Clinical and Socio-Demographic Characteristics Associated with the Severity of Chemsex Practice

Bibliographic Data

ID21646749
AuthorsSibylle Mauries (0000-0003-1952-6558, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard, corresponding author), Zelie Julia (AP-HP.Nord, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (SMIT), Université Paris Cité, DMU INVICTUS), David Duroy (Université Paris Cité, INSERM UMR 1137 IAME), Rodolphe Borand (Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard), Bao-Chau Phung (AP-HP.Nord, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (SMIT), Université Paris Cité, DMU INVICTUS), Marie Rouvrais (Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard), Bénédicte Barbotin (Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard), Sylvie Le Gac (AP-HP.Nord, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (SMIT), Université Paris Cité, DMU INVICTUS), Michel Lejoyeux (0000-0002-3512-9694, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard), Pierre A Geoffroy (0000-0001-9121-209X, Inserm), Jade Ghosn (0000-0003-2914-959X, AP-HP.Nord, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (SMIT), Université Paris Cité, DMU INVICTUS)
Year2026
Volume61
Issue7
Pages1072-1079
Publication date2026-06-07
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSubstance Use & Misuse (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1082-6084 • E-ISSN: 1532-2491
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10826084.2025.2596682
PMID41347698
OpenAlexW4417037976
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited33

SETTING: Chemsex addiction is a public health issue, with increasing prevalence worldwide in recent years. The comorbidities and complications associated with this behavior are numerous. AIMS: The objective of this cohort study was to specifically and accurately describe the psychiatric, addictive, and infectious comorbidities of participants attending the addiction department at Bichat Hospital. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional descriptive cohort study assessing the presence of psychiatric, addictive, and infectious symptoms in patients seeking addiction care for chemsex-related issues. MEASUREMENTS: The evaluation was conducted through self-administered questionnaires. PARTICIPANTS: 51 participants were included. They were men who have sex with men (MSM), with a median age of 35 [24-62] years old, and 74.5% were professionally active. FINDINGS: A quarter (25.4%) had a psychiatric history before seeking care for chemsex-related issues. More than half were living with HIV. Reported negative consequences included the loss of substance-free sexuality (70.6% of cases) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the past year (54.9%). Regarding psychiatric symptoms, 54.9% reported suicidal thoughts and delusional ideas, 86.3% met the criteria for severe chemsex addiction, 47.1% exhibited severe anxiety symptoms, and 31.4% had severe depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: In this study including participants seeking care for chemsex addiction, the presence of frequent depressive, anxious, and psychotic symptoms was identified These results highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary and specialized approach to care

Clinical Practice · Health care · MEDLINE · Mental health · Multidisciplinary approach · Young adult · Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis · Hormonal and reproductive studies · Smoking Behavior and Cessation

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