Sally Olderbak, Justin Möckl, Christian Rauschert, Evita Schäfer, Stefanie Helmer, Nicki-Nils Seitz, Eva Hoch
{"title":"Predictors of changes in marijuana consumption in Germany during the covid-19 pandemic.","authors":"Sally Olderbak, Justin Möckl, Christian Rauschert, Evita Schäfer, Stefanie Helmer, Nicki-Nils Seitz, Eva Hoch","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01861-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01861-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the Covid-19 pandemic Germany experienced its first increase in the proportion of heavy cannabis users since 1995. With the expected nationwide decriminalization of cannabis before 2025, we investigate the potential causes for that increase. Data were from the 2021 European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) including 762 12-month marijuana users from Germany (72.9% male, mean age = 29.5 years). Both heavy and regular cannabis consumers reported an increase in marijuana consumption during the pandemic, with infrequent users reporting a decrease. Using multinomial logistic regression, we found younger individuals (OR = 0.95 [95% CI = 0.92, 0.98]) and those not pursuing or completing higher education (OR = 1.86 [1.23, 2.81]) had increased use. Additionally, using cannabis to self-medicate (OR = 2.79 [1.56, 4.99]) and purchasing marijuana (OR = 2.26 [1.35, 3.77]) was associated with increased use. We found, relative to infrequent users, both regular (OR = 4.00 [2.39, 6.72]) and notably heavy users (OR = 31.17 [12.10, 80.32]) were more likely to use cannabis to self-medicate. Both regular (OR = 4.09 [2.47, 6.77]) and especially heavy users (OR = 13.53 [6.74, 27.16]) were also more likely to purchase marijuana. Heavy users were also more likely to be past 30-day tobacco users (OR = 5.92 [2.81, 12.45]). We identified the self-reported motivation of using cannabis to self-medicate as well as act of purchasing marijuana as having the strongest relation to being a heavy user and increasing marijuana use during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"389-396"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141537706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nerve growth factor gene polymorphisms may be associated with heroin dependence in women but do not mediate specific personality traits.","authors":"Shin-Chang Kuo, Chun-Long Lin, Chang-Chih Tsou, Yi-Wei Yeh, Bao-Zhu Yang, Chun-Yen Chen, Chih-Yun Huang, San-Yuan Huang","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01906-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01906-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heroin dependence (HD) is a complex disease with a substantial genetic contribution and is associated with traits of impulsivity and specific personality traits. The neurotrophic factor nerve growth factor (NGF) may mediate the reward processes in HD. This study aims to investigate whether NGF gene polymorphisms are associated with the co-occurrence of HD and impulsivity/specific personality traits in HD patients. To minimize the potential confounding effects of population stratification, we selected a homogeneous Han Chinese population and recruited 1364 participants (831 HD patients and 533 healthy controls). In addition, 163 female HD patients completed the Chinese version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), and 440 HD patients completed the Chinese version of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) for subsequent analysis. We identified three polymorphisms with altered allele and genotype frequency in HD patients versus controls (p = 0.035 for rs2254527; p = 0.005 for rs6678788; p = 0.006 for rs7523654), especially in the female subgroup. Four associations identified via haplotype analysis were significant in the female subgroup (p = 0.003 for T-T-A haplotype and p = 0.002 for C-C-A haplotype in block 1; p = 0.011 for T-T haplotype and p = 0.009 for C-T haplotypes in block 2), but not in the male subgroup. Male HD patients had higher novelty-seeking (NS) scores, and female HD patients had higher harm avoidance (HA) scores. However, there was no significant association between the selected NGF polymorphisms and BIS or TPQ scores in HD patients. NGF variants may contribute to the risk of HD development in females but do not mediate the relationship between impulsivity and specific personality traits in the female population.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"487-498"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11976897/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142282316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Axel Krug, Valentin Markov, Abigail Sheldrick, Sören Krach, Andreas Jansen, Klaus Zerres, Thomas Eggermann, Tony Stöcker, N Jon Shah, Tilo Kircher
{"title":"Correction to: The effect of the COMT val<sup>158</sup>met polymorphism on neural correlates of semantic verbal fluency.","authors":"Axel Krug, Valentin Markov, Abigail Sheldrick, Sören Krach, Andreas Jansen, Klaus Zerres, Thomas Eggermann, Tony Stöcker, N Jon Shah, Tilo Kircher","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01924-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01924-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"589"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142343987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hai-Ling Cao, Wei Wei, Ya-Jing Meng, Ren-Hao Deng, Xiao-Jing Li, Wei Deng, Yan-Song Liu, Zhen Tang, Xiang-Dong Du, Andrew J Greenshaw, Ming-Li Li, Tao Li, Wan-Jun Guo
{"title":"Interactions between overweight/obesity and alcohol dependence impact human brain white matter microstructure: evidence from DTI.","authors":"Hai-Ling Cao, Wei Wei, Ya-Jing Meng, Ren-Hao Deng, Xiao-Jing Li, Wei Deng, Yan-Song Liu, Zhen Tang, Xiang-Dong Du, Andrew J Greenshaw, Ming-Li Li, Tao Li, Wan-Jun Guo","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01760-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01760-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is inconsistent evidence for an association of obesity with white matter microstructural alterations. Such inconsistent findings may be related to the cumulative effects of obesity and alcohol dependence. This study aimed to investigate the possible interactions between alcohol dependence and overweight/obesity on white matter microstructure in the human brain. A total of 60 inpatients with alcohol dependence during early abstinence (44 normal weight and 16 overweight/obese) and 65 controls (42 normal weight and 23 overweight/obese) were included. The diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures [fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD)] of the white matter microstructure were compared between groups. We observed significant interactive effects between alcohol dependence and overweight/obesity on DTI measures in several tracts. The DTI measures were not significantly different between the overweight/obese and normal-weight groups (although widespread trends of increased FA and decreased RD were observed) among controls. However, among the alcohol-dependent patients, the overweight/obese group had widespread reductions in FA and widespread increases in RD, most of which significantly differed from the normal-weight group; among those with overweight/obesity, the alcohol-dependent group had widespread reductions in FA and widespread increases in RD, most of which were significantly different from the control group. This study found significant interactive effects between overweight/obesity and alcohol dependence on white matter microstructure, indicating that these two controllable factors may synergistically impact white matter microstructure and disrupt structural connectivity in the human brain.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"439-449"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139971446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eva Hoch, Monika Murawski, Marica Ferri, Daniel Feingold
{"title":"Cannabis use disorder: an overview of treatment approaches in Europe.","authors":"Eva Hoch, Monika Murawski, Marica Ferri, Daniel Feingold","doi":"10.1007/s00406-025-01964-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-025-01964-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Between 8 and 22% of lifetime cannabis users develop Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). It is the most frequent reason for first-time drug-related treatment admissions in Europe. Many countries have general substance use treatment programs for individuals with cannabis use disorders. This study presents an updated overview of cannabis-specific treatment availability across Europe. Data on treatment programs in 27 EU member states, United Kingdom, Norway and Turkey was gathered. The study used a mixed-methods approach, combining (1) a quantitative survey among the National Focal Points of the European Drugs Agency (EUDA), (2) a qualitative analysis of \"Drug Workbooks 2021\" and 'Treatment Workbooks 2020 and 2021' published by the National Focal Points of the EUDA. Data for 30 countries on the European continent was analyzed. Sixteen countries reported the existence of specific cannabis-specific programs. Fifteen countries provided specific face-to-face interventions, which mostly have limited national coverage. Cannabis-specific online-treatment has been used more systematically since the COVID-pandemic in some countries. Automated and brief web-based interventions have emerged with a large potential to cover the needs of many clients in rural areas. First Cannabis Clinics opened, but specific forms of treatment for vulnerable target groups (e.g. adolescents, people with mental disorders) are generally still rare. Most programs are not evidence-based. In sum, some growth in cannabis-specific treatments has been observed in the past decade in Europe. Their coverage is still limited.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"315-326"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11910399/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cannabis use and cannabis use disorders and their treatment in the Europe.","authors":"Wayne Hall, Jakob Manthey, Daniel Stjepanović","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01776-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01776-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper introduces the special issue on cannabis use in Europe. It describes data on the prevalence of cannabis use in Europe and the more limited data on the prevalence of cannabis use disorders, one of the most common forms of drug problem treated in many countries in Europe. It summarises what research has indicated about the adverse effects of acute and chronic cannabis use and discusses potential health system responses that may reduce some of these harms. These include public education about the risks of cannabis use; screening and brief interventions in primary medical settings; and specialist treatment for cannabis use disorders. It briefly indicates the special issues that may need to be addressed in dealing with the high rates of comorbidity between cannabis use disorders, other types of drug use disorders, and common mental disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"307-313"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11910426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140136623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David E Caldwell, Quincy Nauert, Vanessa Shirazi, Elizabeth Shirtcliff
{"title":"An argument for updating the sensation seeking scale.","authors":"David E Caldwell, Quincy Nauert, Vanessa Shirazi, Elizabeth Shirtcliff","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01887-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01887-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"583"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141999624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harm reduction strategies for cannabis-related problems: a literature review and typology.","authors":"Jonathan Pratschke","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01839-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01839-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Measures that seek to minimise the health and social consequences of substance use are an integral part of national drug strategies in many European countries. Against the backdrop of a high prevalence of cannabis use in the economically advanced countries, and increasing demand for treatment for cannabis-related problems, a range of harm reduction measures have been implemented by peers, statutory bodies and third-sector organisations. Based on a systematic review of the literature, the author describes these different forms of intervention, identifies innovative strategies and presents a simple typology that can be used when exploring existing measures or seeking to develop new policies. This typology covers different kinds of legal, socio-organisational and health-related interventions. All study designs were eligible for inclusion, with the exception of case reports, non-systematic reviews, editorials and news stories. Studies had to be published between 2011 and 2022, in English, and they had to refer to Europe, the Americas, Australia or New Zealand. A two-concept search was implemented using Embase.com and a number of other databases, combined with citation searches and manual website searching to improve coverage of research reports and advocacy documents. A total of 35 documents were deemed eligible, many of which rely on qualitative research methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"379-388"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11910390/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141456025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alisa Stampf, Larissa Schwarzkopf, Albert Batalla, Daniel Feingold, Benedikt Fischer, Eva Hoch
{"title":"Cannabis-related treatment demand at the eve of German cannabis legalization - a 20-years trend analysis.","authors":"Alisa Stampf, Larissa Schwarzkopf, Albert Batalla, Daniel Feingold, Benedikt Fischer, Eva Hoch","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01832-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01832-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-2000, the prevalence of cannabis consumption has been rising internationally. This paper investigates whether cannabis-related treatment demand in German outpatient addiction care facilities (OACFs) has been following this trend. Treatment demand related to cannabis use disorder (CUD) for the period 2001 to 2021 was investigated using data from the nation-wide standardized German Addiction Care Statistical Service. Analyses covered all and first-time treatment admissions, demographics, and treatment outcomes. We identified years with significant changes in slope or direction of trends through joinpoint regression. Trends within the CUD client population were contrasted with trends among the entire OACF client population. CUD is the second-most common cause for OACF admissions in Germany. Between 2001 and 2021, the share of CUD-related cases among total OACF caseload increased from 7.1 to 19.9%, whereby the share of first-time treatment admissions declined from 79.6 to 55.6%. The share of CUD client population > 35 years almost tripled from 6.0 to 17.4%, that of female client population rose from 15.6 to 18.1%. From 2001 to 2007, the share of CUD-related treatments completed with improved symptomatology increased from 54.7 to 65.6%, followed by a marginal decline. CUD-related treatment demand is growing in Germany's OACFs, involving a client population that is increasingly older and more experienced with the addiction care system. As current intervention programmes mainly target adolescents and young adults who have been consuming cannabis only for a short time, adapting service offers to the changing client profiles appears paramount to improve treatment effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"365-378"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141476231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julia G Wenzel, Markus Reichert, Hilmar Zech, Friederike Wedemeyer, Friederike Deeken, Gianna Spitta, Patrick Bach, Bernd Lenz, Ulrich W Ebner-Priemer, Falk Kiefer, Michael A Rapp, Henrik Walter, Andreas Heinz, Tobias Banaschewski
{"title":"One-year ecological momentary assessment of alcohol use, mood, and stress among individuals with alcohol use disorder during SARS-CoV-2 pandemics: a gender-specific reflection.","authors":"Julia G Wenzel, Markus Reichert, Hilmar Zech, Friederike Wedemeyer, Friederike Deeken, Gianna Spitta, Patrick Bach, Bernd Lenz, Ulrich W Ebner-Priemer, Falk Kiefer, Michael A Rapp, Henrik Walter, Andreas Heinz, Tobias Banaschewski","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01930-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00406-024-01930-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol consumption (AC) is a leading risk factor for death, morbidity, and disability worldwide. Gender-specific differences in AC and its moderators, which may serve as markers for preventing severe alcohol use disorders (AUD), showed inconsistent results. Additionally, the impact of COVID-19-related lockdowns on these differences remains unclear. We examined gender-specific differences in short- and long-term factors affecting AC in individuals at risk for alcohol dependence, focusing on mood, stress, and the influence of restriction-dependent lockdown phases. 358 subjects with AUD aged 16 to 65 were studied over one year. Daily electronic diaries and monthly questionnaires were conducted from 10/01/2020 to 09/30/2021, assessing real-world trajectories of AC, mood (MDMQ), and stress (PSS-10) during Germany's second COVID-19 wave. Multi-level models were used to assess associations between these measures and with several within- and between-subject variables. During lockdown, women experienced lower and even decreasing mood (valence: β = - 0.2, p < .039; calmness: β = - 0.3, p < .010), while men's mood increased from the most restrictive lockdown phase (valence: β = 0.2, p < .001; calmness: β = 0.3, p < .001) to post-lockdown (valence: β = 0.5, p < .001; calmness: β = 0.6, p < .001). Stress increased earlier (β = 0.8, p < .001) and more prolonged (β = 0.4, p = .021) in women than in men. For both genders, daily mood was positively associated with daily AC (valence: β = 0.6, p = .004; calmness: β = 0.4, p = .013), leading to stronger drinking on days with elevated mood. Conversely, average mood was negatively associated with average AC (valence: β = - 1.6, p = .011; calmness: β = - 1.2, p = .041), indicating higher overall consumption with worse overall mood. Our findings highlight the need for interventions targeting mental distress in women with AUD during pandemics, as this group faces increased mental burden during social isolation and increased risk of alcohol dependence during persistent distress.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"451-461"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11910400/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}