Diagnosis Of Mental Health Disorders Research Articles

Exploring the interplay between coronary microvascular dysfunction and mental health

BackgroundThe intricate relationship between mental health disorders, notably anxiety and depression, and chest pain associated with non-obstructive coronary artery disease has become a focus of investigation. MethodsThis study from the Coronary Microvascular Disease Registry (CMDR) evaluated the association of mental health disorders and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) among patients with angina with no obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA)who had undergone comprehensive invasive physiological testing for CMD. Clinical data regarding baseline characteristics, comorbidities, and noninvasive cardiac testing were obtained from chart review. The primary outcome of interest was the potential relationship between mental health diagnoses and the presence of CMD. ResultsOf patients included in the CMDR, 27 % (41/152) had at least one documented mental health disorder diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes) and CMD. There was no difference in mental health diagnosis prevalence between CMD-positive and CMD-negative patients (21.1 % vs. 28.9 %, p = 0.34). The most common mental health diagnoses were depression (15.8 %) and anxiety (15.8 %). Furthermore, 46.3 % (19/41) of patients with mental health disorders were prescribed psychiatric medications, with the most common being benzodiazepines (26.8 %). ConclusionPatients with chest pain not due to CMD did not have an increased prevalence of mental health disorders compared with patients with ANOCA due to CMD, challenging the notion of a psychosomatic component in the pathogenesis of ANOCA.Clinical Trial Registration: Coronary Microvascular Disease Registry, clinicaltrials.gov, NCT05960474.

Lost mind, lost job? Unequal effects of corporate downsizings on employees

We investigate whether employees with mental health disorders are likelier to be laid off during corporate downsizings. Our study uses nationwide administrative data from all private sector firms and their employees in Finland from 2001 to 2017 and focuses on firms with at least 20 employees that reduced their workforce by at least 20% over two consecutive years. We analyse whether the employees who were laid off had more diagnosed mental health disorders prior to downsizing compared than those who were not laid off. Controlling for employee characteristics, our baseline results show that a mental health disorder diagnosis in the 3 years before downsizing increases the likelihood of being laid off by about 6 percentage points. This highlights the increased vulnerability of employees with mental health disorders in mass layoff situations.

When rare meets common: Treatable genetic diseases are enriched in the general psychiatric population.

Mental illnesses are one of the biggest contributors to the global disease burden. Despite the increased recognition, diagnosis and ongoing research of mental health disorders, the etiology and underlying molecular mechanisms of these disorders are yet to be fully elucidated. Moreover, despite many treatment options available, a large subset of the psychiatric patient population is nonresponsive to standard medications and therapies. There has not been a comprehensive study to date examining the burden and impact of treatable genetic disorders (TGDs) that can present with neuropsychiatric features in psychiatric patient populations. In this study, we test the hypothesis that TGDs that present with psychiatric symptoms are more prevalent within psychiatric patient populations compared to the general population by performing targeted next-generation sequencing of 129 genes associated with 108 TGDs in a cohort of 2301 psychiatric patients. In total, 48 putative affected and 180 putative carriers for TGDs were identified, with known or likely pathogenic variants in 79 genes. Despite screening for only 108 genetic disorders, this study showed a two-fold (2.09%) enrichment for genetic disorders within the psychiatric population relative to the estimated 1% cumulative prevalence of all single gene disorders globally. This strongly suggests that the prevalence of these, and most likely all, genetic diseases is greatly underestimated in psychiatric populations. Increasing awareness and ensuring accurate diagnosis of TGDs will open new avenues to targeted treatment for a subset of psychiatric patients.

Preoperative diagnosis of mental health disorder and dysphagia following anterior cervical spine surgery.

Mental health disorders (MHDs) have been linked to worse postoperative outcomes after various surgical procedures. Past studies have also demonstrated a higher prevalence of dysphagia in both acute and community mental health settings. Dysphagia is among the most common complications following anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS); however, current literature describing the association between an established diagnosis of an MHD and the rate of dysphagia after ACSS is sparse. All patients who underwent ACSS between 2014 and 2020 with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up were retrospectively evaluated at a single institution. Patients were divided into cohorts depending on an established diagnosis of an MHD: the first had no established MHD (non-MHD); the second included patients with a diagnosed MHD. Outcomes were measured using pre- and postoperative patient-reported outcome scores, which included the Swallowing Quality of Life survey for dysphagia, as well as physical and mental health questionnaires. Postoperative dysphagia surveys were obtained at final follow-up for both patient cohorts. A total of 68 and 124 patients with and without a diagnosis of a MHD were assessed. The MHD group reported significantly worse baseline Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System depression scale scores (p < 0.001), 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (p < 0.001), and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (p = 0.001) mental health components compared to non-MHD group. This group continued to have worse mental health status in the postoperative period, as reported by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System depression scale scores (p = 0.024), 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (p = 0.019), and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (p = 0.027). Postoperative assessment of Swallowing Quality of Life scores (expressed as the mean ± SD) also showed worse dysphagia outcomes in the MHD cohort (80.1 ± 12.2) than in the non-MHD cohort (86.0 ± 12.1, p = 0.001). ACSS is associated with significantly higher postoperative dysphagia in patients diagnosed with an MHD when compared to patients without an established mental health diagnosis. Given the high prevalence of MHDs in patients with spinal pathology, it is important for spine surgeons to take note of the increased incidence of dysphagia faced by this patient population.

Preliminary validation of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample

To assist psychiatrists and clinical psychologists to assess their patients’ psychological immune competence-based capacities and resources, depending on the mental health disorder diagnosis and the severity of the symptoms, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample. The research was carried out in four Hungarian healthcare facilities using a cross-sectional design. A total of 331 patients (140 male, 188 female, and 3 who preferred not to disclose their gender) completed the Mental Health Test, six well-being and mental health measures, and the Symptom Checklist-90. Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists reported the mental disorder status of each participant. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the five-factor model to the data for the clinical version of the Mental Health Test (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.034). High internal consistency coefficients (α: 0.70–0.84; ω: 0.71–0.85) and excellent external and content validity were reported. The test is not sensitive to sociodemographic indicators but is sensitive to the correlates of well-being and to the symptoms of different types of mental disorders. Our preliminary findings suggest that the Mental Health Test is a suitable measure for assessing mental health capacities and resources in psychiatric samples.

Pathways of depressive symptoms to self-harm and suicide warning signs during COVID-19 pandemic: The role of anxiety and related distress, dysfunction and somatization

BackgroundEarly in the COVID-19 pandemic, concern about widespread waves of depression and suicide emerged worldwide. Clarity on the relationship between mental health symptoms and warning signs of current self-harm or suicide thoughts and behaviors (ShSTB) in Mexican adults could be useful for designing effective public health policies and preventive strategies during health emergencies. ObjectiveThe present study uses a path model to explore the relationship between depressive symptoms, anxiety, and related distress, dysfunction, and somatization with ShSTB warning signs in Mexican adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also describes the relative risks of these mental health variables for men and women, and for those who were seeking psychological care versus those who were not. MethodThe study was conducted with 18,449 Mexicans (M = 33 years, SD = 11.00, range = 18–59), including 12,188 women (66.10 %) and 2706 (14.67 %) who were seeking psychological care. A web-based application included two multidimensional screening scales to evaluate depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms and related distress/dysfunction, as well as past and current ShSTB. Based on the participants' sex, the entire sample was randomly divided into two sub-samples to compare and replicate the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results, getting evidence of the multidimensionality of the scales. With the two sub-samples, we also tested the nested models from a structural equation model (SEM) to suggest a relationship between mental health and self-harm/suicide variables. FindingsOur findings suggest that 31 % of participants were at risk for depression, 42.30 % for anxiety, 38.30 % for Marked Distress, Dysfunction and Somatization (MDDS), 33.30 % for at least one ShSTB, and 4.20 % for Previous Self Harm Thoughts and Behaviors (PShTB) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A greater percentage of women and participants seeking psychological care showed high levels of mental health symptoms, PShTB, MDDS, and ShSTB. The path model suggested a direct influence of PShTB and MDDS on ShSTB. Depression symptoms lead to ShSTB in three possible ways: through PShTB, PShTB affecting MDDS, and generalized anxiety affecting MDDS. Discussion and outlookThe pandemic was accompanied by a high prevalence of depression-anxiety, marked distress, dysfunction and somatization and self-harm/suicide thoughts and behaviors. The findings of this study suggest evidence over the well-known association between depression and anxiety, and between depression, previous self-harm thoughts and behaviors, and self-harm/suicide. The evidence suggests to distinguish when participants were suffering from MDDS and anxious depression from those only suffering from depression. The methodological conditions of the study suggest a comprehensive model of ShSTB prevention. Findings also suggest the need to care for Mexicans with depressive symptoms and PShTB as well as those suffering from anxious depression with MDDS to prevent suicide, by implementing effective public health policies and preventive strategies to reduce the mental health gap during health emergencies. LimitationsThis research was a cross-sectional study, suggesting that future analyses should focus on the evaluation of its consistency with confirmed diagnoses of mental health disorders, self-harm/suicide risks, and the effect of remote psychological help to address these problems.

ChatGPT is not ready yet for use in providing mental health assessment and interventions.

Psychiatry is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health disorders. With advancements in technology and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), there has been a growing interest in exploring the potential of AI language models systems, such as Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer (ChatGPT), to assist in the field of psychiatry. Our study aimed to evaluates the effectiveness, reliability and safeness of ChatGPT in assisting patients with mental health problems, and to assess its potential as a collaborative tool for mental health professionals through a simulated interaction with three distinct imaginary patients. Three imaginary patient scenarios (cases A, B, and C) were created, representing different mental health problems. All three patients present with, and seek to eliminate, the same chief complaint (i.e., difficulty falling asleep and waking up frequently during the night in the last 2°weeks). ChatGPT was engaged as a virtual psychiatric assistant to provide responses and treatment recommendations. In case A, the recommendations were relatively appropriate (albeit non-specific), and could potentially be beneficial for both users and clinicians. However, as complexity of clinical cases increased (cases B and C), the information and recommendations generated by ChatGPT became inappropriate, even dangerous; and the limitations of the program became more glaring. The main strengths of ChatGPT lie in its ability to provide quick responses to user queries and to simulate empathy. One notable limitation is ChatGPT inability to interact with users to collect further information relevant to the diagnosis and management of a patient's clinical condition. Another serious limitation is ChatGPT inability to use critical thinking and clinical judgment to drive patient's management. As for July 2023, ChatGPT failed to give the simple medical advice given certain clinical scenarios. This supports that the quality of ChatGPT-generated content is still far from being a guide for users and professionals to provide accurate mental health information. It remains, therefore, premature to conclude on the usefulness and safety of ChatGPT in mental health practice.

Pregnancy characteristics and outcomes among birthing individuals with a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) can have adverse effects on health outcomes throughout the life course. Adults with FAS have an increased risk of chronic and infectious diseases. Although these conditions can affect reproductive health, few have described perinatal outcomes among individuals with an FAS diagnosis. We analyzed data from the Study of Mothers and Infants, an administrative birth cohort derived from California birth certificates linked with a hospital discharge database. The cohort consisted of 7.3 million singleton, live births between 2005 and 2021. FAS was identified by International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes in maternal hospital discharge records. Pregnancy and birth outcomes were captured via ICD codes in maternal or infant records. We performed descriptive analyses for pregnancy and birth outcomes by maternal FAS diagnosis. There were 35 babies born to 30 individuals with an FAS diagnosis between 2005 and 2021 (0.5/100,000 live births). The prevalence of births to individuals with an FAS diagnosis increased over the period. Individuals with an FAS diagnosis were more likelyto identify as non-Hispanic White, or "other/multiple" race, and less likely to be Hispanic than those without FAS. They were also more likely to be publicly insured and less than 18 years old. Birthing individuals with FAS were also more likely to use nicotine during pregnancy and to have diagnoses of mental health disorders, epilepsy, substance use disorders, preexisting or gestational hypertension, and sexually transmitted infections or other infections complicating pregnancy. Infants of individuals with FAS were more likely to be born prematurely or small for gestational age and be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. These findings highlight the need for improved recognition of FAS among birthing people. The results suggest that individuals with FAS would benefit from early and sustained medical care prior to pregnancy to optimize perinatal outcomes.

Predictors of placement instability for sexually abused children served by child protection services

For children placed in out-of-home care, experiencing placement instability is associated with deleterious mental health effects. As children in out-of-home care due to sexual abuse are generally found to experience more placement instability than those who never experienced sexual abuse, the main objective was to determine risk factors for their heightened risk of placement instability. A secondary objective was to determine whether prior mental health problems are associated with their risk of placement instability. This study combined data from public health services and a child protective agency. Two hundred and two sexually abused children who experienced out-of-home care at least once between 2001 and 2021 were included. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to determine whether sex, age, socioeconomic status, type of first out-of-home care setting, and mental health disorder diagnoses before subjects’ placement were associated with subsequent out-of-home placement instability. Analyses suggest that sexually abused children placed in out-of-home care face a greater risk of placement instability when they received a prior diagnosis of an internalizing disorder and when they were first placed in foster rather than kinship care. Understanding which factors may predispose sexually abused children in out-of-home care to experience greater placement instability can help practitioners and program implementers identify which placed children may need increased support. Attachment-based interventions could prevent placement disruptions and their associated mental health consequences.

Evaluating experiences of HIV-related stigma among people living with HIV diagnosed in different treatment eras in British Columbia, Canada

ABSTRACT There is mixed evidence on whether experiences of HIV-related stigma are mitigated with lived experience. We sought to examine whether people living with HIV (PLWH) with longer living experience reported varying levels of HIV-related stigma. Between January 2016-September 2018, we used purposive sampling to enrol PLWH aged ≥19 across British Columbia, Canada, where participants completed the 10-item Berger HIV Stigma Scale. We conducted bivariate analyzes examining key sociodemographic characteristics and HIV-related stigma scores. Multivariable linear regression modelled the association between year of HIV diagnosis by treatment era and HIV-related stigma scores. We enrolled 644 participants; median age at enrolment was 50 years (Q1–Q3: 42–56), with 37.4% (n = 241) diagnosed before the year 2000. The median HIV-stigma scores of all participants (19.0, Q1–Q3: 13–25, range 0–40) stratified by treatment era were: 17.0 (pre-1996), 20.0 (1996–1999), 20.0 (2000–2009), 19.0 (2010–2018) (p = 0.03). While there was a significant association at the univariate level, year of HIV diagnosis by treatment era was not associated with stigma scores after controlling for age, gender, HIV key populations, ethnicity, relationship status, social support, and ever having a mental health disorder diagnosis. This suggests that PLWH still experience HIV-related stigma today, compared to those diagnosed in earlier time periods.

P095 Factors associated with sleep and mental health problems following athletic retirement

Abstract Introduction Despite growing research on the sleep and mental health of athletes, there is limited literature on their sleep health following retirement from sport. The aim of this study was to investigate potential factors associated with symptoms of sleep and mental health disorders in former athletes. Methods Former athletes (N=173, 50% women) who retired from any sport or competition level ≤20 years ago completed an online survey, consisting of the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), Personal Wellbeing Index-Adult (PWI-A), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R), and Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). Results Self-disclosed lifetime diagnosis of sleep disorder(s) and mental health disorder(s) was reported by 28.3% and 45.1% of former athletes, respectively. Binary logistic regressions showed that age (OR=0.95[95% CI:0.92, 0.99], p=.007) and gender (OR=2.28[95% CI:1.09, 4.79], p=.029) were associated with anxiety symptoms, with women and younger ex-athletes presenting greater risk. Increased BMI was associated with risk for sleep disordered breathing (OR=1.20[95% CI:1.10, 1.30], p&amp;lt;.001), sleep difficulty (OR=1.13[95% CI:1.03, 1.23], p=.008), and poor wellbeing (OR=0.91[95% CI:0.85, 0.98], p=.010). Those who placed a lower priority on sport whilst competing had greater risk for sleep disordered breathing (OR=2.00[95% CI:1.05, 3.80], p=.035). Recency of retirement was not associated with any measures. Discussion Findings indicate that former athletes are not exempt from poor sleep and mental ill-health. Results provide preliminary insight into predictive factors for difficulty transitioning out of sport. Future longitudinal research should consider the interplay between sport reintegration and the timing of sleep and mental health problems.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Psychological and Mental Health Promotion: An Opinion Piece

The digital revolution has made integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the medical sector easier. AI is currently being used to speed up the detection of diseases in their early stages, facilitate the delineation and understanding of disease variations, and improve optimised treatment protocols. Psychology is no exception, as new role players have emerged, most notably the incorporation of AI into both psychological research and clinical practice. However, there is an apparent unease with AI as a technological breakthrough advancing science in mental health, such as data privacy, national guidelines on the use of AI, successful integration of users into the clinical setting and empathy, compared to human psychologists. Regardless, AI functions in psychology are gradually snowballing. We present an opinion on the impact of AI on improving mental health based on the exploration of available published evidence. We highlight the potential of AI in improving mental health care through mental health disorder detection, diagnosis, treatment, and public health education. The article also discusses the potential challenges and future directions, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and developing novel AI-based approaches to improve mental health outcomes.

Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19 in Predominantly Immunonaive Patients: A Canadian Prospective Population-Based Study.

Background: Lingering symptoms are frequently reported after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, a condition known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC). The duration and severity of PCC in immunologically naïve persons remain unclear. Furthermore, the long-term consequences of these chronic symptoms on work and mental health are poorly documented. Objective: To determine the outcome, the risk factors, and the impact on work and mental health associated with post-COVID-19 symptoms. Methods: This prospective population-based study assessed acute COVID-19 symptoms and their evolution for up to nine months following infection. Individuals aged 18 years and older with COVID-19 in three Canadian regions between 1 November 2020 and 31 May 2021 were recruited. Participants completed a questionnaire that was either administered by trained student investigators over the phone or self-administered online. Results: A total of 1349 participants with a mean age of 46.6 ± 16.0 years completed the questionnaire. Participants were mostly unvaccinated at the time of their COVID-19 episode (86.9%). Six hundred and twenty-two participants (48.0%) exhibited one symptom or more, at least three months post-COVID-19. Among participants with PCC, 23.0% to 37.8% experienced fatigue at the time of survey. Moreover, 6.1% expressed psychological distress. Risk factors for PCC and fatigue included female sex (OR = 1.996), higher number of symptoms (OR = 1.292), higher severity of episode (OR = 3.831), and having a mental health condition prior to the COVID-19 episode (OR = 5.155). Conclusions: In this multicenter cohort study, almost half (47%) of the participants reported persistent symptoms >3 months after acute infection. Baseline risk factors for PCC include female sex, number and severity of symptoms during acute infection, and a previous diagnosis of mental health disorder. Having PCC negatively impacted health-related quality of life and these patients were more likely to exhibit psychological distress, as well as fatigue.

Disparities in use of physical restraints at an urban, minority-serving hospital emergency department.

Recent reports have identified associations between patient race and ethnicity and use of physical restraint while receiving care in the emergency department (ED). However, no study has assessed this relationship in hospitals primarily treating patients of color and underserved populations. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and the use of restraints in an ED population at a minority-serving, safety-net institution. For this cross-sectional study, chart review identified all adult patients presenting to the Boston Medical Center ED between January 2018 and April 2021. Generalized estimating equation logistic regression modeling was conducted to evaluate associations between race and use of restraints. Of 348,384 ED visits (22.9% White, 46.7% Black, 23.1% Hispanic), 1852 (0.5%) had an associated physical restraint order. Multivariable models showed significant interactions (p = 0.02) between race/ethnicity, behavioral health diagnosis, and sex on the primary outcome of physical restraint. Stratified analysis revealed that among patients with no behavioral health diagnoses, Black (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34-0.72, p = 0.0003) and Hispanic (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.20-0.63, p = 0.0004) patients had lower odds of restraint than White patients. Among female patients with a mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnosis, Black (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49-2.54, p < 0.0001) and Hispanic (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.49-3.03, p < 0.0001) patients had higher odds of restraint than White patients. Similar trends were observed for Black male patients (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.34-1.91, p < 0.0001) but not for Hispanic male patients (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.73-1.26, p = 0.77) with behavioral health diagnoses who had similar odds of restraint to White patients. Additional factors associated with physical restraint include younger age, public or lack of insurance, and ED visits during the pandemic. Racial disparities exist in restraint utilization at this minority-serving safety-net hospital; however, these disparities are modified by sex and by behavioral health diagnoses. The reasons for these disparities may be multifactorial and warrant further investigation.

Depressive Symptoms, the Impact on ART Continuation, and Factors Associated with Symptom Improvement Among a Cohort of People Living with HIV in British Columbia, Canada.

Depressive symptoms among people living with HIV (PLWH) are associated with poorer overall health outcomes. We characterized depressive symptoms and improvements in symptomology among PLWH (≥ 19 years old) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We also examined associations between depressive symptomology and antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment interruptions. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10), within a longitudinal cohort study with three surveys administered 18-months apart. We used multivariable logistic regression to model factors associated with improvements in depressive symptoms (CES-D-10 scores from ≥ 10 to < 10). Of the 566 participants eligible for analysis 273 (48.2%) had CES-D scores indicating significant depressive symptoms (score ≥ 10) at enrollment. Improvements in symptoms at first follow-up were associated with greater HIV self-care on the Continuity of Care Scale (adjusted odds ratio: 1.17; 95% CI 1.03-1.32), and not having a previously reported mental health disorder diagnosis (aOR 2.86; 95% CI 1.01-8.13). Those reporting current cocaine use (aOR 0.33; 95% CI 0.12-0.91) and having a high school education, vs. less than, (aOR 0.25; 95% CI 0.08-0.82) had lower odds of improvement in depressive symptomatology. CES-D scores ≥ 10 were not significantly associated with ART treatment interruptions during follow-up (aOR: 1.08; 95% CI:0.65-1.8). Supporting greater self-care and consideration of mental health management strategies in relation to HIV may be useful in promoting the wellbeing of PLWH who experience depressive symptoms.

Alcohol relapse prevention health care after alcohol withdrawal in New South Wales prisons, Australia: A patient file review.

People who enter custody have complex health issues and comorbidities may include alcohol use disorders. We investigated clinical service provision and comorbidities recorded among individuals with a likely alcohol withdrawal syndrome within prison in New South Wales, Australia. For this clinical case series review, electronic medical data were used to identify 50 people entering custody between August and November 2018 who likely had a treated alcohol withdrawal syndrome. We aimed for a 3:2 ratio of men and women, and a 1:1 ratio of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals. Data were extracted using a purposefully designed tool which included current alcohol withdrawal management, comorbidities and alcohol relapse prevention approaches used or recommended. Thirty-eight men and 12 women, of whom 22 were Aboriginal, were included. Twenty-nine individuals (58%) reported a history of medical comorbidities. Thirty-five (70%) reported using other substances and over half (60%) had a diagnosis of mental health disorders. Fourteen (28%) individuals had a record of receiving brief intervention and five (10%) of motivational interviewing. Twenty-three individuals (46%) were referred to and seen by drug and alcohol clinicians. Only seven (14%) of the sample had pre-release community care plans. Individuals treated for an alcohol withdrawal syndrome in New South Wales prisons have a high prevalence of medical comorbidities and other substance use. Clinical interventions focused on alcohol withdrawal management, and relapse prevention interventions were not recorded for most individuals. Service innovation and expansion are needed to increase the provision of post-withdrawal management.

Prevalence and factors associated with suicidal ideation, cannabis, and alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan: findings from a joint-effect modeling

BackgroundGenerally, pandemics such as COVID-19 take an enormous toll on people’s lives. As the pandemic now turns to an endemic state, growing attention has been paid to the multiple adverse mental health and behavioral issues, such as suicidal ideation and substance use. However, the interplay of suicidality and substance misuse during the pandemic has been limited. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of co-occurrence of suicide ideation, alcohol and cannabis misuse, and the factors that are associated with these co-occurrences in the province of Saskatchewan during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe performed a multivariable trivariate probit regression on a sample of 666 Saskatchewan adolescents and adults (16 years or older), drawn from the cycle 10 data collection (March 2022) of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (MHCC-CCSA) dataset.ResultsThe prevalence of suicidal ideation was higher among respondents who reported both problematic cannabis and alcohol use (25.8%) than single users of alcohol (23.2%) and cannabis (18.7%). Younger respondents (16–34 years) and those who reported recent changes in other substance use were independent factors that were associated with the common experience of suicide ideation, problematic cannabis, and alcohol use. Having a diagnosis of mental health disorders either before or during the pandemic, and the perceived inability to bounce back after the pandemic (low resilience) are strong correlates of suicidal ideation. Those who lived alone, between 35 and 55 years of age were more likely to report problematic alcohol use. Those who reported changes in alternative activities, who reported pandemic stress, and declared a LGBTQIA2S + identity had higher probability of problematic cannabis use.ConclusionsAs the pandemic persists, improving access to suicide and substance use interventions for the vulnerable groups identified in this study may be impactful.

Do small high schools affect rates of risky health behaviors and poor mental health among low-income teenagers? Evidence from New York city

ABSTRACT We evaluate the impacts of small high schools on youth risky behaviors and mental health in New York City, using a two-sample-instrumental-variable approach to address endogenous school enrollment. We find heterogeneous effects. School size, overall, has little effect. Among students most likely to attend small schools opened after an educational-achievement-oriented reform, however, diagnoses of violence-associated injuries and mental health disorders increased. Among students most likely to attend traditional small schools opened prior to the reform, pregnancy rates and diagnoses of mental health disorders declined. School focus is more important than school size as a determinant of student well-being outcomes.

Lifetime Incidence of Treated Mental Health Disorders and Psychotropic Drug Prescriptions and Associated Socioeconomic Functioning

Few studies have estimated the lifetime incidence of mental health disorders and the association with socioeconomic functioning. To investigate whether the lifetime incidence of treated mental health disorders is substantially higher than previously reported and estimate associations with long-term socioeconomic difficulties. This nationwide population-based register linkage study includes a randomly selected sample of 1.5 million individuals from the population of Denmark from 1995 to 2018. Data were analyzed from May 2022 to March 2023. Lifetime incidence of any treated mental health disorder in the general population was estimated from birth to age 100 years taking into account the competing risk of all-cause death and associations with socioeconomic functioning. Register measures were (1) from hospitals, a diagnosis of any mental health disorder at an inpatient/outpatient hospital contact; (2) from hospitals and prescription statistics, any mental health disorder/psychotropic prescription, including a hospital-contact diagnosis, or any psychotropic medication prescribed by physicians, including general practitioners or private psychiatrists; and (3) socioeconomic functioning as indicated by highest educational achievement, employment, income, residential status, and marital status. Among a sample of 462 864 individuals with any mental health disorder, the median (IQR) age was 36.6 years (21.0-53.6 years), 233 747 (50.5%) were male, and 229 117 (49.5%) were female. Of these, 112 641 were registered with a hospital-contact mental health disorder diagnosis and 422 080 with a prescription of psychotropic medication. The cumulative incidence of a hospital-contact mental health disorder diagnosis was 29.0% (95% CI, 28.8-29.1), 31.8% (95% CI, 31.6-32.0) for females, and 26.1% (95% CI, 25.9-26.3) for males. When also considering psychotropic prescriptions, the cumulative incidence of any mental health disorder/psychotropic prescription was 82.6% (95% CI, 82.4-82.6), 87.5% (95% CI, 87.4-87.7) for females, and 76.7% (95% CI, 76.5-76.8) for males. Socioeconomic difficulties were associated with mental health disorder/psychotropic prescriptions, including lower income (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.53-1.56), increased unemployment or disability benefit (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 2.47-2.53), and a greater likelihood of living alone (HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.76-1.80) and being unmarried (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 2.01-2.04) during long-term follow-up. These rates were confirmed in 4 sensitivity analyses with the lowest being 74.8% (95% CI, 74.7-75.0) (1) by using varying exclusion periods, (2) by excluding prescriptions of anxiolytics and quetiapine that may be used for off-label indications, (3) by defining any mental health disorder/psychotropic prescription as any hospital-contact mental health disorder diagnosis or any psychotropic medication prescribed at least 2 times, and (4) by excluding individuals with somatic diagnoses for which psychotropics may be prescribed off-label. This registry study of data from a large representative sample of the Danish population showed that the majority of individuals either received a diagnosis of a mental health disorder or were prescribed psychotropic medication during their lifetime, which was associated with subsequent socioeconomic difficulties. These findings may help change our understanding of normalcy and mental illness, reduce stigmatization, and further prompt rethinking the primary prevention of mental illness and future mental health clinical resources.

Phenotypic distinctions in depression and anxiety: a comparative analysis of comorbid and isolated cases.

Anxiety and depression are frequently comorbid yet phenotypically distinct. This study identifies differences in the clinically observable phenome across a wide variety of physical and mental disorders comparing patients with diagnoses of depression without anxiety, anxiety without depression, or both depression and anxiety. Using electronic health records for 14 994 participants with depression and/or anxiety in the Mayo Clinic Biobank, a phenotype-based phenome-wide association study (Phe2WAS) was performed to test for differences between these groups across a broad range of clinical diagnoses observed in the electronic health record. Additional analyses were performed to determine the temporal sequencing of diagnoses. Compared to patients diagnosed only with anxiety, those diagnosed only with depression were more likely to have diagnoses of obesity (OR 1.75; p = 1 × 10-27), sleep apnea (OR 1.71; p = 1 × 10-22), and type II diabetes (OR 1.74; p = 9 × 10-18). Compared to those diagnosed only with depression, those diagnosed only with anxiety were more likely to have diagnoses of palpitations (OR 1.91; p = 2 × 10-25), benign skin neoplasms (OR 1.61; p = 2 × 10-17), and cardiac dysrhythmias (OR 1.45; p = 2 × 10-12). Patients with comorbid depression and anxiety were more likely to have diagnoses of other mental health disorders, substance use disorders, sleep problems, and gastroesophageal reflux relative to isolated depression. While depression and anxiety are closely related, this study suggests that phenotypic distinctions exist between depression and anxiety. Improving phenotypic characterization within the broad categories of depression and anxiety could improve the clinical assessment of depression and anxiety.