Urine Drug Screening (USD) is one of the most used techniques for drug testing. However, one of the main issues related to USD is the high frequency of cross-reactivity with other molecules. Amphetamines, because of their simple structures, are highly subjected to cross-reactivity with other molecules.

Our aim was to investigate and characterize the role of psychopharmacological drugs in the occurrence of false-positive amphetamine drug screening, by performing an international pharmacovigilance study through the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), in which user’s medication errors for drugs are reported in the form of Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs).

All ICSRs recorded between 2010 and 2020 with a positive screening for amphetamine reported as adverse reaction in patients with a psychiatric diagnosis were included in the study. Duplicated records and ICSRs with missing values for age and gender, were excluded from the study.

Among 249 ICSRs involving false-positive amphetamine drug screening, 109 ICSRs reported psychiatric disorders and/or psychiatric drugs. In 83 (76%) cases, drugs were known for cross-react. 66 cases reported drugs known as “suspect”. 24% of cases reported unknown false-positive reactions: acetaminophen (5%), duloxetine (5%) and oxycodone (5%).

The high cross-reactivity of psychotropic drugs with amphetamine testing in USDs may be linked to the neuromodulatory effect of these drugs, suggesting a similar molecular structure. In this perspective, antidepressants and amphetamines share a similar mechanism of action, maybe partially explaining why the most reported cross-reactions are with antidepressant (59%).

No significant relationships.

Off-label use of antipsychotics has increased in many countries. In adult populations antipsychotics off-label prescriptions varied from 40 to 75% of all AP users.

To examine the off-label prescribing practices and experiences of antipsychotic medication in Finland.

An electronic questionnaire on physicians’ prescription practices of antipsychotics, especially for off-label use, was sent in 2019 for physicians (n=1195) in different health care facilities including primary health care, occupational health care, in- and outpatient mental health services and services for substance abuse. The sample was selected by systematic and convenience sampling covering five university hospital areas in Finland.

In total, 216 physicians (18% of the target sample) participated in the study, and 94% had prescribed antipsychotics for off-label use. The most common off-label indications were insomnia and anxiety. The most common antipsychotic used was quetiapine. Off-label antipsychotics was not prescribed as a first-choice medication: 99% of the physicians reported that the patients with off-label use have previously had other medications for the corresponding symptoms. In all, 88% of clinicians monitored the patients’ clinical condition, whereas metabolic values were followed more rarely. About 68% of physicians reported more benefit than harm from the antipsychotics off-label use.

Antipsychotics are often prescribed for off-label use, most commonly for insomnia and anxiety. Most of the physicians see more benefits than harms for the patient in off-label use. There is a need to analyse the long-term benefits and harms of off-label use of antipsychotics and create more detailed treatment algorithms and clinical recommendations for such use.

No significant relationships.

Venlafaxine is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and its extensive use for major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. Although it has been reported that venlafaxine may have various side effects, as far as we know, spontaneous ejaculation(SE) has not been reported yet.

We aim to describe this clinical case with venlafaxine-induced SE and to discuss the possible etiological factors.

Case report and literature review.

A 53-year-old male with generalized anxiety disorder was initiated venlafaxine treatment with 75 mg/day. After two months patient’s complaints partially regressed and the dose of venlafaxine treatment was increased to 150 mg/day. 10 days after the dose increase, the patient applied with the complaint of SE 2-3 times a day. No urological etiology was found. During outpatient follow-ups, after the 5 days from reducing the daily dose to 75 mg/day, SE complaint completely regressed. After following couple of months, the patient by himself, increased the dose of venlafaxine to 150 mg/day without consulting a psychiatrist. Then SE recurred approximately 15 days later. Venlafaxine treatment dose was reduced again to 75 mg/day and urological complaints spontaneously regressed.

SE, a rare sexual side effect, represents ejaculation that occurs involuntarily and in the absence of any sexual stimuli. The possible mechanism of SE, detected as a side effect in our case, may be that increased adrenergic activity reduces ejaculatory latency and triggers spontaneous ejaculation. Antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction could be a dose-dependent adverse event. Therefore, reducing the dosage of the treatment to a minimum effective dose could be an option.

No significant relationships.

It is important to study the corticosteroid receptors hypothesis of Depression.

The goal of current study was - to test the influence of the opioid, adrenergic and benzodiazepine drugs on the immunosuppressive levels of leukocyte pyruvat dehydrogenase activity (LPDG) during the DST in patients with Major Depression and Anxiety Disorder.

Patients. 40 male/ mean age, 33,1+3,2 years/ and 20 premenopausal female /35,1+1,6 years/ patients with Primary Major Depressive Episode were studied. All patients were diagnosed by a psychologist and fulfilled DSM- IV criteria for Major Depressive Episode. The DST was conducted to 60 patients with Primary Depressive Episode and 30 healthy subjects

In the cases of Primary Major Depressive Episode in separation with an Anxiety Disorder after TRAMADOL and DIASEPAM administration activity of LPDG increased more than 25%. Tramadol of a 50 mg dose and Diasepam of a 10 mg dose had a higher immunosuppressive effect than L-DOPA (0,5 g) on alteration of LPDG activity (more than 5 mmol/l/hour, p <0,05/.

TRAMADOL immunosuppresssive action was higher than L-DOPA and DIASEPAM on LPDG activity in patients with an Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression. Diasepam immunosuppressive action did not correlate with positive dynamics of LPDG levels of DST in patients with Anxiety Disorder (after the 4-5 th week of Diasepam treatment). From other side, mechanism of L-DOPA action on corticosteroid receptors stimulated LPDG-activity (L-DOPA therapeutic effective dose-3 g). It means that opiate, adrenergic and benzodiazepine receptors are interactiing with each other and influencing on the corticosteroid receptors in different ways during immunosuppression.

No significant relationships.

Paliperidone Palmitate 3-month (PP3M) formulation, introduced in Italy since 2017, is an effective and safety therapeutic option for patients with schizophrenia, clinically stable with 1-month formulation (PP1M). Only a few “Real World” studies investigated the clinical relevance of PP3M and the long-term clinical and health resource utilization outcomes.

The aim of this retrospective, mirror image study was to evaluate the efficacy of PP3M in terms of continuity of care and number of hospitalizations.

Fifty outpatients treated with Paliperidone Palmitate (PP) were recruited from a Community Mental Health Centre (CMHC) in Milan. Statistical analysis were conducted with SPSS 26. Frequencies of hospitalization 6 months before and after the start of PP3M were compared using the McNemar test, setting the significance to p<0.05.

This study involved 34 patients (68%) treated with PP1M and 16 (32%) treated with PP3M.The median time interval between PP1M and PP3M was 14 months. After the switch to PP3M, 69% of patients continued to visit the CMHC with an unchanged frequency (50% once/month, 6% more than once/month), while 31% with a decreased frequency (once/3 months). No patient increased the frequency of CMHC visits or started visiting it discontinuously. 44% of subjects had had at least one hospitalization prior to the switch and no hospitalizations after (p=0.016). Moreover, no patients showed increased hospitalizations

In this study PP3M clinical relevance was confirmed comparing pre-initiation and post-initiation 6-months time intervals: hospitalizations number significantly decreased, while the continuity of care was preserved. Further studies on a greater sample are necessary to support these preliminary data.

No significant relationships.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a valuable treatment for bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and agitation1. However, potential side-effects include sedation, headaches, tremors, ataxia, gastrointestinal issues, neural tube defect, 3 and mild hyperammonemia even in normal liver function test 1 and VPA level.

To illustrate clinical presentation of VIHE and provide literature review on post-VIHE treatment options.

A 59-year-old male with PMH of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, LVH, COPD, s/p CVA, and PPH of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Patient stable on VPA 1250mg daily and Olanzapine 5mg daily for >2years until recent manic decompensation resulting to up-titration of VPA to 1500mg H.S. Thereafter, he presented with altered mental status, with VPA level (111.4 ug/ml), hyponatremia (119 mmol/L) and hyperammonemia (84 umol/L). Subsequently, admitted as a case of VIHE and hyponatremia.

VPA has shown to cause hyperammonemia alone or when combined with antipsychotics6. VIHE reported in up to 47.7% of patients on VPA1, but symptomatic in approximately 10% of patients on VPA with blood ammonia level about 2-fold the normal range8. VIHE presents with confusion, ataxia, blurred vision, delirium, and seizures3. Treatment options include VPA discontinuation, switch to other mood stabilizers (lithium carbonate, lamotrigine), utilization of medications to lower blood ammonia levels (Lactulose, Rifaximin/Neomycin) ,3 antipsychotic monotherapy, and supplements (Levocarnitine or Carglumic acid) in the prevention, maintenance, and treatment of VIHE. These supplements can be added to VPA if the benefits of re-initiating or continuing VPA outweighs the risk3.

Further research is needed.

No significant relationships.

Brexpiprazole is a novel antipsychotic drug. It exerts antagonistic activity at the serotonin 5HT2A, 5HT2B, 5HT7 and noradrenaline alpha 1b/2c receptors; it also acts as partial agonist of serotonin 5HT1 and dopamine D2, D3 receptors. Brexpiprazole is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and as an add-on therapy for major depression.

This pilot study aims at exploring efficacy and tolerability of Brexpiprazole in a small sample of patients diagnosed with either a psychotic or a mood disorder.

This observational study was conducted at our Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. We included 7 patients (5 males, 2 females) hospitalized between 2020 and 2021, diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders or mood disorders with psychotic symptoms confirmed by Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Patients who participated signed an informed consent. Information concerning diagnosis, demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, marital status) and pharmacological therapy were collected examining clinical records. The average lenght of hospitalization was 13.4 days. Psychopathology was assessed by means of the PANSS and the severity of the illness was evaluated with CGI severity scale (CGI-S), both on admission and discharge. We also administered the UKU scale to evaluate the tolerability profile.

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Results can be seen in figures 1, 2, 3

Our study found a significant improvement in both positive and negative symptoms, with good tolerability. Limitations of our study are: small sample size and limited period of observation. These premises suggest that further research is needed in order to elucidate the exact mechanisms underlying Brexpiprazole’s action and the possible implication in mood disorders.

No significant relationships.

Study of clinical risk factors of violent behavior in persons with schizophrenia still remains actual in research literature. This is especially important for Georgia as ongoing mental health reform aims to shift from institutional care to community based services, which in turn requires better understanmding and management of risk of aggressive behavior in the community.

To study clinical risk factors for violence in persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) who have committed a violent act in the past and in persons with SSD who have not committed a violent act.

The survey design was retrospective case-control study. Case-control groups were defined according to the outcome (violent act in the past). We studied the impact of clinical symptoms on each person using standardized scales for assessment of the positive and negative symptoms and global level of functioning. Data were collected through patient interviews and medical records.

Study results showed that diagnosis of delusional disorder and ideas of persecution were associated with increased risk of violence (28.7% cases versus 7.5% controls); Hallucinations if presented were less severe compared with controls (2.1% vs. 7.5%). Negative symptoms were marked in cases but more severe in controls. Of cases 43,6% showed serious impairment of global functioning (vs 25,5% controls).

Study findings confirmed that a focus on improving controllable clinical factors, including global level of functioning, might help to prevent aggressive behavior. It is discussed that developments and implementation needs-specific services to reduce risk of violence behavior should be prioritized by mental health national strategy plan.

No significant relationships.

Female gender is associated with a lower risk for aggressive behaviour and violent offending. Well established risk factors for aggressive behaviour are alcohol and other substance use, but previous studies focused mainly on male offenders and the general population. However, for therapeutic and prognostic reasons it is important to understand pathways to female offending.

To examine a sample of female forensic-psychiatric inpatients regarding the association of alcohol (AUD) and other substance use disorders (SUD) with violent offending (homicide, assault, robbery).

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 334 female patients discharged before 01.01.2019 from a secure psychiatric hospital in Germany.

In total, 72% of the patients with AUD committed a violent crime, leading to admission to secure psychiatric treatment. In comparison a statistically significant lower rate (19%) of the SUD group was convicted of violent offending. Over 70% of the participants with AUD had a family history of AUD, and over 83% experienced physical violence in adulthood. We found no group differences (AUD vs. SUD) regarding aggressive behaviour during inpatient treatment.

According to our results, AUD compared to other SUD, is a significant risk factor for violent offending in women. A family background with AUD and a history of physical abuse might function as a risk factor for both: developing an AUD and violent offending. The comparable rates of aggression in both groups during inpatient treatment suggest that abstinence is a protective factor.

No significant relationships.

Effective diagnostic and treatment pathways for ADHD are needed in prison settings due to the high prevalence of ADHD and comorbidities in the prison population.

In this presentation, we will describe two studies conducted in seperate London prisons in England. In the first study, the aim was to identify prisoners with ADHD with a focus on describing comorbidity. In the second study, using QI (quality improvement) methodology, the aim was to measure the practicability and effectiveness of a specialist ADHD diagnostic and treatment pathway for prisoners.

Two studies were carried out in two separate prisons in London. Firstly, data were collected to understand the prevalence of ADHD and the comorbidities. The second study used quality improvement (QI) methodology to assess the impact of a diagnostic and treatment pathway for prisoners with ADHD.

Of the prisoners, 22.5% met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Nearly half of them were screened positive for autistic traits, with a higher prevalence of mental disorders among prisoners with ADHD compared to those without. The QI project led to a significant increase in the number of prisoners identified as requiring ADHD assessment but a modest increase in the number of prisoners diagnosed or treated for ADHD.

Despite various challenges, an ADHD diagnostic and treatment pathway was set up in a prison using adapted QI methodology. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility of routine screening for ADHD in prison and examine at a national level the effectiveness of current ADHD prison pathways.

No significant relationships.

Frailty is defined as a clinical syndrome that encompasses a combination of decreased physiological reserve and low resistance to stressors. There is an association between mental illness and frailty among elderly cohorts. Frailty is also associated with obesity and smoking. There are high rates of treatment resistant schizophrenia among patients in secure forensic services. Patients with schizophrenia have high rates of morbidity and early mortality.

The primary aim of this study was to examine the rates of frailty present in a complete cohort of forensic in-patients.

An assessment using Fried Frailty criteria was offered to all in-patients (n=95) in Ireland’s National Forensic Service, which included measures of walking speed, grip strength, low physical activity and exhaustion. Demographic details and details pertaining to diagnoses and medications were also gathered.

Of the 95 in-patients, 92 patients agreed to participate. The majority were male (89%). The most common diagnosis was schizophrenia (71.7%). Mean age was 44.7 years (SD 11.42), and 58.2% met criteria for obesity. Of the total group, 47 patients met criteria for ‘pre-frail’ and 10 met criteria for ‘frail’ using Fried criteria.

This is the first study examining frailty in a cohort of patients in secure forensic settings. We found high rates of patients meeting frailty criteria at very young ages. Rates of frailty in this group were comparable to those found amongst elders in community settings. We consider this demonstrates significant medical vulnerability in this patient group.

No significant relationships.

Peer Support Work can be an effective way to support patients and their participation also in psychiatric populations. Unlike in general psychiatry there is less experience with peer support work in forensic mental health inpatient settings. Characteristics different from general psychiatry, e.g., regarding safety, might be a reason for the delay of their implementation.

We aim to present the implementation of a peer support worker in a forensic mental health setting for addicted offenders. We address reservations of staff before the implementation and their development during the first year. The perspective of patients about their experiences is taken into consideration. The development of the peer support workers position and tasks is demonstrated.

Focus groups and interviews were conducted with several groups of people, amongst them employees of several professions, patients and the peer support worker of the clinic. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.

Reservations of staff comparable to these found in general psychiatry occurred in the forensic mental health professionals. These could be diminished during the first year. Most of the patients were able to accept and trust the peer support worker, in some cases after initial mistrust. The peer support worker felt accepted in the team and was able to develop a routine as well as own tasks.

The experiences from one year testified that implementation of peer support work into a forensic mental health inpatient setting is possible. Further patient outcomes are to be explored but the current results are promising.

No significant relationships.

The WHO and the Violence Prevention Alliance define violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.” The types of violence examined in this study include physical, sexual, verbal and racial as the most commonly reported manifestations of violence in the workplace.

To obtain the most recent statistics on violent acts perpetrated against mental health care workers in the Republic of Ireland. To capture the experiences and attitudes of staff to the reporting of this violence.

The State Claims Agency (SCA) were contacted to obtain the most up to date figures on violence against mental health care workers. An electronic survey based on the WHO’s validated questionnaire on violence was then disseminated to all acute psychiatric units nationally.

There were 6,690 episodes of violence against staff in the Mental Health Division in 2018 and 2019. The survey found, 92.4% of respondents reported verbal abuse, 30.3% recorded physical assault, 15.2% had suffered sexual violence in a 24 month period. 20.3% of study participants took no action. Of those who did, 70% felt that the incident had not been investigated properly. More than half of respondents felt that there were no consequences to the aggressor.

Further work is needed in the prevention of workplace violence as well as improvements in reporting and investigating of incidents when they do occur.

No significant relationships.

Impairment in decision-making capacity is a serious consequence of executive dysfunction secondary to serious mental disorders like schizophrenia. Functional mental capacity (FMC) refers to an individual’s ability to make and communicate legally competent decisions autonomously. Studies have shown that FMC is dependent on severity of psychosis and can improve with treatment.

To ascertain the correlation between the scores on a structured judgement tool, namely the Dundrum Capacity Ladders (DCL) with level of acuity of treatment setting and length of stay in a secure forensic hospital.

Sixty-two patients were interviewed using the DCL across three domains – healthcare, welfare and finances. Correlation between DCL scores, length of hospital stay and level of acuity of treatment setting was assessed.

As patients moved from higher to lower dependency wards, mean DCL score increased, indicating a higher level of capacity. Patients in high dependency wards were most impaired while those in the low dependency wards performed significantly better (rs=0.472, p<0.001). The longer the patients stayed in the hospital, up until five years, the higher the mean welfare domain score (rs=0.402, p=0.011) and mean DCL score (rs=0.376, p=0.018). Beyond five years of hospital stay, those who had lower DCL scores and did not improve had longer length of stay.

Patients’ FMC improve as they progress from high to low level of acuity of treatment setting. However, this is dependent on the length of hospital stay. FMC may be a measure of recovery in the forensic setting.

No significant relationships.

While effective project planning is crucial for the success of a clinical research project, being able to execute the plan is even more important. In Denmark, approval for health research projects is applied for at regional or national committees on health research ethics, which have been reluctant to approve clinical research projects involving forensic psychiatric in-patients, due to the admission usually being pursuant to treatment sanctions. However, recently we received approval for a clinical research project exclusively targeted towards inpatients at a large medium secure forensic psychiatric facility in Denmark.

Describing the process of project execution from planning to submitting the manuscript which is inherently multi-faceted and inundated with stress factors. How to connect theory, knowledge, project with clinical practice, with clinical research?

Qualitative data collecting while undertaking an exploratory, open-label, non-randomised weight reducing trial with a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist.

Challenges in finding, screening, motivating, recruiting, obtaining valid confirmed consent from potential study participants and other stakeholders, team communication, responsibilities and accountabilities within the team, Pareto Principle, scope creep, building project reports manually, real-time data gathering, unpredictable and other project deliverables will be presented

Experiences of the hospital staff (psychiatrists, doctors and nurses) in execution process of the project investigation performed and made possible through participation of their forensic psychiatric in-patients.

No significant relationships.

Research shows that family members of forensic patients often have the feeling not to be sufficiently involved in the treatment and care trajectories of their relative. Also professionals indicate to encounter several barriers to involve family members, including lack of time and skills, organizational barriers and meddling family members.

This study aimed to map professionals’ reflections on family involvement in forensic psychiatric care. The research questions related to how professionals experience family involvement in forensic care and what needs to change in the future? A specific focus is placed on changes in their perspective over time.

Findings of focus groups administered in 2015 with professionals working in forensic psychiatric care were supplemented with interview data collected in 2021.

The results show that there are several differences in how professionals experience and look at family involvement in forensic psychiatric care. Where in 2015 the question often was raised about what can be done as a professional for family members, professionals now more refer to the added value of family involvement for both the forensic patient and his/her care trajectory.

The past six years, there seemed to be an evolution in how professionals experience the involvement of family members in forensic psychiatric care, that is increasingly perceived as valuable. Yet, the professionals indicated that challenges remain regarding professional confidentiality and shared decision making.

No significant relationships.

Firesetting is a behavior, arson is a crime, and pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis. Arson is a criminal act in which a person or group of persons willing fully and maliciously sets fire or aid in firesetting to cause harm to property, people, and infrastructure. The likelihood of an arson offender having schizophrenia is 20 times greater than that in the general population. Here, we describe the case of a male in his 50’s, a first-time arsonist, who suffered from schizophrenia since his late teens prior to the onset of random firesetting behavior.

To understand the association between Arson and Schizophrenia.

A case report, as well as a review of the literature, was conducted.

The patient is a male in his 50’s carrying a diagnosis of Schizophrenia with over 50 inpatient hospitalizations. He was observed standing on the threshold of a neighbor’s apartments where he allegedly set fire to a pile of clothing. These charges are based upon allegations that he attempted to set fire to a 14-storey apartment building. At the time of his assessment, he was floridly psychotic. He was found not fit to stand trial. He was restarted on Clozapine and Depakote which is the medication he had the most success with.

Literature shows that Arson and firesetting behaviors are quite commonly seen in patients with mental disorders. Arson often has sequelae that negatively impact the community. The strong correlation between firesetting behavior and mental disorders needs extensive, detailed collaboration between psychiatry, legal expertise, and fire services.

No significant relationships.

SSRI’s are consistently associated with violent events in the adult population. However, the causality between SSRI use and violent behaviour was never found. Several recent studies draw the attention to this hypothesis while they were inspired by several mass murderers in the United States.

A literature research on studies exploring the association between SSRI use and violent behaviour.

The authors performed a literature search (1966–2020) using PubMed and Embase to review studies where a possible link between SSRI’s and violent behaviour in adults was assessed.

94 studies were identified, of which 6 studies were included. There is no association between the use of SSRI’s and violent behaviour in the general population. However, an increased hazard of violent behaviour was observed in young man and those with a history of violent crime.

Overall, SSRI treatment is safe in the general population. Certain subgroups can, however, be vulnerable to aggressive flare-ups, especially during on-treatment period and the first 12 weeks after drug discontinuation. Therefore, careful monitoring throughout these critical periods is strongly recommended.

No significant relationships.

Maternal attachment style plays a major role in the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. Previous studies indicated that a secure attachment style is associated with higher levels of mindfulness and a higher quality of the parent-child relationship.

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the mothers’ attachment style, mindful parenting, and perception of the child.

Data was collected from 144 non-clinical mothers, who have a child below the age of 3 years. Mothers completed self-report questionnaires including the following scales: a demographic questionnaire, Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IMP), and the Mothers’ Object Relations Scale (MORS-SF). Mediation analyses with Mothers’ Object Relations Scale warmth and invasion subscales as dependent variables, mother’s attachment style as an independent variable and, mindful parenting as a mediator were conducted.

In mediation analysis, the direct effects of the mothers’ attachment style on the perception of the child were not significant. However, indirect effects through mindful parenting were significant; higher levels of mindful parenting were associated with higher levels of MORS-SF warmth and lower levels of MORS-SF invasion.

These findings suggest that attachment styles are related to the perception of the child through mindful parenting. Mindfulness-based parenting training might be useful in case of attachment-related problems to improve the parent-child relationship.

No significant relationships.

The Kessler Psychological Distress Scales (K10 and K6) are used as screening tools to assess psychological distress and are the first-line assessment of need for help in the Headspace services.

Thus, we studied the psychometric properties of their German versions in a Swiss community sample to evaluate their potential usefulness to screen for mental disorders or relevant mental problems in low threshold transdiagnostic German-speaking services.

The sample consisted of 829 citizens of the Swiss canton Bern of age 19-43 years. K10/K6 were validated against Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) diagnoses, questionnaires about health status and quality of life. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to test for general discriminative ability and to select optimal cut-offs of the K10 and K6 for non-psychotic full-blown and subthreshold mental disorders.

Cronbach’s alphas were 0.81 (K10) and 0.70 (K6). ROC analyses indicated much lower optimal thresholds than earlier suggested; 10 for K10 and 6 for K6. At these thresholds, against M.I.N.I. diagnoses, Cohen’s Kappa (<=0.173) and correspondence rates (<=58.14%) were insufficient throughout. Values were higher at the earlier suggested threshold, yet, at the cost of sensitivity that was below 0.5 in all but three, and below 0.3 in all but six cases.

For the lack of sufficient validity and sensitivity, respectively, our findings suggest that both K10 and K6 would only be of limited use in a low-threshold transdiagnostic mental health service – comparable to Headspace – for young adults in Switzerland and likely other German-speaking countries.

No significant relationships.