Psychiatry International
September 10, 2026
Tommaso Barlattani, Giorgio Sernia, Chiara D’Amelio et al.
Background: Evidence for repeated intranasal esketamine in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) remains preliminary, particularly when OCD co-occurs with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Methods: We report a 58-year-old woman treated with intranasal esketamine in routine clinical care for TRD; change in obsessive–compulsive symptoms was followed as a secondary observational outcome. Her...
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
July 8, 2026
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
BACKGROUND Cannabis-induced psychosis presents complex sex-based disparities that challenge traditional epidemiological patterns. While males demonstrate higher cannabis use rates, emerging evidence reveals paradoxical vulnerability patterns where females may show heightened susceptibility to cannabis-related psychotic outcomes despite lower consumption rates. OBJECTIVE To map evidence for...
Psychiatry Research
May 25, 2026
Valerio Ricci, Andrea Paggi, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Functional recovery in cannabis-induced first-episode psychosis (FEP) remains incompletely understood. Dissociative symptoms, frequently associated with cannabis use, may represent a key but underexplored determinant of functional trajectories. This prospective cohort study followed 72 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for cannabis-induced psychotic disorder over 24 months. Functional recovery...
The International journal of social psychiatry
April 26, 2026
Valerio Ricci, Giovanni Martinotti, Giuseppe Maina
Distinguishing substance-induced psychotic disorders (SIPD) from primary psychotic disorders with concurrent substance use remains a critical diagnostic challenge for treatment planning and prognostic counseling. To systematically review the clinical phenomenology of SIPD, identify distinguishing symptom patterns, and examine relationships between phenomenology and outcomes. A systematic search...
Schizophrenia Research
March 24, 2026
Valerio Ricci, Stefania Chiappini, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Substance-induced psychotic disorders (SIPDs) present significant clinical challenges with variable outcomes. While some patients achieve complete remission following substance cessation, others develop persistent symptoms requiring extended intervention. Understanding treatment response predictors is critical for optimizing clinical management and prognostic accuracy. Following PRISMA...
Psychopathology
2026
Valerio Ricci, Massimiliano Aragona, Giuseppe Maina et al.
1 citation
Healthcare professionals encounter challenges in discerning endogenous and exogenous, drug-related, psychopathological phenomena. This study aimed to explore qualitative differences between hallucinations in schizophrenia and two forms of substance-related psychosis. These are substance-induced psychosis (SIP), which has an acute onset and is usually transient, and substance-related persistent...
Healthcare
December 8, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Stefania Chiappini, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Objective: To scope the available literature on antipsychotic treatment in substance-induced psychotic disorders, summarize evidence across substance categories, and highlight priorities for future research. Methods: This scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library (January...
The American Journal on Addictions
September 1, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
AbstractBackground and ObjectivesCannabis use is associated with psychotic disorder onset and exacerbation. This study examines how continued cannabis use affects depressive symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and suicidal behaviors following cannabis‐induced first‐episode psychosis (FEP).MethodsSixty‐five participants (aged 16–50 years) with FEP were recruited from psychiatric inpatient facilities...
Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Addiction
August 6, 2025
Valerio Ricci
2 citations
Cannabis-induced psychosis (CIP) represents a significant public health concern in the context of increasing global cannabis use and potency. This review synthesizes current evidence on the epidemiology, neurobiological mechanisms, clinical features, and treatment approaches for cannabis-induced psychotic disorders. Recent epidemiological data indicate rising incidence rates of CIP, with...
Journal of Psychiatric Research
June 19, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Ilenia di Muzio, Mancusi Gianluca et al.
2 citations
AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the differences in psychotic symptomatology, dissociative symptoms, alexithymia, and aberrant salience among three groups: non-cannabis users (NU), natural cannabis users (NC), and synthetic cannabinoid users (SCs). The study also explored the patterns of alexithymia and its associations with other psychopathological dimensions in these populations....
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
April 1, 2025
Stefania Chiappini, Gaia Sampogna, Antonio Ventriglio et al.
17 citations
The phenomenology of depression is characterized by a wide array of emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that significantly disrupt an individual's life. Societal changes, driven by technological advancements, economic pressures, environmental concerns including climate change, and shifting cultural norms, have influenced how depression manifests and is understood. These developments...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 30, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Alessandro Sarni, Giuseppe Maina
The relationship between substance use and the onset of psychosis has been a subject of clinical and academic debate for centuries. The potential for cannabis to trigger psychosis was first suggested by Grose in 1772, who documented issues related to cannabis use in India (1). Karl Jaspers later explored this connection in his Allgemeine Psychopathologie (1959), describing toxic intoxications...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 8, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Sheikh Shoib et al.
4 citations
This study explores the psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) associated with recreational ketamine use among young adults. Ketamine, initially introduced as an anesthetic, is now widely used recreationally for its dissociative effects, raising concerns about its impact on mental health. Ten participants aged 18-24, who used ketamine recreationally multiple times a week, were assessed using the...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2025
Valerio Ricci, Maria Celeste Ciavarella, Carlotta Marrangone et al.
7 citations
Substance use and the emergence of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) present a significant public health challenge and diagnostic dilemma, particularly in the context of psychosis. The increasing availability of psychoactive substances among youth has led to a rise in Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), with profound implications for mental health. This paper explores the psychopathological...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Cannabis use represents a significant environmental risk factor for psychotic disorders, with emerging evidence suggesting complex interactions between cannabinoid exposure, dissociative experiences, and fundamental disturbances of self-experience (self-disorders) in early psychosis. This systematic review examines the phenomenological and neurobiological relationships among dissociation,...
Rivista di psichiatria
November 1, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
2 citations
BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most used recreational drug worldwide. Its use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders and exacerbate their course. However, little is known about the relationship between psychosis and withdrawal and the literature is still scarce. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, based on an analysis of 4 patients referred to our mental health department and...
Psychiatry International
October 15, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Giovanni Martinotti, Giuseppe Maina
9 citations
Substance-induced psychosis (SIP) is an increasingly prevalent and complex condition that presents significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. With the rising use of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) and potent traditional compounds like cannabis and cocaine, particularly among adolescents and young adults, understanding the mechanisms and clinical manifestations of SIP has become...
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
September 1, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Giuseppe Maina, Gilberto Di Petta et al.
The psychopathological manifestations associated with substance use, including induced psychotic experiences, are increasingly relevant but not well-understood within the medical community. Novel psychoactive substances and potentiated old compounds like cannabis and cocaine have emerged as a global concern, especially among adolescents and young adults. Transition rates from substance-induced...
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
January 29, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giuseppe Maina
16 citations
This narrative review explores the efficacy and tolerability of third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs)-aripiprazole, cariprazine, brexpiprazole, and lurasidone-for the management of substance-induced psychosis (SIP). SIP is a psychiatric condition triggered by substance misuse or withdrawal, characterized by unique features distinct from those of primary psychotic disorders. These distinctive...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 8, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Ilenia di Muzio, F. Ceci et al.
Background Natural Cannabis (NC) and Synthetic Cannabinoids (SCs) use can increase the risk and exacerbate the course of psychotic disorders. These could be influenced by the Aberrant Salience (AS) construct. It refers to an excess of attribution of meaning to stimuli that are otherwise regarded as neutral, thereby transform them into adverse, dangerous, or mysterious entities. This leads the...
Psychopathology
2024
Valerio Ricci, Giuseppe Maina, Giovanni Martinotti
11 citations
The term "dissociation" encompasses a wide array of symptoms and phenomena, all sharing the common characteristic of involving altered states of consciousness where an individual temporarily loses the sense of continuity of their own identity. In the context of addiction pathology, however, the dissociative paradigm remains a topic of ongoing debate. It fluctuates between the description of...
Psychopathology
2024
Valerio Ricci, Giuseppe Maina, Giovanni Martinotti
8 citations
The state of twilight consciousness is marked by a focused narrowing of awareness, maintaining vigilance and attention while simultaneously experiencing perceptual shifts in the surrounding environment. It is crucial to recognize that this twilight state represents not just a contraction but also an expansion of conscious experience. Substances of abuse, particularly new psychoactive...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
October 1, 2021
Valerio Ricci, F. Ceci, Francesco di Carlo et al.
BACKGROUND Cannabis is the most used recreational drug worldwide. Its use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders and exacerbate their course. However, the relationship between cannabis use and dissociative symptoms has been scarcely investigated. AIMS To examine differences in psychotic and dissociative symptoms, and in functioning in first-episode psychotic patients (FEPp)...