Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

The objective of this current work was to explore whether modification of the diagnostic criteria upon the publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had influenced the diagnostic and sociodemographic profiles of mental health admissions. For that purpose, we designed an observational, longitudinal, and retrospective study of the data recorded in the discharge reports of the Brief Hospitalization Unit at Castellon (Spain), between January 2006 and December 2021. The sample consisted of 7,037 participants, with a mean age of 42.1 years. The mean age of admissions, number of women, and presentation of affective disorders, addictions, and dementias all increased significantly during the DSM-5 period. Beyond diagnoses, the reduction in readmissions before the pandemic could be attributed to the use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics. In contrast, the pandemic did not change the percentage of readmissions or the volume of admissions. Also, during the pandemic period, the significant results obtained indicate that the average stay was reduced, affective disorders decreased, and addictions increased. Therefore, clinicians should consider these diagnostic and sociodemographic fluctuations when adapting clinical care, taking into account gender perspective, ageing of patients and increasing of dual and affective disorders.

Although multiple studies have shown the role genetics plays in personality disorders and in addictions, few have studied the genetic aspects of their comorbidity. Here, we carried out a cross-sectional study in a sample comprising 303 Caucasian polydrug-consuming patients. The presence of personality disorders was evaluated using the International Personality Disorder Examination, and genes related to dopamine, serotonin and monoamine oxidase (MAO) were genotyped. A significant relationship was observed between the bp 279 DRD5 variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism and paranoid personality disorder ðORð95%CIÞ¼2:186 ð1:074;4:449Þ;p¼0:006Þ. The bp 182 ðORð95%CIÞ¼0:407 ð0:178;0:931Þ;p¼0:033Þ and bp 184 ðORð95%CIÞ¼0:391 ð0:188;0:813Þ;p¼0:012Þ alleles of the MAOB VNTR were also associated with antisocial personality disorder. Among patients with addictions, paranoid personality disorder should also be considered in addition to the importance of antisocial and borderline personality disorders. The higher frequency of the bp 279 DRD5 VNTR allele found in patients with paranoid personality disorder, as well as the associations between alleles of the MAOB VNTR and antisocial personality disorder, support the monoaminergic bases of these personality disorders, especially when dealing with patients with addictions.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of an animal-assisted-therapy (AAT) program in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and substance-use disorders in residential treatment in order to intervene in the remission of negative and positive symptoms and improve quality of life and adherence to treatment, favouring the clinical stabilization of patients who participate in the AAT program, within the context of a mental-illness-treatment device. This was a quasi-experimental prospective study with intersubject and intrasubject factors. The sample comprised 36 patients (21 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) who were evaluated at three time points (in the 3rd, 6th, and 10th sessions). The program lasted 3 months and consisted of 10 sessions that were implemented once a week, with a maximum participation of 10 patients per group. The participants were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia and the Life Skills Profile-20 (LSP-20) questionnaire. We observed a decrease in the positive symptoms of psychosis (F: 27.80, p = 0.001) and an improvement in functionality (F: 26.70, p < 0.001) as the sessions progressed. On the basis of these results, we concluded that AAT seems to be valid as a coadjuvant therapy as part of the rehabilitation processes of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and addiction-spectrum disorders (dual diagnosis).

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the workload of healthcare workers that, together with the risks associated with exposure to this new virus, has a􀀀ected their mental health. Objectives: The objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence of psychopathology and burnout syndrome in healthcare workers and the predictive role of purpose in life andmoral courage in this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 115 Spanish healthcare workers. Results: Participants with burnout had higher anxiety (p = 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), post-traumatic stress (p = 0.01) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.03) levels. The di􀀀erent components of burnout (emotional fatigue and despersonalization) were associated with the occurrence of anxiety (OR = 0.31) and depression (OR = 0.26), respectively. A strong purpose in life decreased emotional fatigue (OR = −0.39) depersonalization (OR = −0.23) scores, increased personal accomplishment (OR = 0.52), subsequently reducing burnout levels (OR = −0.45). Conclusions: Purpose in life was most strongly related to decreased levels of burnout. Furthermore, an association between anxiety, depression and the components of burnout was found.

Background: Health sciences students experience high levels of psychopathology conditioned by psychosocial, financial, and academic factors. However, COVID-19 pandemic might even have worsened their mental health. Thus, this article aims to evaluate how the exposure to COVID-19 pandemic has affected these students’ mental health and to determine the effect of purpose in life and character strengths on this psychopathology. Methods: A cross-sectional study of unpaired samples was carried out in Spain during the first and third waves of the pandemic in 70 medical and 52 nursing students. Results: The risk factor that most determined the appearance of anxiety was the exposure of family and friends to COVID-19 (OR = 4.01; p < 0.001), while the most protective factors were honesty (OR = –1.14; p = 0.025) and purpose in life (OR = – 0.18; p < 0.001). Purpose in life also protected against the onset of depression and total psychopathology. In addition, we observed studying medicine was a protective factor against total psychopathology while being a nursing student was associated with high levels of acute stress. Conclusion: Exposure of the students’ family and friends to SARS-CoV-2 favored the appearance of symptoms of anxiety. Honesty had a preventing role in the onset of anxiety and a high purpose in life was protective against the appearance of anxiety, depression, and total psychopathology.

(1) Background: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the relationship between identifying as transgender and substance use. (2) Methods: We searched for relevant studies in PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science, and PsycINFO on 21 July 2021. (3) Results: Twenty studies comparing transgender and cisgender people were included in this work, accounting for a total of 2,376,951 participants (18,329 of whom were transgender). These articles included data on current tobacco use, current tobacco use disorder, current alcohol use, current alcohol use disorder, lifetime substance (all) use, current substance use (excluding tobacco and alcohol), current use of specific substances (excluding tobacco and alcohol and including cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, ecstasy, stimulants, heroin, opiates, cannabis, marijuana, LSD, hallucinogens, steroids, inhalants, sedatives, Ritalin or Adderall, diet pills, cold medicine, prescription medications, polysubstance, other club drugs, and other illegal drugs), and current substance use disorder (excluding tobacco and alcohol). We used the ORs and their 95% CIs to state the association between identifying as transgender and those variables. The control reference category used in all cases was cisgender. We employed a random-effects model. Transgender people were more likely to use tobacco (odds ratio (OR) = 1.65; 95% CI [1.37, 1.98]), have used substances throughout their lives (OR = 1.48; 95% CI [1.30, 1.68]), and present current use of specific substances (OR = 1.79; 95% CI [1.54, 2.07]). When current alcohol and substance use in general and tobacco, alcohol, and substance use disorders specifically were considered, the likelihood did not differ from that of cisgender people. (4) Conclusions: The presence of substance use disorders did not differ between transgender and cisgender people. Considering this population as consumers or as addicted may be a prejudice that perpetuates stigma. Nonetheless, transgender people were more likely to use tobacco and other substances, but not alcohol. Hypothetically, this might be an emotional regulation strategy, a maladaptive mechanism for coping with traumatic experiences, or could respond to minority stress, produced by stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment. It is of particular importance to implement policies against discrimination and stigmatisation and to adapt prevention and treatment services so that they are inclusive of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Sex differences are poorly studied within the field of mental health, even though there is evidence of disparities (with respect to brain anatomy, activation patterns, and neurochemistry, etc.) that can significantly influence the etiology and course of mental disorders. The objective of this work was to review sex differences in adolescents (aged 13–18 years) diagnosed with ADHD (according to the DSM-IV, DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 criteria) in terms of substance use disorder (SUD), prevalence, pharmacological therapy and mental health. We searched three academic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) and performed a narrative review of a total of 21 articles. The main conclusions of this research were (1) girls with ADHD are more at risk of substance use than boys, although there was no consensus on the prevalence of dual disorders; (2) girls are less frequently treated because of underdiagnosis and because they are more often inattentive and thereby show less disruptive behavior; (3) together with increased impairment in cognitive and executive functioning in girls, the aforementioned could be related to greater substance use and poorer functioning, especially in terms of more self-injurious behavior; and (4) early diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, especially in adolescent girls, is essential to prevent early substance use, the development of SUD, and suicidal behavior.

The technological revolution has led to the birth of new diagnoses, such as gaming disorder. When any addiction, including this one, is associated with other mental disorders, it is considered a dual diagnosis. The objectives of this current work were to estimate the prevalence of dual diagnoses in the adolescent general population while also considering the problematic use of video games and substance addiction and assessing its psychosocial risk factors. Thus, we carried out a cross-sectional study with a sample of 397 adolescents; 16.4% presented problematic videogame use and 3% presented a dual diagnosis. Male gender increased the probability of both a dual diagnosis (OR [95% CI] = 7.119 [1.132, 44.785]; p = 0.036) and problematic video game use (OR [95% CI] = 9.85 [4.08, 23.77]; p < 0.001). Regarding personality, low conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness scores were predictors of a dual diagnosis and problematic videogame use, while emotional stability predicted a dual diagnosis (OR [95% CI] = 1.116 [1.030, 1.209]; p = 0.008). Regarding family dynamics, low affection and communication increased both the probability of a dual diagnosis (OR [95% CI] = 0.927 [0.891, 0.965]; p < 0.001) and problematic video game use (OR [95% CI] = 0.968 [0.945, 0.992]; p = 0.009). Regarding academic performance, bad school grades increased the probability of a dual diagnosis. In summary, male gender, certain personality traits, poor communication, and poor affective family dynamics should be interpreted as red flags that indicate an increased risk of a dual diagnosis in adolescents, which could require early intervention through specific detection programs.

Due to the significant functional repercussions suffered by patients with dual disorder, we must evaluate which ones can benefit from intensive rehabilitative therapies in medium-stay psychiatric units. This was a retrospective study of patient medical records which intended to analyze sociodemographic and clinical variables and parameters related to the hospitalization and discharge of patients admitted to the Medium-Stay Unit (MSU) at the Castellón Provincial Hospital Consortium over 2 years (2017 and 2018), according to the presence or absence of dual disorders in these patients. Patients with a dual disorder represented 55.2% of the hospitalized patients. A higher proportion of them were male, were relatively younger, and had an earlier onset of mental illness, fewer associated medical pathologies, and shorter hospital admission times to the Short-Term Hospitalization Unit than those who did not present a dual disorder. A diagnosis on the schizophrenia spectrum with cannabis use or polyconsumption was the most common diagnosis; 98.2% of all the patients responded adequately to admission to the MSU. This work highlighted the need for higher doses of depot paliperidone in patients with dual disorders.