Association of preceding psychosis risk states and non-psychotic mental disorders with incidence of clinical psychosis in the general population: a prospective study in the NEMESIS-2 cohort

The temporal association between social isolation, distress, and psychotic experiences in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis

BACKGROUND

Psychotic experiences (PEs) and social isolation (SI) seem related during early stages of psychosis, but the temporal dynamics between the two are not clear. Literature so far suggests a self-perpetuating cycle wherein momentary increases in PEs lead to social withdrawal, which, subsequently, triggers PEs at a next point in time, especially when SI is associated with increased distress. The current study investigated the daily-life temporal associations between SI and PEs, as well as the role of SI-related and general affective distress in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis.

METHODS

We used experience sampling methodology in a sample of 137 CHR participants. We analyzed the association between SI, PEs, and distress using time-lagged linear mixed-effects models.

RESULTS

SI did not predict next-moment fluctuations in PEs, or vice versa. Furthermore, although SI-related distress was not predictive of subsequent PEs, general affective distress during SI was a robust predictor of next-moment PEs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that SI and PEs are not directly related on a moment-to-moment level, but a negative emotional state when alone does contribute to the risk of PEs. These findings highlight the role of affective wellbeing during early-stage psychosis development.

The Complex Latent Structure of Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms: Hierarchical and Bifactor Models of SIPS Symptoms Replicated in Two Large Samples at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

The Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS) and other assessments of psychosis risk define clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) by the presence of attenuated psychotic symptoms. Despite extensive research on attenuated psychotic symptoms, substantial questions remain about their internal psychometric structure and relationships to comorbid non-psychotic symptoms.

STUDY DESIGN

Hierarchical and bifactor models were developed for the SIPS in a large CHR sample (NAPLS-3, N = 787) and confirmed through preregistered replication in an independent sample (NAPLS-2, N = 1043). Criterion validity was tested through relationships with CHR status, comorbid symptoms/diagnoses, functional impairment, demographics, neurocognition, and conversion to psychotic disorders.

STUDY RESULTS

Most variance in SIPS items (75%-77%) was attributable to a general factor. Hierarchical and bifactor models included a general factor and five specific/lower-order factors (positive symptoms, eccentricity, avolition, lack of emotion, and deteriorated thought process). CHR participants were elevated on the general factor and the positive symptoms factor. The general factor was associated with depressive symptoms; functional impairment; and mood, anxiety, and schizotypal personality diagnoses. The general factor was the best predictor of psychotic disorders (d ≥ 0.50). Positive symptoms and eccentricity had specific effects on conversion outcomes. The deteriorated thought process was least meaningful/replicable.

CONCLUSIONS

Attenuated psychotic symptoms, measured by the SIPS, have a complex hierarchical structure with a strong general factor. The general factor relates to internalizing symptoms and functional impairment, emphasizing the roles of general psychopathological distress/impairment in psychosis risk. Shared symptom variance complicates the interpretation of raw symptom scores. Broad transdiagnostic assessment is warranted to model psychosis risk accurately.

On the proportion of patients who experience a prodrome prior to psychosis onset: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Preventing or delaying the onset of psychosis requires identification of those at risk for developing psychosis. For predictive purposes, the prodrome - a constellation of symptoms which may occur before the onset of psychosis - has been increasingly recognized as having utility. However, it is unclear what proportion of patients experience a prodrome or how this varies based on the multiple definitions used.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of patients with psychosis with the objective of determining the proportion of patients who experienced a prodrome prior to psychosis onset. Inclusion criteria included a consistent prodrome definition and reporting the proportion of patients who experienced a prodrome. We excluded studies of only patients with a prodrome or solely substance-induced psychosis, qualitative studies without prevalence data, conference abstracts, and case reports/case series. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Embase (Ovid), APA PsycInfo (Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, APA PsycBooks (Ovid), ProQuest Dissertation & Thesis, on March 3, 2021. Studies were assessed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. Narrative synthesis and proportion meta-analysis were used to estimate prodrome prevalence. I2 and predictive interval were used to assess heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were used to probe sources of heterogeneity. (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021239797).

RESULTS

Seventy-one articles were included, representing 13,774 patients. Studies varied significantly in terms of methodology and prodrome definition used. The random effects proportion meta-analysis estimate for prodrome prevalence was 78.3% (95% CI = 72.8-83.2); heterogeneity was high (I2 97.98% [95% CI = 97.71-98.22]); and the prediction interval was wide (95% PI = 0.411-0.936). There were no meaningful differences in prevalence between grouped prodrome definitions, and subgroup analyses failed to reveal a consistent source of heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first meta-analysis on the prevalence of a prodrome prior to the onset of first episode psychosis. The majority of patients (78.3%) were found to have experienced a prodrome prior to psychosis onset. However, findings are highly heterogenous across study and no definitive source of heterogeneity was found despite extensive subgroup analyses. As most studies were retrospective in nature, recall bias likely affects these results. While the large majority of patients with psychosis experience a prodrome in some form, it is unclear if the remainder of patients experience no prodrome, or if ascertainment methods employed in the studies were not sensitive to their experiences. Given widespread investment in indicated prevention of psychosis through prospective identification and intervention during the prodrome, a resolution of this question as well as a consensus definition of the prodrome is much needed in order to effectively direct and organize services, and may be accomplished through novel, densely sampled and phenotyped prospective cohort studies that aim for representative sampling across multiple settings.

The 'L-factor': Language as a transdiagnostic dimension in psychopathology

Thoughts and moods constituting our mental life incessantly change. When the steady flow of this dynamics diverges in clinical directions, the possible pathways involved are captured through discrete diagnostic labels. Yet a single vulnerable neurocognitive system may be causally involved in psychopathological deviations transdiagnostically. We argue that language viewed as integrating cortical functions is the best current candidate, whose forms of breakdown along its different dimensions are then manifest as symptoms - from prosodic abnormalities and rumination in depression to distortions of speech perception in verbal hallucinations, distortions of meaning and content in delusions, or disorganized speech in formal thought disorder. Spontaneous connected speech provides continuous objective readouts generating a highly accessible bio-behavioral marker with the potential of revolutionizing neuropsychological measurement. This argument turns language into a transdiagnostic 'L-factor' providing an analytical and mechanistic substrate for previously proposed latent general factors of psychopathology ('p-factor') and cognitive functioning ('c-factor'). Together with immense practical opportunities afforded by rapidly advancing natural language processing (NLP) technologies and abundantly available data, this suggests a new era of translational clinical psychiatry, in which both psychopathology and language may be rethought together.

An exploratory study of psychosis risk factors in individuals who are referred but do not meet criteria for an early intervention in psychosis service

BACKGROUND

The 'at-risk mental state' (ARMS) for psychosis has been critiqued for its limited prognostic ability and identification of a limited proportion of those who will develop a first episode of psychosis (FEP). Broadening the search for high-risk groups is key to improving population-level ascertainment of psychosis risk.

AIMS

To explore risk enrichment in diagnostic, demographic and socio-functional domains among individuals referred to an early intervention in psychosis (EIP) service not meeting ARMS or FEP criteria.

METHOD

A retrospective file review of 16 years of referrals to a tertiary EIP service in Ireland was undertaken. Diagnostic outcomes from standardised assessments (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM), demographic (age, gender, family history, nationality) and socio-occupational (relationship status, living status, working status) variables were compiled for those not meeting criteria. These were compared with individuals diagnosed with an FEP in the same period.

RESULTS

From 2005 to 2021 inclusive, of 2025 index assessments, 27.6% (n = 558) did not meet either FEP or ARMS criteria, which is notably higher than the 5.4% (n = 110) meeting ARMS criteria. This group had high psychiatric morbidity, with 65.4% meeting criteria for at least one DSM Axis I disorder. Depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders predominated. Their functional markers were poor, and comparable to the FEP cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

This group is enriched for psychosis risk factors. They are a larger group than those meeting ARMS criteria, a finding that may reflect EIP service configuration. They may be an important focus for further study in the search for at-risk populations beyond the current ARMS model.

Do psychotic experiences act as effect modifiers in youths with common mental health problems allocated to transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy versus management as usual? Secondary analyses of the Mind-My-Mind randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are common in help-seeking youths with non-psychotic mental health problems, yet the clinical importance of PEs as potential effect modifiers of psychotherapy interventions has been scarcely examined. We examined if PEs were associated with a differential response to transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aimed at common emotional and behavioural problems.

METHODS

We present secondary analyses from the Mind My Mind (MMM) trial that randomized 396, 6-16-year-old youths to either 9-13 sessions of transdiagnostic modular community-based CBT (MMM) or community-based management as usual (MAU). MMM was superior to MAU in reducing parent-reported impact of mental health problems according to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). PEs were assessed by semi-structured screening interviews at baseline. The contrast between subgroups (presence/absence of PEs) was calculated to test if PEs are potential effect modifiers regarding the change in parent-reported SDQ-impact (primary outcome, rated 0[low]-10[high]) and other SDQ-related outcomes.

RESULTS

Baseline PEs were present in 74 (19%) of youths. The superior effect of MMM on changes in SDQ-impact from baseline to week 18 was not effect modified by the presence of PEs (PEs[yes] -0.89 [95%CI -1.77;-0.01] vs. PEs[no] -1.10 [95%CI -1.52;-0.68], p-value for interaction .68). For secondary outcomes similar patterns were observed. Limitations Statistical power was limited to show if PEs modified treatment response. Replication and meta-analytic evidence are needed.

CONCLUSIONS

The beneficial effects of MMM transdiagnostic CBT did not differ by PE-status, indicating that youths with emotional and behavioural problems could be offered such psychotherapy irrespective of co-occurring PEs.

Associations between digital media use and psychotic experiences in young adults of Quebec, Canada: a longitudinal study

PURPOSE

Digital media use has been associated with psychotic experiences in youth from the community, but the direction of association remains unclear. We aimed to examine between- and within-person associations of digital media use and psychotic experiences in youth.

METHODS

The sample included 425 participants aged 18-25 years (82.5% female) from the community, followed between May 2021 and January 2022 over 3 time points-of which 263 participants (61.9%) completed at least 2. Digital media use was self-reported as time spent daily on TV and streaming platforms, social media, and video games over the past 3 months. Psychotic experiences in the past 3 months were measured with the 15-item Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences. Associations between digital media use and psychotic experiences were estimated using a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model.

RESULTS

On average, individuals who reported greater digital media use also reported higher levels of psychotic experiences (r = 0.34, 95% CI 0.15, 0.53). However, a person's variation in digital media use, relative to their personal average, was not significantly associated with subsequent variations in their levels of psychotic experiences, or vice-versa. Results were similar across TV/streaming, social media and video game use, and after adjusting for age, sex, education, sleep, physical activity, and cannabis use.

CONCLUSION

Individuals with a tendency for higher levels of digital media use also had a tendency for higher levels of psychotic experiences. Understanding this association may help personalize mental health interventions for people with psychotic experiences, which may be offered digitally to promote their accessibility.

"It has to be better, otherwise we will get stuck." A Review of Novel Directions for Mental Health Reform and Introducing Pilot Work in the Netherlands

Background

The current state of mental health care in the Netherlands faces challenges such as fragmentation, inequality, inaccessibility, and a narrow specialist focus on individual diagnosis and symptom reduction.

Methods

A review suggests that in order to address these challenges, an integrated public health approach to mental health care that encompasses the broader social, cultural, and existential context of mental distress is required.

Results

A Mental Health Ecosystem social trial seeks to pilot such an approach in the Netherlands, focusing on empowering patients and promoting collaboration among various healthcare providers, social care organizations, and peer-support community organizations, working together in a regional ecosystem of care and committed to a set of shared values. In the ecosystem, mental health problems are examined through the prism of mental variation in context whilst scaling up the capacity of group-based treatment and introducing a flexible and modular approach of (2nd order) treatment by specialists across the ecosystem. The approach is to empower naturally available resources in the community beyond professionally run care facilities. Digital platforms such as psychosenet.nl and proud2bme.nl, which complement traditional mental health care services and enhance public mental health, will be expanded. The capacity of recovery colleges will be increased, forming a national network covering the entire country. GEM will be evaluated using a population-based approach, encompassing a broad range of small-area indicators related to mental health care consumption, social predictors, and clinical outcomes. The success of GEM relies heavily on bottom-up development backed by stakeholder involvement, including insurers and policy-making institutions, and cocreation.

Conclusion

By embracing a social trial and leveraging digital platforms, the Dutch mental health care system can overcome challenges and provide more equitable, accessible, and high-quality care to individuals.

Psychometric Properties and Diagnostic Associations of the Short-Form Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences in a Population-Based Sample of 29 021 Adult Men

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Around 5%-7% of the adult population are estimated to have lifetime psychotic experiences (PEs), which are associated with psychosis risk. PEs assessed with Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) are associated with psychosis but also non-psychotic disorders, which could be partly explained by CAPE indirectly capturing emotional symptoms. We investigated the psychometric properties of a shorter version, CAPE-9, and whether CAPE-9 scores are associated with lifetime psychotic or non-psychotic mental disorders after controlling for current anxiety and depressive symptoms.

DESIGN

CAPE-9 questionnaire data were obtained from 29 021 men (42.4 ± 5.6 yrs.) from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. We investigated CAPE-9 reliability and factor structure. Logistic regression was used to test effects of current anxiety and depressive symptoms (SCL-12) on associations between CAPE-9 scores and psychiatric diagnoses.

RESULTS

CAPE-9 fit a previously reported 3-factor structure and showed good reliability. Twenty-six percent reported at least one lifetime PE. CAPE-9 scores were significantly associated with most psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, anxiety, trauma-related disorders, and ADHD). After controlling for concurrent emotional symptoms, only associations with schizophrenia (OR = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.18-1.38) and trauma-related disorders (OR = 1.09; CI = 1.02-1.15) remained significant.

CONCLUSIONS

CAPE-9 showed good psychometric properties in this large population-based adult male sample, and PEs were more clearly associated with psychotic disorders after controlling for current emotional symptoms. These results support the use of the short CAPE-9 as a cost-effective tool for informing public health initiatives and advancing our understanding of the dimensionality of psychosis.

Bidirectional relationships between cannabis use, anxiety and depressive symptoms in the mediation of the association with psychotic experience: further support for an affective pathway to psychosis

BACKGROUND

Empirical evidence suggests that people use cannabis to ameliorate anxiety and depressive symptoms, yet cannabis also acutely worsens psychosis and affective symptoms. However, the temporal relationship between cannabis use, anxiety and depressive symptoms and psychotic experiences (PE) in longitudinal studies is unclear. This may be informed by examination of mutually mediating roles of cannabis, anxiety and depressive symptoms in the emergence of PE.

METHODS

Data were derived from the second longitudinal Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between cannabis use, anxiety/depressive symptoms and PE, using KHB logit in STATA while adjusting for age, sex and education status.

RESULTS

Cannabis use was found to mediate the relationship between preceding anxiety, depressive symptoms and later PE incidence, but the indirect contribution of cannabis use was small (for anxiety: % of total effect attributable to cannabis use = 1.00%; for depression: % of total effect attributable to cannabis use = 1.4%). Interestingly, anxiety and depressive symptoms were found to mediate the relationship between preceding cannabis use and later PE incidence to a greater degree (% of total effect attributable to anxiety = 17%; % of total effect attributable to depression = 37%).

CONCLUSION

This first longitudinal cohort study examining the mediational relationship between cannabis use, anxiety/depressive symptoms and PE, shows that there is a bidirectional relationship between cannabis use, anxiety/depressive symptoms and PE. However, the contribution of anxiety/depressive symptoms as a mediator was greater than that of cannabis.

Meta-analytic prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis: the case for transdiagnostic assessment

Comorbid mental disorders in subjects at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) may impact preventive care. We conducted a PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic meta-analysis, searching PubMed/PsycInfo up to June 21st, 2021 for observational studies/randomized controlled trials reporting on comorbid DSM/ICD-mental disorders in CHR-P subjects ( protocol ). The primary and secondary outcomes were baseline and follow-up prevalence of comorbid mental disorders. We also explored the association of comorbid mental disorders compared with CHR-P versus psychotic/non-psychotic control groups, their impact on baseline functioning and transition to psychosis. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses, meta-regression, and assessed heterogeneity/publication bias/quality (Newcastle Ottawa Scale, NOS). We included 312 studies (largest meta-analyzed sample = 7834, any anxiety disorder, mean age = 19.98 (3.40), females = 43.88%, overall NOS > 6 in 77.6% of studies). The prevalence was 0.78 (95% CI = 0.73-0.82, k = 29) for any comorbid non-psychotic mental disorder, 0.60 (95% CI = 0.36-0.84, k = 3) for anxiety/mood disorders, 0.44 (95% CI = 0.39-0.49, k = 48) for any mood disorders, 0.38 (95% CI = 0.33-0.42, k = 50) for any depressive disorder/episode, 0.34 (95% CI = 0.30-0.38, k = 69) for any anxiety disorder, 0.30 (95% CI 0.25-0.35, k = 35) for major depressive disorders, 0.29 (95% CI, 0.08-0.51, k = 3) for any trauma-related disorder, 0.23 (95% CI = 0.17-0.28, k = 24) for any personality disorder, and <0.23 in other mental disorders (I2 > 50% in 71.01% estimates). The prevalence of any comorbid mental disorder decreased over time (0.51, 95% CI = 0.25-0.77 over 96 months), except any substance use which increased (0.19, 95% CI = 0.00-0.39, k = 2, >96 months). Compared with controls, the CHR-P status was associated with a higher prevalence of anxiety, schizotypal personality, panic, and alcohol use disorders (OR from 2.90 to 1.54 versus without psychosis), a higher prevalence of anxiety/mood disorders (OR = 9.30 to 2.02) and lower prevalence of any substance use disorder (OR = 0.41, versus psychosis). Higher baseline prevalence of alcohol use disorder/schizotypal personality disorder was negatively associated with baseline functioning (beta from -0.40 to -0.15), while dysthymic disorder/generalized anxiety disorder with higher functioning (beta 0.59 to 1.49). Higher baseline prevalence of any mood disorder/generalized anxiety disorder/agoraphobia (beta from -2.39 to -0.27) was negatively associated with transition to psychosis. In conclusion, over three-quarters of CHR-P subjects have comorbid mental disorders, which modulate baseline functionig and transition to psychosis. Transdiagnostic mental health assessment should be warranted in subjects at CHR-P.

Sampling from different populations: Sociodemographic, clinical, and functional differences between samples of first episode psychosis individuals and clinical high-risk individuals who progressed to psychosis

Over the past two decades, research and clinical resources on clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis have both expanded, with goals to better understanding risk and protective factors on the course of illness and inform early intervention efforts. However, some studies have highlighted potential sampling bias among CHR research studies, raising questions about generalizability of findings and inequitable access to early detection and intervention. The current study sought to explore these questions by comparing 94 participants in a CHR longitudinal monitoring study across North America (NAPLS-2) who converted to syndromal psychosis over the course of the study (CHR-CV) to 171 participants who presented for treatment at a localized first-episode psychosis service (FES) after converting. CHR-CV participants were significantly more likely to be White and have a college-educated parent, while FES participants were more likely to be Black and first- or second-generation immigrants. On average, CHR-CV participants were younger at onset of attenuated positive symptoms, had a longer period of attenuated symptoms prior to conversion, and were more likely to be treated with antipsychotics prior to conversion compared to those in FES programs. After controlling for time since conversion, CHR-CV participants had higher global functioning and were less likely to have experienced recent psychiatric hospitalization. Findings suggest that CHR research and FES clinics may be sampling from different populations, although conclusions are limited by inconsistent sampling frames and methods. Integrated early detection that targets defined geographic catchments may deliver more epidemiologically representative samples to both CHR research and FES.

Examining the association between exposome score for schizophrenia and cognition in schizophrenia, siblings, and healthy controls: Results from the EUGEI study

BACKGROUND

People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) frequently present cognitive impairments. Here, we investigated whether the exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) - a cumulative environmental exposure score - was associated with impairments of neurocognition, social cognition, and perception in patients with SSD, their unaffected siblings, and healthy controls.

METHODS

This cross-sectional sample consisted of 1200 patients, 1371 siblings, and 1564 healthy controls. Neurocognition, social cognition, and perception were assesed using a short version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III), the Degraded Facial Affect Recognition Task (DFAR), and the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFR), respectively. Regression models were used to analyze the association between ES-SCZ and cognitive domains in each group.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant associations between ES-SCZ and cognitive domains in SSD. ES-SCZ was negatively associated with T-score of cognition in siblings (B=-0.40, 95% CI -0.76 to -0.03) and healthy controls (B=-0.63, 95% CI -1.06 to -0.21). Additionally, ES-SCZ was positively associated with DFAR-total in siblings (B=0.83, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.40). Sensitivity analyses excluding cannabis use history from ES-SCZ largely confirmed the main findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Longitudinal cohorts may elucidate how environmental exposures influence the onset and course of cognitive impairments in trans-syndromic psychosis spectrum.

Associations with youth psychotic-like experiences over time: Evidence for trans-symptom and specific cognitive and neural risk factors

The current study examined whether impairments in cognitive and neural factors at baseline (ages 9-10) predict initial levels or changes in psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and whether such impairments generalize to other psychopathology symptoms (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms). Using unique longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study data, the study examined three time points from ages 9 to 13. Univariate latent growth models examined associations between baseline cognitive and neural metrics with symptom measures using discovery (n = 5,926) and replication (n = 5,952) data sets. For symptom measures (i.e., PLEs, internalizing, externalizing), we examined mean initial levels (i.e., intercepts) and changes over time (i.e., slopes). Predictors included neuropsychological test performance, global structural MRI, and several a priori within-network resting-state functional connectivity metrics. Results showed a pattern whereby baseline cognitive and brain metric impairments showed the strongest associations with PLEs over time. Lower cognitive, volume, surface area, and cingulo-opercular within-network connectivity metrics showed associations with increased PLEs and higher initial levels of externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Several metrics were uniquely associated with PLEs, including lower cortical thickness with higher initial PLEs and lower default mode network connectivity with increased PLEs slopes. Neural and cognitive impairments in middle childhood were broadly associated with increased PLEs over time, and showed stronger associations with PLEs compared with other psychopathology symptoms. The current study also identified markers potentially uniquely associated with PLEs (e.g., cortical thickness). Impairments in broad cognitive metrics, brain volume and surface area, and a network associated with information integration may represent risk factors for general psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Dynamic association of the first identifiable symptom with rapidity of progression to first-episode psychosis

BACKGROUND

Rapid progression from the first identifiable symptom to the onset of first-episode psychosis (FEP) allows less time for early intervention. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the first identifiable symptom and the subsequent speed of illness progression.

METHODS

Data were available for 390 patients attending a catchment-based early intervention service for FEP. Exposure to non-psychotic and subthreshold psychotic symptoms was retrospectively recorded using semi-structured interviews. Outcomes following the onset of the first identifiable symptom were (1) time to onset of FEP and (2) symptom incidence rate (i.e. number of symptoms emerging per person-year until FEP onset). These outcomes were respectively analyzed with Cox proportional hazards and negative binomial regressions.

RESULTS

After Bonferroni correction, having a subthreshold psychotic (v. non-psychotic) symptom as the first symptom was not associated with time to FEP onset [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.39; 95% CI 0.94-2.04] but was associated with higher symptom incidence [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.92; 95% CI 1.10-3.48]. A first symptom of suspiciousness was associated with shorter time to FEP onset (HR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.38-4.08) and higher symptom incidence rate (IRR = 3.20; 95% CI 1.55-7.28) compared to other first symptoms. In contrast, a first symptom of self-harm was associated with lower symptom incidence rate (IRR = 0.06; 95% CI 0.01-0.73) compared to other first symptoms. Several associations between symptoms and illness progression were moderated by the age at symptom onset.

CONCLUSIONS

Appreciating the content and timing of early symptoms can identify windows and treatment targets for early interventions in psychosis.

Association between exposome score for schizophrenia and functioning in first-episode psychosis: results from the Athens first-episode psychosis research study

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that environmental factors not only increase psychosis liability but also influence the prognosis and outcomes of psychotic disorders. We investigated temporal and cross-sectional associations of a weighted score of cumulative environmental liability for schizophrenia - the exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) - with functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP).

METHODS

Data were derived from the baseline and 1-month assessments of the Athens FEP Research Study that enrolled 225 individuals with FEP. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) were used to measure social, occupational, and psychological functioning. The ES-SCZ was calculated based on the previously validated method.

RESULTS

ES-SCZ was associated with the total scores of GAF and PSP at baseline and 1-month assessments. These findings remained significant when accounting for several associated alternative explanatory variables, including other environmental factors (obstetric complications, migration, ethnic minority), clinical characteristics (duration of untreated psychosis, symptom severity, previous antipsychotic use), and family history of psychosis, demonstrating that the association between ES-SCZ and functioning is over and above other risk factors and cannot be explained by symptom severity alone. Functioning improved from baseline to 1-month assessment, but no significant ES-SCZ-by-time interaction was found on functioning, indicating that functioning changes were not contingent on ES-SCZ.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that rather than a predictor of functional improvement, ES-SCZ represents a stable severity indicator that captures poor functioning in early psychosis. Environmental risk loading for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) can be beneficial for clinical characterization and incorporated into transdiagnostic staging models.

Context v. algorithm: evidence that a transdiagnostic framework of contextual clinical characterization is of more clinical value than categorical diagnosis

BACKGROUND

A transdiagnostic and contextual framework of 'clinical characterization', combining clinical, psychopathological, sociodemographic, etiological, and other personal contextual data, may add clinical value over and above categorical algorithm-based diagnosis.

METHODS

Prediction of need for care and health care outcomes was examined prospectively as a function of the contextual clinical characterization diagnostic framework in a prospective general population cohort (n = 6646 at baseline), interviewed four times between 2007 and 2018 (NEMESIS-2). Measures of need, service use, and use of medication were predicted as a function of any of 13 DSM-IV diagnoses, both separately and in combination with clinical characterization across multiple domains: social circumstances/demographics, symptom dimensions, physical health, clinical/etiological factors, staging, and polygenic risk scores (PRS). Effect sizes were expressed as population attributable fractions.

RESULTS

Any prediction of DSM-diagnosis in relation to need and outcome in separate models was entirely reducible to components of contextual clinical characterization in joint models, particularly the component of transdiagnostic symptom dimensions (a simple score of the number of anxiety, depression, mania, and psychosis symptoms) and staging (subthreshold, incidence, persistence), and to a lesser degree clinical factors (early adversity, family history, suicidality, slowness at interview, neuroticism, and extraversion), and sociodemographic factors. Clinical characterization components in combination predicted more than any component in isolation. PRS did not meaningfully contribute to any clinical characterization model.

CONCLUSION

A transdiagnostic framework of contextual clinical characterization is of more value to patients than a categorical system of algorithmic ordering of psychopathology.

Longitudinal associations between alcohol use, smoking, genetic risk scoring and symptoms of depression in the general population: a prospective 6-year cohort study

BACKGROUND

Alcohol consumption, smoking and mood disorders are leading contributors to the global burden of disease and are highly comorbid. Yet, their interrelationships have remained elusive. The aim of this study was to examine the multi-cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between (change in) smoking and alcohol use and (change in) number of depressive symptoms.

METHODS

In this prospective, longitudinal study, 6646 adults from the general population were included with follow-up measurements after 3 and 6 years. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test multi-cross-sectional and longitudinal associations, with smoking behaviour, alcohol use and genetic risk scores for smoking and alcohol use as independent variables and depressive symptoms as dependent variables.

RESULTS

In the multi-cross-sectional analysis, smoking status and number of cigarettes per day were positively associated with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Moderate drinking was associated with less symptoms of depression compared to non-use (p = 0.011). Longitudinally, decreases in the numbers of cigarettes per day and alcoholic drinks per week as well as alcohol cessation were associated with a reduction of depressive symptoms (p = 0.001-0.028). Results of genetic risk score analyses aligned with these findings.

CONCLUSIONS

While cross-sectionally smoking and moderate alcohol use show opposing associations with depressive symptoms, decreases in smoking behaviour as well as alcohol consumption are associated with improvements in depressive symptoms over time. Although we cannot infer causality, these results open avenues to further investigate interventions targeting smoking and alcohol behaviours in people suffering from depressive symptoms.

Predictive validity of psychosis risk models when applied to adolescent psychiatric patients

BACKGROUND

Several multivariate algorithms have been developed for predicting psychosis, as attempts to obtain better prognosis prediction than with current clinical high-risk (CHR) criteria. The models have typically been based on samples from specialized clinics. We evaluated the generalizability of 19 prediction models to clinical practice in an unselected adolescent psychiatric sample.

METHODS

In total, 153 adolescent psychiatric patients in the Helsinki Prodromal Study underwent an extensive baseline assessment including the SIPS interview and a neurocognitive battery, with 50 participants (33%) fulfilling CHR criteria. The adolescents were followed up for 7 years using comprehensive national registers. Assessed outcomes were (1) any psychotic disorder diagnosis (n = 18, 12%) and (2) first psychiatric hospitalization (n = 25, 16%) as an index of overall deterioration of functioning.

RESULTS

Most models improved the overall prediction accuracy over standard CHR criteria (area under the curve estimates ranging between 0.51 and 0.82), although the accuracy was worse than that in the samples used to develop the models, also when applied only to the CHR subsample. The best models for transition to psychosis included the severity of positive symptoms, especially delusions, and negative symptoms. Exploratory models revealed baseline negative symptoms, low functioning, delusions, and sleep problems in combination to be the best predictor of psychiatric hospitalization in the upcoming years.

CONCLUSIONS

Including the severity levels of both positive and negative symptomatology proved beneficial in predicting psychosis. Despite these advances, the applicability of extended psychosis-risk models to general psychiatric practice appears limited.

Polygenic risk scores for predicting outcomes and treatment response in psychiatry: hope or hype?

Over the last years, the decreased costs and enhanced accessibility to large genome-wide association studies datasets have laid the foundations for the development of polygenic risk scores (PRSs). A PRS is calculated on the weighted sum of single nucleotide polymorphisms and measures the individual genetic predisposition to develop a certain phenotype. An increasing number of studies have attempted to utilize the PRSs for risk stratification and prognostic evaluation. The present narrative review aims to discuss the potential clinical utility of PRSs in predicting outcomes and treatment response in psychiatry. After summarizing the evidence on major mental disorders, we have discussed the advantages and limitations of currently available PRSs. Although PRSs represent stable trait features with a normal distribution in the general population and can be relatively easily calculated in terms of time and costs, their real-world applicability is reduced by several limitations, such as low predictive power and lack of population diversity. Even with the rapid expansion of the psychiatric genetic knowledge base, pure genetic prediction in clinical psychiatry appears to be out of reach in the near future. Therefore, combining genomic and exposomic vulnerabilities for mental disorders with a detailed clinical characterization is needed to personalize care.

Potential for prediction of psychosis and bipolar disorder in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: a longitudinal register study of all people born in Finland in 1987

Current strategies to predict psychosis identify only a small proportion of individuals at risk. Additional strategies are needed to increase capacity for pre-diction and prevention of serious mental illness, ideally during childhood and adolescence. One possible approach would be to investigate systems in which psychosis risk factors are concentrated during childhood. One notable such system is represented by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Although psychotic disorders are uncommon in CAMHS, many risk factors for psychosis are highly prevalent in young people who enter this system. We hypothesized, therefore, that youth attending CAMHS would be a high-risk group for psychosis if followed into adulthood and, furthermore, that CAMHS systems would capture a substantial proportion of future psychosis cases. We constructed a total population cohort study of all Finns born in 1987 (N=55,875), linking together extensive register data on health care contacts from birth through age 28 years. We identified all individuals diagnosed with a psychotic or bipolar disorder by age 28 (N=1,785). The risk of psychosis/bipolar disorder by age 28 years was 1.8% for individuals who had not attended CAMHS during childhood or adolescence, whereas it was 12.8% for those with a history of any outpatient CAMHS contact (odds ratio, OR=7.9, 95% CI: 7.2-8.7). Furthermore, the risk of psychosis/bipolar disorder by age 28 years was 2.3% for individuals without a history of inpatient CAMHS admission, whereas it was 24.0% for those with a history of inpatient CAMHS admission (OR=13.3, 95% CI: 11.9-14.9), and 36.5% for those with a history of inpatient CAMHS admission in adolescence (age 13-17 years) (OR=24.2, 95% CI: 21.2-27.6). Individuals who attended CAMHS but received no mental disorder diagnosis had an equally high risk of subsequently developing a psychosis/bipolar disorder as individuals who did receive a diagnosis (OR=0.9, 99.5% CI: 0.7-1.1). Compared to other CAMHS attendees, individuals who developed psychosis or bipolar disorder were more likely to have had an initial CAMHS diagnosis of depressive or other mood disorder (OR=2.3, 99.5% CI: 1.6-3.0) and disruptive behaviour disorder (OR=1.7, 99.5% CI: 1.2-2.5). Of all psychosis/bipolar diagnoses by age 28 years, 50.2% occurred in individuals who had, at some point in childhood or adolescence, attended CAMHS, indicating that CAMHS represent not only a high-risk but also a high-capacity system for prediction of psychosis/bipolar disorder. These findings suggest an enormous, untapped potential for large-scale psychosis/bipolar disorder prediction and prevention research within existing specialist CAMHS.

Psychotic experiences in the general population, a review; definition, risk factors, outcomes and interventions

Psychotic experiences (PE) are common in the general population, in particular in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. PE have been shown to be associated with an increased risk for later psychotic disorders, mental disorders, and poorer functioning. Recent findings have highlighted the relevance of PE to many fields of healthcare, including treatment response in clinical services for anxiety & depression treatment, healthcare costs and service use. Despite PE relevance to many areas of mental health, and healthcare research, there remains a gap of information between PE researchers and experts in other fields. With this review, we aim to bridge this gap by providing a broad overview of the current state of PE research, and future directions. This narrative review aims to provide an broad overview of the literature on psychotic experiences, under the following headings: (1) Definition and Measurement of PE; (2) Risk Factors for PE; (3) PE and Health; (4) PE and Psychosocial Functioning; (5) Interventions for PE, (6) Future Directions.

Evidence, and replication thereof, that molecular-genetic and environmental risks for psychosis impact through an affective pathway

BACKGROUND

There is evidence that environmental and genetic risk factors for schizophrenia spectrum disorders are transdiagnostic and mediated in part through a generic pathway of affective dysregulation.

METHODS

We analysed to what degree the impact of schizophrenia polygenic risk (PRS-SZ) and childhood adversity (CA) on psychosis outcomes was contingent on co-presence of affective dysregulation, defined as significant depressive symptoms, in (i) NEMESIS-2 (n = 6646), a representative general population sample, interviewed four times over nine years and (ii) EUGEI (n = 4068) a sample of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, the siblings of these patients and controls.

RESULTS

The impact of PRS-SZ on psychosis showed significant dependence on co-presence of affective dysregulation in NEMESIS-2 [relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI): 1.01, p = 0.037] and in EUGEI (RERI = 3.39, p = 0.048). This was particularly evident for delusional ideation (NEMESIS-2: RERI = 1.74, p = 0.003; EUGEI: RERI = 4.16, p = 0.019) and not for hallucinatory experiences (NEMESIS-2: RERI = 0.65, p = 0.284; EUGEI: -0.37, p = 0.547). A similar and stronger pattern of results was evident for CA (RERI delusions and hallucinations: NEMESIS-2: 3.02, p < 0.001; EUGEI: 6.44, p < 0.001; RERI delusional ideation: NEMESIS-2: 3.79, p < 0.001; EUGEI: 5.43, p = 0.001; RERI hallucinatory experiences: NEMESIS-2: 2.46, p < 0.001; EUGEI: 0.54, p = 0.465).

CONCLUSIONS

The results, and internal replication, suggest that the effects of known genetic and non-genetic risk factors for psychosis are mediated in part through an affective pathway, from which early states of delusional meaning may arise.

Exposome and Trans-syndromal Developmental Trajectories Toward Psychosis

The prenatal period, early childhood, and adolescence are considered sensitive periods for brain and behavior development, when environmental exposures may have long-lasting effects on mental health. Psychosis spectrum disorder (PSD) is a developmental disorder that often manifests with nonspecific clinical presentations long before full-blown PSD is diagnosed. Genetic factors only partly explain PSD. Multiple early-life environmental exposures are associated with PSD. In this review, we describe the conceptual framework of the exposome and its relevance to PSD research in developmental cohorts and beyond and discuss key challenges for the field as it attempts to move beyond studying environment (in the sense of "searching under the lamppost because this is where the light is") to a more comprehensive assessment of environment and its contribution to PSD. We then suggest that the field should aspire to studying environmental origins of PSD through a developmental lens focusing on young cohorts and using multilevel phenotyping of environment, adopting an exposome framework that embraces the dynamic complex nature of environment and acknowledges the effect of additive and interactive environmental exposures alongside the genome. Furthermore, we highlight the need for a developmental perspective when studying exposome effects on psychopathology, accepting the nonspecificity of child/adolescent psychopathology and encouraging the study of trans-syndromal manifestations, shifting the research paradigm from categorical outcomes (e.g., schizophrenia) and going beyond clinical settings to investigate trajectories of risk and resilience.

Early intervention service systems for youth mental health: integrating pluripotentiality, clinical staging, and transdiagnostic lessons from early psychosis

Challenges associated with operationalising services for the at-risk mental state for psychosis solely in that same diagnostic silo are increasingly well recognised-namely, the differential risk for psychosis being a function of sampling enrichment strategies, declining transition rates to psychosis, questions regarding the validity of transition as an outcome, and the frequent development of non-psychotic disorders. However, recent epidemiological and clinical research suggests that not all threshold-level psychoses are likely to occur homotypically; early-stage non-psychotic syndromes might exhibit heterotypic shifts to a first episode of psychosis, without an identifiable at-risk mental state. These findings, along with the relevance of outcomes beyond traditional diagnoses or syndromes, have substantive implications for developing next-generation early intervention infrastructures. Along with the idea of general at-risk clinics for early-stage pluripotential syndromes, we examine how this reality might affect service design, such as the need for close linkage with centres of expertise for threshold-level disorders when transitions to later stages occur, the balance between generic and specific interventions amid the need for person-centred care, and the challenges this reorientation might pose for broader mental health systems.

Public health primary prevention implemented by clinical high-risk services for psychosis

Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) services have been primarily developed to support young people with attenuated symptoms (indicated prevention). No evidence-based appraisal has systematically investigated to what extent these clinics may implement other preventive approaches. PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review of Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Reviews, and Ovid/PsychINFO, from inception until 14th June 2021, identifying original studies describing public health strategies: (a) service characteristics (configuration of mental health service, outreach, pathways to care); (b) universal interventions (general population); (c) selective interventions targeting CHR-P service-users or family/carers. Public health preventive initiatives were systematically stratified according to core social determinants of mental disorders associated with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations Member States (UN 2030 SDG) and good mental health outcomes. A total of 66 publications were included, providing data on 13 standalone, 40 integrated, three networks, and six regional or international surveys of CHR-P services across Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, North and South America, providing care to >28 M people. CHR-P services implement numerous public health initiatives targeting social and cultural (16 initiatives), economic (seven initiatives), demographic (six initiatives), environmental events (four initiatives) and neighbourhood (three initiatives) UN 2030 SGD determinants of mental disorders. There is additional evidence for CHR-P services promoting good mental health. The main barriers were the lack of resources for expanding public health prevention at a large scale. CHR-P services implement numerous public health prevention initiatives and promotion of good mental health beyond indicated prevention of psychosis.

Diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of brief psychotic episodes: a review and research agenda

Brief psychotic episodes represent an intriguing paradox in clinical psychiatry because they elude the standard knowledge that applies to the persisting psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. This Review describes key diagnostic considerations such as conceptual foundations, current psychiatric classification versus research-based operationalisations, epidemiology, and sociocultural variations; prognostic aspects including the risk of psychosis recurrence, types of psychotic recurrences, other clinical outcomes, prognostic factors; and therapeutic issues such as treatment guidelines and unmet need of care. The advances and challenges associated with the scientific evidence are used to set a research agenda in this area. We conclude that brief psychotic episodes can be reconceptualised within a clinical staging model to promote innovative translational research and improve our understanding and treatment of psychotic disorders.

Timing of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine initiation during a first episode of psychosis impacts clinical outcomes: Electronic health record cohort study

The impact of timing of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine treatment during a first episode of psychosis on clinical outcomes is unknown. We present a RECORD-compliant electronic health record cohort study including patients (n = 4,483, aged 14-35) with a primary diagnosis of any non-organic ICD-10 first episode of psychosis at SLAM-NHS between 2007 and 2017. The impact of antipsychotic timing (prescription > 1 week after a first episode of psychosis) was assessed on the primary outcome (risk of any psychiatric inpatient admission over 6 years), and secondary outcomes (cumulative duration of any psychiatric/medical/accident/emergency [A&E] admission over 6 years). The impact of prescribing benzodiazepine before antipsychotic at any point and of treatment patterns (antipsychotic alone, benzodiazepine alone, combination of antipsychotic with benzodiazepine) within the first week after a first episode of psychosis were also assessed. Survival analyses and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions, adjusted for core covariates, and complementary analyses were employed. Antipsychotic prescribed >1 week after a first episode of psychosis did not affect the risk of any psychiatric admission (HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.92-1.17, p = 0.557), but increased the duration of any psychiatric (22-28%), medical (78-35%) and A&E (30-34%) admission (months 12-72). Prescribing benzodiazepine before antipsychotic at any point did not affect the risk of any psychiatric admission (HR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.94-1.13, p = 0.535), but reduced the duration of any psychiatric admission (17-24%, months 12-72), and increased the duration of medical (71-45%, months 12-72) and A&E (26-18%, months 12-36) admission. Prescribing antipsychotic combined with benzodiazepine within the first week after a first episode of psychosis showed better overall clinical outcomes than antipsychotic or benzodiazepine alone. Overall, delaying antipsychotic 1 week after a first episode of psychosis may worsen some clinical outcomes. Early benzodiazepine treatment can be considered with concomitant antipsychotic but not as standalone intervention.

Mismatch Negativity and P3a Impairment through Different Phases of Schizophrenia and Their Association with Real-Life Functioning

Impairment in functioning since the onset of psychosis and further deterioration over time is a key aspect of subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). Mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a, indices of early attention processing that are often impaired in schizophrenia, might represent optimal electrophysiological candidate biomarkers of illness progression and poor outcome. However, contrasting findings are reported about the relationships between MMN-P3a and functioning. The study aimed to investigate in SCZ the influence of illness duration on MMN-P3a and the relationship of MMN-P3a with functioning. Pitch (p) and duration (d) MMN-P3a were investigated in 117 SCZ and 61 healthy controls (HCs). SCZ were divided into four illness duration groups: ≤ 5, 6 to 13, 14 to 18, and 19 to 32 years. p-MMN and d-MMN amplitude was reduced in SCZ compared to HCs, independently from illness duration, psychopathology, and neurocognitive deficits. p-MMN reduction was associated with lower "Work skills". The p-P3a amplitude was reduced in the SCZ group with longest illness duration compared to HCs. No relationship between P3a and functioning was found. Our results suggested that MMN amplitude reduction might represent a biomarker of poor functioning in SCZ.

Predicting persistence of hallucinations from childhood to adolescence

BACKGROUND

Psychotic experiences predict adverse health outcomes, particularly if they are persistent. However, it is unclear what distinguishes persistent from transient psychotic experiences.

AIMS

In a large population-based cohort, we aimed to (a) describe the course of hallucinatory experiences from childhood to adolescence, (b) compare characteristics of youth with persistent and remittent hallucinatory experiences, and (c) examine prediction models for persistence.

METHOD

Youth were assessed longitudinally for hallucinatory experiences at mean ages of 10 and 14 years (n = 3473). Multi-informant-rated mental health problems, stressful life events, self-esteem, non-verbal IQ and parental psychopathology were examined in relation to absent, persistent, remittent and incident hallucinatory experiences. We evaluated two prediction models for persistence with logistic regression and assessed discrimination using the area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

The persistence rate of hallucinatory experiences was 20.5%. Adolescents with persistent hallucinatory experiences had higher baseline levels of hallucinatory experiences, emotional and behavioural problems, as well as lower self-esteem and non-verbal IQ scores than youth with remittent hallucinatory experiences. Although the prediction model for persistence versus absence of hallucinatory experiences demonstrated excellent discriminatory power (AUC-corrected = 0.80), the prediction model for persistence versus remittance demonstrated poor accuracy (AUC-corrected = 0.61).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides support for the dynamic expression of childhood hallucinatory experiences and suggests increased neurodevelopmental vulnerability in youth with persistent hallucinatory experiences. Despite the inclusion of a wide array of psychosocial parameters, a prediction model discriminated poorly between youth with persistent versus remittent hallucinatory experiences, confirming that persistent hallucinatory experiences are a complex multifactorial trait.

The associations between migrant status and ethnicity and the identification of individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis and transition to psychosis: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Migrant and ethnic minority populations exhibit a higher incidence of psychotic disorders. The Ultra-High Risk for psychosis (UHR) paradigm provides an opportunity to explore the stage at which such factors influence the development of psychosis. In this systematic review, we collate and appraise the literature on the association between ethnicity and migrant status and the rate of identification of individuals at UHR, as well as their rate of transition to psychosis.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review in the Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, Pubmed, CINAHL and EMBASE databases according to PRISMA guidelines. We included studies written in English that included an UHR cohort, provided a measure of ethnicity or migrant status, and examined the incidence, rate, or risk of UHR identification or transition to psychosis.

RESULTS

Of 2182 unique articles identified, seven fulfilled the criteria. One study found overrepresentation of UHR individuals from black ethnic groups, while another found underrepresentation. Two studies found increased rates of transition among certain ethnic groups and a further two found no association. Regarding migrant status, one study found that first-generation migrants were underrepresented in an UHR sample. Lastly, a lower transition rate in migrant populations was identified in one study, while two found no association.

CONCLUSION

Rates of UHR identification and transition according to ethnic and migrant status were inconsistent and insufficient to conclusively explain higher incidences of psychotic disorders among these groups. We discuss the clinical implications and avenues for future research, which is required to clarify the nature of the associations.

Early Interventions for Clinical High-Risk State for Psychosis

The aim of this review was to discuss early intervention options for clinical high-risk states of psychosis, the limitations of the high-risk concept, and the importance of population-based approaches in preventing psychosis. Interventions for individuals at high risk of psychosis can be classified into two main categories: pharmacological and non-pharmacological. When selecting any of these intervention options, it should be taken into account that only a small proportion of individuals in the high-risk group will have a transition to clinical psychosis. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid aggressive interventions. Pharmacotherapies, particularly antipsychotics, are generally not considered as a treatment of choice for individuals at high risk of psychosis due to their potential side-effect profiles, whereas cognitive behavioral therapies and family-oriented therapies are the leading alternatives with virtually no side effects. However, meta-analyses have shown that none of the interventions are specifically more effective than needs-based treatment (including placebo) in preventing transition to psychosis. These interventions might not be effective in preventing transition to psychosis; however, they may improve the outcomes of psychosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that the targeted prevention approaches focusing on the clinical high risk of psychosis concept have major limitations in terms of the impact on reducing psychosis incidence in the general population compared to the population-based approaches. Recently, psychosis-focused prevention approaches have been replaced by easily accessible youth mental health centers that provide services for transdiagnostic conditions. Future studies on the efficacy of these community-based youth mental health services may provide guidance on how to prevent psychosis.

What makes the psychosis 'clinical high risk' state risky: psychosis itself or the co-presence of a non-psychotic disorder?

AIMS

Although attenuated psychotic symptoms in the psychosis clinical high-risk state (CHR-P) almost always occur in the context of a non-psychotic disorder (NPD), NPD is considered an undesired 'comorbidity' epiphenomenon rather than an integral part of CHR-P itself. Prospective work, however, indicates that much more of the clinical psychosis incidence is attributable to prior mood and drug use disorders than to psychosis clinical high-risk states per se. In order to examine this conundrum, we analysed to what degree the 'risk' in CHR-P is indexed by co-present NPD rather than attenuated psychosis per se.

METHODS

We examined the incidence of early psychotic experiences (PE) with and without NPD (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol/drug use disorders), in a prospective general population cohort (n = 6123 at risk of incident PE at baseline). Four interview waves were conducted between 2007 and 2018 (NEMESIS-2). The incidence of PE, alone (PE-only) or with NPD (PE + NPD) was calculated, as were differential associations with schizophrenia polygenic risk score (PRS-Sz), environmental, demographical, clinical and cognitive factors.

RESULTS

The incidence of PE + NPD (0.37%) was lower than the incidence of PE-only (1.04%), representing around a third of the total yearly incidence of PE. Incident PE + NPD was, in comparison with PE-only, differentially characterised by poor functioning, environmental risks, PRS-Sz, positive family history, prescription of antipsychotic medication and (mental) health service use.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk in 'clinical high risk' states is mediated not by attenuated psychosis per se but specifically the combination of attenuated psychosis and NPD. CHR-P/APS research should be reconceptualised from a focus on attenuated psychotic symptoms with exclusion of non-psychotic DSM-disorders, as the 'pure' representation of a supposedly homotypic psychosis risk state, towards a focus on poor-outcome NPDs, characterised by a degree of psychosis admixture, on the pathway to psychotic disorder outcomes.

Early expressions of psychopathology and risk associated with trans-diagnostic transition to mood and psychotic disorders in adolescents and young adults

OBJECTIVES

The heterogeneity and comorbidity of major mental disorders presenting in adolescents and young adults has fostered calls for trans-diagnostic research. This study examines early expressions of psychopathology and risk and trans-diagnostic caseness in a community cohort of twins and non-twin siblings.

METHODS

Using data from the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study, we estimated median number of self-rated psychiatric symptoms, prevalence of subthreshold syndromes, family history of mood and/or psychotic disorders, and likelihood of subsequent trans-diagnostic caseness (individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for mood and/or psychotic syndromes). Next, we used cross-validated Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analyses to identify the nature and relative importance of individual self-rated symptoms that predicted trans-diagnostic caseness. We examined the positive and negative predictive values (PPV; NPV) and accuracy of all classifications (Area under the Curve and 95% confidence intervals: AUC; 95% CI).

RESULTS

Of 1815 participants (Female 1050, 58%; mean age 26.40), more than one in four met caseness criteria for a mood and/or psychotic disorder. Examination of individual factors indicated that the AUC was highest for subthreshold syndromes, followed by family history then self-rated psychiatric symptoms, and that NPV always exceeded PPV for caseness. In contrast, the CHAID analysis (adjusted for age, sex, twin status) generated a classification tree comprising six trans-diagnostic symptoms. Whilst the contribution of two symptoms (need for sleep; physical activity) to the model was more difficult to interpret, CHAID analysis indicated that four self-rated symptoms (sadness; feeling overwhelmed; impaired concentration; paranoia) offered the best discrimination between cases and non-cases. These four symptoms showed different associations with family history status.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings need replication in independent cohorts. However, the use of CHAID might provide a means of identifying specific subsets of trans-diagnostic symptoms representing clinical phenotypes that predict transition to caseness in individuals at risk of onset of major mental disorders.

Preventive psychiatry: a blueprint for improving the mental health of young people

Preventive approaches have latterly gained traction for improving mental health in young people. In this paper, we first appraise the conceptual foundations of preventive psychiatry, encompassing the public health, Gordon's, US Institute of Medicine, World Health Organization, and good mental health frameworks, and neurodevelopmentally-sensitive clinical staging models. We then review the evidence supporting primary prevention of psychotic, bipolar and common mental disorders and promotion of good mental health as potential transformative strategies to reduce the incidence of these disorders in young people. Within indicated approaches, the clinical high-risk for psychosis paradigm has received the most empirical validation, while clinical high-risk states for bipolar and common mental disorders are increasingly becoming a focus of attention. Selective approaches have mostly targeted familial vulnerability and non-genetic risk exposures. Selective screening and psychological/psychoeducational interventions in vulnerable subgroups may improve anxiety/depressive symptoms, but their efficacy in reducing the incidence of psychotic/bipolar/common mental disorders is unproven. Selective physical exercise may reduce the incidence of anxiety disorders. Universal psychological/psychoeducational interventions may improve anxiety symptoms but not prevent depressive/anxiety disorders, while universal physical exercise may reduce the incidence of anxiety disorders. Universal public health approaches targeting school climate or social determinants (demographic, economic, neighbourhood, environmental, social/cultural) of mental disorders hold the greatest potential for reducing the risk profile of the population as a whole. The approach to promotion of good mental health is currently fragmented. We leverage the knowledge gained from the review to develop a blueprint for future research and practice of preventive psychiatry in young people: integrating universal and targeted frameworks; advancing multivariable, transdiagnostic, multi-endpoint epidemiological knowledge; synergically preventing common and infrequent mental disorders; preventing physical and mental health burden together; implementing stratified/personalized prognosis; establishing evidence-based preventive interventions; developing an ethical framework, improving prevention through education/training; consolidating the cost-effectiveness of preventive psychiatry; and decreasing inequalities. These goals can only be achieved through an urgent individual, societal, and global level response, which promotes a vigorous collaboration across scientific, health care, societal and governmental sectors for implementing preventive psychiatry, as much is at stake for young people with or at risk for emerging mental disorders.

Community Mental Health Services in Italy

In 1978, in Italy, approval of Basaglias reform law marked a shift from an asylum-based to a community-based mental health system. The main aim of the reform was to treat patients in the community and no longer in psychiatric hospitals. Following the Italian model, similar reforms of mental health care have been approved worldwide. The community-based model aims to promote integration and human rights for people with mental disorders on the basis of their freedom to choose treatment options. By 2000, all psychiatric hospitals had been closed and all patients discharged. Mental health care is organized through the Department of Mental Health, which is the umbrella organization responsible for specialist mental health care in the community; this includes psychiatric wards located in general hospitals, residential facilities, mental health centres, and day-hospital and day-care units. Approval of Law 180 led to a practical and ideological shift in the provision of care to patients with mental disorders. In particular, the reform highlighted the need to treat patients in the same way as any other patient, and mental health care moved from a custodialistic to a therapeutic model. Progressive consolidation of the community-based system of mental health care in Italy has been observed in the past 40 years. However, some reasons for concern still exist, including low staffing levels, potential use of community residential facilities as long-stay residential services, and a heterogeneity in the availability of resources for mental health throughout the country.

Examining the association between exposome score for schizophrenia and functioning in schizophrenia, siblings, and healthy controls: Results from the EUGEI study

Background

A cumulative environmental exposure score for schizophrenia (exposome score for schizophrenia [ES-SCZ]) may provide potential utility for risk stratification and outcome prediction. Here, we investigated whether ES-SCZ was associated with functioning in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, unaffected siblings, and healthy controls.

Methods

This cross-sectional sample consisted of 1,261 patients, 1,282 unaffected siblings, and 1,525 healthy controls. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale was used to assess functioning. ES-SCZ was calculated based on our previously validated method. The association between ES-SCZ and the GAF dimensions (symptom and disability) was analyzed by applying regression models in each group (patients, siblings, and controls). Additional models included polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ) as a covariate.

Results

ES-SCZ was associated with the GAF dimensions in patients (symptom: B = −1.53, p-value = 0.001; disability: B = −1.44, p-value = 0.001), siblings (symptom: B = −3.07, p-value < 0.001; disability: B = −2.52, p-value < 0.001), and healthy controls (symptom: B = −1.50, p-value < 0.001; disability: B = −1.31, p-value < 0.001). The results remained the same after adjusting for PRS-SCZ. The degree of associations of ES-SCZ with both symptom and disability dimensions were higher in unaffected siblings than in patients and controls. By analyzing an independent dataset (the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis study), we replicated the results observed in the patient group.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that ES-SCZ shows promise for enhancing risk prediction and stratification in research practice. From a clinical perspective, ES-SCZ may aid in efforts of clinical characterization, operationalizing transdiagnostic clinical staging models, and personalizing clinical management.

Schizophrenia and the Environment: Within-Person Analyses May be Required to Yield Evidence of Unconfounded and Causal Association-The Example of Cannabis and Psychosis

Hypotheses about the link between cannabis use and psychosis apply to the within-person level but have been tested mostly at the between-person level. We used a within-person design, in which a person serves as his own control, thus removing the need to consider confounding by any fixed (genetic and nongenetic) characteristic to study the prospective association between cannabis use and the incidence of attenuated psychotic experiences, and vice versa, adjusted for time-varying confounders. We combined 2 general population cohorts (at baseline: Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology Study, n = 1395; Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2, n = 6603), which applied a similar methodology to study cannabis use and attenuated psychotic experiences with repeated interviews (T0, T1, T2, and T3) over a period of approximately 10 years. The Hausman test was significant for the adjusted models, indicating the validity of the fixed-effects model. In the adjusted fixed-effects model, prior cannabis use was associated with psychotic experiences (aOR = 7.03, 95% CI: 2.39, 20.69), whereas prior psychotic experiences were not associated with cannabis use (aOR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.21, 1.71). Longitudinal studies applying random-effects models to study associations between risk factors and mental health outcomes, as well as reverse causality, may not yield precise estimates. Cannabis likely impacts causally on psychosis but not the other way round.

Resurrection of the Follow-Back Method to Study the Transdiagnostic Origins of Psychosis

There has been a major drive in research trying to understand the onset of psychosis. Clinical-high risk (CHR) studies focus on opportunistic help-seeking samples with non-psychotic disorders and a degree of psychosis admixture of variable outcome, but it is unlikely that these represent the population incidence of psychotic disorders. Longitudinal cohort studies of representative samples in the general population have focused on development and outcome of attenuated psychotic symptoms, but typically have low power to detect transition to clinical psychotic disorder. In this issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin, Cupo and colleagues resurrect a time-honored method to examine psychosis onset: the epidemiological follow-back study, modernizing it to fit the research framework of the early intervention era. The authors set out to investigate the hypothesis that psychotic disorder represents the poorest outcome fraction of initially non-psychotic, common mental disorders and present compelling findings, unifying previous opportunistic CHR and representative cohort-based work.

Timing, Distribution, and Relationship Between Nonpsychotic and Subthreshold Psychotic Symptoms Prior to Emergence of a First Episode of Psychosis

Prospective population studies suggest that psychotic syndromes may be an emergent phenomenon-a function of severity and complexity of more common mental health presentations and their nonpsychotic symptoms. Examining the relationship between nonpsychotic and subthreshold psychotic symptoms in individuals who later developed the ultimate outcome of interest, a first episode of psychosis (FEP), could provide valuable data to support or refute this conceptualization of how psychosis develops. We therefore conducted a detailed follow-back study consisting of semistructured interviews with 430 patients and families supplemented by chart reviews in a catchment-based sample of affective and nonaffective FEP. The onset and sequence of 27 pre-onset nonpsychotic (NPS) or subthreshold psychotic (STPS) symptoms was systematically characterized. Differences in proportions were analyzed with z-tests, and correlations were assessed with negative binomial regressions. Both the first psychiatric symptom (86.24% NPS) and the first prodromal symptom (66.51% NPS) were more likely to be NPS than STPS. Patients reporting pre-onset STPS had proportionally more of each NPS than did those without pre-onset STPS. Finally, there was a strong positive correlation between NPS counts (reflecting complexity) and STPS counts (β = 0.34, 95% CI [0.31, 0.38], P < 2 e-16). Prior to a FEP, NPS precede STPS, and greater complexity of NPS is associated with the presence and frequency of STPS. These findings complement recent arguments that the emergence of psychotic illness is better conceptualized as part of a continuum-with implications for understanding pluripotential developmental trajectories and strengthening early intervention paradigms.

Estimating Aggregate Environmental Risk Score in Psychiatry: The Exposome Score for Schizophrenia

To understand the role of environment in the pathoetiology of psychosis spectrum disorders, research has thus far mainly investigated the effects of single exposures in isolation, such as the association between cannabis use and schizophrenia. However, this approach fails to acknowledge the complexity of the exposome, which represents the totality of the environment involving many exposures over an individual's lifetime. Therefore, contemporary research adopting the exposome paradigm has aimed at capturing the combined effect of different environmental exposures by utilizing an aggregate environmental vulnerability score for schizophrenia: the exposome score for schizophrenia. Here, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of studies applying the exposome score for schizophrenia. First, we describe several approaches estimating exposomic vulnerability for schizophrenia, which falls into three categories: simple environmental sum scores (sum of dichotomized exposures), meta-analysis-based environmental risk score (sum scores weighted by estimates from meta-analyses), and the exposome score (sum score weighted by estimates from an analysis in an independent training dataset). Studies show that the exposome score for schizophrenia that assumes interdependency of exposures performs better than scores that assume independence of exposures, such as the environmental sum score and the meta-analysis-based environmental risk score. Second, we discuss findings on the pluripotency of the exposome score for schizophrenia and summarize findings from gene-environment studies using the exposome score for schizophrenia. Finally, we discuss possible scientific, clinical, and population-based applications of exposome score for schizophrenia, as well as limitations and future directions for exposome research to understand the etiology of psychosis spectrum disorders.

Improving Knowledge on Pathways to Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia: Main Results From the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses

The identification of factors associated with functional outcome of subjects with schizophrenia is a great challenge in current research oriented to the personalization of care. The Italian Network for Research on Psychoses (NIRP) is a network of 26 university psychiatric clinics and/or mental health departments aimed to carry out multicenter research projects to improve the standards of prevention, diagnosis, and treatments of schizophrenia. The network has promoted 2 main studies, a cross-sectional one and a longitudinal one and seven "add-on" studies. The cross-sectional study of the network included 921 subjects with schizophrenia, 379 unaffected first-degree relatives of these patients, and 780 healthy controls. Results from this study documented that social and non-social cognition, functional capacity, negative symptoms, resilience, and family or social incentives strongly influence a measure of global functioning. The follow-up study included 618 patients from the original sample and has produced evidence of the key role of cognition, functional capacity, the experiential domain of negative symptoms, and everyday life skills in predicting functional outcome. The longitudinal study demonstrated that social cognition and the experiential domain of negative symptoms had an impact on interpersonal functioning, while non-social cognition had an impact on everyday life skills. Both non-social cognition and social cognition predicted work skills. The research question concerning the relationships of cognitive impairment and negative symptoms has been investigated with an innovative approach, using a structural equation model (SEM) and a network analysis. Both analyses demonstrated that only the experiential domain of negative symptoms had a distinct direct effect on functioning. The network analysis showed that expressive deficit was connected to functional capacity, as were social and non-social cognitive variables, and to disorganization. These findings were confirmed by the follow-up study. The add-on studies showed distinct electrophysiological correlates of the two negative symptom domains and the partial overlap between disorganization and neurocognitive impairment. Moreover, they identified and characterized a specific subgroup of patients suffering from schizophrenia with autism spectrum symptoms. The NIRP studies have implications for personalized management of patients with schizophrenia and highlight the need for a careful assessment of several domains rarely evaluated in clinical settings.

Genetic liability in individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis: A comparison study of 9 psychiatric traits

Individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis are characterised by the emergence of attenuated psychotic symptoms and deterioration in functioning. In view of the high non-psychotic comorbidity and low rates of transition to psychosis, the specificity of the UHR status has been called into question. This study aims to (i) investigate if the UHR construct is associated with the genetic liability of schizophrenia or other psychiatric conditions; (ii) examine the ability of polygenic risk scores (PRS) to discriminate healthy controls from UHR, remission and conversion status. PRS was calculated for 210 youths (nUHR = 102, nControl = 108) recruited as part of the Longitudinal Youth at Risk Study (LYRIKS) using nine psychiatric traits derived from twelve large-scale psychiatric genome-wide association studies as discovery datasets. PRS was also examined to discriminate UHR-Healthy control status, and healthy controls from UHR remission and conversion status. Result indicated that schizophrenia PRS appears to best index the genetic liability of UHR, while trend level associations were observed for depression and cross-disorder PRS. Schizophrenia PRS discriminated healthy controls from UHR (R2 = 7.9%, p = 2.59 x 10-3, OR = 1.82), healthy controls from non-remitters (R2 = 8.1%, p = 4.90 x 10-4, OR = 1.90), and converters (R2 = 7.6%, p = 1.61 x 10-3, OR = 1.82), with modest predictive ability. A trend gradient increase in schizophrenia PRS was observed across categories. The association between schizophrenia PRS and UHR status supports the hypothesis that the schizophrenia polygenic liability indexes the risk for developing psychosis.

Predictive Performance of Exposome Score for Schizophrenia in the General Population

Previously, we established an estimated exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ) as a cumulative measure of environmental liability for schizophrenia to use in gene-environment interaction studies and for risk stratification in population cohorts. Hereby, we examined the discriminative function of ES-SCZ for identifying individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder in the general population by measuring the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Furthermore, we compared this ES-SCZ method to an environmental sum score (Esum-SCZ) and an aggregate environmental score weighted by the meta-analytical estimates (Emet-SCZ). We also estimated ORs and Nagelkerke's R2 for ES-SCZ in association with psychiatric diagnoses and other medical outcomes. ES-SCZ showed a good discriminative function (AUC = 0.84) and statistically significantly performed better than both Esum-SCZ (AUC = 0.80) and Emet-SCZ (AUC = 0.80). At optimal cut point, ES-SCZ showed similar performance in ruling out (LR- = 0.20) and ruling in (LR+ = 3.86) schizophrenia. ES-SCZ at optimal cut point showed also a progressively greater magnitude of association with increasing psychosis risk strata. Among all clinical outcomes, ES-SCZ was associated with schizophrenia diagnosis with the highest OR (2.76, P < .001) and greatest explained variance (R2 = 14.03%), followed by bipolar disorder (OR = 2.61, P < .001, R2 = 13.01%) and suicide plan (OR = 2.44, P < .001, R2 = 12.44%). Our findings from an epidemiologically representative general population cohort demonstrate that an aggregate environmental exposure score for schizophrenia constructed using a predictive modeling approach-ES-SCZ-has the potential to improve risk prediction and stratification for research purposes and may help gain insight into the multicausal etiology of psychopathology.

Examining the independent and joint effects of genomic and exposomic liabilities for schizophrenia across the psychosis spectrum

AIMS

Psychosis spectrum disorder has a complex pathoetiology characterised by interacting environmental and genetic vulnerabilities. The present study aims to investigate the role of gene-environment interaction using aggregate scores of genetic (polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ)) and environment liability for schizophrenia (exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ)) across the psychosis continuum.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 1699 patients, 1753 unaffected siblings, and 1542 healthy comparison participants. The Structured Interview for Schizotypy-Revised (SIS-R) was administered to analyse scores of total, positive, and negative schizotypy in siblings and healthy comparison participants. The PRS-SCZ was trained using the Psychiatric Genomics Consortiums results and the ES-SCZ was calculated guided by the approach validated in a previous report in the current data set. Regression models were applied to test the independent and joint effects of PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ (adjusted for age, sex, and ancestry using 10 principal components).

RESULTS

Both genetic and environmental vulnerability were associated with case-control status. Furthermore, there was evidence for additive interaction between binary modes of PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ (above 75% of the control distribution) increasing the odds for schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis (relative excess risk due to interaction = 6.79, [95% confidential interval (CI) 3.32, 10.26], p < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses using continuous PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ confirmed gene-environment interaction (relative excess risk due to interaction = 1.80 [95% CI 1.01, 3.32], p = 0.004). In siblings and healthy comparison participants, PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ were associated with all SIS-R dimensions and evidence was found for an interaction between PRS-SCZ and ES-SCZ on the total (B = 0.006 [95% CI 0.003, 0.009], p < 0.001), positive (B = 0.006 [95% CI, 0.002, 0.009], p = 0.002), and negative (B = 0.006, [95% CI 0.004, 0.009], p < 0.001) schizotypy dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

The interplay between exposome load and schizophrenia genetic liability contributing to psychosis across the spectrum of expression provide further empirical support to the notion of aetiological continuity underlying an extended psychosis phenotype.