The aim of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of a new treatment for chemsex or "chemical sex", the use of psychoactive substances to modify sexual experience and performance. This treatment, called Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) aims to modulate the cortical activity of brain areas involved in the desire to use psychoactive substances, or drugs, and the desire for uncontrolled sexual intercourse.
This treatment should therefore lead to a reduction in the craving for consumption of psychoactive substances and/or the practice of uncontrolled sexual activity.
The stakes of this new treatment are high, because chemsex exposes people to health risks for themselves and others. These risks include the risk of infection (skin infections, HIV infection, hepatitis viruses), psychological harms (anxiety attacks, depression, suicide risk), risk of addiction (addiction to the psychoactive product used, sex addiction), and toxicological harm (overdose, dangerous combination of psychoactive substances) or trauma (blows, trauma to the genitals or anorectal trauma).
To date, there is no proven therapeutic treatment for people wishing to reduce or stop chemsex.
40 participants will be randomized into 2 groups:
* 20 patients will receive active stimulation * 20 patients will receive sham stimulation
The total duration of the study for each patient will be 13 weeks: 1 week of stimulation and 12 weeks of follow-up.
Patient who provides written consent
Patient aged ≥ 18 years
Patient motivated and willing to change chemsex behavior, assessed by examiner during screening and inclusion visits
Cathinones, or methamphetamine, or MDMA, or cocaine, or ketamine, or GBL/GHB
Patient with a substance use disorder not involved in the practice of chemsex
Patient with a recent change (< 1 month) in the prescription of a psychotropic treatment
Patient presenting an acute psychiatric condition requiring hospitalization and/or immediate modification of a psychotropic treatment
Patients with unstable or uncontrolled neuropsychiatric disease
Parallel
tDCS
Device* 1 session/day for 5 consecutive days * stimulation at an intensity of 2 mA for the active tDCS group and sham stimulation (using the device's sham mode) for the placebo group
Assessment of risk behaviours
BehavioralAssessment of risk behaviours (retrospective exploration by the categorical rating of frequency: At least once a day - Several times a week several times a week - once a week - several times a month - once a month - less than once a month - never). times a month - Once a month - Less than once a month - Never)
Scales
Other interventionEVA craving index for chemsex Maximum VAS craving in the week preceding assessment for chemsex, sexual practices and use of psychoactive substances, HAqII, CSBD-19, modified CCQ-brief, SDI, BDI-II
Assessment of cue-induced craving for chemsex using a visual analogue scale
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