Literature Collection

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

Adolescence is a time for experimentation, often leading to impulsive decision-making and risky behavior that can cause harm. Many primary care clinicians lack training in managing positive substance use screens. Screening adolescent patients in primary care can help identify, prevent, and treat substance use disorder.

IMPORTANCE: Substance use during pregnancy is a major health issue for both the mother and the fetus, but it also represents an important public health concern. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review was to summarize and compare recommendations from recently published guidelines on substance use during pregnancy and especially regarding alcohol, smoking, and drug use. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A descriptive review of guidelines from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on substance use was conducted. Regarding the term "substance use," the most recently published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition substances were used. RESULTS: All the reviewed guidelines recommend appropriate counseling and screening women regarding alcohol, smoking, and drug use during the antenatal period, while the management options vary. More specifically, the prompt management of alcohol dependence is emphasized by all the guidelines except from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which makes no recommendation upon. The use of alcohol during breastfeeding should be avoided. Regarding smoking cessation, all guidelines recommend the use of certain psychosocial, behavioral interventions, and pharmacotherapy. All the guidelines, except the one from the WHO, suggest screening drug users for coexistent sexually transmitted infections. Brief interventions are considered beneficial, while a gradual decrease in benzodiazepines is suggested, as well as the discontinuation of marijuana and methamphetamine use. However, there is controversy regarding breastfeeding in those women as the WHO recommends in favor, whereas the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend against this practice. Finally, all the guidelines state that, following delivery, close monitoring of the neonate is needed. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of guidelines' recommendations concerning substance use reflects the different ways of the management of pregnant women during routine antenatal care due to absence of strong evidence. More research in the areas of dispute may allow the adoption of an international consensus, in order to early detect and appropriately manage pregnant women with harmful addictions.

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased levels of anxiety, fear, sadness, difficulty adjusting, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidality, both in the general population and specific subgroups. The presence of this type of psychopathology increases the risk of involvement with or worsens the use of addictive substances and alcohol as a maladaptive coping strategy.1 According to these data, people with substance use disorders are a population at high risk for COVID-19 infection and serious illness. Α large controlled retrospective case study in the US found that people with substance use disorders are significantly more vulnerable to COVID-19 and its complications (primarily those with opioid use disorder OR = 10.21 and with tobacco use disorder OR = 8.25), and that the course and outcome of the disease (hospitalization, death) was worse than in non-dependent individuals. The main culprits are increased physical co-morbidity (frequent respiratory and cardiovascular problems), poor health and living conditions, marginalization and difficulties in accessing health services. 2,3 Ιnternational epidemiological data during the first months of the pandemic regarding the use of addictive substances do not lead to safe conclusions. A cross-sectional online epidemiological study conducted on a sample of 36,538 adults from 21 European countries between April and July 2020 found an overall decrease in alcohol use, which was mainly attributed to the reduction of heavy episodic consumption, while at the same time an increase in alcohol consumption among people with severe alcohol use was recorded. Τhe use of cannabis and nicotine showed increasing trends, as well as the use of cocaine, but to a lesser extent, while the use of MDMA (ecstasy) showed a decrease.4 In a review of 45 cross-sectional studies conducted between December 2019 and November 2020, alcohol use was on the rise overall, despite geographical variations, as was the use of other addictive substances, cannabis in particular.5 It should be noted that those who increased alcohol use during quarantine were those exhibiting higher levels of negative emotionality mechanisms.6 In Greece, an online cross-sectional survey in April 2020 in the general population during the first lockdown showed a reduction in alcohol use (43.7% of alcohol users reduced or quit), a reduction in cannabis (67.3% quit), while 33.3% increased nicotine use. These changes were attributed to the limitation of alcohol availability, social distancing, changes in daily routine and income reduction.7,8 Also, wastewater samples from Athens, analyzed by the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry of EKPA, showed a significant increase in the use of cocaine (67%), amphetamine (350%) and methamphetamine (37%), and a decrease in the use of MDMA (- 38%) during the first lockdown, compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.9 Analysis of wastewater samples from other European cities "suggest that levels of use of most drugs appear generally lower during the initial lockdowns, but then appear to bounce back once lockdown was lifted. A comparison with 2019 appears to suggest similar overall consumption of most drugs, and in several cities possibly even higher levels, based on this data source. Exceptions here appear to be MDMA and methamphetamine, two drugs for which the levels observed in 2020 appear lower in most of the participating cities".10,11 There were also changes in the locations of use of the substances, as with the periodic restrictions the use was transferred mainly at home and in open public spaces; in some cases, it was associated with increased intravenous use and cases of intoxication. Finally, intermittent difficulties in drug availability and trafficking have led users to search for other substances, increase experimentation and multidrug use, and make online purchases. In addition, there is concern about the increasing abuse of benzodiazepines, which are either diverted from therapeutic use or appear on the illicit market, often as new benzodiazepines.10,12 According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), "the drug market has been remarkably resilient to disruption caused by the pandemic" … Drug trafficking has adapted to the new conditions with changes in routes and methods of trafficking, and by further enhancing the digital presence of the drug market… "Any reductions in drug consumption seen during the initial lockdowns rapidly disappeared as social distancing measures were eased. In general terms, there appears to have been less consumer interest in drugs usually associated with recreational events, such as MDMA, and greater interest in drugs linked with home use. However, the easing of restrictions … during the summer was associated with a rebound in the levels of use". Also, "survey data suggest that those using drugs occasionally prior to COVID-19 may have reduced or even ceased their use during the pandemic, but more-regular users may have increased their drug consumption".10 Measures taken to control the pandemic have reduced and modified the mental health and addiction treatment services provided. Although services have been adequately restored, there has initially been a 60% reduction in the availability and provision of detoxification services in Europe.13 Live contact, mainly at group level, was significantly reduced or stopped altogether for a long period, as well as the frequency of individual appointments. Therapeutic programs sought to respond to the new conditions using technology and telemedicine, providing online group support and psychotherapy. Substitution treatment programs have become more flexible by providing long-term pharmaceutical substitutes (take home) to prevent users from moving. There have also been facilitations in prescribing by treating physicians. Thus, the addicts' contact with the treatment process was maintained, but it was insufficient to meet their increased needs during this period. In conclusion, it should be noted that substance use appears to have an autonomous dynamism in relation to the pandemic and the consequent psychopathology, being in a "loose" causal relationship with it. Therefore, hasty and untimely generalizations should be avoided, and easy conclusions should not be drawn through extrapolations from previous socio-economic crises of different types or through partial spatiotemporal understandings, which are usually presented by the media in the form of negative alarming information.