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Review
. 2021 Jan;51(1):30-42.
doi: 10.1017/S0033291719001727. Epub 2019 Jul 22.

New/emerging psychoactive substances and associated psychopathological consequences

F Schifano  1 , F Napoletano  2 , S Chiappini  1 , A Guirguis  3 , J M Corkery  1 , S Bonaccorso  4 , A Ricciardi  4   5 , N Scherbaum  6 , A Vento  7   8   9
Affiliations
Review

New/emerging psychoactive substances and associated psychopathological consequences

F Schifano et al. Psychol Med. 2021 Jan.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: The present paper provides an updated review of both the large number of new/novel/emerging psychoactive substances (NPS) and their associated psychopathological consequences. Focus was here given on identification of those NPS being commented in specialised online sources and the related short-/long-term psychopathological and medical ill-health effects.

Methods: NPS have been identified through an innovative crawling/navigating software, called the 'NPS.Finder®', created in order to facilitate the process of early recognition of NPS online. A range of information regarding NPS, including chemical and street names; chemical formula; three-dimensional image and anecdotally reported clinical/psychoactive effects, were here made available.

Results: Using the 'NPS.Finder®' approach, a few thousand NPS were here preliminarily identified, a number which is about 4-fold higher than those figures suggested by European and international drug agencies. NPS most commonly associated with the onset of psychopathological consequences included here synthetic cannabinoids/cannabimimetics; new synthetic opioids; ketamine-like dissociatives; novel stimulants; novel psychedelics and several prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

Conclusions: The ever-increasing changes in terms of recreational psychotropics' availability represent a relatively new challenge for psychiatry, as the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of many NPS have not been thoroughly understood. Health/mental health professionals should be informed about the range of NPS; their intake modalities; their psychoactive sought-after effects; the idiosyncratic psychotropics' combinations and finally, their medical and psychopathological risks.

Keywords: Drug-induced psychosis; NPS; drug misuse; new psychoactive substances; prescribing drug misuse; psychedelics.

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