Highlights from the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry (December of 2025 - May of 2026)

Theme: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry

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The Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, formerly “Nordisk Psykiatrisk Tidsskrift”, is an international journal that publishes excellent psychiatric research with a broad scope. It is the official journal for the eight psychiatric associations in the Nordic and Baltic countries. It is a main source of information about current Nordic psychiatry and related fields, The journal is distributed to members of the Nordic and Baltic Psychiatric Associations as well as to members of Associations for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. This gives access to all articles published in the journal from 1946.

René Ernst Nielsen

René Ernst Nielsen, MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Aalborg University and consultant psychiatrist at Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark. His research focuses on affective disorders, severe mental illness, and the somatic morbidity and mortality associated with psychiatric disorders. He is the new Editor-in-Chief of the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry.

Sex and age trends in ADHD medication use in Norway, 2020–2022: a nationwide register study

This nationwide Norwegian register study examined recent changes in ADHD-medication dispensing, using data from the Norwegian Prescription Database for 2020–2022 and population denominators from Statistics Norway. The authors stratified annual prevalence and incidence by sex and age, and also compared ADHD-medication trends with other psychotropic prescribing and outpatient psychiatric service activity. ADHD medication dispensing increased markedly: prevalence rose by 36.5% and incidence by 68.1% from 2020 to 2022. The rise was particularly pronounced among females, with prevalence increasing by 52.4% and incidence by 108.0%, especially in the 12–27-year age range. In younger children aged 6–11 years, boys still had higher prevalence than girls in 2022, but the broader pattern suggests a major shift in ADHD recognition and pharmacological treatment among females and young adults. Importantly, the increase was not mirrored by a comparable rise in other psychotropic drug groups or in recorded public outpatient activity, suggesting that the change may reflect altered diagnostic and prescribing practices rather than a general increase in psychiatric service use.

Reference: Anker E, Bendiksen B, Skoglund CB, Thomsen PH. Sex and age trends in ADHD medication use in Norway, 2020–2022: a nationwide register study. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 2026. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/08039488.2026.2648942.

Characteristics and predictors of antipsychotic medication off-label use among community-dwelling older people

This Finnish nationwide register study investigated off-label antipsychotic use among community-dwelling older adults with psychiatric morbidity but without Alzheimer’s disease. The study compared older adults receiving antipsychotics off-label with three comparison groups: individuals with non-psychotic mental disorders not using off-label antipsychotics, individuals with psychosis or bipolar disorder using antipsychotics, and individuals with psychosis or bipolar disorder not using antipsychotics. The off-label group was large, comprising 20,563 individuals, and the study found that risperidone and quetiapine were the most frequently used antipsychotics off-label. Off-label users more often had cardiovascular disease and stroke than comparison groups, a clinically important finding given the metabolic and cerebrovascular risks associated with antipsychotics in older populations. They also had higher use of other psychotropic medications and opioids than some comparison groups, indicating substantial comorbidity and polypharmacy. The study highlights a pressing need for safer alternatives and better monitoring when antipsychotics are used outside approved indications in older adults.

Reference: Majuri T, Silvan J, Tolppanen AM, Hartikainen S, Huotari T, Rautio N, et al. Characteristics and predictors of antipsychotic medication off-label use among community-dwelling older people. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. 2026;1–10. doi:10.1080/08039488.2026.2631597.

Group cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder among adolescents treated at routine adolescent psychiatric services: preliminary effects and implementation model

This Finnish implementation study examined group cognitive therapy for adolescents with primary social anxiety disorder in routine psychiatric outpatient services. As part of a region-wide programme at Helsinki University Hospital, psychiatric nurses and psychologists without prior psychotherapy training received a two-day workshop and monthly group supervision to deliver the intervention. The study focused on feasibility, dropout, symptom change, and implementation in real-world clinical services. Seventy-five percent of referred adolescents completed the intervention, and social anxiety symptoms improved with a large pre–post effect size (d = 0.85), comparable to findings from group CBT/CT studies in adult services. General psychological distress also decreased, although only 20% showed reliable change on that broader outcome. A notable strength is that the programme was maintained in clinical services over an eight-year period, suggesting that structured training and supervision can support sustainable implementation of evidence-based psychological treatment in adolescent psychiatry.

Reference: Ranta K, Marttunen M, Lampela S, Noreen S, Granö N. Group cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder among adolescents treated at routine adolescent psychiatric services: preliminary effects and implementation model. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. Published online 27 Dec 2025. doi:10.1080/08039488.2025.2604654.

Temporal patterns in compulsory psychiatric admissions: a four-year, nationwide registry study from Norwegian acute wards

This nationwide Norwegian registry study analysed 16,472 compulsory psychiatric admissions to acute wards from 2015 to 2018. The authors examined temporal patterns by hour of day and type of day, distinguishing between compulsory observation and compulsory care and using absolute admission counts rather than proportions of voluntary admissions. Admissions were concentrated around office hours, typically with a 1–2-hour lag, while public holidays resembled weekend patterns and showed less diurnal variation than weekdays. Compulsory care admissions aligned more closely with office-hour workflows than compulsory observation, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders predominated among compulsory care admissions. The interpretation is important for service planning: temporal patterns may reflect organisational routines and service availability more than true temporal variation in clinical need. The study therefore raises practical questions about whether acute psychiatric services are sufficiently aligned with patients’ need for assessment and compulsory care outside standard working hours.

Reference: Lium MA, Rugkåsa J, Hofstad T, Lurås H, Nyttingnes O. Temporal patterns in compulsory psychiatric admissions: a four-year, nationwide registry study from Norwegian acute wards. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. Published online 22 May 2026;1–8. doi:10.1080/08039488.2026.2670376. □