In: Child abuse & neglect: the international journal ; official journal of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Band 99, S. 104254
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorder (SUD) often co-occur. Both disorders are characterized by impulsive choice. However, little is known about the effects of substance misuse (SM) and family history of SUD (FH) on impulsive choice in ADHD-SUD comorbidity. Impulsive choice is also linked to callous-unemotional (CU) traits, which are suggested to play a role in ADHD-SUD comorbidity. Our aim was to examine the effects of (1) FH and (2) SM on impulsive choice, while exploring the role of CU traits. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Impulsive choice was assessed with the delay discounting (DD) task. We compared task performance across (1) ADHD patients and controls with or without FH of SUD (ADHD FH+: <i>n</i> = 86; ADHD FH−: <i>n</i> = 63; control FH+: <i>n</i> = 49; control FH−: <i>n</i> = 72; mean age of the whole sample [<i>n</i> = 270]: 16.39, SD: 3.43) and (2) family history-matched ADHD groups with and without SM and controls (ADHD + SM: <i>n</i> = 62; ADHD-only: <i>n</i> = 62; controls: <i>n</i> = 62; mean age of the whole sample [<i>n</i> = 186]: 18.01, SD: 2.71). Effects of CU traits were explored by adding this as a covariate in all analyses. <b><i>Results:</i></b> (1) There was no main effect of FH on DD. (2) We found increased DD in ADHD + SM compared to ADHD-only and no difference between ADHD-only and controls. Finally, increased DD was associated with increased callous traits only in ADHD FH+ and control FH+. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> In adolescents and young adults with ADHD, high impulsive choice might only be present in those with comorbid SM and in an FH+ subgroup with high callous traits. This suggests that impulsive choice in ADHD might result from (1) effects of SM and (2) a combined effect of SUD vulnerability and high callousness. Future studies should investigate efficacy of early interventions, targeting CU traits.
Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are a major contributor to the global burden of disease, and have huge societal impact. Some studies show that AUD patients carrying the G-allele of the <i>OPRM1</i> variant c.118A>G respond better to naltrexone, resulting in reduced relapse rates compared to carriers of the AA genotype. Genotype-guided treatment allocation of these patients carrying a G-allele to naltrexone could potentially improve the treatment outcome. However, cost-effectiveness of this strategy should be investigated before considering clinical implementation. We, therefore, evaluated costs and Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs), using a modelling approach, from an European perspective, of genotype-guided treatment allocation (G-allele carriers receiving naltrexone; AA homozygotes acamprosate or naltrexone) compared to standard care (random treatment allocation to acamprosate or naltrexone), by using a Markov model. Genotype-guided treatment allocation resulted in incremental costs of EUR 66 (95% CI –28 to 149) and incremental effects of 0.005 QALYs (95% CI 0.000–0.011) per patient (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of EUR 13,350 per QALY). Sensitivity analyses showed that the risk ratio to relapse after treatment allocation had the largest impact on the cost-effectiveness. Depending on the willingness to pay for a gain of one QALY, probabilities that the intervention is cost-effective varies between 6 and 79%. In conclusion, pharmacogenetic treatment allocation of AUD patients to naltrexone, based on <i>OPRM1</i> genotype, can be a cost-effective strategy, and could have potential individual and societal benefits. However, more evidence on the impact of genotype-guided treatment allocation on relapse is needed to substantiate these conclusions, as there is contradictory evidence about the effectiveness of <i>OPRM1</i> genotyping.
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Substance use disorders (SUDs) among physicians affect their health, quality of life, but potentially also their quality of care. Despite the availability of effective specific Physician Health Programs (PHPs), physicians with SUD often experience barriers when seeking professional help. Therefore, we studied barriers and facilitators when seeking help for SUD among physicians from a multiple perspective approach. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A qualitative design was adopted for 2 sub-studies. First, answers of 2 open-ended questions (about anticipated barriers and facilitators) of an existing questionnaire were analyzed. This questionnaire was filled out by 1,685 general physicians (response rate = 47%). The answers of these open-ended questions were coded inductively. Second, 21 semi-structured interviews (about experienced barriers and facilitators) were performed with physician SUD-patients, significant others, and PHP employees. Themes identified in the first sub-study were used to deductively code the interview transcripts. Results were reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Barriers were found at the level of the individual physician (negative feelings and lack of disease awareness), whereas facilitators were found at the level of social relationships (confrontation with SUD and social support) and health services (supportive approach, good accessibility, and positive image of services). The interviews emphasized the importance of nonjudgmental confrontation by social relationships in the process of seeking help for SUD. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Physicians with SUD face barriers when seeking help for SUD mostly at the level of the individual physician. Health services and people around physicians with SUD could facilitate the help-seeking process by offering confidential and nonpunitive support. Future studies should explore whether the barriers and facilitators identified in this study also hold for other mental health issues.
<b><i>Background:</i></b> The Dutch multi-ethnic Healthy Life in an Urban Setting study recently showed that alcohol consumption was lower in ethnic minority groups than those of Dutch origin, but that binge drinking in drinkers of Turkish and Moroccan origin was relatively high. The aim of the current study is to examine factors that may contribute to the differences in drinking patterns and how they relate to the relationship between drinking patterns and alcohol dependence (AD) across ethnic groups. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The rate of last year alcohol use, alcohol use patterns and AD was assessed in 4,635 Dutch, 4,317 Moroccan, 4,036 Turkish, 2,459 Ghanaian, 4,426 African Surinamese and 3,357 South-Asian Surinamese participants (both men and women) born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to the Dutch, the prevalence of (regular) drinking is substantially lower in all ethnic minority groups and regular drinkers among most ethnic minority groups have a lower adjusted risk to develop binge drinking and AD than the Dutch. For the prevalence of regular drinking, the ethnic differences are bigger than for the prevalence of current drinking. However, regular drinkers of Moroccan origin have a risk similar to the Dutch to develop binge drinking and AD; a finding that could not be explained by group differences in age, sex, religiosity, perceived discrimination, depression or guilt feelings about drinking. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> The prevalence data show that current drinking is lower and that regular drinking is much lower in ethnic minorities and – with the exception of those of Moroccan origin – ethnic minority regular drinkers also have a significant lower risk to develop binge drinking or AD than regular drinkers of Dutch origin. This implies that the magnitude of problematic alcohol use is substantially smaller in ethnic minorities than in the ethnic Dutch population of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, no explanation was found for the special risk situation of regular drinkers of Moroccan origin.
Neurobiological models to explain vulnerability of major depressive disorder (MDD) are scarce and previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies mostly examined "static" functional connectivity (FC). Knowing that FC constantly evolves over time, it becomes important to assess how FC dynamically differs in remitted‐MDD patients vulnerable for new depressive episodes. Using a recently developed method to examine dynamic FC, we characterized re‐emerging FC states during rest in 51 antidepressant‐free MDD patients at high risk of recurrence (≥2 previous episodes), and 35 healthy controls. We examined differences in occurrence, duration, and switching profiles of FC states after neutral and sad mood induction. Remitted MDD patients showed a decreased probability of an FC state (p < 0.005) consisting of an extensive network connecting frontal areas—important for cognitive control—with default mode network, striatum, and salience areas, involved in emotional and self‐referential processing. Even when this FC state was observed in patients, it lasted shorter (p < 0.005) and was less likely to switch to a smaller prefrontal–striatum network (p < 0.005). Differences between patients and controls decreased after sad mood induction. Further, the duration of this FC state increased in remitted patients after sad mood induction but not in controls (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest reduced ability of remitted‐MDD patients, in neutral mood, to access a clinically relevant control network involved in the interplay between externally and internally oriented attention. When recovering from sad mood, remitted recurrent MDD appears to employ a compensatory mechanism to access this FC state. This study provides a novel neurobiological profile of MDD vulnerability. ; This study is supported by unrestricted personal grants from the Academic Medical Centre to C.A.F. (AMC MD‐PhD Scholarship) and Dr. R.J.M. (AMC PhD Scholarship) and a dedicated grant from the Dutch Brain Foundation (Hersenstichting The Netherlands: 2009(2)‐72). Dr. J.C. was supported under the project NORTE‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000023, by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). Dr. G.D. is supported by the Spanish Research Project PSI2016‐75688‐P (AEI/FEDER) and by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under the Specific Grant Agreement No. 785907 (Human Brain Project SGA2). Dr. M.L.K. is supported by the ERC Consolidator Grant: CAREGIVING (no. 615539) and Center for Music in the Brain, funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF117). Dr. H.G.R. is supported by a NWO/ZonMW VENI‐Grant #016.126.059. Dr. PE acknowledges support from the EPSRC award EP/N014529/1 funding the EPSRC Centre for Mathematics of Precision Healthcare at Imperial.
Abstract Background Irregular migrants (IMs) are exposed to a wide range of risk factors for developing mental health problems. However, little is known about whether and how they receive mental health care across European countries. The aims of this study were (1) to identify barriers to mental health care for IMs, and (2) to explore ways by which these barriers are overcome in practice. Methods Data from semi-structured interviews with 25 experts in the field of mental health care for IMs in the capital cities of 14 European countries were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Experts reported a range of barriers to mental health care for IMs. These include the absence of legal entitlements to health care in some countries or a lack of awareness of such entitlements, administrative obstacles, a shortage of culturally sensitive care, the complexity of the social needs of IMs, and their fear of being reported and deported. These barriers can be partly overcome by networks of committed professionals and supportive services. NGOs have become important initial points of contact for IMs, providing mental health care themselves or referring IMs to other suitable services. However, these services are often confronted with the ethical dilemma of either acting according to the legislation and institutional rules or providing care for humanitarian reasons, which involves the risk of acting illegally and providing care without authorisation. Conclusions Even in countries where access to health care is legally possible for IMs, various other barriers remain. Some of these are common to all migrants, whilst others are specific for IMs. Attempts at improving mental health care for IMs should consider barriers beyond legal entitlement, including communicating information about entitlement to mental health care professionals and patients, providing culturally sensitive care and ensuring sufficient resources.