Network Analysis of DSM Symptoms of Substance Use Disorders and Frequently Co-Occurring Mental Disorders in Patients with Substance Use Disorder Who Seek Treatment.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) often co-occur with other psychiatric conditions. Research on SUD and comorbid disorders generally flows from a categorical diagnostic or dimensional latent variable perspective, where symptoms are viewed as independent indicators of an underlying disorder. In contrast, the current study took a network analysis perspective to examine the relationships between DSM symptoms of SUD, ADHD, conduct disorder (CD), depression (MDD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Unbiased Metabolomics Links Fatty Acid Pathways to Psychiatric Symptoms in People Living with HIV.

Psychiatric symptoms are prevalent in people living with HIV (PLWH), especially depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and substance use. Various biological mechanisms might play a role in the occurrence of psychiatric symptoms in this population. A hypothesis free, data-driven metabolomics approach can further our understanding of these mechanisms.

Effectiveness of a group intervention to reduce sexual transmission risk behavior among MSM living with HIV: a non-randomized controlled pilot study.

With an annual incidence of about 1.5 million new infections, HIV is an ongoing public health concern. Sexual transmission risk behavior (STRB) is a main driver of the HIV epidemic in most Western countries, particularly among specific populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM).

Beneficial Effects of Opioid Rotation to Buprenorphine/Naloxone on Opioid Misuse, Craving, Mental Health, and Pain Control in Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Patients with Opioid Use Disorder.

Patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) often use opioids for long periods of time. This may lead to opioid use disorder (OUD) and psychiatric symptoms: mainly depression and anxiety. The current study investigated the effect of buprenorphine/naloxone (BuNa) rotation on opioid misuse, craving, psychiatric symptoms and pain in patients with CNCP and OUD.

Effects of opioid rotation to buprenorphine/naloxone on pain, pain thresholds, pain tolerance, and quality of life in patients with chronic pain and opioid use disorder.

Long-term opioid use in patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) can lead to opioid use disorder (OUD) and has been associated with hyperalgesia and reduced quality of life (QoL). Studies suggest antihyperalgesic properties of buprenorphine, and buprenorphine or naloxone (BuNa) has shown beneficial effects on QoL in patients with OUD without CNCP. This study investigated the added value of BuNa in patients with CNCP with OUD on self-reported pain, pain thresholds, pain tolerance, and QoL.

[International Consensus Statement for the Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Adolescents with Concurrent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder].

International Consensus Statement for the Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Adolescents with Concurrent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for substance misuse and substance use disorder (SUD) in adolescence and (early) adulthood. ADHD and SUD also frequently co-occur in treatment-seeking adolescents, which complicates diagnosis and treatment and is associated with poor treatment outcomes. Research on the effect of treatment of childhood ADHD on the prevention of adolescent SUD is inconclusive, and studies on the diagnosis and treatment of adolescents with ADHD and SUD are scarce.

"I Wish I Had Help Earlier. We Could Have Been Happier Sooner." Overcoming the Bystander Effect in the Care for Alcohol-Dependent Parents.

Parental alcohol dependency is associated with risks for the well-being of their children. However, guiding these families to support is often complicated. We interviewed 10 alcohol dependent parents, and held 3 focus group interviews with child welfare social workers, and alcohol and other drug workers.

Clinical judgement versus self-rating of demoralization in outpatients with a substance-use disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To investigate the ability of case managers, working in ambulatory treatment settings specialized in addiction care, to clinically judge demoralization in substance-dependent patients.

Design And Methods: In a cross-sectional study, clinical judgments of case managers were compared with the patients' scores on the Demoralization Scale, by calculating the sensitivity and specificity scores.

Findings: Case managers identified demoralization in 85% of the cases (sensitivity), the specificity of 62% suggests that demoralization was overestimated by case managers.

Barriers and Facilitators to Seek Help for Substance Use Disorder among Dutch Physicians: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: 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.

Characterization of the GHB Withdrawal Syndrome.

The gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) withdrawal syndrome can have a fulminant course, complicated by severe complications such as delirium or seizures. Detoxification by tapering with pharmaceutical GHB is a safe way to manage GHB withdrawal. However, a detailed description of the course of the GHB withdrawal syndrome is currently lacking.

Success Rates of Monitoring for Healthcare Professionals with a Substance Use Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.

In the past decades, monitoring programs have been developed for healthcare professionals with substance use disorders. We aimed to explore estimates of abstinence and work retention rates after participation in such monitoring programs. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL.

The Course of Cognitive Performance during Inpatient Treatment in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder with No, Mild or Major Neurocognitive Disorders.

Aims: In patients with a history of chronic alcohol abuse, neurocognitive disorders (NCD) are not uncommon. The current study aimed to explore the course of cognitive performance, as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and everyday cognitive functioning, as measured by the Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS), in a large group of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) admitted to the Center of Excellence for Korsakov and Alcohol-related Cognitive Impairments.

Methods: A multiple time-series design was used, in which the MoCA was administered at three time points of assessment, and the PCRS was completed by both the patient and a clinician at two time points, all during clinical treatment.

Successful treatment of severe, treatment resistant GHB withdrawal through thiopental-coma.

In patients with gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) use disorder (GUD), withdrawal can have a fulminant course with rapid progression of severe, potentially life-threatening complications. We present a 45-year old man with severe GHB withdrawal, resistant to conventional treatment with pharmaceutical GHB, high doses of benzodiazepines and baclofen. GHB withdrawal finally responded to thiopental-induced coma therapy, with burst suppression pattern on electroencephalography (EEG).

International Consensus Statement for the Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Adolescents with Concurrent Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder.

Background: Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a risk factor for substance misuse and substance use disorder (SUD) in adolescence and (early) adulthood. ADHD and SUD also frequently co-occur in treatment-seeking adolescents, which complicates diagnosis and treatment and is associated with poor treatment outcomes. Research on the effect of treatment of childhood ADHD on the prevention of adolescent SUD is inconclusive, and studies on the diagnosis and treatment of adolescents with ADHD and SUD are scarce.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Global Severity Profiles in Treatment-Seeking Patients with Substance Use Disorders.

Introduction: Comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is present in 15-25% of all patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). Some studies suggest that comorbid ADHD increases clinical severity related to SUDs, other psychiatric comorbidities, and social impairment, but could not disentangle their respective influences.

Objectives: To investigate whether comorbid adult ADHD in treatment-seeking SUD patients is associated with more severe clinical profiles in these domains assessed altogether.

Validity of the ADHD module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview PLUS for screening of adult ADHD in treatment seeking substance use disorder patients: ADHD screening with MINI-Plus.

Objective: This study aims to assess the validity of the ADHD module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus) in patients with substance use disorders (SUD), using the Conners' Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (CAADID) as the external criterion.

Method: A cross sectional international multi-center study in 10 countries was conducted in treatment seeking SUD patients. A sample of 1263 patients with both MINI-Plus and CAADID was analyzed to determine the psychometric properties of the MINI-Plus.

Exploring Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cell Adhesion Molecules as Biomarkers for the Transdiagnostic Symptom Anhedonia in Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Depression.

Background: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and depressive disorder often co-exist and have a shared heritability. This study aimed to investigate Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and three Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAMs) as transdiagnostic biomarkers in AUD and depression co-morbidity.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, patients with AUD (n=22), AUD and depression (n=19), and healthy controls (n=20) were examined.

Psychometric Properties of the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory: Replication and Extension across Clinical and Non-Clinical Samples.

The Externalizing Spectrum Inventory aims at assessing personality features that underlie externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and antisocial behaviors. The objective was to replicate the psychometric properties of the 160-item Externalizing Spectrum Inventory in Dutch clinical and non-clinical samples. First, Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability and the factor structure were analyzed on a mixed sample of inpatients (n = 149), undergraduates (n = 227), and community participants (n = 178).

Tapering with Pharmaceutical GHB or Benzodiazepines for Detoxification in GHB-Dependent Patients: A Matched-Subject Observational Study of Treatment-as-Usual in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Background: The gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) withdrawal syndrome often has a fulminant course, with a rapid onset and swift progression of severe complications. In clinical practice, two pharmacological regimens are commonly used to counteract withdrawal symptoms during GHB detoxification: tapering with benzodiazepines (BZDs) or tapering with pharmaceutical GHB. In Belgium, standard treatment is tapering with BZDs, while in the Netherlands, pharmaceutical GHB is the preferred treatment method.

Effects of Recreational GHB Use and Multiple GHB-Induced Comas on Brain Structure and Impulsivity.

Background And Aims: The regular use of gamma-hydroxybutyrate acid (GHB) can induce GHB-induced comas. Other substance use disorders are associated with alterations in brain structure and impulsivity. Here we aim to investigate if these are also modulated by either regular GHB use or GHB-induced comas.

Psychometric properties of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in healthy participants aged 18-70.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a cognitive screen, available in three alternate versions. Aims of the current study were to examine the effects of age, education and intelligence on MoCA performance and to determine the alternate-form equivalence and test-retest reliability of the MoCA, in a group of healthy participants. In 210 participants, two MoCA versions and an estimator for premorbid intelligence were administered at two time points.

Physicians' norms and attitudes towards substance use in colleague physicians: A cross-sectional survey in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUD) in physicians often remain concealed for a long time. Peer monitoring and open discussions with colleagues are essential for identifying SUD. However, physicians often feel uncomfortable discussing substance use with a colleague.

Palliative care for patients with substance use disorder and multiple problems: a qualitative study on experiences of healthcare professionals, volunteers and experts-by-experience.

Background: There is little information about how healthcare professionals feel about providing palliative care for patients with a substance use disorder (SUD). Therefore, this study aims to explore: 1) the problems and needs experienced by healthcare professionals, volunteers and experts-by-experience (HCP/VE) during their work with patients with SUD in a palliative care trajectory and; 2) to make suggestions for improvements using the quality of care model by Donabedian (Structure, Process, Outcome).

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted, consisting of six focus group interviews which consisted of HCP/VE working with patients with SUD in a palliative care phase.