Substance use and symptoms of mental health disorders: a prospective cohort of patients with severe substance use disorders in Norway

Abstract Background There is high co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders. We aimed to assess impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on mental health distress using the ten-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-10) over time. Methods Nested prospective cohort study of 707 participants with severe SUD across nine opioid-agonist-therapy outpatient clinics and low-threshold municipality clinics in Norway, during 2017–2020. Descriptive statistics were derived at baseline and reported by means and standard deviation (SD). A linear mixed model analysis was used to assess the impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on SCL-10 sum score with beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Mean (SD) SCL-10 score was 2.2 (0.8) at baseline with large variations across patients. We observed more symptoms of mental health disorders among people with frequent use of benzodiazepines (beta 3.6, CI:2.4;4.8), cannabis (1.3, CI:0.2;2.5), opioids (2.7, CI:1.1;4.2), and less symptoms among people using frequent stimulant use (− 2.7, CI:-4.1;-1.4) compared to no or less frequent use. Females (1.8, CI:0.7;3.0) and participants with debt worries (2.2, CI:1.1;3.3) and unstable living conditions (1.7, CI:0.0;3.3) had also higher burden of mental health symptoms. There were large individual variations in SCL-10 score from baseline to follow-up, but no consistent time trends indicating change over time for the whole group. 65% of the cohort had a mean score > 1.85, the standard reference score. Conclusions People with SUD have a considerable burden of mental health symptoms. We found no association between substance use patterns and change in mental health symptoms over time. This could suggest that the differences observed were indicating flattening of effects or self-medication to a larger degree than medication-related decline in mental health. This call for better individualized mental health assessment and patient care.

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Substance Use and Symptoms of Mental Health Disorders: a Prospective Cohort of Patients With Severe Substance Use Disorders in Norway

10.21203/rs.3.rs-125971/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christer Frode Aas ◽

Jørn Henrik Vold ◽

Rolf Gjestad ◽

Svetlana Skurtveit ◽

Aaron G. Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Frequent Use ◽

Health Disorders ◽

Over Time

Abstract BackgroundThere is high co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders. We aimed to assess impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on mental health distress using the ten-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-10) over time.MethodsNested prospective cohort study of 707 participants with severe SUD across nine opioid-agonist-therapy outpatient clinics and low-threshold municipality clinics in Norway, during 2017-2020. Descriptive statistics were derived at baseline and reported by means and standard deviation (SD). A linear mixed model analysis was used to assess the impact of substance use patterns and sociodemographic factors on SCL-10 sum score with beta coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsMean (SD) SCL-10 score was 2.2 (0.8) at baseline with large variations across patients. We observed more symptoms of mental health disorders among people with frequent use of benzodiazepines (beta 3.6, CI:2.4;4.8), cannabis (1.3, CI:0.2;2.5), opioids (2.7, CI:1.1;4.2), and less symptoms among people using frequently stimulants (-2.7, CI:-4.1;-1.4) compared to no or less frequent use. Females (1.8, CI:0.7;3.0) and participants with debt worries (2.2, CI:1.1;3.3) and unstable living conditions (1.7, CI:0.0;3.3) had also higher burden of mental health symptoms. There were large individual variations in SCL-10 score from baseline to follow-up, but no consistent time trends indicating change over time for the whole group. 65 % of the cohort had a mean score >1.85, the standard reference score.ConclusionsPeople with SUD are considerably more likely to have symptoms of mental health disorders compared to the general population. The lack of association between substance use patterns on change in mental health symptoms over time could suggest that the differences observed were indicating flattening of effects or self-medication to larger degree than medication-related decline in mental health. This call for better individualized mental health assessment and patient care.

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Mental health disorders among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey from three major hospitals in Kenya

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e050316

Author(s):

Jasmit Shah ◽

Aliza Monroe-Wise ◽

Zohray Talib ◽

Alphonse Nabiswa ◽

Mohammed Said ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Front Line ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Health Disorders

BackgroundCOVID-19 is an international global health emergency and has posed a great challenge to mental well-being and resilience. Little is known about the mental health impact of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) in sub-Saharan Africa or other low-resource settings.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study between August and November 2020 among HCWs recruited from three major hospitals in Kenya. The survey questionnaire consisted of six components: demographic and work title characteristics; information regarding care of patients with COVID-19; and symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, distress and burnout, measured using standardised questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with mental health disorders.ResultsA total of 433 (65.2% response rate) individuals participated in the survey. Median age was 32.75 years, 58.4% were females and 68.8% were front-line workers. Depression, anxiety, insomnia, distress and burnout were reported in 53.6%, 44.3%, 41.1%, 31.0% and 45.8% of all participants, respectively. Front-line HCWs, females and doctors were at higher risk of mental health symptoms. Nearly half of participants reported inadequate resources or training to care for patients with COVID-19, and those in the government hospital were more likely to report mental health symptoms.ConclusionsThis is among the first studies examining mental health outcomes among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. Similar to other studies from around the world, HCWs directly involved with patients with COVID-19 reported higher rates of mental health symptoms. Mitigating strategies specific to Kenyan HCWs are urgently needed to help them cope with mental health symptoms during the pandemic.

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227. Does baseline substance use predict subsequent development of mental health disorders in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients?

The Spine Journal ◽

10.1016/j.spinee.2019.05.242 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (9) ◽

pp. S111-S112

Author(s):

Neil V. Shah ◽

Cameron R. Moattari ◽

Harleen Kaur ◽

Adam J. Wolfert ◽

Sirish Khanal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽

Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽

Subsequent Development ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Health Disorders

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A learning algorithm for predicting mental health symptoms and substance use

Journal of Psychiatric Research ◽

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.049 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 134 ◽

pp. 22-29

Author(s):

Anthony T. Fojo ◽

Catherine R. Lesko ◽

Kelly S. Benke ◽

Geetanjali Chander ◽

Bryan Lau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Learning Algorithm ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms

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Significance of integration and use of multiple data sources for understanding substance use and mental health disorders

Addiction ◽

10.1111/add.15562 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Krishnan Radhakrishnan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Substance Use ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Data Sources ◽

Multiple Data Sources ◽

Multiple Data ◽

Health Disorders

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Management of Mental Health Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Suicide in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury

Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine ◽

10.1080/10790268.2021.1863738 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 102-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Spinal Cord ◽

Spinal Cord Injury ◽

Substance Use ◽

Substance Use Disorders ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Health Disorders

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Examining the Association and Directionality between Mental Health Disorders and Substance Use among Adolescents and Young Adults in the U.S. and Canada—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm7120543 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. 543 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sarvenaz Esmaeelzadeh ◽

John Moraros ◽

Lilian Thorpe ◽

Yelena Bird

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Substance Use ◽

Young Adults ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mental Health Disorders ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Health Disorders ◽

The U.S

Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the association and directionality between mental health disorders and substance use among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. and Canada. Methods: The following databases were used: Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. Meta-analysis used odds ratios as the pooled measure of effect. Results: A total of 3656 studies were screened and 36 were selected. Pooled results showed a positive association between depression and use of alcohol (odds ratio (OR) = 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24–1.83), cannabis (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10–1.51), and tobacco (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.43–1.92). Significant associations were also found between anxiety and use of alcohol (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.19–2.00), cannabis (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.02–1.81), and tobacco (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.54–3.17). A bidirectional relationship was observed with tobacco use at baseline leading to depression at follow-up (OR = 1.87, CI = 1.23–2.85) and depression at baseline leading to tobacco use at follow-up (OR = 1.22, CI = 1.09–1.37). A unidirectional relationship was also observed with cannabis use leading to depression (OR = 1.33, CI = 1.19–1.49). Conclusion: This study offers insights into the association and directionality between mental health disorders and substance use among adolescents and young adults. Our findings can help guide key stakeholders in making recommendations for interventions, policy and programming.

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