Breaking the web: life beyond the at-risk mental state for psychosis

Identification of distinct clinical profiles and trajectories in individuals at high risk of developing psychosis: A latent profile analysis of the north American prodrome longitudinal study consortium-3 dataset

AIM

People at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis are a heterogeneous population in regard to clinical presentation and outcome. It is unclear, however, if their baseline clinical characteristics can be used to construct orthogonal subgroups that differ in their clinical trajectory to provide early identification of individuals in need of tailored interventions.

METHODS

We used latent profile analysis (LPA) to determine the number of distinct clinical profiles within the CHR population using the NAPLS-3 dataset, focusing on the clinical features incorporated in the NAPLS psychosis risk calculator (including age, unusual thought content and suspiciousness, processing speed, verbal learning and memory function, social functioning decline, life events, childhood trauma, and family history of psychosis). We then conducted a between-profile comparisons of clinical trajectories based on psychotic and depressive symptoms as well as substance use disorder (SUD) related features over time.

RESULTS

Two distinct profiles emerged. One profile, comprising approximately 25% of the sample, was significantly older, displayed better cognitive performance, experienced more types of traumatic and undesirable life events, exhibited a greater decline in functioning in the past year, and was more likely to have relatives with psychosis. This group showed worse positive symptoms and SUD-related features over time, although groups did not differ in the proportion of individuals who developed psychosis.

CONCLUSIONS

LPA results suggest CHRs can be segregated into two profiles with different clinical trajectories. Characterizing individuals within these clinical profiles may help understand the divergent outcomes of this population and ultimately facilitate the development of specialized interventions.

Association between visual impairment and psychosis: A longitudinal study and nested case-control study of adults

BACKGROUND

Theories propose that visual impairment might increase the risk of psychosis, and vice versa. We aimed to investigate the relationship between visual impairment and psychosis in the UK Biobank cohort.

STUDY DESIGN

In a nested case control study of ~116,000 adults, we tested whether a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) diagnosis as exposure was associated with visual impairment. We also tested longitudinally whether poorer visual acuity, and thinner retinal structures on Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans in 2009 were associated with psychotic experiences in 2016. We adjusted for age, sex, depression and anxiety symptoms; and socioeconomic variables and vascular risk factors where appropriate. We compared complete case with multiple imputation models, designed to reduce bias potentially introduced by missing data.

RESULTS

People with visual impairment had greater odds of SSD than controls in multiply imputed data (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 1.42, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] 1.05-1.93, p = 0.021). We also found evidence that poorer visual acuity was associated with psychotic experiences during follow-up (AOR per 0.1 point worse visual acuity score 1.06, 95 % CI 1.01-1.11, p = 0.020; and 1.04, 95 % CI 1.00-1.08, p = 0.037 in right and left eye respectively). In complete case data (15 % of this cohort) we found no clear association, although confidence intervals included the multiple imputation effect estimates. OCT measures were not associated with psychotic experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of eye care for people with psychotic illnesses. We could not conclude whether visual impairment is a likely causal risk factor for psychosis.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between psychotic and depressive symptoms in depressed adolescents

Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) with psychotic features (delusions and/or hallucinations) have more severe symptoms and a worse prognosis. Subclinical psychotic symptoms are more common in adolescents than adults. However, the effects of psychotic symptoms on outcome of depressive symptoms have not been well studied in adolescents. Depressed adolescents aged 11-17 with and without psychotic symptoms were compared on depression severity scores at baseline and at 28- or 42-week follow-up in two large UK cohorts. Psychotic symptoms were weakly associated with more severe depression at baseline in both cohorts. At follow-up, baseline psychotic symptoms were only associated with depressive symptoms in one sample; in the other, the effect size was close to zero. This supports the DSM5 system of psychotic symptoms being a separate code to severity rather than the ICD10 system which only allows the diagnosis of psychotic depression with severe depression. There was no clear support for psychotic symptoms being a baseline marker of treatment response.

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.

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 validity and clinical utility of the concept of "clinical high risk" (CHR) for psychosis have so far been investigated only in risk-enriched samples in clinical settings. In this population-based prospective study, we aimed - for the first time - to assess the incidence rate of clinical psychosis and es-timate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of that incidence for preceding psychosis risk states and DSM-IV diagnoses of non-psychotic mental disorders (mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol use disorders, and drug use disorders). All analyses were adjusted for age, gender and education. The incidence rate of clinical psychosis was 63.0 per 100,000 person-years. The mutually-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model indicated that preceding diagnoses of mood disorders (hazard ratio, HR=10.67, 95% CI: 3.12-36.49), psychosis high-risk state (HR=7.86, 95% CI: 2.76-22.42) and drug use disorders (HR=5.33, 95% CI: 1.61-17.64) were associated with an increased risk for clinical psychosis incidence. Of the clinical psychosis incidence in the population, 85.5% (95% CI: 64.6-94.1) was attributable to prior psychopathology, with mood disorders (PAF=66.2, 95% CI: 33.4-82.9), psychosis high-risk state (PAF=36.9, 95% CI: 11.3-55.1), and drug use disorders (PAF=18.7, 95% CI: -0.9 to 34.6) as the most important factors. Although the psychosis high-risk state displayed a high relative risk for clinical psychosis outcome even after adjusting for other psychopathology, the PAF was comparatively low, given the low prevalence of psychosis high-risk states in the population. These findings provide empirical evidence for the "prevention paradox" of targeted CHR early intervention. A comprehensive prevention strategy with a focus on broader psychopathology may be more effective than the current psychosis-focused approach for achieving population-based improvements in prevention of psychotic disorders.