Dementia is a major cause of disability worldwide. About 25%-40% of patients with mild to moderate dementia are affected by sleep-awake cycle disturbances, including increased daytime sleepiness and insomnia. However, little is known about the specific impact of excessive daytime sleepiness on the cognitive decline of dementia patients.

To evaluate the impact of daytime sleepiness on the cognitive decline of dementia patients. Additionally, longitudinal associations with functional impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms will be explored.

A longitudinal study will be conducted in a psychogeriatric consultation. Patients will be consecutively invited according to predefined eligibility criteria. Those aged ≥65 years, with dementia diagnosis or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) <24, and with a knowledgeable caregiver, will be included. The exclusion criteria are: a caregiver <18 years, terminally ill, incapable to communicate or with a known diagnosis of insomnia, sleep related respiratory disorders, central hyperinsomnia, restless legs syndrome or sleep paralysis. Participants will undergo an assessment with a comprehensive protocol including: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Barthel and Lawton Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). Participants will be re-assessed 6 months after the initial evaluation. The Health Ethics Committee of Hospital Universitário de São João granted the study authorization (nº 260/2020).

Findings will be disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international scientific conferences.

This study will address key questions on the relation of daytime sleepiness and dementia outcomes, in order to undertake corrective and preventive non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic the trend points to universal use of protective face masks. The impact posed on verbal and non-verbal communication by masks is yet another challenge to be addressed in clinical care.

To reflect on the consequences of face mask and covering use on communication in the clinical setting, including mental health settings.

Pubmed and Google Scholar literature search using terms face mask / face covering and communication / emotion.

There is a lack of literature on the impact of protective face masks and coverings on communication in clinical settings. Face masks and coverings may have a significant impact on patient-healthcare professional relationship due to disruption of verbal (poorer quality of speech transmission) and non-verbal communication (emotional expression and recognition) with consequences on: 1) clarity of communication with potential for misunderstanding clinical information, advice and prescriptions posing safety issues, 2) emotion perception, expression and reciprocity, 4) perception of healthcare professionals’ empathy and therefore, 3) patient satisfaction, 4) quality of care, and 5) clinical outcomes. Difficulties in communication between the patients´family or other carers and healthcare providers and between healthcare professionals are likewise challenged. People with hearing impairment, children and people with mental illness may be especially vulnerable to these difficulties in communication.

Protective face masks and coverings are undoubtedly important in preventing spread of COVID-19, nonetheless mental healthcare professionals should take into account their significant impact on verbal and non-verbal communication in clinical care. Alternative strategies to enhance communication and rapport may be warranted.

Faced with the global health emergency, a product of Covid-19, the educational system was forced to change its dynamics, assuming new challenges and adapting to virtual environments (Sierra, López, Azar & Trevethan, 2020). In this sense, the teaching task from home supposes an increase in the hours dedicated to their work, since they have seen the need to be trained in digital platforms to be able to respond to the changes derived from confinement; which can quietly generate professional wear and tear.

Analyze the relationship between professional burnout and increased workload on teachers

A cross-sectional study of correlational scope was carried out in 60 (n = 60) teachers, working actively at a higher education institution. A sociodemographic scale was designed to identify the hours dedicated to work before and during confinement and to evaluate professional burnout, the adaptation of the MBI instrument for the Colombian population was used (Barbato, Córdoba, González, Martínez & Tamayo, 2011)

A 50% increase in the workload of teachers was observed during confinement, besides, a statistically significant correlation between professional burnout and the increase in hours dedicated to work (Table 1)

It was possible to conclude that the significant increase in the workload in teachers correlates positively with levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; however, no correlations were observed between workload and personal achievement of higher education teachers.

Unplanned pregnancies are a significant risk factor in perinatal mental health. They also have the potential to result in adverse health impacts for mother, baby and children into later in life. Women from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to access contraception. Women are more likely to on board health advice during pregnancy and post partum period due to high level of surveillance by health professionals.

Our aim was for 90% of patients on Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) to feel supported to make an informed decision about their contraception by October 2020.

A questionnaire was completed by fifteen inpatients at the Mother and Baby Unit over a 4 month period (April- August 2020) to assess areas around their pregnancy and contraceptives of choice. Contraceptive training was provided by a Sexual Health Specialist to staff across multiple disciplinaries on Coombe Wood MBU. Sexual Health discussion groups were delivered by doctors to inpatients on a monthly basis. A post-intervention questionnaire was given to patients.

•53% of patients reported unplanned pregnancies. •40% of women felt lacking confidence in choosing the right contraceptive •The most frequent question asked during the sexual health groups was regarding hormonal contraceptives impacting on mental health. •By September 100% of patients felt they were able to make an informed decision about their contraception on discharge.

Facilitating women to make informed decisions regarding their contraception empowers them to gain autonomy, reduces the risks of physical and mental illness, improves the quality of life for mothers and babies.

Since dying is inevitable, it is part of life, children need to be able to deal with the feelings and emotions associated withs death, loss and pain. When the grieven child move among the art modalities, he or she is able to deepen understaning of his or her lived experiences.

Our aim is to uncover these new perspectives and sources of inspiration in order to advance in defining the importance of resilience in personal development.

We made use of the following techniques: ceramic, drawing, modeling, painting, assemblage of unconventional materials, multimedia techniques, animation. Performing artworks, artefacts, or using craft arts are test activities for art therapy and occupational therapy. „…Contemporary visual arts bring together, in different degrees of relationship and fusion, fields of art that until now were understood and practiced more individually. The most suitable territory for this partnership is that of the physical and metaphysical environment, provided by the installationist and shareholder arts.” [2] A medical project was transformed into an artistic project [4]

Given the diversity of non-verbal communication of the child, art therapy is not a simple accessory method in the therapeutic process of emotional disorders caused by grief of children, but a mandatory condition of it.

Given the diversity of non-verbal communication of the child, art therapy is not a simple accessory method in the therapeutic process of emotional disorders caused by grief of children, but a mandatory condition of it.

REFERENCES [1] Drăgan-Chirilă, Diana.(24-26.05 2018), Associate Professor Ph.D., University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Romania, visual artist, Coordinator of the multimedia installation “Diagnostique” new media and multimedia performance instal

Published evidence describes the appearance of manic episodes in patients who suffer localized brain lesions with no prior psychiatric history.

A case report is presented alongside a review of the relevant literature regarding the relationship between Bipolar disorder and strokes.

We present the case of a 54-year-old man who, after suffering a pontine hemorrhage, developed a depressive mood for which he was treated with Sertraline 50 mg. The following month the patient developed hypomanic mood, disinhibition, insomnia and megalomaniac ideation. He was treated with Risperidone 2 mg and the antidepressant was withdrawn. The symptomology disappeared shortly after but a few months later he developed a major depressive disorder (inhibition, ideas of ruin and guilt, low mood, decreased intake and daily activities…). He was treated again with antidepressants (Citalopram 30mg) and lithium was introduced in the absence of a total response.

Mania secondary to brain lesions has been observed in multiple studies, where an association is made mainly with lesions at the frontal, temporal, subcortical limbic brain areas and in lesions causing hypofunctionality on the right side. Most of the cases described occurred in male patients with no prior psychiatric record and with associated vascular risk.

It is important to carry out an exhaustive medical history to be able to identify the cases of secondary mania so as not to ignore the underlying neurological condition in the approach.

No significant relationships.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly related to various comorbidities, such as cancer, cognitive impairment, cirrhosis, chronic sclerosing stomatitis, stroke, and depression. The CAGE (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) questionnaire is a simple screening material to make a diagnosis of alcoholism.

Our study aimed to find an optimal cut-off point of CAGE for alcohol-related comorbidities in Taiwan.

We performed demographic analysis for 280 participants with AUD and categorized them into two groups according to CAGE scores. We applied receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine optimal cutting point of CAGE in predicting physical and mental problems among alcohol users. Statistical analysis was performed with the Statistical Software Stata version 12.0 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA).

The mean age of participants was 45.9 ± 10.5 years, and all of them were male. Among 280 participants, 134 (47.9%) had physical diseases, including 37 (13.2%) with liver disease, 10 (3.6%) with pancreatitis, 22 (7.9%) with gout, and 5 (1.8%) with esophageal varices; while 33 (11.8%) had one or more mental illnesses. Patients with CAGE score greater than 3 were more likely to have both mental health problems and/or physical diseases, especially hepatic disease and esophageal varices.

This study revealed that with CAGE score greater than 3, male patients with AUD are at higher risks of both physical and mental comorbidities. Further research as well as female participants are needed to identify the associations between the severity of alcohol use disorder and related diseases for comprehensive evaluation in Taiwan.

Health-related behavior correlates in critical ways with the current epidemic of chronic diseases. Modifiable behaviors increase the risk of chronic disease. Despite there are well-identified behaviors, efforts at behavior change are clinically-challenging and frequently ineffective.

We aim to establish how the current evidence and latest neuroscientific knowledge about behavioral change allow the most reliable assessment of patients with refractory health-related behaviors that negatively impact health outcomes.

We performed a literature review using Pubmed databases and UpToDate. The search included “behavioral change” and “health-related behavioral change”[MeSH Terms].

Habitual behavior consists of behavioral patterns operating below conscious awareness and acquired through context-dependent repetition. Behavioral change is a complex multi-level field of intervention. The Health Belief Model allows a careful description of the patient’s perceived vulnerability, perceived disease severity, self-efficacy, and change motivation. The identification of social variables is critical since they correlated with poor health outcomes, particularly in chronic diseases. Temperament and character traits can have a strong influence on the difficulty of changing habitual behavior. Psychopathology, if present, must be addressed because it can be a notable factor of behavior instability and correlates negatively to health outcomes. Assertive and efficient communication skills in the clinical context are imperative. Motivational interviewing skills can allow effective behavioral change.

Interventions addressing behavior change require careful, thoughtful work that leads to a deep understanding of the nature of what motivates people. Intervention based strategies focused on behavioral change must undergo further investigation in the future.

No significant relationships.

Literature on childhood Functional Neurological Disorders (FNDs) is spare. Clinical presentations are vaguely characterized and often misdiagnosed in younger ages. Their main neurological features enrol: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), Functional movement disorders (FMDs), sensory alterations, cephalgia and feeding problems.

The study was aimed to better characterize the childhood population of FND, because of they represent an emerging challenge for clinicians, giving its higher presentation in the younger age and the difficulties of an early and differential diagnosis as well as an effective management.

Our study retrospectively examined the characteristics of 82 FNDs children and adolescents (8 to 16 y.o.; 13 males; 29 females) referred as neurological inpatients of an urban academic neuropsychiatric department, from 2014 to 2019. Three main clinical aspects were analysed: type and pattern of symptoms manifestations (DSM-5 criteria); Life Events; family functioning.

FND accounted for 2% of 5-years consultations of neurological inpatients (M: F=1:2). The clinical presentation was characterized in 70% by pattern of co-expressed neurological symptoms: FMDs (9.5%); PNES (12%); dizziness/lipothymia (12%); paraesthesia/anaesthesia (16%). Generalized pain was associated in 38% of the reported patterns while cephalgia in 44%. Sleep disorders were reported in 40%. Previous psychiatric diagnoses were uncommon (2 out 82). Antecedent stressors were identified in 97% of patients for personal illness history and in the 93% for chronic illness in the family anamnesis. Family problems were in 25% of cases.

Our data contributes to better characterize the childhood population of FND, describing clinical patterns of presentation, highlighting putative antecedent stressors and risk factors

Benzodiazepines (BZD) are psychotropic drugs prescribed in psychiatry for their anxiolytic, hypnotic and sedative properties. Several guidelines aimed to limit the chronic use of BZDs. However, BZDs prescribing that does not comply with international recommendations remains widespread, estimated in France at 30% for anxiolytic BZDs.

The aims of our study were to evaluate BZDs prescribing practices in the treatment of anxiety and to assess their compliance with international recommendations.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted through a Google-forms self-administered questionnaire,intended for psychiatrists and psychiatric residents, over a period of two months, from April 1 to May 31, 2019.

One hundred physicians practicing in psychiatry answered our questionnaire. The response rate was 28%. The most prescribed BZD for anxiolytic purposes was Prazepam (76.2%). Clonazepam was prescribed for anxiolytic purposes in 10.5% of cases. Of the 105 participants, 48 indicated that they prescribed BZDs for anxiolytic purposes in states of acute stress (45.7%), 28.6% prescribed them for the treatment of mild to moderate anxiety manifestations in anxiety disorders. For the treatment of anxiety without panic attacks, 20% indicated that they prefer a short half-life BZD, 80% a long half-life BZD. The maximum duration of BZDs prescription for anxiolytic purposes was 12 weeks (62%), and 6 months in 10% of cases.

BZDs are often prescribed in psychiatry for their anxiolytic property, sometimes in a way that does not comply with the recommendations of good practice, with regard to the prescribed molecules, their indications and the duration and modalities of prescription.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Tunisian government officially announced a lockdown on March 2020. This decision caused a significant change in the everyday life of Tunisians such as movement restriction revealing the psychosocial aspect of this crisis.

This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Tunisian women and its association with social media addiction.

This study was conducted using an online survey, between April 25 and May 6, 2020. Women were asked about sociodemographic information, lockdown conditions. The Facebook Bergen Addiction Scale (FBAS) was used to evaluate addiction to Facebook and social media. The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) was used to evaluate depression, anxiety and stress.

We included 751 participants. Scores of the FBAS ranged from 6 to 30 and the mean score was 16.49 (± 5.4). Forty percent (n = 300) of respondents might have facebook addiction, as per the scale. A significant positive correlation was found between Facebook addiction score and DASS scores of depression (p = 0.001, r = 0.43), anxiety (p = 0.001, r = 0.39) and stress (p = 0.001, r = 0.41).

Women who have higher rates of distress are more likely to have a problematic Facebook use during the COVID-19 pandemic which suggests that smartphone and internet use may be part of coping strategies implemented for the emotional distress secondary to this pandemic.

No significant relationships.

Withdrawal states with delirium, having convulsive syndrome in their structure, are one of the most severe emergency conditions in psychiatry.

A total of 160 patients were examined with delirium alcohol withdrawal. Prognostic factors of occurrence of convulsive syndrome in the withdrawal syndrome of alcohol were studied.

Clinical, psychopathological, electrophysiological.

It was found that the most significant prognostic factors seizures were: severe bloating condition, the duration of hard drinking, the total dose of drinking alcohol before the breakdown of consumption alcohol. Convulsive syndrome not always correlated with marked vegetative disorders in the state of withdrawal of alcohol. Convulsive syndrome that appeared after the development of delirious syndrome often indicated a more serious conditionIt is suggested that the convulsive pattern of response to the severe condition of alcohol withdrawal is formed in some young patients under the influence of endogenous factors, but is realized under certain situational conditions - long binge drinking, massive consumption o alcohol before the break of the reception of alcohol, the use of psychoactive drugs with stimulating effect. In the electrophysiological examination, there were significant differences in the group of patients with convulsive syndrome in the current admission from the group of patients with convulsive syndrome in the past and the group without convulsive syndrome in the state of abolition of alcohol.

It is emphasized that when indicating the seizures in the state of abolition of alcohol in the past, the beginning of treatment is necessary to begin even in a state of binge drinking.

Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder is a psychotic disorder with an acute onset, presenting thought and perception disorders variable into hours. Often, an emotional fluctuation is present and it may have a sudden onset and a rapid remission.

The review’s objective is to manifest acute polymorhic psychotic disorders and possible effective medical interventions.

The current case concerns a 52-year old mother of 4 children with the manifestation of acute polymorphic psychotic disorder with a background of a stressful factor. The patient was involuntarily hospitalized in the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki from 04/01/ 2019 -21/ 01/2019 due to disorganization and acute confusing condition within the last 9 days. Delusional ideas of religious content were first observed, which alternated with ideas of greatness and then persecution, association and self-denial. She also presented auditory hallucinations while there was a fluctuation of emotion from excessive euphoria to depression. The patient had no previous hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic, however, 7 months ago she experienced another acute psychotic epeisode, while at the age of 17 and under the influence of intense stress, she described mood disorders.

The current symptoms subsided after one week from the day of admission. During her hospitalization, a brain CT was performed without presence of pathological findings. Initially, her medication included i.m. haloperidol 15mg / ml daily, followed by a change to per os paliperidone 9mg daily.

Her mental status was improved, with no disturbances of consciousness noted and she was discharged on paliperidone as home medication.

No significant relationships.

The growing prevalence of severe cognitive impairment in populations, the involvement of a significant number of people of working age in the medical, psychological and social problems associated with dementia, the insufficiency and inconsistency of information about the mechanisms of formation of these disorders actualize a comprehensive social study of dementia.

the psychosocial mechanisms of the formation of clinical, functional disorders in dementia, to develop comprehensive medical and psychosocial programs to help patients with dementia and those involved in caring for them, based on the proposals of the psychosocial model of dementia

A selective observational comparative dynamic study of 315 people with Alzheimer’s dementia and 214 people who care for the patients was carried out.

Changes in family-role and social parameters, a high level of “expressed” emotions of caregivers have an adverse effect on the development of psychotic (r = 0.618), affective (r = 0.701), behavioral (r = 0.837) dementia disorders. The degree of adherence to anti-dementia therapy by the caregiver is one of the important factors determining the amount of care received by the patient (r = 0.698). Agitation / aggression (r = 0.761), anxiety (r = 0.562), sleep disturbances (r = 0.521) contribute to increased compliance. The low satisfaction of the caregiver with premorbid (r = 0.698) and current (r = 0.653) relationships with the patient leads to a decrease in the compliance of the caregiver.

The mechanism of psychopathological symptoms, functional disorders is heterogeneous, depending on the biological causes and psychosocial conditions of functioning of patients.

No significant relationships.

Exploring the ways in which sexual fantasies may affect sexual experience and satisfaction is of relavence in the clinical setting involving sexual dysfuntion.

To observe how the sexual fantasy scores differ in their relationship with sexual satisfaction, experience and quality between sexual dysfunction cases and normal controls.

Scales included: Wilson’s sex fantasy questionnaire (WSFQ), Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), Sexual Quality of life Questionnaire (SQoL), and a subjective sexual satisfaction meter. Differences in resposes of both groups on WSFQ (item-wise and domain-wise) were analysed using T-tests. Two-way ANOVA was applied to see how other scales affected sexual fantasy.

Cases scored significantly higher on ASEX scale, and low on satisfaction, SQoL and WSFQ

Majority of WSFQ responses, both in cases and controls, fell in the intimate and impersonal domains. Sexual fantasy scores and sexual satisfaction had a strong positive and significant correlation in controls but no linear correlation in the case-subjects. sexual fantasy scores contributed to 5.7% of difference in the scores of SQoL between groups. Major variance in scores of satisfaction in our subjects depended on presence or absence of sexual dysfunction(46.5%)but sexual fantasies also contributed to 8.8% of the variance.

The study showed that fantasies contribute to positive sexual outcomes only in absence of sexual dysfunction. ANOVAanalysis revealed that in case-subjects sexual satisfaction briefly increases initially with increase in fantasy scores but starts to decline as fantasies increase.

No significant relationships.

Background: Little is known about the modifications in gambling patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has shown signs of increase, particularly for individuals with preexisting gambling problems.

Our aim was to assess the behaviour of a cohort of patients in the Trentino Region.

A semi structured questionnaire containing Hamilton Depression Rating Scale as well as open-ended questions on gambling activities, specifically online gambling, was administred over the telephone. The survey was administred for two months over the lockdown period (april-june 2020) and took approximately 20 minutes to complete.

About 50 responsens were collected. Data are currently been analyzed and will be avaiable at the time of the Congress.

Will be show at the time of the Congress.

No significant relationships.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide characterized by unpredictable and recurrent seizures, resulting from abnormal brain activity, accompanied by loss of consciousness and control of bowel or bladder function.

A higher risk of comorbid disorders in epilepsy has been reported for psychiatric affective conditions (i.e., depression and schizophrenia), sleep alterations, as well as some gastrointestinal disorders (inflammatory bowel disease and constipation), and lately there is an interest to determine and explain a putative association between functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) such as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and epilepsy.

In this way, we decided to review the current aspects of the gastrointestinal functional impairments and epilepsy by searching in the literature possible connection mechanisms.

A handful of studies have only recently reported an increased prevalence of IBS in epilepsy in children, in adults, and conversely a higher incidence of epilepsy in IBS patients at the populational level. Paroxysmal abdominal complaints resulting from seizure activity are present in the abdominal epilepsy syndrome and the link between constipation and seizures has been demonstrated in animal models. Currently, there is no data to directly address the cellular and molecular connections between epilepsy and FGID, but these would probably involve the bidirectional dysregulation of the brain-gut axis with increased afferent processing of visceral nociceptive signals and subsequent hyperalgesia.

Thus, intestinal dysbiosis may play a role in triggering inflammatory and immune-related mechanisms reported in IBS manifestations and epilepsy, while vagal neuroimunomodulation issues are likely to be involved in both pathologies as well.

The authors are currently supported by a Young Research Teams supporting research grant PN-III-P1-1.1-TE2016-1210, named ”Complex study on oxidative stress status, inflammatory processes and neurological manifestations correlations in irritable bowel synd

A relationship between childhood trauma, psychotic experiences, and psychosis is well established, although causality is not yet ascertained. There are several hypotheses linking trauma and psychosis, regarding genetic vulnerability and/or other environmental factors, possibly also mediated by psychological mechanisms. Long-term modifications to the transcriptome are likely mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. There is also growing evidence supporting an association between childhood trauma and adulthood dysregulation of the immune system, which could help clarify the relationship between trauma and mental disorders, namely psychosis.

Review evidence regarding the relationship of childhood trauma, immune system and psychosis.

Literature review using Medline database.

The prevalence and severity of childhood trauma is characterized by both biological alterations and increased risk of experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Childhood trauma, namely through its effects on IL6 levels, may be a risk factor for schizophrenia in general. Some studies point to a direct relationship between childhood trauma, immunity and psychosis when examined along a continuum from non-clinical controls to psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

For better understanding this association, these findings must be replicated in larger cohorts. If the impact of childhood trauma on immune function in adulthood does indeed contribute to psychopathology, an improved understanding of this relationship may lead to new and possibly more specific treatment options. Other clinical implications of these findings include increased emphasis in establishing more comprehensive screening of early trauma in patients with psychotic symptoms, as well as the importance of screen and follow children who report traumatic events for emergence of psychotic symptoms.

Emotional regulation, understood as the emotional ability to repair emotional states, is a skill closely linked to adaptation during aging. People who are capable to manage their emotions have greater control over moods, applying adaptive regulation strategies that allow them to maintain positive moods and modify or regulate negative ones. It has been observed that gender can be a relevant variable related to emotional regulation. In this sense, it is considered that women may be more skillful than men to emotional regulation strategies, benefiting from more successful emotional management strategies.

Verify if there are differences in the ability of emotional regulation between older men and women.

The sample consisted of 851 healthy older adults, of whom 299 were men and 554 women. The participants were recruited from elderly leisure centers in the city of Valencia (Spain). To assess emotional regulation, the regulation dimension of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale 24 (TMMS-24) was used.

Significant differences were obtained in the emotional regulation dimension based on gender (F1, 851 = 0.075, p = 0.010), finding higher levels in women than in men (3.64 vs. 3.49).

There is an apparent advantage of women in relation to emotional regulation, showing more skill than men in the management of emotional states. This is an important finding considering the impact of emotional regulation on adaptation during aging. This adaptative advantage has a greate importance in generation pleasant emotional states that contribute to healthy aging.

No significant relationships.

Psychotropic medications are widely used in Tunisia. Studies about frequency of substance use are rare

The purpose of this work is to determine frequency of use of psychotropic medication among pharmacy students in Monastir University during their university years and during the last year and to assess the factors associated to this consumption

A retrospective study was used to collect the information about 145 participants using a questionnaire asking about the consumption of psychotropic medications and the factors associated to substance use

145 subjects aged 22.71 years +/- 2.04 among them 25% was men and 75 % women. Psychotropic medication use was 20 % during university years and 17.24 % during the last year. 45 % of the users had their medications without a prescription from a doctor. 17 % of the users of psychotropic medication weren’t informed about the effects of the drugs. A higher consumption of psychotropic drugs was observed among older individuals (p=0.009; F=6.928), redoubling individuals (p=0.003), with conflictive relationships with family (p=0.001), using others psychotropic substances, feeling often nervous (p=0.003; F=9.318) and with personal history of mental illness (p=0.002).

Our finding underlines the need of larger more comprehensive surveys to determine the efficiency of the prevention strategies and to minimize the consumption of psychotropic drugs or to control it.

dependence Risk factors drugs students