Analysis of the impulsive aggression and decision-making ability in the inpatients with amphetamine-type stimulants-induced psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Objective To understand the characteristics of impulsive aggression and the ability of decision-making in the inpatients with amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS)-induced psychiatric disorder, and explore their changes before and after treatment with antipsychotic drugs. Methods One hundred inpatients (patient group) who met the diagnostic criterion of ATS-induced psychiatric disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the fourth edition (DSM-Ⅳ) and 100 ATS-free healthy persons (control group) who matched with sex and age were recruited. The patient group was treated with antipsychotic drugs for 4 weeks, the impulsive-aggression and decision-making ability were assessed with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS), Barratt Aggressive Scale (BAS) and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT).One-sample t test, independent-sample t test and repeated measures ANOVA were employed to analyze the differences between the two groups. Results (1) The scores of BIS and BAS of patient group at baseline were significant higher than the control group ((97.01±20.04) vs. (62.56±11.59), t=13.45, P=0.000; and （91.15±20.83) vs. (57.78±13.48), t=14.88, P=0.000). Although the scores of second assessment after treatment in patient group were decreased significantly ((68.02±13.17) vs. (97.01±20.04)，t=11.95，P=0.000；(61.78±13.38) vs. (91.15±20.83)，t=11.86，P=0.000), they were still higher than the control group ((68.02±13.17) vs. (62.56±11.59)，t=3.05，P=0.000；(61.78±13.38) vs. (57.78±13.48)，t=2.11，P=0.037). (2) The IGT scores of the patient group after antipsychotic drugs treatment were higher than that at baseline, however both of the scores were lower than the control group. Conclusion The inpatients with ATS-induced psychiatric disorders show both higher impulsive aggression and lower decision-making ability. These phenomena could be significantly improved after a 4-week treatment of antipsychotic drug, but they may still be worse than those of the ATS-free healthy person. Key words: Amphetamine; Mental disorders; Personality disorders; Decision-making ability