Thomas Fovet

Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille · Division of Psychiatry

fMRI-based neurofeedback (fMRI-NF) is a non-invasive technique that allows participants to achieve control of their own brain activity using the real-time feedback of the activity (measured indirectly based on the BOLD signal) of a particular brain region or network. The feasibility of fMRI-NF in healthy subjects has been documented for a variety o...

Issue Section: Letters to the Editor

Background.: The aim of the present study was to estimate prevalence rates of psychiatric and substance use disorders in male and female prisoners on admission to prison in the north of France and compare the frequency of these disorders to the general population. Methods.: This cross-sectional survey on Mental Health in the Prison Population (M...

Background Despite the poor mental health status of people who are incarcerated, few studies have examined the number of psychiatric hospitalisations in this population. Since 2010, France has progressively opened nine full-time inpatient psychiatric wards exclusively for people who are incarcerated, called “specially adapted hospital units” (unité...

Background Criminal responsibility is a key concept in the criminal sanctioning of people diagnosed with mental health disorders who have committed crimes. In France, based on the recommendations of one or more expert psychiatrists, a judge can declare a person not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) if, at the time of the...

Background Sexual assault (SA) can lead to a range of adverse effects on physical, sexual, and mental health, as well as on one’s social life, financial stability, and overall quality of life. However, not all people who experience SA will develop negative functional outcomes. Various risk and protective factors can influence psycho-socio-judicial...

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has not been associated with increases in suicidal behaviour at the national, regional, or county level. However, previous studies were not conducted on a finer scale or adjusted for ecological factors. Our objective was to assess the fine-scale spatiotemporal association between self-harm and COVID-19 hospitalizati...

Background: Research on biased processing of aversive stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has produced inconsistent results between response time (RT) and eye-tracking studies. Recent RT-based results of dot-probe studies showed no attentional bias (AB) for threat while eye-tracking research suggested heightened sustained attention for...

Although the international literature points to a number of benefits from deinstitutionalization, such as limiting coercion, more cost-effectiveness of care systems, and better use of community care, it may be helpful to take a broader perspective on where coercion and institutionalization of people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and/or substan...

A body of research indicates that people are prone to overestimate the affective impact of future events. Here, we developed a novel experimental paradigm to study these affective forecasting biases under laboratory conditions using subjective (arousal and valence) and autonomic measures (skin conductance responses, SCRs, and heart rate). Thirty pa...

Since 2016, there has been a succession of legal texts aimed at framing the use of seclusion and mechanical restraint in psychiatric services. These legal evolutions are not without consequence on the practice of caregivers. We propose here a practical summary of this issue.

The development of alternatives to seclusion and restraint is a priority for psychiatric care services. Among them, the implementation of soothing spaces is currently experiencing considerable growth.

Malgré les avancées des dernières décennies sur le plan de l'accès aux soins et des moyens thérapeutiques, une proportion considérable de personnes souffrant de troubles psychiatriques ne pré-sentent pas d'amélioration clinique satisfaisante, en dépit d'une prise en charge appropriée. L'expression « trouble psychiatrique résistant » est alors génér...

Introduction: Basic epidemiological data are rare concerning the activity of specialized forensic psychiatric facilities in France. Here, we investigated the activity of the ten (640 beds) French "units for difficult patients" (unités pour malades difficiles [UMDs]). Method: We used the Programme de médicalisation des systèmes d'information (PMS...

Objective: Evidence shows that many patients with COVID-19 present persistent symptoms after the acute infection. Some patients may be at a high risk of developing Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD), in which persistent symptoms are accompanied by excessive and disproportionate health-related thoughts, feelings and behaviors regarding these symptoms....

BACKGROUND Sexual assault (SA) can lead to a range of adverse effects on physical, sexual, and mental health, as well as on one’s social life, financial stability, and overall quality of life. However, not all people who experience SA will develop negative functional outcomes. Various risk and protective factors can influence psycho-socio-judicial...

The "transitional mobile team" has been developed to optimize the management of the transition from prison to the community for people with psychiatric disorders in France. The objectives are to limit the risk of relapse and death during this high-risk period and to ensure the links between psychiatry in prison and community psychiatry.

Background Sexual assault (SA) has numerous negative outcomes on physical, sexual and mental health, social life, financial stability and overall quality of life. It is known as one of the most traumatogenic event. However, not all people who experienced SA will develop negative functional outcomes. Multiple risk and protection factors can influenc...

Importance: The Conséquences de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la santé mentale des étudiants (COSAMe) survey was conducted among university students in France during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that although there was a slight decrease in anxiety, depression, and stress between the first lockdown (T1) and 1 month after it ended (T2), the prevale...

In France, on the 1st march 2022, 656 underage persons are in prison. They have more psychiatric and substance use disorders compared to the juveniles in the general population. In prison, health care is organized according to three levels. A global and partnership approach is promoted. The main objectives are prevention, risk reduction and continu...

High levels of substance-related disorders among incarcerated people have been documented and there is a lot of drug users in French prisons. Several health and social workers are involved in the management of people dealing with addictions in prison. The coordination between substance use and mental health services in correctional settings and in...

Objective. – Any French psychiatrist can be appointed by the district prosecutor or the judicial police officer to perform medical examination of people kept in police custody. After this examination, the doctor decides whether the person’s state is compatible or not with detention in a police station. A medical certificate is attached to the case...

Résumé La présence de personnes détenues souffrant de troubles psychiatriques est observée depuis la naissance de la prison moderne, et a fluctué depuis, au gré des évolutions institutionnelles psychiatriques et du cadre législatif français. Au 1er janvier 2022, près de 70 000 personnes sont incarcérées dans les 187 établissements français de métro...

Introduction The rates of alcohol and illegal drug use and the prevalence of alcohol and illegal drug use disorders (AUD and DUD) are high in prison populations, particularly in men entering jail. However, these rates have never been exhaustively assessed and compared to those of the general population in France. Methods We based our research on t...

Résumé Objectifs L’hypersialorrhée iatrogène correspond à un excès de sécrétion salivaire causé par la prise d’un médicament. Cet effet indésirable, fréquent avec les psychotropes, peut être à l’origine d’une mauvaise observance et nécessite donc une prise en charge optimale. Méthodes Les études cliniques et rapports de cas décrivant une prise en...

Purpose We sought to measure the prevalence of psychotic symptoms (PSs) and psychotic disorders (PDs) in a sample of men entering jail and to compare these prevalences with those observed in the general population. We also aimed to explore the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with PSs and PDs. Methods The Mental Health in the Priso...

Despite the increasing computerization of hospital information systems, segments of patient care are still in paper format. Data extracted automatically from the hospital databases for one specific project are thus supplemented by data collected manually. Data collection tools are usually developed entirely, which requires computer knowledge and is...

Introduction The COVID-19 related quarantine had negative psychological effects among University students. Evidence from previous epidemics suggests that negative psychological effects of quarantine measures can last or even worsen after the quarantine lift. The objective of this study was to assess the evolution of students' mental health and to i...

Résumé Contexte Le centre pénitentiaire de Château-Thierry accueille des personnes détenues dont l’intégration dans une détention « classique » est jugée compliquée du fait de troubles du comportement. Cet article présente la première étude visant à décrire le parcours judiciaire et de soins des personnes incarcérées dans cet établissement. Métho...

Résumé La prise en charge des personnes souffrant de troubles psychiatriques et ayant commis une infraction pénale est extrêmement variable dans le monde. Cette problématique complexe vient, en effet, s’inscrire au croisement de la longue histoire du système pénal et du système de soins de chaque pays. Cet article propose une synthèse des liens ent...

BACKGROUND Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) capture aims at detecting auditory-verbal hallucinations (AVHs) from continuously recorded brain activity. Establishing efficient capture methods with low computational cost that easily generalize between patients remains a key objective in precision psychiatry. To address this issue, we devel...

(238 words) Research has consistently shown high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in correctional settings. We aimed to compare the prevalence rates of trauma exposure, subthreshold PTSD, and full PTSD in incarcerated people with those observed in the general population. We used the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview to sc...

En médecine, l'approche standardisée désigne une démarche d'analyse et d'évaluation dans le cadre d'un processus méthodique avec des règles fixées. L'approche médicale standardisée s'attache donc à suivre une procédure rigoureuse et définie qui peut être répétée plusieurs fois à l'identique, si les conditions le permettent. En psychiatrie, les prem...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns regarding its psychological effect on university students, especially healthcare students. We aimed at assessing the risk of mental health problems according to the type of university studies, by adjusting for potential confounders. Methods We used data from the COSAMe study, a national cross-sec...

Introduction: The procedure of involuntary psychiatric hospitalization has been recently modified in France. Indeed, since 2011, a liberty and custody judge is appointed for each measure, to guarantee the rights of psychiatric inpatients and to prevent abusive hospitalizations. As a result, if procedural errors are noted, the liberty and custody j...

Background: The risk factors for radicalization and terrorism represent a key research issue. While numerous data on the sociological, political, and criminological profiles of radicalized people and terrorists are available, knowledge about psychiatric disorders among these populations remains scarce and contradictory. Method: We conducted a syst...

Many studies have reported negative outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's mental health. Notably, high prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been described in healthcare workers (26.9% [20.3%-33.,6%]), individuals with COVID-19 (23.8% [16.6%-31.0%]) and in the general population (19.3% [15.3%-23.2%]) (1).

Résumé Introduction Malgré une efficacité démontrée et une bonne tolérance, l’électro-convulsivothérapie (ECT) est sous-utilisée en pratique courante. Les représentations négatives dont souffre ce traitement pourraient expliquer en partie ce constat. L’objectif principal de cette étude était d’évaluer l’impact d’une vidéo pédagogique sur les croya...

The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures have sparked debate regarding their traumatic nature. This cross-sectional study reports the prevalence rate of probable post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and associated factors among French university students. A total of 22,883 students completed the online questionnaire. The prevalence rate of pr...

BACKGROUND Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) capture aims at detecting auditory-verbal hallucinations (AVHs) from continuously recorded brain activity. Establishing efficient capture methods with low computational cost that easily generalize between patients remains a key objective in precision psychiatry. To address this issue, we devel...

The publication of the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the management of mood disorders was followed by a series of correspondences discussing the place of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the sequence care for the routine treatment of depression. The controversy...

Background For incarcerated people, the immediate post-release period is characterized by a range of negative outcomes. The appointment scheduling delay for a psychiatric community consultation in this period is unknown. Methods A fictional 24-year-old patient with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder with comorbid cannabis use disorder was created and...

Objective: To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a cohort study between March and May 2020 at the Lille University Hospital (France), including all patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Psychological distress symptoms were measured 3 weeks aft...

These authors contributed equally to this work. All other authors are listed in reverse alphabetical order. Neurofeedback has begun to attract the attention and scrutiny of the scientific and medical mainstream. Here, neurofeedback researchers present a consensus-derived checklist that aims to improve the reporting and experimental design standards...

Résumé Introduction Les personnes présentant des troubles mentaux sont surreprésentées en prison par rapport à la population générale. Dans une étude réalisée en Picardie en 2017, un quart des entrants avaient eu un contact avec un service de psychiatrie avant leur incarcération. En l’absence d’étude de ce type en France, nous avons mené une étude...

Many facilities involved in caring people diagnosed with mental health disorders who committed crime had to adapt to COVID-19 pandemic in France. Particularly, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated people was the subject of many concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic also posed major challenges in secure psychiatric hospitals and for psychia...

Résumé Le trouble de stress post-traumatique (TSPT) est l’un des troubles psychiatriques les plus fréquents en milieu pénitentiaire, puisque sa prévalence « vie entière » atteint 17,8 % chez les hommes et 40,1 % chez les femmes en détention. Pourtant, le TSPT reste sous-diagnostiqué et peu étudié dans cette population. Cette revue de la littérature...

Background: In French prisons, psychiatric care for inmates is organized into three levels: ambulatory care within each jail in "unités sanitaires en milieu pénitentiaire" (USMP: sanitary units in correctional settings), day hospitalizations in the 28 services médico-psychologiques régionaux (SMPR, "regional medical-psychological services") and fu...

La surmortalité par suicide en prison est un phénomène qui a été décrit dans de nombreux pays. En France, le taux de suicide en population carcérale est actuellement sept fois supérieur à celui observé en population générale, ce qui fait du suicide l'une des principales préoccupations pour les professionnels soignants exerçant en milieu pénitentiai...

We read with great interest Tilman Steinert’s recent letter to the Editor (1) highlighting the potential language bias in the international scoping review on the use of coercion in psychiatry, previously published by Gooding and colleagues (2). As underlined by Professor Steinert, excluding all papers in languages other than English suggests that t...

The treatment of people diagnosed with mental disorders who committed crimes differ greatly in countries around the world because of the long histories of criminal justice and psychiatry specific to each country. As a result, it is often difficult to grasp the specificities of each system. The main objective of this paper is to provide a narrative...

Background Depersonalization is a complex phenomenological experience initially described as a psychological disturbance of self-awareness. Among the different dimensions underlying depersonalization, emotional numbing appears to be a key symptom but remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Method We conducted a systematic review, following PRISMA...

French version of the The Somatic Symptom Disorder – B Criteria Scale (SSD-12) adapted from the SSD-12 English version (Toussaint et al. 2016).

Résumé Objectif. En France, les mesures de confinement ont été accompagnées de dispositions spécifiques pour les prisons: suspension des activités, parloirs et interventions extérieures. Plus de dix mille personnes détenues ont en outre été libérées pour diminuer le taux d’occupation des établissements et limiter la propagation du virus. L’objectif...

Objectives: No study has assessed utilization of hospital-level mental health care for French prisoners. In particular, the impact of unités hospitalières spécialement aménagées (UHSAs; "specially equipped hospital units"), the full-time inpatient psychiatric wards for inmates created in 2010, remains unknown. The aim of this study was to describe...

Ce livret propose un guide pour accompagner les internes au cours de leurs premiers jours de stage de psychiatrie en milieu pénitentiaire.

Neurofeedback has begun to attract the attention and scrutiny of the scientific and medical mainstream. Here, neurofeedback researchers present a consensus-derived checklist that aims to improve the reporting and experimental design standards in the field.