BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles via MedWorm.com

Staying well after depression: trial design and protocol

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThis will be the first trial of MBCT to investigate whether MCBT is effective in preventing relapse to depression when compared with a control psychological treatment of equal plausibility; and to explore the use of MBCT for the most severe recurrent depression - that in people who become suicidal when depressed.Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials: ISRCTN97185214. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A Canadian naturalistic study of a community-based cohort treated for bipolar disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Patients with bipolar disorder requiring treatment intervention for exacerbation of mania in the community setting responded to olanzapine at one month. In a subset analysis, second generation antipsychotic treatment continued to be beneficial in reducing bipolar symptoms at one year. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Psychosocial functioning in patients with treatment-resistant depression after group cognitive behavioral therapy

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: These findings suggest a positive effect that the addition of cognitive behavioural group therapy to medication on depressive symptoms and social functioning of mildly depressed patients, showing treatment resistance. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The prevalence and correlates of adult separation anxiety disorder in an anxiety clinic

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Patients with ASAD attending an anxiety clinic are highly symptomatic and disabled. The findings have implications for the classification, clinical identification and treatment of adult anxiety disorders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The ANU WellBeing study: A protocol for a quasi-factorial randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet support group and an automated Internet intervention for depression.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

DiscussionTo our knowledge this study is the first randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a depression ISG.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN65657330KeywordsDepression, Internet support group, evaluation, intervention, cognitive behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy239 words (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Post traumatic stress symptoms and heart rate variability in Bihar flood survivors following yoga: a randomized controlled study

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Background: An earlier study showed that a week of yoga practice was useful in stress management after a natural calamity. Due to heavy rain and a rift on the banks of the Kosi river, in the state of Bihar in north India, there were floods with loss of life and property. A week of yoga practice was given to the survivors a month after the event and the effect was assessed. Methods: Twenty-two volunteers (group average age +/- S.D, 31.5 +/- 7.5 years; all of them were males) were randomly assigned to two groups, yoga and a non-yoga wait-list control group. The yoga group practiced yoga for an hour daily while the control group continued with their routine activities. Both groups' heart rate variability, breath rate, and four symptoms of emotional distress using visual analog scales, were as...

Porencephaly and psychosis: a case report and review of the literature

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: It is unclear if porencephaly and psychosis concur by chance or are causally related. The area where the porencephalic cysts appear seems to be of relevance. This case highlights the need for further research. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The study protocol of the Norwegian randomized controlled trial of electroconvulsive therapy in treatment resistant depression in bipolar disorder.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study is the first randomized controlled trial that aims to investigate whether electroconvulsive therapy is better than pharmacological treatment as usual in treatment resistant bipolar depression. Possible long lasting cognitive side effects will be evaluated. The study is investigator initiated, without support from industry.Trial registration: NCT00664976 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Correction: Frequency, course and correlates of alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood in a Swiss community survey.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

After the publication in this journal we became aware of the fact that the article contained wrong data in figure 1. This correction contains the revised figure 1. We regret any inconvenience that this inaccuracy in the presentation of the figure might have caused. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Suicide amongst psychiatric in-patients who abscond from the ward: a national clinical survey

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Measures that may prevent absconding and subsequent suicide amongst in-patients might include tighter control of ward exits, and more intensive observation of patients, particularly in the early days of admission. Improving the ward environment to provide a supportive and less intimidating experience may contribute to reduced risk. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Environmental exposures and their genetic or environmental contribution to depression and fatigue: a twin study in Sri Lanka

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Compared to previous studies from higher-income countries, novel environmentally-mediated risk factors for depression and fatigue were identified in Sri Lanka. But as seen elsewhere, the association between life events and depression was partially genetically mediated in women. These results have implications for understanding environmental mechanisms around the world. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Ego defense mechanisms in Pakistani medical students: a cross sectional analysis

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study assesses the prevalence of various ego defense mechanisms employed by medical students of Karachi, which is a group with higher stress levels than the general population. Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted on 682 students from five major medical colleges of Karachi over 4 weeks in November 2006. Ego defense mechanisms were assessed using the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) individually and as grouped under Mature, Immature, and Neurotic factors. Results: Lower mean scores of Immature defense mechanisms (4.78) were identified than those for Neurotic (5.62) and Mature (5.60) mechanisms among medical students of Karachi. Immature mechanisms were more commonly employed by males whereas females employed more Neurotic mechanisms than males. Neuroti...

Screening for personality disorder with the Standardised Assessment of Personality: Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS): further evidence of concurrent validity

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The SAPAS is an effective brief screen for PD as assessed dimensionally. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Involvement in the US criminal justice system and cost implications for persons treated for schizophrenia

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Criminal justice system involvement appears to be prevalent and costly for persons treated for schizophrenia in the United States. Findings highlight the need to better understand the interface between the mental health and the criminal justice systems and the related costs, in personal, societal, and economic terms. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Excessive substance use in bipolar disorder is associated with impaired functioning rather than clinical characteristics, a descriptive study

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Background: There is a strong association between bipolar disorder (BD) and substance use disorder (SUD). The clinical and functional correlates of SUD in BD are still unclear and little is known about the role of excessive substance use that does not meet SUD criteria. Thus, the aims of the current study were to investigate lifetime rates of illicit substance use in BD relative to the normal population and if there are differences in clinical and functional features between BD patients with and without excessive substance use. Methods: 125 consecutively recruited BD in- and outpatients from the Oslo University Hospitals and 327 persons randomly drawn from the population in Oslo, Norway participated. Clinical and functional variables were assessed. Excessive substance use was defined as DS...

Implementing clinical guidelines in psychiatry: a qualitative study of perceived facilitators and barriers

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Identifying the barriers to, and facilitators of, the adoption of recommendations is an important way of achieving efficient implementation strategies. The findings of this study suggest that the adoption of guidelines may be improved if local health professionals actively participate in an ongoing implementation process and identify efficient strategies to overcome barriers on an organizational and individual level. Getting evidence into practice and implementing clinical guidelines are dependent upon more than practitioners' motivation. There are factors in the local context, e.g. culture and leadership, evaluation, feedback on performance and facilitation, - that are likely to be equally influential. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Depression literacy among Australians of Chinese-speaking background in Melbourne, Australia

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Campaigns to increase the mental health literacy of Chinese-speaking Australians are needed. The abovementioned socially and culturally driven beliefs need to be taken into consideration in the development of culturally relevant education programs. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

"Coercion Experience Scale" (CES) - validation of a questionnaire on coercive measures

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Background: Although the authors of a Cochrane Review on seclusion and mechanical restraint concluded that "there is a surprising and shocking lack of published trials" on coercive interventions in psychiatry, there are only few instruments that can be applied in trials. Furthermore, as main outcome variable safety, psychopathological symptoms, and duration of an intervention cannot meet the demand to indicate subjective suffering and impact relevant to posttraumatic stress syndromes. An instrument used in controlled trials should assess the patients' subjective experiences, needs to be applicable to more than one intervention in order to compare different coercive measures and has to account for the specific psychiatric context. Methods: The primary version of the questionnaire comprised ...

Study of the outcome of suicide attempts: characteristics of hospitalization in a psychiatric ward group, critical care center group, and non-hospitalized group

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: There are different potential needs for each group. The HICCC group needs psychiatrists on a full-time basis and also social workers and clinical psychotherapists to immediately initiate comprehensive care by a medical team composed of multiple professionals. The HIPW group needs psychological education to prevent repetition of suicide attempts, and high-quality physical treatment and management skill of the staff in the psychiatric ward. The NH group subjects need a support system to convince them of the risks of attempting suicide and to take a problem-solving approach to specific issues. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Do electronic health records affect the patient-psychiatrist relationship? A before & after study of psychiatric outpatients

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: While many barriers to the adoption of electronic health records do exist, concerns about disruption to the patient-psychiatrist relationship need not be a prominent focus. Attention to communication style, interpersonal manner, and computer proficiency may help maintain the quality of the patient-psychiatrist relationship following EHR implementation. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The cost of relapse and the predictors of relapse in the treatment of schizophrenia

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Despite the historical decline in utilization of psychiatric inpatient services, relapse remains an important predictor of subsequent relapse and treatment costs for persons with schizophrenia. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Screening for autism and AD/HD. The A-TAC: further validation of a telephone interview in clinical and population samples.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The previously reported validity of the A-TAC was supported by this larger replication study using broader scales from the A-TAC-items and a larger number of diagnostic categories. Short versions of algorithms worked as well as larger. Different cut-off levels for screening versus identifying proxies for clinical diagnoses are warranted. Data on the validity for mood problems and oppositional defiant/conduct problems are still lacking. Although the A-TAC is principally intended for epidemiological research and general investigations, the instrument may be useful as a tool to collect information in clinical practice as well. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Women convicted for violent offenses: Adverse childhood experiences, low level of education and poor mental health

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The results of our study point toward a gender-specific theory of female offending, as well as toward the importance of developing models for explaining female criminal behavior, which need to be implemented in treatment plans and intervention strategies regarding female offenders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Predictors of metabolic monitoring among schizophrenia patients with a new episode of second-generation antipsychotic use in the Veterans Health Administration

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The baseline MetMon has been performed for a majority of the VISN 16 patients with schizophrenia prior to index SGA over the study period. Compared with MetMon- group, MetMon+ patients were more likely to be obese and manifest a more severe illness profile. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A new clinical rating scale for work absence and productivity: validation in patients with major depressive disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

This study seeks to validate the Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale (LEAPS), a 10-item self-report questionnaire that takes 3-5 minutes to complete. Methods: The study sample consisted of consecutive patients attending a Mood Disorders outpatient clinic who were in full- or part-time paid work. All patients met DSM-IV criteria for MDD and completed during their intake assessment the LEAPS, the self-rated version of the Quick Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR), the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ). Standard psychometric analyses for validation were conducted. Results: A total of 234 patients with MDD completed the assessments. The LEAPS displayed excellent internal consistency as assessed by Cronbach's alpha of ...

Association of various reproductive rights, domestic violence and marital rape with depression among Pakistani women

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: In our study depression in married women was associated with younger age at marriage, lack of autonomy in marriage decisions, marital rape and domestic abuse by in-laws. Efforts should be directed towards creating awareness about the reproductive and sexual rights of women in Pakistan. Physicians should be trained to screen and identify women who may be at risk for psychological distress as a result of denial of reproductive rights so that they can support positive mental health outcomes through individual, family or marital counseling. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

An ongoing process: A qualitative study of how the alcohol-dependent free themselves of addiction through progressive abstinence

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This study provides important points of reference for alcohol and drug service workers and community healthcare professionals, casting light on the abstinence process and providing a basis for intervention or rehabilitation services. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Modifiable risk factors predicting major depressive disorder at four year follow-up: a decision tree approach

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The decision tree method is useful in assessing the risk of major depressive disorder over four years. Application of the model to the development of a predictive tool for tailored interventions is discussed. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Psychotropic medication in the French child and adolescent population: prevalence estimation from health insurance data and national self-report survey data

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This study underlines a similar range of prevalence of psychotropic prescriptions in France to that observed in other European countries. Nevertheless, the proportion of antipsychotics and benzodiazepins seems to be higher, whereas the proportion of methylphenidate is lower.Secondly, a disparity between the prevalence of dispensed prescriptions and the self-report of actual use of psychotropics has been highlighted by the ESCAPAD study which shows that these treatments are widely used as "self-medication". (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Glutamatergic deficits and parvalbumin-containing inhibitory neurons in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: : These findings suggest that glutamatergic neurotransmission via NR2A-containing NMDA receptors on PV neurons in the PFC may be deficient in schizophrenia. This may disinhibit the postsynaptic excitatory circuits, contributing to neuronal injury, aberrant information flow and PFC functional deficits in schizophrenia. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Evidence for Genetic Association of RORB with Bipolar Disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that clock genes in general, and RORB in particular, may be important candidates for further investigation in the search for the molecular basis of bipolar disorder. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A investigation of cognitive 'branching' processes in major depression

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We found no clear evidence of a fundamental impairment in anterior prefrontal `branching processes' in patients with depression. Rather our data argue for a contextual learning impairment underlying cognitive dysfunction in this disorder. Our data suggest that MDD patients are able to perform high-level cognitive control tasks comparably to controls provided they are well trained. Future work should replicate these preliminary findings in a larger sample of MDD patients. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The prevalence of common mental disorders and PTSD in the UK military: using data from a clinical interview-based study

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The most common mental disorders in the UK military are alcohol abuse and neurotic disorders. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms remains low in the UK military, but reservists are at greater risk of psychiatric injury than regular personnel. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Factors associated with dropout from treatment for eating disorders: a comprehensive literature review

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Implications for clinical practice and areas for further research are discussed. Particularly, these results highlight the need for a shared definition of dropout in the treatment of eating disorders for both inpatient and outpatient settings. Moreover, the assessment of personality dimensions (impulse control, self-efficacy, maturity fear and others) as liability factors for dropout seems an important issue for creating specific strategies to reduce the dropout phenomenon in eating disorders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The Self-Assessment Scale of Cognitive Complaints in Schizophrenia: A validation study in Tunisian population

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Given the good psychometric properties that have been revealed in this study, the SASCCS seems to be reliable to measure schizophrenic patients' perception of their own cognitive impairment. This kind of evaluation can't substitute for objective measures of cognitive performances in schizophrenia. The purpose of such an evaluation is to permit to the patient to express his own well-being and satisfaction of quality of life. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Implementation of outpatient schema therapy for borderline personality disorder: study design

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThe study will provide an answer to the question whether ST can be effectively implemented and whether phone support by the therapist has an additional value.Trial RegistrationThe Dutch Cochrane Center, NTR(TC=1781). (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Repetition and severity of suicide attempts across the life cycle: a comparison by age group between suicide victims and controls with severe depression

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

ConclusionIn the older age groups repeated attempts appeared to be predictive for suicide in women and severe attempts predictive in men. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Financial incentives to improve adherence to anti-psychotic maintenance medication in non-adherent patients - a cluster randomised controlled trial (FIAT)

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThe study aims to provide new evidence on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of offering financial incentives to patients with psychotic disorders to adhere to antipsychotic maintenance medication. If financial incentives improve adherence and lead to better health and social outcomes, they may be recommended as one option to improve the treatment of non-adherent patients with psychotic disorders.Trial Registration: Current controlled trials ISRCTN77769281. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Effect of the G72 (DAOA) putative risk haplotype on cognitive functions in healthy subjects

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our data show that the putative high-risk haplotype (i.e. homozygote C/C-allele carriers in SNP M23 and homozygote T/T-allele carriers in SNP M24) is in healthy individuals not necessarily associated with worse performance in cognitive functions, but even with better performance in some domains. Further work is required to identify the mechanisms of G72 on brain functions. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Study protocol: the development of a randomised controlled trial testing a postcard intervention designed to reduce suicide risk among young help-seekers

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThis paper describes the development of a study which aims to reduce suicide risk in a sample of young help-seekers. If effective, this intervention could have significant clinical and research implications for a population who can be hard to treat and difficult to research.The study was registered with the Australian Clinical Trials Registry; number: ACTRN012606000274572. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Developmental psychopathology: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: These differences have implications for clinical practice as they can be used for prevention, diagnostic proceedings, and therapeutic intervention as well as for planning future studies. The present article is a translated and modified version of the German article "Entwicklungspsychopathologie der ADHS", published in Zeitschrift fur Psychiatrie, Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 56, 2008, S. 265-274. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Effects of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs on gene expression profiles in the liver of schizophrenia subjects

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Background: Although much progress has been made on antipsychotic drug development, precise mechanisms behind the action of typical and atypical antipsychotics are poorly understood. Methods: We performed genome-wide expression profiling to study effects of typical antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics in the postmortem liver of schizophrenia patients using microarrays (Affymetrix U133 plus2.0). We classified the subjects into typical antipsychotics (n=24) or atypical antipsychotics (n=26) based on their medication history, and compared gene expression profiles with unaffected controls (n=34). We further analyzed individual antipsychotic effects on gene expression by sub-classifying the subjects into four major antipsychotic groups including haloperidol, phenothiazines, olanzapine and...

The development of a knowledge test of depression and its treatment for patients suffering from non-psychotic depression: A psychometric assessment

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: There was adequate reliability and evidence for content and convergent validity for the instrument. Future research should employ a lager and more heterogeneous sample from both psychiatrist and community samples, than did the present study. Meanwhile, the present study has resulted in psychometrically tested instruments for measuring knowledge of depression and its treatment of depressed patients. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The Bipolar Interactive Psychoeducation (BIPED) study: trial design and protocol.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

DiscussionBipolar disorder is common, under-recognised and often poorly managed. It is a chronic, life-long, relapsing condition which has an enormous impact on the individual and the economy. This trial will be the first to explore the effectiveness of a novel web-based psychoeducational intervention for patients with bipolar disorder which has potential to be easily rolled out to patients.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN81375447 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLAM BRC) case register: development and descriptive data

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The SLAM BRC Case Register represents a 'new generation' of this research design, built on a long-running system of fully electronic clinical records and allowing in-depth secondary analysis of both numerical, string and free text data, whilst preserving anonymity through technical and procedural safeguards. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Number of addictive substances used related to increased risk for unnatural death: a combined medico-legal and case-Record Study.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The number of drugs used was related to an increased risk of unnatural death by undetermined suicide (mainly fatal intoxications) and heroin overdose. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Mental health first aid for Indigenous Australians: using Delphi consensus studies to develop guidelines for culturally appropriate responses to mental health problems

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Aboriginal mental health experts were able to reach consensus about culturally appropriate first aid for mental illness. The Delphi consensus method could be useful more generally for consulting Indigenous peoples about culturally appropriate best practice in mental health services. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Treatment patterns and clinical characteristics prior to initiating depot typical antipsychotics for nonadherent schizophrenia patients

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Despite prior nonadherence with oral antipsychotic medication, only a small proportion of nonadherent schizophrenia patients were initiated on depot antipsychotics in this 3-year prospective study. Patients subsequently initiated on depot had a more severe treatment pattern and clinical profile immediately preceding depot initiation. This profile may have triggered the decision to initiate a depot. Findings have important clinical and economic ramifications for practitioners, policy makers, and other decision makers, highlighting the need for early identification of and tailored therapeutics for schizophrenia patients with a history of nonadherence with their recent oral antipsychotic regimens. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Relationships among neurocognition, symptoms and functioning in patients with schizophrenia: a path-analytic approach for associations at baseline and following 24 weeks of antipsychotic drug therapy

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Processing speed demonstrated direct and indirect effects via negative symptoms on three domains of functioning as measured by the QLS at baseline and following 24 weeks of antipsychotic treatment. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE): translation and validation study of the Iranian version

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study aimed to translate and to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE in Iran. Methods: The English language version of the BFNE was translated into Persian (Iranian language) and was used in this study. The questionnaire was administered to a consecutive sample of 235 students with (n = 33, clinical group) and without social phobia (n = 202, non-clinical group). In addition to the BFNE, two standard instruments were used to measure social phobia severity: the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS). All participants completed a brief background information questionnaire, the SPIN, the SIAS and the BFNE scales. Statistical analysis was performed to test the reliability and validity of the BFNE. Results: In all 235 students were studied (...

Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Turkish university students and assessment of associated factors

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a higher prevalence of OCD among a group of university students compared to other prevalence studies of OCD in Turkish society. Furthermore, our findings also suggest relationships between OCD and sociodemographic factors, as well as other environmental stress factors. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Insular cortex involvement in declarative memory deficits in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The study provides evidence on structural and function abnormalities of the insular cortex in patients with PTSD. Reduced grey-matter volume in insular cortex may be associated with declarative memory deficits in patients with PTSD. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Persistence and compliance to antidepressant treatment in patients with depression: A chart review

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Given a high rate of antidepressant discontinuation without consulting their physicians, closer communication between patients and their physicians should be encouraged. Although the use of anxiolytic benzodiazepines was associated with a higher persistence to antidepressant treatment at month 1, the use of these drugs should be avoided as a rule, given their well-known serious adverse effects. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Psychotherapy as a treatment modality for psychiatric disorders: Perceptions of general public of Karachi, Pakistan.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Positive attitudes regarding the acceptability, clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy were observed in a sample representative of general public of Karachi, Pakistan. These findings highlight its potential utility for devising pragmatic mental health strategies in the face of limited resources. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Study protocol for the development of a European measure of best practice for people with long term mental health problems in institutional care (DEMoBinc)

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study aims to build a measure for assessing and reviewing the living conditions, care and human rights of people with longer term mental health problems in psychiatric and social care institutions. Protection of their human rights is imperative since impaired mental capacity secondary to mental illness can make them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation from others. They also constitute a major resource pressure for mental health services, social services, informal carers and society as a whole.Methods/DesignThis study uses an iterative methodology to develop a toolkit to assess internationally agreed domains of care that are considered most important for recovery. These domains are identified by collating results from: i) a systematic review of the literature on institutional care for...

Study protocol for the development of a european measure of best practice for people with long term mental illness in institutional care (DEMoBinc).

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Study protocol for the development of a european measure of best practice for people with long term mental illness in institutional care (DEMoBinc).

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study aims to build a measure for assessing and reviewing the living conditions, care and human rights of people with longer term mental health problems in psychiatric and social care institutions. Protection of their human rights is imperative since impaired mental capacity secondary to mental illness can make them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation from others. They also constitute a major resource pressure for mental health services, social services, informal carers and society as a whole. Methods: This study uses an iterative methodology to develop a toolkit to assess internationally agreed domains of care that are considered most important for recovery. These domains are identified by collating results from: i) a systematic review of the literature on institutional care for thi...

Psychiatric and psychosocial problems in adults with normal-intelligence autism spectrum disorders

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: ASDs are clinical syndromes characterized by impaired social interaction and non-verbal communication in adulthood as well as in childhood. They also carry a high risk for co-existing mental health problems from a broad spectrum of disorders and for unfavourable psychosocial life circumstances. For the next revision of DSM, our findings especially stress the importance of careful examination of the exclusion criterion for adult patients with ASDs. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Characteristics of suicide attempters with family history of suicide attempt: a retrospective chart review

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The present study has revealed the characteristics of suicide attempters with a family history of suicide attempt. Further understanding of the situation of such individuals is expected to lead to better treatment provision and outcomes, and family function might be a suitable focus in their treatment. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Project in Brazil: Neuropsychological, Structural and Molecular Neuroimaging Studies in Victims of Urban Violence

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This study protocol will be informative for researchers and clinicians interested in considering, designing and/or conducting translational research in the field of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Epidemiologic heterogeneity of common mood and anxiety disorders over the lifecourse in the general population: a systematic review

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Understanding the diversity of these conditions may help us identify preventable factors that are only associated with some subtypes of these common disorders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Differences between homicide and filicide offenders; results of a nationwide register-based case-control study

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Since filicide offenders did not seem significantly more mentally disordered than the other homicide offenders, psychiatry alone cannot be held responsible for the prevention of filicide. Extensive international studies are needed to replicate our findings and provide more specific knowledge in order to enhance prevention. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of topiramate in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThe development of treatments for PTSD is challenging due to the complexity of the symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities. The SSRIs are the mainstream treatment for PTSD, but many patients do not have a satisfactory response to antidepressants. Although there are limited clinical studies available to assess the efficacy of topiramate for PTSD, the findings of prior trials suggest this anticonvulsant may be promising in the management of these patients.Trial Registration: NCT 00725920 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The self-reported Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale is a useful evaluative tool in major depressive disorder

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the 9-item, patient-administered version of the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S). Methods: Data from a multicentre, double-blind, 8-week, randomised controlled trial of 278 outpatients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder were used to evaluate the validity, reliability and sensitivity to change of the MADRS-S using psychometric methods. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to identify the most appropriate threshold to define perceived remission. Results: No missing values were found at the item level, indicating good acceptability of the scale. The construct validity was satisfactory: all items contributed to a common underlying concept, as expected. The correlation betwee...

Returning home: forced conscription, reintegration, and mental health status of former abductees of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Abduction and forced conscription of civilians has affected the psychological well-being of a significant number of northern Ugandans. The sources of psychological trauma are multiple, ranging from witnessing to being forced to commit violent acts, and compounded by prolonged exposure to violence, often for months or years. Community-based mental health care services and reintegration programs are needed to facilitate the reintegration of former abductees back into their communities. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Treatment of schizophrenia with antipsychotics in Norwegian emergency wards, a cross-sectional national study

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our national survey of antipsychotic treatment at discharge from emergency inpatient treatment revealed antipsychotic drug regimens that are to some degree at odds with current guidelines, with increased risk of side effects. Patients with high relapse rates, comorbid conditions, and previous inpatient treatment are especially prone to be prescribed antipsychotic drug regimens not supported by international guidelines. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Treating children traumatized by war and Tsunami: A comparison between exposure therapy and meditation-relaxation in North-East Sri Lanka

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: As recovery rates in the treatment groups exceeded the expected rates of natural recovery, the study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of NET as well as meditation-relaxation techniques when carried out by trained local counselors for the treatment of PTSD in children in the direct aftermath of mass disasters. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT00820391 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Accumulation of major depressive episodes over time in a prospective study indicates that retrospectively assessed lifetime prevalence estimates are too low

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: In this study, prospectively observed cumulative prevalence over a relatively brief interval of time exceeded lifetime prevalence estimates by a considerable extent. This supports the idea that lifetime prevalence estimates are vulnerable to recall bias and that existing estimates are too low for this reason. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Accentuation of suicides but not homicides with rising latitudes of Greenland in the sunny months

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Background: Seasonal variation in suicides has been shown in many countries. We assessed the seasonality and the variation with latitude in suicides and homicides, and the impact of alcohol on the seasonality in suicides. Methods: Official computerized registers on causes of death in all Greenland during 1968-2002 were used. Sales data on beer from one of the major food store chains for July 2005- June 2006 were examined. Seasonal variation was assessed by Rayleigh's test for circular distributions. Results: There were a total of 1351 suicides and 308 homicides. The suicides rate varied from 4.2 /100 000 person-years in 1971 to 128.4 /100 000 person-years in 1987. The homicide rate varied from 2.1/ 100 000 person-years in 1969-1970 to 34.8/100 000 person-years in 1988. Out of the 1351 suic...

Psychopathic traits and offender characteristics - a nationwide consecutive sample of homicidal male adolescents

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Finnish homicidal male adolescents as a group display serious aggressive and violent behavior. Homicidal adolescents with high levels of psychopathic traits form a special subgroup among other homicidal youngsters. Recognizing their characteristics, especially in life course development, would facilitate effective prevention and intervention efforts. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A modelled economic evaluation comparing atomoxetine with methylphenidate in the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Spain

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The economic evaluation showed that atomoxetine is an effective alternative across a range of ADHD populations and offers value-for money in the treatment of ADHD. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Correction: Folate Augmentation of Treatment - Evaluation for Depression (FolATED): protocol of a randomised controlled trial

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This correction reports changes in our protocol since its publication. These include changes to authorship and acknowledgements, together with improvements to study design and procedures, and correction of an internal inconsistency. The improvements relate to the exclusion criteria, assessments carried out at screening, and mode of data collection. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Maintenance of response with atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia: a post-hoc analysis of 5 double-blind, randomized clinical trials

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: During 24 and 28 weeks of treatment, the antipsychotics studied differed in the time that treated patients with schizophrenia remained in response and the proportion of patients who lost response. Olanzapine treatment resulted in a consistent and statistically significant advantage in maintenance of response compared to treatment with risperidone, quetiapine and ziprasidone; but not compared to treatment with aripiprazole. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Maintenance of Response with Atypical Antipsychotics in the Treatment of Schizophrenia: a Post-hoc Analysis of 5 Double-blind, Randomized, Clinical Trials

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Background: How long an antipsychotic is effective in maintaining response is important in choosing the correct treatment for people with schizophrenia. This post-hoc analysis describes maintenance of response over 24 or 28 weeks in people treated for schizophrenia with olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, ziprasidone, or aripiprazole. Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis using data from 5 double-blind, randomized, comparative trials of 24 or 28 weeks duration in which olanzapine was compared to risperidone (1 study; N=339), quetiapine (1 study; N=346), ziprasidone (2 studies; N=548 and 394) or aripiprazole (1 study; N=566) for treatment of schizophrenia. For each study, time to loss of response in patients who met criteria for response at Week 8 and the proportion of patients who lost r...

Predictors and correlates for weight changes in patients co-treated with olanzapine and weight mitigating agents; a post-hoc analysis

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The association between weight gain and lack of cognitive restraint in the presence of increased appetite suggests potential benefit of psychoeducational counseling in conjunction with adjunctive pharmacotherapeutic agents in limiting weight gain during antipsychotic drug therapy. Trial Registration: This analysis was not a clinical trial and did not involve any medical intervention. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The response of mental health professionals to clients seeking help to change or redirect same-sex sexual orientation

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: A significant minority of mental health professionals are attempting to help lesbian, gay and bisexual clients to become heterosexual. Given lack of evidence for the efficacy of such treatments, this is likely to be unwise or even harmful. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Discrepant comorbidity between minority and white suicides: a national multiple cause-of-death analysis

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The multivariate analyses indicate high consistency in predicting suicide-associated comorbidities across racial-ethnic groups using MCOD data. However, low prevalence of documented comorbid psychopathology in suicides, and concomitant racial-ethnic discrepancies underscore the need for training in death certification, and routinization and standardization of timely psychological autopsies in all cases of suicide, suspected suicide, and other traumatic deaths of equivocal cause. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A Survey of Inhalant Use Disorders among Delinquent Youth: Prevalence, Clinical Features, and Latent Structure of DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: IUDs and constituent criteria were prevalent among youth in the juvenile justice system. Two groups of problem inhalant users were identified, symptomatic users-DSM-IV inhalant abuse and highly symptomatic users-DSM-IV inhalant dependence, which differed primarily in severity of inhalant-related problems. Inhalant screening, prevention and treatment efforts in juvenile justice settings are rarely delivered, but critically needed. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A Survey of Inhalant Use Disorders among Delinquent Youth: Prevalence, Clinical Features, and Latent Structure of DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: IUDs and constituent criteria were prevalent among youth in the juvenile justice system. Two groups of problem inhalant users were identified, symptomatic users-DSM-IV inhalant abuse and highly symptomatic users-DSM-IV inhalant dependence, which differed primarily in severity of inhalant-related problems. Inhalant screening, prevention and treatment efforts in juvenile justice settings are rarely delivered, but critically needed. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Post-conflict mental health needs: a cross-sectional survey of trauma, depression and associated factors in Juba, Southern Sudan.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This study provides evidence of high levels of mental distress in the population of Juba Town, and associated risk-factors. Comprehensive social and psychological assistance is urgently required in Juba. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Integrated psychological treatment for substance use and co-morbid anxiety or depression vs. treatment for substance use alone. A systematic review of the published literature

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Psychotherapeutic treatment for co-morbid depression and substance use disorders is a promising approach, but is not sufficiently empirically supported at this point. Psychotherapeutic treatment for co-morbid anxiety and substance use disorders is not empirically supported. There is a need for more trials to replicate the findings from studies of integrated treatment for depression and substance use disorders, and for the development of new treatment options for co-morbid anxiety and substance use disorders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Maintenance treatment of adolescent bipolar disorder: Open study of the effectiveness and tolerability of quetiapine

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This study suggests that a proportion of adolescent patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder can be successfully maintained on quetiapine monotherapy. The good quality of clinical remission and preserved neurocognitive functioning underscores the importance of early diagnosis and effective stabilization. Clinical Trials Registry: D1441L00024 (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Apathy is associated with executive functioning in first episode psychosis.

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: We replicated in FEP patients the relationship between apathy and executive functioning reported in another study for chronic patients with schizophrenia. We also found apathy in FEP to have the same relationship to executive functioning, as assessed with the Verbal fluency tests, as that reported in patients with other brain disorders, pointing to a common underlying nature of this symptom across disorders. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Detecting suicidality among adolescent outpatients: evaluation of clinicians' suicidality assessment against a structured diagnostic assessment made by trained raters

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Background: Accurate assessment of suicidality is of major importance. We aimed to evaluate trained clinicians' ability to assess suicidality against a structured assessment made by trained raters.MethodTreating clinicians classified 218 adolescent psychiatric outpatients suffering from a depressive mood disorder into three classes: 1-no suicidal ideation, 2-suicidal ideation, no suicidal acts, 3-suicidal or self-harming acts. This classification was compared with a classification with identical content derived from the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) made by trained raters. The convergence was assessed by kappa- and weighted kappa tests. Results: The clinicians' classification to class 1 (no suicidal ideation) was 85%, class 2 (suicidal ideation) 50%,...

The effect of antipsychotic medication on sexual function and serum prolactin levels in community-treated schizophrenic patients: results from the Schizophrenia Trial of Aripiprazole (STAR) study (NCT00237913)

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Background: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia in a community based study on sexual function and prolactin levels comparing the use of aripiprazole and standard of care (SOC), which was a limited choice of three widely used and available antipsychotics (olanzapine, quetiapine or risperidone) (The Schizophrenia Trial of Aripiprazole [STAR] study [NCT00237913]).MethodThis open-label, 26-week, multi-centre, randomised study compared aripiprazole to SOC (olanzapine, quetiapine or risperidone) in patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV-TR criteria). The primary effectiveness variable was the mean total score of the Investigator Assessment Questionnaire (IAQ) at Week 26. The outcome research variables included the Arizona Sexual Exper...

Investigation of G72 (DAOA) expression in the human brain

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results suggest that native G72 protein is not normally present in the tissues that we analysed in this study. We also conclude that the lack of demonstrable G72 expression in relevant brain regions does not support a role for G72 in modulation of DAO activity and the pathology of schizophrenia via a DAO-mediated mechanism. In silico analysis suggests that G72 is not robustly expressed and that the transcript is potentially labile. Further studies are required to understand the significance of the G72/30 locus to schizophrenia. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

A real-life observational study of the effectiveness of FACT in a Dutch mental health region

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Compared to standard care, FACT was more rather than less effective, but only when a need for care with respect to psychotic symptoms is present. This suggests that there is no adverse effect of using broader patient mixes in providing continuity of care for all patients with severe mental illness in a defined geographical area. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

The association between psychiatric diagnosis and violent re-offending in adult offenders in the community

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Diagnoses of substance use and personality disorders are associated with the risk of subsequent violent offending in community offenders about as strongly as are its better documented demographic and criminal history risk factors. Despite this, assessment of such disorders in addition to demographic and criminal history factors enhances only minimally the prediction of violent offending in the community. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Quantitative EEG findings in patients with acute, brief depression combined with other fluctuating psychiatric symptoms: a controlled study from an acute psychiatric department

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Organic brain dysfunction may be involved in the pathogenesis of patients with brief depressive episodes mixed with rapidly fluctuating psychiatric symptoms. This subgroup of depressed patients should be investigated further in order to clarify the pathophysiology and to establish the optimal evaluation scheme and treatment in an acute psychiatric setting. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles)

Mental health of refugees following state-sponsored repatriation from Germany

BMC Psychiatry - Latest articles — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Psychological strain among study participants was of a considerable magnitude. As a result of traumatic stress experienced during war and refuge, victims were vulnerable and not well equipped to cope with either post-migration stressors in exile or with a return to their country of origin. It is noteworthy that the majority returned under pressure from immigration authorities. Living conditions after return (such as housing, work, and health care) were poor and unstable. Participants also had great difficulty readapting to the cultural environment after having lived abroad for an average of 13 years. Current VARPs do not take these factors into account and are therefore not able to assist in a humanitarian reintegration of voluntary returnees. (Source: BMC Psychiatry - Latest ...

Lack of functional alpha-lactalbumin prevents involution in Cape fur seals and identifies the protein is an apoptotic milk factor in mammary gland involution