Dr. Laia Miquel de Montagut

Laia Miquel, MD, PhD, is a psychiatrist in the Addiction unit at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. She is working in the drug abuse field in clinical and research (IDIBAPS). Her principal experience is in the diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders (chemsex, alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, alcohol...) and psychiatric comorbidity among substance users. She developed two programs in the clinic for the treatment of psychological traumatic experiences in substance use disorder patients and a program for the treatment of people engaged in chemsex practices that have developed a substance use disorder. She has experience in Motivational interviewing (MI) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). As a researcher, she has participated as principal investigator (PI20/0506, RICORS) and has collaborated in international (Inter-GLAM, SCALA-Project, d-Healtylife, APC-study, etc) and national projects (RTA-RETICS, EFAR project, UPE, etc) studying alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Recently, she is studying several treatments to improve substance use disorder prognosis as EMDR, t-DCS and Transcraneal magnetic stimulation (TMS). She is the former president of the Catalan Delegation of Socidrogalcohol and a member of the Working Group on Research in Women and Mental Health (GTRDSM) of the Catalan Society of Psychiatry.

In her lecture, Dr. Laia Miquel will address the phenomenon of chemsex, focusing on its definition, neurobiological mechanisms, and the wide range of associated health consequences. She will begin by outlining chemsex as the intentional use of psychoactive substances—such as GHB/GBL, methamphetamine, and synthetic cathinones—to enhance or prolong sexual activity.

Dr. Miquel will explore the neurobiological underpinnings of chemsex, describing how stimulants, depressants, dissociatives and phosphodiesterase inhibitors interact with dopaminergic, serotonergic and GABAergic pathways. She will explain how these substances intensify sexual arousal, reduce inhibition, and promote risk‑taking behaviours, and how chronic use can alter executive function, emotional regulation and reward processing—ultimately increasing vulnerability to dependence, compulsive sexual behaviour and psychiatric disorders.

The presentation will also explain the somatic, mental and social complications associated with chemsex. These include a markedly higher incidence of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia, as well as medical complications like cardiovascular events, hyponatraemia, rhabdomyolysis and overdose. Dr. Miquel will further address the mental‑health consequences frequently observed among chemsex participants, including addiction to stimulants or GHB/GBL, anxiety, depression and psychosis.

Overall, her session will present chemsex as a complex intersection of sexual health, substance use and mental‑health vulnerability, emphasising the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches in both prevention and clinical care.

• De La Mora, L., Laguno, M., Torres, B., et al. (2025). Long-term health outcomes of people with HIV engaged in chemsex: A prospective cohort study on drug use, sexual behaviour, sexually-transmitted infections and vulnerability. Infectious Diseases and Therapy, 14(9), 2113–2130. doi: 10.1007/s40121-025-01201-7.
• Sorroche, C., Oliveras, C., & Miquel, L. (2024). Tropicamide-induced psychosis in the context of chemsex practices treated in an emergency department. Emergencias, 36(3), 228. doi: 10.55633/s3me/026.2023.
• Hanson, G. R., Rau, K. S., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2004). The methamphetamine experience: A NIDA partnership. Neuropharmacology, 47(Suppl 1), 92–100. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2004.06.004.
• Gavín, P., Arbelo, N., Monràs, M., et al. (2021). Methamphetamine use in chemsex and its consequences on mental health: A descriptive study. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 95, e202108108.