167 research outputs found
Occupational status and hospitalization for severe mental disorders: findings from Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, 2008-2017
No full textPurpose: to investigate to which extent occupational status (employed, unemployed, retired, economically inactive), and job titles in employed, were associated with types of hospitalizations and psychiatric diagnoses among inpatients of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) Region, Italy. Methods: Observational study based on 10-years register data (2008 - 2017) on 2929 subjects hospitalized in General Hospital Psychiatric Units. Odds ratios (OR) of hospitalizations and psychiatric diagnoses for occupational status and job titles were calculated by logistic regression analysis. Results: Employed were at lower risk of urgent and involuntary hospitalization. The risk of urgent hospitalization was higher for affective, organic or other psychiatric disorders, while all psychiatric diagnoses were at lower risk of involuntary hospitalization than psychotic disorders. Using white collars as reference category in employed, police and military forces showed a significant higher risk for urgent hospitalization (OR = 2.3) and affective disorders (OR = 1.9). A higher risk for affective disorders was also found in managers (OR=2.0). Blue collars were at higher risk for alcohol and substance abuse (OR = 1.7). A decreasing number of ordinary and in involuntary hospitalizations was observed during the study period. Conclusions: Employment was protective for urgent and involuntary hospitalizations, and for severe diagnoses, as psychosis. Among employed, hospitalization for affective disorders was more likely in managers, army, as well as for substances abuse in blue collars. More research is needed to assess the association between specific occupational groups and involuntary hospitalization. Future research would benefit to distinct between temporary and permanent job position
Antidepressants and suicide prevention: an individual-based prescription database study in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
No full textObjective: To investigate the possible impact of the increased use of antidepressants on suicide rates in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG). Method: Individual-based data on antidepressants in FVG from 1997 to 2006 were obtained from the regional prescription database, and linked to data on suicide for the same period obtained from the regional health information system. Age and sex were considered. Results: The number of users of antidepressants increased almost fivefold during the study period. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors accounted for 71% of the individual users in 2006. The number of defined daily doses (DDD) per patient increased almost sevenfold. In parallel, the suicide rate decreased by one-third in men as well as in women, and in subjects under and over the age of 60 years. Conclusion: Suicide rates in FVG have declined in agreement with the hypothesis that the use of antidepressants may prevent suicide
SOCIAL AND CLINICAL DETERMINANTS OF COMPULSORY AND VOLUNTARY ADMISSIONS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF AN ITALIAN COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM
No full textSocial and clinical determinants of 30 compulsory admissions (CAs) to a psychiatric ward during a six-month period were
compared to 134 voluntary admissions (VAs), and outcomes of hospitalisation were assessed in relation to its types. Psychosocial and clinical characteristics at admission and discharge were measured using 5 scales. Unemployment, hospitalisations >7 days and continuing hospitalisation in Community Mental Health Centres were positively associated with CA. At admission, CAs showed lower functioning, while outcome at discharge was similar. Social determinants had a main role in determining CAs. Clinical and psychosocial outcomes might have been improved by a mental health system community-based
Suicide : a pharmacoepidemiological database study in the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
No full textAims: The objective of this thesis is to examine the relationship between suicide and health care in Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region. First, it explores the correlation between suicide rates and antidepressant sales. Second, it analyses, at the individual level, the risk of suicide associated with the main suicidal risk factors, such as non-fatal self-harm, psychiatric disorders and somatic disorders. Third, it investigates the differences in suicide risk related to qualitative parameters in the use of antidepressants, such as adherence and treatment modifications. The overall aim is to help improve interventions to prevent suicide.Methods: All data were retrieved from the FVG Regional Social and Health Information System (SISSR), which links data using a unique anonymous key from different regional databases. Paper I analyses changes in individual-based data on antidepressant use and the rates of suicide during years 1997-2006. The other three papers are designed as case-control studies. All suicides that occurred in the region during years 2002-2008 (Paper II) and 2003-2013 (Paper III) were classified as cases, which were then age- and gender-matched to controls from the general population. In Paper IV, cases and controls from 2005 to 2014 must have had at least one prescription of antidepressant in the 730 days prior to the index date. Regression analysis was used to assess the association between suicide risk and its predictors.Results: In Paper I, suicide rates decreased by one-third in all genders and age groups. In parallel, both the number of individual users of antidepressant and the number of Defined Daily Doses per patient increased by 5-fold and 7-fold, respectively. In Paper II, the risk of suicide was highly increased by previous self-harm (OR = 53.1 for a single episode and OR = 98. for repeated episodes), as by psychiatric disorders (OR = 19.5). In Paper III, somatic disorders were strong predictors of suicide (OR = 2.9), particularly in case of comorbid disorders (OR from 2.6 to 9.8 when the number of disorders raised from 1 to ≥4) and in the elderly (OR = 4.3). No significant risk of suicide was found when medically-ill patients adhere to antidepressants. In Paper IV, none of the antidepressants compounds and classes was associated to suicide except SSRI (OR = 1.6). The association to suicide tended to decrease with adherence or current use of antidepressants. In all studies, on average only 10-20% of suicide cases adhere to antidepressants and 20-40% were currently using them at the time of death.Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that treatment with antidepressant medication lowers the risk of suicide. The treatment at a proper dosage and for a proper length of time further decreased the risk, particularly in somatic-ill persons. Well-known risk factors, such as non-fatal self-harm and psychiatric and somatic disorders, were confirmed to highly increase the risk of suicide. Only a minority of suicides, however, had adhered to antidepressants or were under antidepressant treatment at the time of death.List of scientific papersI. Castelpietra G, Morsanutto A, Pascolo-Fabrici E, Isacsson G. Antidepressant use and suicide prevention: a prescription database study in the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2008, 118 (5):382-388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01240.x II. Castelpietra G, Bovenzi M, Clagnan E, Barbone F, Balestrieri M, Isacsson G. Diagnoses and prescriptions of antidepressants in suicides: Register findings from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, 2002–2008. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice. 2016;20(2):121-4. https://doi.org/10.3109/13651501.2016.1149196 III. Castelpietra G, Gobbato M, Valent F, Bovenzi M, Barbone F, Clagnan E, Pascolo-Fabrici E, Balestrieri M, Isacsson G. Somatic disorders and antidepressant use in suicides: A population-based study from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, 2003–2013. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2015, 79 (5):372-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.09.007 IV. Castelpietra G, Gobbato M, Valent F, De Vido C, Balestrieri M, Isacsson G. Antidepressant use in suicides: A case-control study from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, 200 5-2014. [Submitted]</p
Antidepressant use in suicides: a case-control study from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, 2005–2014
No full textPURPOSE: To compare the use of antidepressant (AD) classes and compounds in individuals who committed suicide and in controls from the general population and to assess to what extent adherence and current use of different AD classes can affect the risk of committing suicide. METHODS: Individual data on suicide, diagnoses and AD use in Friuli Venezia Giulia from 2005 to 2014 were obtained from the Regional Social and Health Information System. All suicides that had at least one prescription of AD in the 730 days before death (N = 876) were included as cases. Each case was matched with regard to age and sex with five controls from the general population. The association between suicide and AD use was assessed using conditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Almost 70% of all suicides occurring in the10-year period had been prescribed AD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) accounted for more than the 90% of the prescriptions, with paroxetine the most prescribed AD. All AD compounds and classes were not associated with a higher suicide risk, with the exception of SSRI (OR = 1.6). A decreasing trend in suicide risk was observed when adherent subjects or current AD users were compared to the others. CONCLUSIONS: AD treatment is an important factor for preventing suicide, since the use of AD at adequate dosage and for a proper duration was associated with a lower suicide risk. The proper use of AD should be ascertained by physicians, particularly in a primary care context
Are patients improving during and after a psychiatric hospitalisation? Continuity of care outcomes of compulsory and voluntary admissions to an Italian psychiatric ward
No full textBackground: To compare the characteristics of compulsory admissions (CAs) and voluntary admissions (VAs) in a General Hospital Psychiatric Unit (GHPU), and to assess whether CA and VA patients’ outcomes improved during hospitalisation and follow-up in mental health services (MHS) based on community continuity of care.Design and Method: Observational longitudinal study comparing 19 CAs and 83 VAs consecutively admitted to GHPU of Udine, Italy, and followed up for six months by MHS. Five psychometric scales assessed psychosocial and clinical characteristics for each patient at admission (T0), discharge (T1) and follow-up (T2). Statistical analyses were performed using: multivariate logistic regression for comparing CA and VA; Friedman χ2 and Mann-Whitney tests for outcomes’ improvement.Results: Being hospitalised for a psychotic crisis was the most significant predictor of CA (OR = 5.07). An outcomes’ improvement was observed from T0 to T1 in almost all psychometric tests, while from T1 to T2 only for PSP-A (useful social activities), CGI-S (severity of illness) and CGI-EI (drug’s efficacy related to side effects). CA was associated to lower performances in all scales at T0, in GAF and CGI-S at T1, while no difference with VA was observed at T2.Conclusion: CA and VA patients improved to a same extent during hospitalisation and follow-up, particularly in relation to social functioning. This fosters the hypothesis that community-based MHS using a longitudinal continuity of care model might achieve recovery in a long-term perspective. Future research may benefit by considering patients’ subjective experiences and assessing long-term improvement in those who received person-centred interventions
Discontinuation of antidepressants in suicides findings from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, 2005-2014
No full textAlthough continued use of antidepressants (AD) has been found to be associated with a lower risk of suicide, AD discontinuation is reported repeatedly. The aim of this case-control study, thus, was to assess whether discontinuation to AD was associated with an increased risk of suicide, according to different genders and age groups. The Social and Health Information System of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, was used to collect data on suicides, diagnoses and AD use from 2005 to 2014. We selected, as cases, all suicides that had at least one prescription of AD in the 730 days before death (N = 876), and we matched with regard to age and sex each case with five controls from the general population. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between suicide and modifications of AD treatment. We found that 70% of suicides and controls from the general population discontinued AD in the 2 years before the index date. In two-thirds of them, discontinuations were two or more. Discontinuation of AD, however, did not represent a significant risk factor for suicide. More appropriate care of depression, particularly by primary care physicians who widely prescribe AD, should be fostered in order to prevent suicide. However, more research is needed to assess to which extent AD discontinuation can affect suicidal risk. © 2018 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society
Burden of 375 diseases and injuries, risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, and healthy life expectancy in 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
No full textBACKGROUND: Comprehensive, comparable, and timely estimates of demographic metrics—including life expectancy and age-specific mortality—are essential for evaluating, understanding, and addressing trends in population health. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of timely and all-cause mortality estimates for being able to respond to changing trends in health outcomes, showing a strong need for demographic analysis tools that can produce all-cause mortality estimates more rapidly with more readily available all-age vital registration (VR) data. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) is an ongoing research effort that quantifies human health by estimating a range of epidemiological quantities of interest across time, age, sex, location, cause, and risk. This study—part of the latest GBD release, GBD 2023—aims to provide new and updated estimates of all-cause mortality and life expectancy for 1950 to 2023 using a novel statistical model that accounts for complex correlation structures in demographic data across age and time.
METHODS: We used 24 025 data sources from VR, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources to estimate all-cause mortality for males, females, and all sexes combined across 25 age groups in 204 countries and territories as well as 660 subnational units in 20 countries and territories, for the years 1950–2023. For the first time, we used complete birth history data for ages 5–14 years, age-specific sibling history data for ages 15–49 years, and age-specific mortality data from Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems. We developed a single statistical model that incorporates both parametric and non-parametric methods, referred to as OneMod, to produce estimates of all-cause mortality for each age-sex-location group. OneMod includes two main steps: a detailed regression analysis with a generalised linear modelling tool that accounts for age-specific covariate effects such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and a population attributable fraction (PAF) for all risk factors combined; and a non-parametric analysis of residuals using a multivariate kernel regression model that smooths across age and time to adaptably follow trends in the data without overfitting. We calibrated asymptotic uncertainty estimates using Pearson residuals to produce 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) and corresponding 1000 draws. Life expectancy was calculated from age-specific mortality rates with standard demographic methods. For each measure, 95% UIs were calculated with the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution.
FINDINGS: In 2023, 60·1 million (95% UI 59·0–61·1) deaths occurred globally, of which 4·67 million (4·59–4·75) were in children younger than 5 years. Due to considerable population growth and ageing since 1950, the number of annual deaths globally increased by 35·2% (32·2–38·4) over the 1950–2023 study period, during which the global age-standardised all-cause mortality rate declined by 66·6% (65·8–67·3). Trends in age-specific mortality rates between 2011 and 2023 varied by age group and location, with the largest decline in under-5 mortality occurring in east Asia (67·7% decrease); the largest increases in mortality for those aged 5–14 years, 25–29 years, and 30–39 years occurring in high-income North America (11·5%, 31·7%, and 49·9%, respectively); and the largest increases in mortality for those aged 15–19 years and 20–24 years occurring in Eastern Europe (53·9% and 40·1%, respectively). We also identified higher than previously estimated mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa for all sexes combined aged 5–14 years (87·3% higher in GBD 2023 than GBD 2021 on average across countries and territories over the 1950–2021 period) and for females aged 15–29 years (61·2% higher), as well as lower than previously estimated mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa for all sexes combined aged 50 years and older (13·2% lower), reflecting advances in our modelling approach. Global life expectancy followed three distinct trends over the study period. First, between 1950 and 2019, there were considerable improvements, from 51·2 (50·6–51·7) years for females and 47·9 (47·4–48·4) years for males in 1950 to 76·3 (76·2–76·4) years for females and 71·4 (71·3–71·5) years for males in 2019. Second, this period was followed by a decrease in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, to 74·7 (74·6–74·8) years for females and 69·3 (69·2–69·4) years for males in 2021. Finally, the world experienced a period of post-pandemic recovery in 2022 and 2023, wherein life expectancy generally returned to pre-pandemic (2019) levels in 2023 (76·3 [76·0–76·6] years for females and 71·5 [71·2–71·8] years for males). 194 (95·1%) of 204 countries and territories experienced at least partial post-pandemic recovery in age-standardised mortality rates by 2023, with 61·8% (126 of 204) recovering to or falling below pre-pandemic levels. There were several mortality trajectories during and following the pandemic across countries and territories. Long-term mortality trends also varied considerably between age groups and locations, demonstrating the diverse landscape of health outcomes globally.
INTERPRETATION: This analysis identified several key differences in mortality trends from previous estimates, including higher rates of adolescent mortality, higher rates of young adult mortality in females, and lower rates of mortality in older age groups in much of sub-Saharan Africa. The findings also highlight stark differences across countries and territories in the timing and scale of changes in all-cause mortality trends during and following the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–23). Our estimates of evolving trends in mortality and life expectancy across locations, ages, sexes, and SDI levels in recent years as well as over the entire 1950–2023 study period provide crucial information for governments, policy makers, and the public to ensure that health-care systems, economies, and societies are prepared to address the world's health needs, particularly in populations with higher rates of mortality than previously known. The estimates from this study provide a robust framework for GBD and a valuable foundation for policy development, implementation, and evaluation around the world
Association between previous SARs-CoV-2 infection and new prescription of antidepressant drugs: a case-control study in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy
No full textPurpose: A rise in affective and anxiety disorders and in antidepressant (AD) treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extensively described, but few studies were provided at the individual level, further considering COVID-19 severity and vaccination status. Methods: Case-control study evaluating the association between the new use of ADs and a previous COVID-19 infection, in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, from March 1, 2020, to July 19, 2022. Multiple conditional logistic regressions assess the association between a new AD use and a COVID-19 infection previous to the index date, stratified by gender, age and anti-COVID-19 vaccination status. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results: COVID-19 was associated with AD treatment after the infection. The disease severity was positively associated with a growing risk of being dispensed an AD, with the highest risk in unvaccinated subjects previously hospitalised in ICU (OR = 28.77). The risk of using ADs after COVID-19 infection was higher in unvaccinated subjects aged 65 years and older, both females and males. The association between COVID-19 infection and AD dispensation in vaccinated subjects was not significant, with the exception of females aged 65 years and over. Conclusions: Anti-COVID-19 vaccination, especially among the elderly, might prevent post-COVID AD treatment. Clinicians should be aware that COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation are more likely to experience these symptoms, given their higher risk of being dispensed ADs. Future studies may benefit by analysing the incidence of both mental disorders and psychotropic treatment in post-COVID patients, considering socioeconomic factors and vaccination status
Increased antidepressant use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, 2015–2020
No full textBACKGROUND: Few studies investigated the impact of the pandemic on antidepressant (AD) use. METHODS: The Social and Health Information System of Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy, provided data on AD use. Sex, age, AD class and month used the amount of AD prescriptions, measured by defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day, to compare AD use in 2020 with the period 2015–2019. A linear trend model predicted AD use for 2020, based on years 2015–2019. RESULTS: AD use was on average 20% higher in each month of 2020 when compared with the same month for the period 2015–2019, with an increase of more than 30% in the first four and in the last two months of 2020. The observed AD use in 2020 was higher than predicted, particularly in men, and in the 30–59 years age group. LIMITATIONS: Descriptive study of AD use without analysis of data at the individual level. No information on psychiatric diagnoses of AD users. CONCLUSION: AD use was higher in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is warranted to understand if this may be related to a rise in mental disorders in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic
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