{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:28:15Z","timestamp":1787027295465,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":61,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759276800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007210","name":"RWTH Aachen University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007210","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n \n Nitrous oxide (N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O) is used for anesthetic purposes but has gained popularity as a recreational substance. Despite its potentially severe adverse effects, knowledge about N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O use within psychiatric populations is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the life-time prevalence and patterns of N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O consumption among patients with psychiatric disorders.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics of the Rheinisch-Westf\u00e4lische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University Hospital, involving assessments of N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O use lifetime prevalence among patients in various psychiatric settings over a six-month period in 2024. Further data on demographic characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses were collected from electronic patient records.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Out of 287 screened records, 22 patients (7.67%) reported a N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O use history, with a positive statistical relationship between younger age and positive lifetime prevalence (mean age: 28.14 \u00b1 7.29 years, range 19\u201348 years, 6\/22 female). Most users acquired N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O through low-threshold means such as friends or social events. The predominant psychiatric diagnoses among users included major depressive disorder, cannabis-related disorder and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Discussion<\/jats:title>\n \n This study highlights the concerning life-time prevalence of N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O use in a clinical psychiatric sample, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and education regarding its potential risks and side effects. Given the vulnerability of this population to substance-related issues, routine assessment for N\n 2<\/jats:sub>\n O use should be integrated into standard psychiatric evaluations.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1670500","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T14:01:25Z","timestamp":1759327285000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Nitrous oxide use and psychiatric disorders: a retrospective clinical cohort study on prevalence and patterns"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Rebecca","family":"Paetow","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maike Franziska","family":"Dohrn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michelle","family":"Finner-Pr\u00e9vel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leona","family":"Boesehans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dariush","family":"Henning","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcus","family":"Rust","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"Frodl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"551","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm8040551","article-title":"Global burden related to nitrous oxide exposure in medical and recreational settings: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis","volume":"8","author":"Oussalah","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bja\/aev297","article-title":"The increasing recreational use of nitrous oxide: history revisited","volume":"116","author":"Randhawa","year":"2016","journal-title":"Br J Anaesth"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2015.04.007","article-title":"Potential pathways involved in the rapid antidepressant effects of nitrous oxide","volume":"78","author":"Zarate","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/ALN.0b013e3182a771ea","article-title":"Horace wells\u2019 Demonstration of nitrous oxide in boston","volume":"119","author":"Haridas","year":"2013","journal-title":"Anesthesiology"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.2174\/1874473711666181008163107","article-title":"Mini-review: A brief history of nitrous oxide (N2O) use in neuropsychiatry","volume":"11","author":"Gillman","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr Drug Res Rev"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.1177\/0269881116632375","article-title":"Up: The rise of nitrous oxide abuse. 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