Journal of Psychopharmacology最新文献

{"title":"Salvinorin A in humans: A systematic review of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety.","authors":"Wolfgang Emanuel Zürrer, Johann Liesner, David Brüschweiler, Helena D Aicher, Milan Scheidegger, Benjamin Victor Ineichen","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473385","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473385","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salvinorin A, the principal psychoactive constituent of <i>Salvia divinorum</i>, is a highly selective κ-opioid receptor agonist and a rare example of a κ-opioid receptor-mediated psychedelic drug. Preclinical work of salvinorin A has shown promising effects in neuropsychiatric animal models. However, human studies remain heterogeneous and fragmented, highlighting the need for synthesis. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to synthesize available human studies of salvinorin A, with a focus on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and longer-term effects. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE from inception to January 18, 2026. We included 12 clinical trials comprising 174 participants. Most studies enrolled medically healthy, hallucinogen-experienced volunteers and administered salvinorin A by inhalation (0.375-21 µg/kg or 0.2-12 mg). Pharmacokinetic profiles were characterized by rapid onset within seconds, peak effects at 1-2 minutes, and resolution within 30 minutes, consistent with fast absorption and clearance. Sublingual administration in two studies produced slower onset and longer duration, whereas oral dosing was inactive in one study. No serious adverse events were reported. Physiological parameters were largely stable, with occasional mild increases in blood pressure/heart rate. Acute psychological effects included disorientation, anxiety, and distress in subsets of participants, alongside reports of positive subjective changes. Long-term adverse effects were rare, and abuse potential appeared low. Overall, salvinorin A exhibits a distinct human neuropsychopharmacological profile compared with serotonergic psychedelics. These findings support cautious further investigation in controlled studies. Further, salvinorin A can serve as a model for probing κ-opioid receptor-mediated alterations of consciousness in humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473385"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813365","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":"Dopaminergic fronto-striatal connectivity underlies schema-dependent learning.","authors":"Mushfa Yousuf, Niels Kloosterman, Jannik Prasuhn, Norbert Brüggemann, Lluís Fuentemilla, Nico Bunzeck","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473397","DOIUrl":"10.1177/02698811261473397","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Long-term memory for novel information can be supported by presenting it within a known semantic context. This so-called congruency effect has long been described as an example of schema-dependent learning, but the underlying neural mechanisms still remain unclear. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that dopamine modulates it through the regulation of prefrontal and mesolimbic brain regions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In a double-blind mixed-design, 90 healthy humans (70 female, 20 male) received either a dopamine agonist (1.25 mg bromocriptine), a dopamine antagonist (400 mg sulpiride), or a placebo before the encoding of semantically congruent and incongruent words, while their brain activity was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Behaviorally, semantic congruency enhanced recognition memory on the next day in all three groups, and this effect was modulated by drug following an inverted <i>U</i>-shaped function. Specifically, the congruency effect was highest under placebo and significantly reduced by both the agonist and antagonist. On the neural level, this was paralleled by robust non-linear modulations of striatal activity and its functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex (superior frontal gyrus).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings give novel insights by showing that schema-dependent learning is modulated by dopamine, and they suggest that this relates to fronto-striatal connectivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473397"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813400","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":"Beyond head-twitch response: Acute psilocybin affects spontaneous behaviors in rats in a dose-dependent manner.","authors":"Praachi Tiwari, Bryan W Jenkins, Catherine F Moore, Hudson Zhou, Tylaah George, David B Yaden, Elise M Weerts","doi":"10.1177/02698811261478600","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261478600","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Psychedelics have emerged as promising pharmacological agents for treating a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. While preclinical studies have provided valuable insight into the neural mechanisms underlying their effects, systematic characterization of psychedelic effects on inherent spontaneous behaviors in animal models remains limited.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the current study, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered psilocybin (0.5, 1, 1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or its vehicle (saline). Behaviors were video recorded for subsequent analysis. In addition to the widely studied head-twitch response and wet dog shakes (HTR/WDS), five additional spontaneous behaviors that were modulated by psilocybin (immobility, rearing, grooming, sniffing/digging, and circling) were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Assessed behaviors showed distinct dose-response profiles in both sexes. When compared to saline, psilocybin elicited HTR/WDS following a bell-shaped curve, while immobility increased linearly, with dose. Rearing and grooming decreased markedly even at low doses, sniffing/digging declined only at higher doses, and circling increased variably across doses for each sex. Furthermore, some behaviors were correlated in a dose-dependent manner.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Together, our findings highlight a broader range of behaviors influenced by psilocybin beyond HTR and provide a framework for identifying its neurobehavioral effects in Sprague-Dawley rats within a widely used physiologically relevant dose range.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261478600"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813373","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":"Experience, plasticity, and context: Beyond single-level models of antidepressant action.","authors":"David Eckert","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473402","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473402","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The re-emergence of serotonergic psychedelics has introduced rapid-acting antidepressant effects and has been widely described as a paradigmatic shift in depression treatment. Recently, there has been intense debate about whether the acute subjective effects of psychedelics are necessary for their therapeutic efficacy or merely byproducts of underlying neuroplastic processes. Recent conceptualizations of \"psychoplastogens\" emphasize rapid induction of neuroplasticity as a potential common pathway across mechanistically diverse rapid-acting antidepressants. Here, some argue that the psychedelic experience itself may not be required for enduring therapeutic change while others highlight the clinical and existential significance of the subjective experience and its integration within structured psychotherapeutic settings. This Perspective argues that the debate is often framed too narrowly as a binary opposition between experience and mechanism and opts for a complementary model in which receptor-level signalling, network reorganization, subjective experience, and psychotherapeutic context represent interacting dimensions of a single intervention architecture. Within this framework, subjective experience may be clinically meaningful without being biologically indispensable, while neuroplasticity may constitute an enabling condition without being sufficient in isolation. Rather than asking whether experience or mechanism is primary, the clinically relevant question becomes under which conditions, for which patients, and within which care structures different plasticity-inducing interventions, hallucinogenic or non-hallucinogenic, are most appropriate. This question is further complicated by methodological challenges in isolating those contributions empirically. Psychedelic research thus challenges not only neurobiological models of depression but also existing assumptions about how pharmacological and psychotherapeutic processes converge in antidepressant treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473402"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148766166","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":"Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for substance use disorders as a complex intervention: A systematic review of efficacy, mechanisms and psychotherapeutic frameworks.","authors":"Lana Strika-Bruneau, Chérine Elhssaini, Baptiste Fauvel, Ewen Kervadec, Aurore Bezo, Ammar Amirouche, Amine Benyamina, Bruno Romeo","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473436","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473436","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) shows promise for substance use disorders (SUDs), yet the respective contributions of pharmacological, experiential, psychotherapeutic, and contextual factors remain insufficiently understood.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To synthesize contemporary clinical evidence on PAP for SUDs, with particular attention to therapeutic frameworks, dosing strategies, safety, and mechanisms of action.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic review of clinical studies published between 2000 and 2026 was conducted through structured database searches and manual surveillance. Eligibility criteria involved classic psychedelic administration within defined psychotherapeutic frameworks in individuals with a primary SUD diagnosis. Data were narratively analyzed and synthesized.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventeen studies, encompassing 10 primary clinical trials, met inclusion criteria: ten focused on alcohol use disorder, five on tobacco use disorder, one on methamphetamine use disorder, and one on cocaine use disorder. All trials investigated psilocybin within structured psychotherapeutic protocols, primarily based on cognitive-behavioral and third-wave approaches. PAP was associated with reductions in substance use, higher abstinence rates, and improved psychological well-being, although findings remained heterogeneous and design-dependent. Trials combining repeated high-dose sessions with extended psychotherapeutic engagement consistently reported sustained clinical benefits. Findings further suggest that outcomes may arise from interactions between neurobiological, experiential, psychological, psychotherapeutic, and contextual processes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Current evidence supports PAP as a promising but still emerging intervention for SUDs, although available clinical research remains exclusively based on psilocybin-assisted interventions. Findings further support conceptualizing PAP as a complex intervention embedded within an integrated psychotherapeutic process rather than as a pharmacological treatment alone. Larger controlled trials with active comparators, longer follow-up, and systematic investigation of psychotherapeutic and contextual mechanisms remain needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473436"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148794822","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":"Defining 'psychedelic'.","authors":"A E Ostrand, M M Nour, C Timmermann, A Rosati, L X Luan, A Gomez-Emilsson, J Bornemann, K T Greenway, L Roseman, Carhart-Harris R","doi":"10.1177/02698811261464986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261464986","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Humphry Osmond coined the term 'psychedelic' in 1956, conjoining 'psyche' for 'soul' and 'delic' for 'to manifest' or 'illuminate'. <i>Soul-illumination</i> is a compound noun that describes a psychological state or process. Osmond intended for it to be a taxonomic noun-naming, not just a state-but a category of drug that can induce this psychological effect as its principal action. Consistent with the etymology of <i>psychedelic</i>, the present work respects the fundamental importance of phenomenology. Accordingly, we examine the main subjective effect of three different psychoactive drugs, <i>psilocybin</i>, <i>ketamine</i>, and <i>MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)</i> (variable label, <i>Drug</i>). Over 200 participants rated Delphi-generated subjective rating scale items based on their personal experiences with all 3 drugs. Factor analyses revealed three or four sufficiently independent dimensions of subjective experience (variable label, <i>Effects</i>). A machine-learning classifier successfully predicted <i>Drug</i> from <i>Effects</i>, validating the hypothesis that <i>psilocybin</i>, <i>ketamine</i> and <i>MDMA</i> have categorically distinct subjective effect profiles, differentiable by (1) <i>visions</i> and <i>psychological insight</i> (<i>psilocybin</i>), (2) <i>dissociation</i> (<i>ketamine</i>) and (3) <i>pro-social</i> and <i>loving feelings</i> (<i>MDMA</i>). We conclude that <i>psilocybin</i> is an exemplar <i>psychedelic</i>-a category of drug definable by the induction of a <i>psychedelic state</i>. The quintessential psychedelic phenomenon is a subjective state characterized by <i>visions</i> and <i>psychological insight</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261464986"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148758509","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":"Impact of adjunctive dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers on mental health outcomes in people with severe mental illness: A target trial emulation in English electronic health records.","authors":"Naomi Launders, Alvin Richards-Belle, Stephanie M Wu, Kenneth K C Man, Ian C K Wong, David P J Osborn, Joseph F Hayes","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473408","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers have been implicated in both symptom improvement and exacerbation in pre-existing severe mental illness (SMI). We aimed to test the hypothesis that blood-brain barrier penetrant dihydropyridines (DHPs) reduce rates of mental health hospitalisation and self-harm compared to non-penetrant DHPs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used English electronic health records (Clinical Practice Research Datalink) to conduct a target trial emulation study in people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other psychosis. We compared admissions for mental health and self-harm in those prescribed blood-brain barrier penetrant (intervention) and non-penetrant DHPs (control). Our primary endpoint was a 12-month intention-to-treat analysis using covariate adjustment. We additionally completed overlap weighting, per-protocol analyses and negative outcome controls.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 918 people prescribed blood-brain barrier penetrant DHPs and 3384 prescribed amlodipine (control). In the primary covariate-adjusted intention-to-treat analysis, there was no clear evidence of a difference in rates of combined mental health admissions and self-harm events (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-1.91 at 12 months). In a pre-specified sensitivity analysis using overlap weighting, self-harm event rates were elevated in the intervention group at 12 months (HR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.13-3.94); however, the equivalent covariate-adjusted estimate showed no clear difference (HR: 1.81; 95% CI: 0.52-6.26).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In people with SMI, blood-brain barrier penetrant DHPs were not associated with reduced mental health hospitalisations or self-harm events compared to those treated with amlodipine, though estimates were imprecise. This active comparator design cannot distinguish between absence of effect or equivalent benefit of both drug classes. There are peripheral pathways through which DHPs may impact psychiatric symptoms and these require further exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473408"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148712760","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":"AUT00206, a novel and selective Kv3.1/3.2 channel modulator, restores cognitive dysfunction and negative symptoms in an animal model for schizophrenia symptomatology.","authors":"Marianne Leger, Daniela Cadinu, Jennifer Fletcher, Agostino Marasco, Giuseppe Alvaro, Daniel Umbricht, Charles Large, Ben Grayson, Joanna C Neill, Michael K Harte","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473459","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473459","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Voltage-gated Kv3.1 and KV3.2 potassium channels are mainly located on parvalbumin (PV) containing interneurons, where they play a key role in synchronising the coordinated firing of pyramidal neurons and regulating cognitive function.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>We aim to explore the efficacy of acute treatment with AUT00206 (5,5-dimethyl-3-[2-(7-methylspiro[2H-benzofuran-3,1'-me]-4-yl)oxypyrimidin-5-yl]imidazolidine-2,4-dione), a novel and selective positive modulator of Kv3.1/3.2 channels, to improve cognitive and social behaviour deficits in our validated animal model relevant to schizophrenia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Female Lister Hooded rats were treated with phencyclidine for 7 days, followed by a 7-day washout (scPCP). The efficacy of AUT00206 was tested in the novel object recognition (NOR), reversal learning (RL) and social interaction (SI) paradigms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The cognitive and social behaviour deficits induced by scPCP were significantly attenuated by AUT00206 (10 and 30 mg/kg) in the three behavioural tasks. These data demonstrate, for the first time, the efficacy of a novel Kv3.1/3.2 channel modulator, AUT00206, in two cognitive domains (short-term recognition memory and an aspect of cognitive flexibility) and an aspect of negative symptoms in a validated animal model of schizophrenia symptomatology.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Modulation of Kv3.1/3.2 channels on PV interneurons could be an important novel approach for the treatment of schizophrenia.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473459"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148712714","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":"What are the clinical implications of mixed features in major depressive disorder? A VAST-D report.","authors":"Sidney Zisook, Lori L Davis, Trisha Suppes, Gary Johnson, A John Rush, Beata Planeta, Somaia Mohamed","doi":"10.1177/02698811261474121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261474121","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mixed manic/hypomanic symptoms commonly occur in major depressive disorder (MDD), yet their prognostic and therapeutic significance following inadequate response to monoaminergic treatment remains uncertain. This secondary analysis of the Veterans Affairs Augmentation and Switching Treatments for Improving Depression Outcomes (VAST-D) trial examined the prevalence, clinical correlates, and treatment implications of mixed features in 1522 nonbipolar outpatients with insufficient benefit from at least one prior monoaminergic agent.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore the prevalence, clinical correlates, and potential treatment implications of mixed features among patients with antidepressant-nonresponsive MDD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were randomized to switching to bupropion sustained release (S-BUP), combining their current monoaminergic agent with bupropion sustained release (C-BUP), or augmenting treatment with aripiprazole (A-ARI). Mixed features were categorized into five exploratory, non-<i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition</i> (DSM-5) levels based on the number and intensity of manic/hypomanic symptoms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 76.5% of participants endorsed at least one manic/hypomanic symptom occurring \"a little\" or \"a lot,\" and 10.2% endorsed more than two symptoms occurring \"a lot.\" Higher mixed-feature levels were associated with greater depressive severity, functional impairment, and recurrent depressive episodes. Mixed features were not associated with treatment retention, response, or suicidal ideation. However, remission rates declined progressively across mixed-feature levels in the S-BUP group, a pattern not observed in the C-BUP or A-ARI groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Mixed features were highly prevalent and associated with greater clinical burden. Assessment of mixed features may provide clinically relevant information when selecting next-step pharmacologic strategies, particularly when considering a switch to bupropion sustained release.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261474121"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148712753","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":"Psychotropic medication prescribing to children and young people mental health inpatient services: An English national study.","authors":"David Branford, Anne Webster, Marinos Kyriakopoulos, Shermin Imran, Prathiba Chitsabesan, Tina Irani, Teresa Randon, Kirsten Peebles, Rohit Shankar","doi":"10.1177/02698811261473383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811261473383","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mental disorders frequently begin in childhood or adolescence. Worldwide, psychotropics are commonly prescribed for under-18s to stabilise behaviour, mood or thoughts. Psychotropics could cause long-term effects on children and young people (CYP) health, growth and development. There is a knowledge gap about psychotropic prescribing in CYP mental health inpatient units.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To understand and compare psychotropic prescribing patterns in England mental health inpatient units for CYPs and to solicit CYP and their parents' and carers' views of it.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A national Quality Improvement programme authorised by National Health Service (NHS) England invited all English CYP mental health inpatient units to participate. The programme included an anonymous medication census to capture psychotropic prescribing practices of participating units. A further two questionnaires sought views of inpatient CYP and their parent carers on the prescribing. All material was co-produced with patient and clinical stakeholders. Quantitative data were presented descriptively and free text responses thematically analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty-eight providers overseeing 73 units, that is, 79% of all England NHS commissioned units, with 625 CYP inpatients responded. Of these, 545 (87%) were receiving psychotropics, with 354 (57%) prescribed two or more. Pro re nata (PRN) prescribing practice was variable. Questionnaires were completed by 142 CYP and 75 parent carers. Free text response analysis showed seven themes emerge from the CYP questionnaire and 11 from the parent-carer one.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first English study to systematically explore psychotropic prescribing patterns in CYP mental health inpatient units. The study showed psychotropics are widely prescribed, on a regular and PRN basis.</p>","PeriodicalId":16892,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2698811261473383"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148712768","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}