{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,7]],"date-time":"2025-11-07T18:34:57Z","timestamp":1762540497012},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,9,14]],"date-time":"2012-09-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1347580800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Psychol. Med."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>IFN-\u03b1 is an effective therapy for chronic viral hepatitis C and today still represents an effective first-line treatment. Unfortunately, its use is associated with a number of side-effects, including psychiatric problems like depression, mania, psychosis, delirium and other cognitive disturbances. Clinicians have been concerned about the risks of worsening of pre-existent psychiatric disorders and of precipitating suicidal attempts in psychiatric patients. The presence of a mental illness is, therefore, often deemed to be a contraindication to the use of antiviral treatment. However, this amounts to stigmatization and discrimination, as it basically implies withholding a life-saving medical treatment because of a psychiatric diagnosis. Is this clinically and socially acceptable? With novel treatments now entering clinical practice as adjuvant to IFN-\u03b1, it is particularly important to make a statement now, to ensure that psychiatric patients are not left behind. The aim of this editorial is to critically discuss this notion, by reviewing the few studies (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u00a0=\u00a014) that have indeed administered IFN-\u03b1 to patients with a pre-existing psychiatric disorder. We find evidence that these patients have rates of treatment adherence and sustained virological response similar to those of non-psychiatric patients, and that their IFN-\u03b1-induced psychiatric symptoms respond successfully to clinical management. We conclude that there is no support to withdrawing IFN-\u03b1 therapy from psychiatric patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0033291712001808","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,9,15]],"date-time":"2012-09-15T04:38:57Z","timestamp":1347683937000},"page":"1127-1132","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Withdrawing interferon-\u03b1 from psychiatric patients: clinical care or unjustifiable stigma?"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"43","author":[{"given":"A.","family":"Spennati","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C. 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