81-2.47), and the fixed-effects pooled OR of the five studies of the acute phase of the disorder was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.33-2.80). This elevated risk of suicidal attempt for PMD patients remained stable across all age groups of adult patients. CONCLUSION: Despite data inconsistency and clinical heterogeneity, this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that patients with PMD are at a two-fold higher risk, both during lifetime and in acute phase, of committing a suicidal attempt than patients with non-PMD.

Cognitive profiles in childhood and adolescence differ between adult psychotic and affective symptoms: a prospective birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Differences between verbal and non-verbal cognitive development from childhood to adulthood may differentiate between those with and without psychotic symptoms and affective symptoms in later life. However, there has been no study exploring this in a population-based cohort. METHOD: The sample was drawn from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, and consisted of 2384 study members with self-reported psychotic experiences and affective symptoms at the age of 53 years, and with complete cognitive data at the ages of 8 and 15 years. The association between verbal and non-verbal cognition at age 8 years and relative developmental lag from age 8 to 15 years, and both adult outcomes were tested with the covariates adjusted, and mutually adjusted for verbal and non-verbal cognition. RESULTS: Those with psychotic experiences [thought interference (n = 433), strange experience (n = 296), hallucination (n = 88)] had lower cognition at both the ages of 8 and 15 years in both verbal and non-verbal domains. After mutual adjustment, lower verbal cognition at age 8 years and greater verbal developmental lag were associated with higher likelihood of psychotic experiences within individuals, whereas there was no association between non-verbal cognition and any psychotic experience. In contrast, those with case-level affective symptoms (n = 453) had lower non-verbal cognition at age 15 years, and greater developmental lag in the non-verbal domain. After adjustment, lower non-verbal cognition at age 8 years and greater non-verbal developmental lag were associated with higher risk of case-level affective symptoms within individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cognitive profiles in childhood and adolescence differentiate psychiatric disease spectra.

The incidence of very late-onset psychotic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 1960-2016.

A substantial subset of people with psychotic disorders are first diagnosed in old age, yet little is known about the epidemiology of very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis. We investigated the incidence of affective and non-affective psychotic disorders in those aged 65 and above, and examined variation related to potential risk factors via systematic literature review. We searched PubMed, PsychInfo, Web of Science and bibliographies and directly contacted authors to obtain citations published between 1960 and 2016 containing (derivable) incidence data. Cases were those diagnosed with non-organic psychotic disorders after age 65. Findings were presented narratively, and random-effects meta-analyses were used to obtain pooled incidence rates. From 5687 citations, 41 met inclusion criteria. The pooled incidence of: affective psychoses was 30.9 per 100 000 person-years at risk (100 kpy) [95% confidence interval (CI) 11.5-83.4; I2 = 0.99], and schizophrenia was 7.5 per 100 kpy (95% CI 6.2-9.1; I2 = 0.99), with some evidence of higher schizophrenia rates in women [odds ratio (OR) = 1.6; 95% CI 1.0-2.5, p = 0.05]. We found narrative evidence of increasing incidence rates of non-affective psychoses with age, and higher rates amongst migrants than baseline populations, but no evidence that incidence varied by study quality or case ascertainment period (quality OR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.74-1.48; time period OR = 1.00; 95% CI 0.95-1.05). Substantial heterogeneity in the incidence of very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychoses was observed. No identified studies examined possible risk factors which may account for such variation, including socio-economic status, sensory impairment, traumatic life events, or social isolation.

Lifetime Prevalence and Correlates of Schizophrenia-Spectrum, Affective, and Other Non-affective Psychotic Disorders in the Chinese Adult Population.

Lifetime prevalence of psychotic disorders varies widely across studies. Epidemiological surveys have rarely examined prevalences of specific psychotic disorders other than schizophrenia, and the majority used a single-phase design without employing clinical reappraisal interview for diagnostic verification. The current study investigated lifetime prevalence, correlates and service utilization of schizophrenia-spectrum, affective, and other non-affective psychotic disorders in a representative sample of community-dwelling Chinese adult population aged 16-75 years (N = 5719) based on a territory-wide, population-based household survey for mental disorders in Hong Kong. The survey adopted a 2-phase design comprising first-phase psychosis screening and second-phase diagnostic verification incorporating clinical information from psychiatrist-administered semi-structured interview and medical record review to ascertain DSM-IV lifetime diagnosis for psychotic disorders. Data on sociodemographics, psychosocial characteristics and service utilization were collected. Our results showed that lifetime prevalence was 2.47% for psychotic disorder overall, 1.25% for schizophrenia, 0.15% for delusional disorder, 0.38% for psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, 0.31% for bipolar disorder with psychosis, and 0.33% for depressive disorder with psychosis. Schizophrenia-spectrum disorder was associated with family history of psychosis, cigarette smoking and variables indicating socioeconomic disadvantage. Victimization experiences were significantly related to affective psychoses and other non-affective psychoses. Around 80% of participants with any psychotic disorder sought some kind of professional help for mental health problems in the past year. Using comprehensive diagnostic assessment involving interview and record data, our results indicate that approximately 2.5% of Chinese adult population had lifetime psychotic disorder which represents a major public health concern.