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Nouvel article scientifique
24 mars 2022
Jusqu'à 43 % des consommateurs de méthamphétamine connaîtront un épisode psychotique au cours de leur vie. Parmi ceux-ci, 30 % développeront un trouble psychotique primaire, comme la schizophrénie. L'état actuel de la littérature ne permet pas actuellement de déterminer qui développera un trouble psychotique primaire suite à une psychose induite par la méthamphétamine (MIPD). Cette distinction est importante, car les personnes ayant un premier épisode de trouble psychotique ont besoin de traitements spécifiques et rapides pour assurer une récupération optimale. La cognition sociale pourrait aider à prédire des profils distincts. L'objectif de cette revue de cadrage est d'évaluer la littérature afin d'extraire les différences entre le MIPD et les troubles psychotiques primaires dans le domaine de la cognition sociale. Les articles ont été extraits de PsychINFO, Medline et Web of science et ont été retenus s'ils répondaient aux critères d'inclusion suivants : (a) recherche originale ou méta-analyses, (b) échantillon complet ou partiel avec un diagnostic de trouble psychotique avec une consommation concomitante de méthamphétamine, ou MIPD, (c) des études portant sur la différence entre une psychose induite par la méthamphétamine et un trouble psychotique primaire, et (d) des études portant sur la cognition sociale chez les psychotiques ou les consommateurs de méthamphétamine. Au total, 17 articles ont été identifiés, aucun ne visant directement à distinguer le MIPD et le trouble psychotique primaire en utilisant la cognition sociale. De futures études sur la cognition sociale sont nécessaires afin de déterminer les différences de sévérité des déficits entre les deux profils.
Pour plus d’information à ce sujet, aller voir notre article publié dans la revue internationale: Journal of Mental Health and clinical psychology. 📚
Félicitation à Félix Diotte et Tania Lecomte pour cette publication! 👏🏻
Pour l’article :
Diotte, F., Potvin, S., Lang, D., Abdel-Baki, A., Spidel, A., Villeneuve, M. and Lecomte, T. (2022). Comparison of methamphetamine induced psychosis and primary psychotic disorder: A Scoping review of social cognition. Journal of Mental Health & Clinical Psychology, 6(2). 1-18. https://doi.org/10.29245/2578-2959/2022/2.1144
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
The treatment recommended by the psychiatric services for acoustico-verbal hallucinations (HAVs) is too often almost exclusively of a medicinal nature.
Indeed, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for psychotic disorders is still unrecognized by many mental health professionals. This lack of knowledge could have an impact on the clinicians' feeling of efficiency: they believe they are less able to organize and carry out psychotherapy focused on the management of HAVs in psychotic clients.
Considering these different factors, the present study's objectives were to offer training (ie Accept Voices ©) to various clinicians in French psychiatry services. This training aimed to enable psychiatrists and psychologists to guide and support a group of people in the management of their HAVs. Finally, the study also measured the clinicians' feeling of efficiency before and after the said training, all in order to demonstrate whether it allowed a transfer of knowledge in formal clinical skills (in particular with the aim of broadening the range of treatments available for people with schizophrenia).
This multicenter study recruited 23 clinicians. Twelve of them were able, following the 21-hour training, to implement the method taught previously. Interestingly, the initial level of feeling of effectiveness of psychologists and psychiatrists was relatively low for all of the items measured concerning the ability to help patients in the management of their HAVs. In addition, the feeling of effectiveness was overall very heterogeneous among the clinical participants.
After the training, the results are quite conclusive:
All clinicians significantly improved their score for the feeling of efficacy , for almost all of the areas explored.
The training also seems to have made it possible to develop skills in individual practice: there therefore seems to have been a transfer of knowledge (ie from help with the management of HAVs in groups to help with the management of HAVs individually)
The only area of expertise that has not improved significantly relates to the clinicians' feeling of efficiency in relation to the referral of patients to specific care and support structures and networks for help and management. of HAVs.
In short, it seems possible to affirm that a training of only 3 days would allow the clinicians to become more able and more confident to animate a group aiming at the assistance in the management of the HAVs. Thus, it seems that the treatment of HAVs can be done in ways other than medication alone, and that clinicians would benefit from being trained in the various possible therapeutic approaches.
For more information on this subject, see our article published in the French journal: Annales medico-psychologiques. 📚
Congratulations to Thomas Langlois and Tania Lecomte for this publication! 👏🏻
For the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000344872030010X?via%3Dihub
Langlois, T., Bourcier, A., Olivier, F., Lecomte, T. and Callahan, S. (2020) Assessment of clinicians' sense of efficacy during CBT training for the management of auditory hallucinations in group: Accept Voices study. Medico-psychological annals, 178 (10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amp.2020.01.010
Popularization by Gabriel Desjardins
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
Deficits in the recognition of facial emotions in individuals with schizophrenia are ubiquitous, and are strongly associated with different areas of functioning.
At the same time, social anxiety is also a mental health disorder that has an impact on the ability to recognize emotions. Social anxiety is a disorder characterized by a pervasive fear of being judged by others, fear that can lead to the avoidance of social situations that generate discomfort or even to great psychological distress when confronted with social situations. normal. Thus, in individuals with schizophrenia, having a comorbid diagnosis of social anxiety makes the overall prognosis worse; as these two disorders individually have a negative effect on social relationships, their combination is all the more damaging for the social health of those affected. Indeed, people with these two mental health disorders make more suicide attempts, are more likely to suffer from a substance use disorder and have a lower quality of life than people without as one of these two disorders.
The objectives of this study were to:
(1) To measure the general capacity for the recognition of facial emotions in individuals with schizophrenia and social anxiety;
(2) Examine the tendencies of this population in their categorization of facial emotions, and explore the links between these errors and given psychiatric symptoms
(3) Discover the visual representations present in memory and which underlie the facial expression of four basic emotions (joy, fear, anger and neutrality).
As expected, study participants did demonstrate problems in recognizing facial emotions. In fact, they needed more visual information, and they were slower at recognizing emotions compared to the control group who had no disorder.
Also, links have been made between the type of symptoms and visual recognition patterns: on the one hand, individuals with more negative symptoms (which are “less” symptoms than at a normal level of functioning, such as flat affect, apathy, isolation) had poorer recognition of emotions expressed in the face, and exhibited a bias affecting neutral emotions. On the other hand, individuals with more affective symptoms (and therefore symptoms linked to emotional activation, such as anxiety, depression, guilt, concerns about the body) had a qualitatively different pattern of confusion: they exhibited a bias that rather affected angry faces.
Additionally, individuals who exhibited higher social anxiety (especially those with avoidance symptoms) saw an increase in the speed at which they responded to easy expressions of anger and neutrality. This result converges with the scientific literature on social anxiety, which shows patients' hypervigilance towards potentially threatening social stimuli.
Finally, participants with the two comorbid disorders never favored the eye region in their visual representation of facial expressions of emotions. In fact, only the region of the mouth was represented by the participants, which is consistent with the literature on social anxiety which shows that people living with this disorder generally place less importance on the representation of visual cues.
These results could guide the development of future treatments by focusing, in particular, on the visual perception of facial emotions as a therapeutic target. Indeed, betting on the deficits and perceptual biases of people with schizophrenia and social anxiety could potentially improve their level of social functioning.
Thanks to Archibaldo Bravo and Tania Lecomte for this article, published in the journal NPJ Schizophrenia. 👏🏻
For the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41537-020-00116-1
Faguel-Soubeyrand, Lecomte, T., Bravo, A., Lepage, M., Potvin, S., Baki, AA, Villeneuve, ME., Gosselin, F. (accepted) Abnormal visual representations associated with confusion of perceived facial expression in schizophrenia with social anxiety disorder. NPJ Schizophrenia, 6, 28 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41537-020-00116-1
Popularization by Gabriel Desjardins
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
The deficits in the social functioning of people with schizophrenia are well documented: compared to the general population, psychotic people have on average 8.6 fewer friends.
Despite this impressive result, some studies contradict each other, suggesting that the social network of people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia may vary in quantity and quality. Thus, several potential influencing factors have been investigated to date. Co-morbid consumption of psychotropic substances and metacognition (ie mental activities allowing an individual to reflect and respond to the demands of their life experiences) are part of this.
The objectives of the present study were to see if it was possible:
To identify different patterns of evolution of the social network of people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
To determine whether these different patterns were associated with metacognitive functions and the history of substance use of said people.
The results obtained suggest two distinct profiles of relational boss. Individuals in Profile 1 demonstrate an overall stable relationship with little variation, and more lasting friendships. As for the individuals of profile 2, these show unstable networks and subject to complete transformations at each transition in the stages of life.
Several factors seemed to differentiate the individuals of the two profiles, taking into account the temporal evolution following the first psychotic episode:
In short, this study suggests that several factors influence the relationship patterns of individuals living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This study is compatible with the current scientific literature which shows that poorer social relations are the result of various complex processes which take place in a longitudinal perspective, including the various transitions of life, rather than being the simple result of the crisis caused by the occurrence of the first psychotic episode.
For more information on the subject, see our new scientific article published in the scientific journal: Psychosis 📚
Congratulations to the three authors of our team: Marjolaine Masse, Karine Paquin and Tania Lecomte 👏🏻
For the article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17522439.2020.1736611?journalCode=rpsy20
Massé, M., Paquin, K., Lysaker, P. & Lecomte, T. (2020). Evolution of social networks in individuals with schizophrenia. Psychosis , 12 (3). https://doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2020.1736611
Popularization: Gabriel Desjardins
Profile 1
Profile 2
No visit during hospitalization and distant social network with irregular contacts
Lower scores in metacognitive abilities
Relationships Focused Exclusively on Substance Use as Substance Use Disorder Progresses
More static and homogeneous networks, which tend to change completely with each life transition
Presence of more intimate relationships, but no description of emotional support
Presence of social activities, but these are not described as exciting
Maintaining intimate friendships following hospitalization and through life transitions
Higher scores in metacognitive abilities
Relationships that are not entirely focused on substance use
More stable networks, and development of other relationships independent of life transitions
Presence of more intimate relationships with emotional support
Presence of social activities and interests described as passions
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
Did you know that over fifty percent of people diagnosed with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, will meet criteria for a substance use disorder in their lifetime?
This dual disorder often starts during youth and leads to significant societal costs, including lower employability rates, more hospitalizations, and higher risk of homelessness and of suicide attempts when compared to those with a serious mental illness without substance misuse. 💸
Moreover, many individuals presenting with comorbid disorders also present with other psychological difficulties as well, such as personality disorders or anxiety and depression, also known as complex comorbid disorders.
Transdiagnostic treatments that focus on core difficulties found in people with dual disorders, or complex dual disorders, such as emotional regulation, are in dire need.
Emotional regulation skills can help reduce distress related to psychotic symptoms and maintain abstinence in substance use disorders.
New technologies in the field of communications have developed considerably over the past decade and have the potential to improve access to such treatments, a major problem in many health care settings.📱
As such, this paper aims at:
1) Presenting core difficulties present in many individuals with dual disorders. ✅
2) Reviewing the scientific literature pertaining to the use of mobile applications in mental health and addictions. ✅
3) Presenting the development and potential of a new application for emotional regulation for people with dual disorders.✅
For more information on the subject, check out our new scientific article published in the prestigious scientific journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. 📚
Congratulations to the two authors of our team: Antoine Pennou and Tania Lecomte 👏🏻
Article : https://www.frontiersin.org/…/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00302/full…
Pennou, A., Lecomte, T., Potvin, S., & Khazaal, Y. (2019). Mobile intervention for individuals with psychosis and comorbid substance use disorder: a literature review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 302. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00302
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
Did you know that about 2/3 of people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder also have another psychiatric diagnosis?
Indeed, the majority of people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder live with another disorder such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse disorder, or a personality disorder. These people generally receive little treatment for the symptoms for these additional disorders, although they greatly affect daily life and increase the risk of rehospitalization. Few studies consider the effect of other diagnoses on the daily life of people living with a psychotic disorder. However, these different diagnoses will greatly affect their daily lives.
For example, a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and anxiety will not face the same challenges as a person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and substance abuse. It is therefore obvious that having a better portrait of the person would allow more appropriate care to be offered.
This article aims ;
To examine the faces of people who come to the emergency room for psychotic symptoms.
To assess the association between symptoms of other diagnoses and social functioning.
Contrary to popular belief, people coming to the emergency room for problems related to a psychotic disorder are actually very different from each other and all live with different issues. As a result of different analyzes, it was possible to create 5 distinct groups into which it is possible to classify people with a diagnosis of psychotic disorder. The 5 groups are distinguished by their scores on different measures as indicated in the figure below.
Among the 5 groups, people belonging to group 3 would have the poorest social functioning, while people in groups 2 and 5 would be those who function best. These results are also supported by the current literature, which indicates that the more a person with a psychotic disorder has other disorders, the more his social functioning is affected. The diagnoses of anxiety, depression and the presence of trauma in childhood are particularly linked to the social functioning of people living with a psychotic disorder. These results underscore the importance of adjusting the type of treatment offered to the person based not only on the diagnosis of psychotic disorder, but also on the person's other diagnoses.
Congratulations to the three authors of our team: Charles-Édouard Giguère, Briana Cloutier and Tania Lecomte. 👏🏻
For more information, see the article published in the online scientific journal Journal of Dual Diagnosis, at the following link: https://doi.org/10.1080/15504263.2020.1713425 📚
Lecomte, T., Giguère, C.-É., Cloutier, B., Potvin, S. & the Signature Consortium (2020). Comorbidity Profiles of Psychotic Patients in Emergency Psychiatry. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 1–11. doi: 10.1080 / 15504263.2020.1713425
Popularization by: Félix Diotte
New scientific article
3 mai 2019
Did you know that over fifty percent of people diagnosed with a severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, will meet criteria for a substance use disorder in their lifetime?
This dual disorder often starts during youth and leads to significant societal costs, including lower employability rates, more hospitalizations, and higher risk of homelessness and of suicide attempts when compared to those with a serious mental illness without substance misuse. 💸
Moreover, many individuals presenting with comorbid disorders also present with other psychological difficulties as well, such as personality disorders or anxiety and depression, also known as complex comorbid disorders.
Transdiagnostic treatments that focus on core difficulties found in people with dual disorders, or complex dual disorders, such as emotional regulation, are in dire need.
Emotional regulation skills can help reduce distress related to psychotic symptoms and maintain abstinence in substance use disorders.
New technologies in the field of communications have developed considerably over the past decade and have the potential to improve access to such treatments, a major problem in many health care settings.📱
As such, this paper aims at:
1) Presenting core difficulties present in many individuals with dual disorders. ✅
2) Reviewing the scientific literature pertaining to the use of mobile applications in mental health and addictions. ✅
3) Presenting the development and potential of a new application for emotional regulation for people with dual disorders.✅
For more information on the subject, check out our new scientific article published in the prestigious scientific journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. 📚
Congratulations to the two authors of our team: Antoine Pennou and Tania Lecomte 👏🏻
Article : https://www.frontiersin.org/…/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00302/full…
Pennou, A., Lecomte, T., Potvin, S., & Khazaal, Y. (2019). Mobile intervention for individuals with psychosis and comorbid substance use disorder: a literature review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 302. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00302
New scientific article
27 avril 2019
Go read our new scientific article about childhood maltreatment, social cognition and romantic breakup adjustment in youth:
Francoeur, A., Lecomte, T., Daigneault, I., Brassard, A., Lecours, V., & Hache-Labelle, C. (2019). Social Cognition as Mediator of Romantic Breakup Adjustment in Young Adults Who Experienced Childhood Maltreatment. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 1-18.doi:10.1080/10926771.2019.1603177