Novel Psychoactive Substances in Young Adults with and without Psychiatric Comorbidities

Abstract

Objective. Comorbidities between psychiatric diseases and consumption of traditional substances of abuse (alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and cocaine) are common. Nevertheless, there is no data regarding the use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the psychiatric population. The purpose of this multicentre survey is to investigate the consumption of a wide variety of psychoactive substances in a young psychiatric sample and in a paired sample of healthy subjects. Methods. A questionnaire has been administered, in different Italian cities, to 206 psychiatric patients aged 18 to 26 years and to a sample of 2615 healthy subjects matched for sex, gender, and living status. Results. Alcohol consumption was more frequent in the healthy young population compared to age-matched subjects suffering from mental illness (79.5% versus 70.7%; P < 0.003). Conversely, cocaine and NPS use was significantly more common in the psychiatric population (cocaine 8.7% versus 4.6%; P = 0.002) (NPS 9.8% versus 3%; P < 0.001). Conclusions. The use of novel psychoactive substances in a young psychiatric population appears to be a frequent phenomenon, probably still underestimated. Therefore, careful and constant monitoring and accurate evaluations of possible clinical effects related to their use are necessary.

Problematic Alcohol Use among University Students

“…Alcohol use was also associated with the use of novel psychoactive substances, a new trend exacerbated by the presence of alcohol (8). Moreover, students with problematic alcohol use are less likely to seek professional help for their mental health problem (9).…”

1‐cyclohexyl‐x‐methoxybenzene derivatives, novel psychoactive substances seized on the internet market. Synthesis and in vivo pharmacological studies in mice

“…Continuing this trend, during 2015, a total of 100 new substances (i.e., cathinones, cannabinoids, phenethylamines, opioids, tryptamines, benzodiazepines, arylalkylamines, and other groups) were reported for the first time to the EU Early Warning System, bringing the total number of new substances monitored to more than 560, with more than 380 (70%) of these detected in the last 5 years alone and with two new substances detected every week (EMCDDA, ). With increased availability, harms have increased, such as acute, sometimes fatal, poisonings (Chiappini et al, ; Loi et al, ; Dines et al, ; Zawilska & Andrzejczak, ; Bersani et al, ; Schifano et al, ), harms associated with injecting drugs (Hope et al, ), and the possibility to develop psychiatric symptoms (Martinotti et al, ; Martinotti et al, ; Bersani et al, ). Beside acute toxicological effects, many NPS seem to have addictive properties (Miliano et al, ).…”

A novel psychoactive substance poses a new challenge in the management of paranoid schizophrenia

“…There is no published UK research on the use and impact of these substances on patients under the care of mental health services. An Italian study compared NPS use in psychiatric patients with a random sample of healthy subjects and found that NPS use was significantly higher in psychiatric patients than in healthy individuals 5. This is in continuity with the increased prevalence of drug use in mental health service users compared with the general population 6 7…”