Showing papers by "Merete Nordentoft published in 2006"

Social network among young adults with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Abstract: Background Social network has considerable impact on physical and mental health Patients experiencing first-episode psychosis early in adult life may experience severe problems concerning development and maintenance of their social network

Childhood Social Environment and Risk of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in a Cohort of Danish Men Born in 1953

Abstract: In a 32-year follow-up study, the authors analyze how social circumstances during early life, childhood social participation, and school performance affect the risk of being admitted to a hospital or dying from a diagnosis closely related to drug or alcohol abuse in young adulthood. A total of 11,376 Danish males born in 1953, for whom data from birth certificates and conscription board examinations had been traced, were followed until 2002 through linkage to the Danish Psychiatric, National Patient, and Cause of Death registries. At age 12 years, 7,877 subjects completed a questionnaire on social participation and school performance. During follow-up, 12 percent of these were given a diagnosis indicating drug or alcohol abuse. Having a single mother and a working-class father were each associated with an increased risk of drug or alcohol abuse in adult life. At age 12 years, those who disliked school, scored low on a school test, or preferred to visit a youth club during leisure time showed a greater risk of adult substance abuse. These associations were slightly attenuated when adjusted for educational status at conscription. Deprived social circumstances during childhood, poor school performance in early adolescence, and attending a youth club seemed to be independent markers of substance abuse in adult life.

Trends in suicide risk associated with hospitalized psychiatric illness: a case-control study based on Danish longitudinal registers.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: In light of the consistent reduction in suicide rate during the past 20 years in Denmark, this study aims to investigate trends in suicide risk associated with hospitalized psychiatric illness and to explore differences in the changes with regard to clinical phases of illness, sex, age, and diagnosis. METHOD: This population-based study includes all of 21,169 suicides in Denmark during the years 1981 through 1997 and 423,128 controls matched for sex, age, and time (using a nested case-control design). Personal data on psychiatric history and socioeconomic status were retrieved from Danish longitudinal registers. Data were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: This study shows that the reduction in suicide rate is generally faster among individuals with a history of psychiatric admission than among individuals without such a history. However, this substantial reduction is mainly accounted for by the reduction among patients who had been discharged from psychiatric hospitals for more than 1 year. For patients who had been discharged from hospitals within 1 year, the reduction is similar to that of the general population; while for patients hospitalized for treatment at the time of suicide or the index date, the reduction in suicide rate is relatively slower. Such trends hold for all diagnostic groups. Further analyses stratified by age indicate that the faster reduction in suicide rate associated with history of hospitalized psychiatric illness is more pronounced among patients aged 36 years and older. CONCLUSION: The reduction in suicide rate is substantial for patients who have been discharged from psychiatric hospitals for more than 1 year and for middle-aged and older patients. Recent improvement in psychiatric care and treatment and promotion of new generation antidepressants may contribute to these changes. Language: en

Time-trends in method-specific suicide rates compared with the availability of specific compounds. The Danish experience.

Abstract: Restriction of means for suicide is an important part of suicide preventive strategies in different countries. All suicides in Denmark between 1970 and 2000 were examined with regard to method used for suicide. Overall suicide mortality and method-specific suicide mortality was compared with official information about availability of medical compounds (barbiturates, benzodiazepines, analgesics, antidepressants) and carbon monoxide in vehicle exhaust and household gas. Restrictions on the availability of carbon monoxide, barbiturates and dextropropoxyphen was associated with a decline in the number of suicides by self-poisoning with these compounds. Restricted access occurred concomittantly with a 55% decrease in suicide rate.

[OPUS: a randomised multicenter trial of integrated versus standard treatment for patients with a first-episode psychosis--secondary publication].

Abstract: A total of 547 patients with first-episode psychosis were included in a randomised clinical trial comparing integrated treatment with standard treatment The integrated treatment consisted of assertive community treatment with programmes for family involvement and social skills training Patients in integrated treatment had significantly fewer psychotic and negative symptoms, less comorbid substance abuse, better adherence to treatment and more satisfaction with treatment at one-year and two-year follow-ups

Cannabis and psychosis

Abstract: Longitudinal studies of the association between use of cannabis and later psychosis or schizophrenia were reviewed. Studies included were studies in the general population and in conscripts, using information from interviews about use of cannabis and register-based follow-up in psychiatric case-registers or in personal interviews. There was a consistent finding that use of cannabis was associated with an increased risk of later psychosis with an odds ratio of approximately 2, when adjusted for predisposition to mental illness and socio-demographic risk factors.