The REAL SMART project began in 2017, and consists of two individual but interconnected parts:
a) Data collection for the Recognition and early intervention for alcohol and substance abuse in adolescence (REAL) project began in 2017 and is currently ongoing. We are investigating whether it is possible to use an electronic mini-intervention to reduce drug and alcohol use among young people and to improve their well-being. We are also examining the effects of drug and alcohol use on the metabolic profile. Our goal is to introduce an electronic version of the ASSIST questionnaire to a wider community, assuming that the electronic mini-intervention will reduce or prevent youth drug use.
b) The Systemic metabolic alterations related to different psychiatric disease categories in adolescent outpatients (SMART) project began concurrently with the REAL project. In the SMART project, we are investigating the metabolic profiles of adolescent psychiatry patients. Research data on systemic metabolic alterations related to different psychiatric diseases in adolescents are scarce. The onset of the majority of psychiatric diseases, however, occurs in adolescence. Studying the early stages of psychiatric diseases may provide valuable information on the mechanisms of illnesses. We assume that metabolomic methods will provide the opportunity to differentiate psychiatric diagnostic profiles. Systemic metabolic profiles may help us predict the prognosis of psychiatric diseases and the efficiency of different treatments.
Group leader
Tommi Tolmunen, MD, PhD, Professor; UEF and KUH
Selected publications
Kurkinen, Karoliina; Kärkkäinen, Olli; Lehto, Soili; Luoma, Ilona; Kraav, Siiri-Liisi; Nieminen, Anni; Kivimäki, Petri; Therman, Sebastian and Tolmunen, Tommi (2021). One-carbon and energy metabolism in major depression compared to chronic depression in adolescent outpatients: a metabolomic pilot study, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 6, 100261.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100261