Glial Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Scoping Review.

Background: Psychotic disorders, characterized by altered brain function, significantly impair reality perception. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis suggests these disorders originate from early brain development disruptions. Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is crucial for neuronal survival and differentiation, especially in dopaminergic neurons, and shows promise in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions.

New insight in psychotic cannabis withdrawal: case series and brief overview.

Background: Cannabis is the most used recreational drug worldwide. Its use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders and exacerbate their course. However, little is known about the relationship between psychosis and withdrawal and the literature is still scarce.

Comparative analysis of third-generation antipsychotics in first-episode schizophrenia: efficacy, safety, and cognitive impacts. A narrative review.

Background And Objectives: Schizophrenia is a chronic, complex mental health disorder requiring effective management to mitigate its broad personal and societal impacts. This narrative review assesses the efficacy, effectiveness, and side effects of third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs) like aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, and cariprazine, focusing on their use in first-episode schizophrenia. These drugs aim to reduce side effects typical of earlier antipsychotics while more effectively addressing positive and cognitive symptoms.

Rethinking Mental Automatism: De Clérambault's Theory in the Age of Novel Psychoactive Drugs: Psychotropic Effects and Synthetic Psychosis.

The widespread use of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs)-defined as new narcotic or psychotropic agents not classified under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971-poses a significant challenge to contemporary mental health paradigms due to their impact on psychiatric disorders. This study revisits and expands upon the theory of mental automatism as proposed by Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault, aiming to elucidate the psychopathological mechanisms underlying substance-induced psychoses (SIP) and their distinction from non-induced psychoses (schizophrenia and related disorders). Through a phenomenological and clinical investigation, we explore the relevance of mental automatism in the development of toxic psychoses, drawing upon the historical and contemporary literature.

Efficacy and suitability of adding short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) to pharmacotherapy in patients with depressive disorders: a systematic review.

Introduction: Recent guidelines on depressive disorders suggest a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy in case of moderate to severe symptomatology. While cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are the most investigated interventions, psychodynamic psychotherapies have been less explored.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to systematically review literature data on the efficacy of shortterm psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) in combination with antidepressants in the treatment of depressive disorders, focusing both on short and on long-term results and on potential moderators that could influence its effectiveness.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Brexpiprazole in Subjects with Schizophrenia Spectrum Illness and Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorder: A Prospective, Multicentric, Real-World Study.

Background: Dual disorders (DDs) involve the coexistence of a substance use disorder (SUD) with another mental illness, often from the psychotic and affective categories. They are quite common in clinical practice and present significant challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. This study explores the effectiveness of brexpiprazole, a third-generation antipsychotic, in an Italian sample of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and a comorbid SUD.

The Loss of Spatiality and Temporality in Twilight Consciousness: The Emergence of Exogenous Psychosis Induced by Novel Psychoactive Substances.

Background: The state of twilight consciousness is marked by a focused narrowing of awareness, maintaining vigilance and attention while simultaneously experiencing perceptual shifts in the surrounding environment. It is crucial to recognize that this twilight state represents not just a contraction but also an expansion of conscious experience.

Summary: Substances of abuse, particularly new psychoactive substances, play a significant role in inducing this twilight state.

Effects of seasonality in emergency admissions for mental disorders: two years of clinical experience.

Objectives: This retrospective study, conducted in Turin, Italy, between January 2021 and February 2023, investigates the impact of seasonal heatwaves on emergency department (ED) admissions for mental disorders.

Methods: Through the analysis of data from 2,854 patients, this research found a significant link between the occurrence of heatwaves, especially from June to August, and an elevated rate of ED admissions for psychiatric conditions.

Results: The data indicate a clear seasonal pattern, with admissions peaking during the hot months and diminishing in the colder months.

Third-Generation Antipsychotics and Lurasidone in the Treatment of Substance-Induced Psychoses: A Narrative Review.

This narrative review explores the efficacy and tolerability of third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs)-aripiprazole, cariprazine, brexpiprazole, and lurasidone-for the management of substance-induced psychosis (SIP). SIP is a psychiatric condition triggered by substance misuse or withdrawal, characterized by unique features distinct from those of primary psychotic disorders. These distinctive features include a heightened prevalence of positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, in addition to a spectrum of mood and cognitive disturbances.

Aberrant salience in cannabis-induced psychosis: a comparative study.

Background: Natural Cannabis (NC) and Synthetic Cannabinoids (SCs) use can increase the risk and exacerbate the course of psychotic disorders. These could be influenced by the Aberrant Salience (AS) construct. It refers to an excess of attribution of meaning to stimuli that are otherwise regarded as neutral, thereby transform them into adverse, dangerous, or mysterious entities.

Dissociation and Temporality in Substance Abuse: A Clinical Phenomenological Overview.

The term "dissociation" encompasses a wide array of symptoms and phenomena, all sharing the common characteristic of involving altered states of consciousness where an individual temporarily loses the sense of continuity of their own identity. In the context of addiction pathology, however, the dissociative paradigm remains a topic of ongoing debate. It fluctuates between the description of individual dissociative symptoms and the notion of post-traumatic dissociation as a structural process.

Neurotrophic Factors in Cannabis-induced Psychosis: An Update.

Background: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance. Numerous scientific evidence confirm the strong association between cannabis and psychosis. Exposure to cannabis can induce the development of psychosis and schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals.

Internet Gaming Disorders and Early Onset Psychosis in Young People: A Case Study and Clinical Observations.

Background: Over the last ten years, the video game industry has grown exponentially, involving about 2.5 billion young adults in the world. The estimated global prevalence of gaming addiction has been reported to be 3.

Lurasidone in first-episode psychosis with predominant depressive symptoms: a case report.

Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar depression. It seems to have an antidepressant effect due to 5-HT7 as well as 5-HT2A and 5-HT1a receptor affinity. Here we present a case of a 19-year-old male patient with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and predominant depressive symptoms.

Two-Injection Start Regimen of Long-Acting Aripiprazole in 133 Patients With Schizophrenia.

Purpose/background: Based on a population-pharmacokinetic model, the European Medicines Agency has recently approved a simplified starting strategy of aripiprazole once a month (AOM), injectable and long-acting antipsychotic, with two 400 mg injections and a single oral 20 mg dose of aripiprazole, administered on the same day, instead of 1 injection and 14 daily administrations of concurrent oral aripiprazole. However, to our knowledge, no previous study has reported the safety and tolerability of this regimen in real-world patients.

Methods/procedures: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 133 patients who received the newly approved 2-injection start regimen as part of their standard care in 10 Italian clinical centers.

Lurasidone use in Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy and Clinical Considerations in Four Cases Report.

Background: Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic approved for the acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia. Recently, lurasidone was also extended FDA approval for adults with major depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (bipolar depression), as either a monotherapy or as adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate. The use of low doses of atypical antipsychotics is an essential component of early intervention in psychosis, but little has yet been studied on first episode cannabis-induced psychosis.

Duration of Untreated Disorder and Cannabis Use: An Observational Study on a Cohort of Young Italian Patients Experiencing Psychotic Experiences and Dissociative Symptoms.

Background: The Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP) is the time between the first-episode psychosis (FEP) and the initiation of antipsychotic treatment. It is an important predictor of several disease-related outcomes in psychotic disorders. The aim of this manuscript is investigating the influence of cannabis on the DUP and its clinical correlates.

Remission of persistent methamphetamine-induced psychosis after cariprazine therapy: presentation of a case report.

In this case report, we described a patient admitted with persistent methamphetamine-induced psychotic symptoms, accompanied by negative symptoms, who appeared to respond to cariprazine treatment regarding his psychotic and craving symptoms. To our knowledge, no cariprazine-related data has been published about these type of patients. Our case suggests that cariprazine may improve both psychotic and addictive symptoms in subjects with persistent substance-induced psychotic disorders.