Coughlan & Cannon’s article provides a helpful review of the current state of evidence regarding the connection between childhood trauma and psychotic-like symptoms. This commentary focuses on the clinical implications by noting that much of the data comes from studies in non-patient populations and to some extent depends on the underlying assumption of the continuum model of psychosis. I reconsider the presented data focusing purely on clinical diagnoses of psychosis, and consider the implications of the association between trauma and psychosis by looking at the evidence base for specific trauma-focused therapies in psychosis. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Coughlan & Cannon have provided an extremely useful review, highlighting the evidence for the association between childhood trauma and psychosis. This is relevant to those working with individuals with psychosis across all age ranges. This commentary discusses further some of the points raised, the complexity of the association and developmental aspects. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
There has been a resurgence of interest in the role of childhood trauma in the aetiology of psychosis. In this review, recent findings on the association between childhood trauma and a continuum of psychotic symptoms are presented. Evidence of the association between specific childhood trauma subtypes and psychotic symptoms is examined, with a brief discussion of some current hypotheses about the potential mechanisms underlying the associations that have been found. Some practice implications of these findings are also highlighted. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
With all the performers having either lived experience of psychosis or lived experience of caring for someone with psychosis, the festival aims to fight stigma, promote hope, offer easy accessible information, inspiration, help and support.
The only festival ever to be organized by a whole early intervention service in the UK, the event will feature live music and inspirational talks from service users as well as helpful information stalls about local mental health services. The festival will have food stalls, music and mindfulness workshops and an interactive sport stall run by Bristol Rovers Football Community Trust.
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a core symptom in schizophrenia. Here, we focus on resting state cerebral blood flow (rCBF) linked to dimensions of FTD. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
The interaction of single nucleotide polymorphisms with both distal and proximal environmental factors across the extended psychosis phenotype is understudied. This study examined (i) the interaction of relevant SNPs with both early-life adversity and proximal (momentary) stress on psychotic experiences (PEs) in an extended psychosis sample; and (ii) differences between early-psychosis and non-clinical groups for these interactions. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder that often requires long-term pharmacotherapy to manage symptoms and prevent relapse. Cariprazine is a potent dopamine D3 and D2 receptor partial agonist that is FDA-approved in the US for the treatment of schizophrenia and manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults; the recommended dose range is 1.5–6 mg/d.
Little is known about patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) who had first presented to prodromal services with an “at risk mental state” (ARMS) before making the transition to psychosis. We set out to identify the proportion of patients with a FEP who had first presented to prodromal services in the ARMS state, and to compare these FEP patients with FEP patients who did not have prior contact with prodromal services.
The choice of antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy remains controversial, mainly due to a lack of exposure and outcome data. Randomized clinical trials are practically impossible due to ethical reasons. Our reports describe three cases of closely monitored female patients with schizophrenia who were treated with olanzapine during pregnancy. The novelty of reports is that all patients were previously treated with olanzapine long acting injectable (LAI) for an average period of 3.8 years. During the LAI treatment period they were in remission and then refused to continue with LAI mainly due to treatment modality (injectable administration).
This study examined the effect of adjunctive telmisartan on psychopathology and cognition in olanzapine- or clozapine-treated patients with schizophrenia. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Patients with Lewy body disease develop a variety of psychotic and misperception symptoms, including visual hallucinations and delusions, as well as ‘minor hallucinations’, that is, a sense of presence, passage hallucinations and visual illusions. Although these symptoms have been suggested to have common underlying mechanisms, the commonalities and differences among them have not been systematically investigated at the neural level. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Non-adherence is a major public health problem despite treatment advances. Poor drug adherence in patients with psychosis is associated with more frequent relapse, re-hospitalization, increased consumption of health services and poor outcomes on a variety of measures. Adherence rate in patients with first episode psychosis have been found to vary from 40 to 60%. However, most previous studies have addressed the consequences of non-adherence rather than its potential causes.
The purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate experiential factors which may affect adherence to medication in adults with psychotic disorders, during the 24-month period after the onset of treatment.
This study evaluated rates of all-cause mortality and self-harm in association with clozapine treatment in individuals with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is associated with a more than 20-fold increased risk for developing schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to identify additional genetic factors (i.e., “second hits”) that may contribute to schizophrenia expression. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
The authors assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of MIN-101, a compound with affinities for sigma-2 and 5-HT2A receptors and no direct dopamine affinities, in comparison with placebo in treating negative symptoms in stabilized patients with schizophrenia. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Blood–brain barrier pathology is recognised as a central factor in the development of many neurological disorders, but much less is known about the role of the blood–brain barrier in psychiatric disorders. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The objective of the study was to compare the predictive utility of three commonly used functioning measures for people with serious mental illness in the prediction of independent living status. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
CBTp is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence for service users with psychosis at every stage of their illness, but provision of this intervention is not widespread. This narrative literature review critically appraised six primary studies, all of which view CBTp through the eyes of service users, revealing their perceptions of CBTp experiences and of their therapists. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology126.5 (Jul 2017): 694-711.
Motivational and hedonic impairments are core features of a variety of types of psychopathology. An important aspect of motivational function is reinforcement learning (RL), including implicit (i.e., outside of conscious awareness) and explicit (i.e., including explicit representations about potential reward associations) learning, as well as both positive reinforcement (learning about actions that lead to reward) and punishment (learning to avoid actions that lead to loss). Here we present data from paradigms designed to assess both positive and negative components of both implicit and explicit RL, examine performance on each of these tasks among individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with psychosis, and examine their relative relationships to specific symptom domains transdiagnostically. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Open access. Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services have been implemented with the dual aims of preventing harmful outcomes associated with early-onset psychosis and improving prognosis. However, concerns have been raised regarding the ethical implications of involving young people in EIP services. One way to ensure high ethical standards and promote good practice in EIP delivery is through governance of clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the normative dimensions of good practice in EIP through examination of clinical guideline documents published in England over the past 15 years.
Mental health is a significant contributor to global burden of disease and the consequences of perinatal psychiatric morbidity can be substantial. We aimed to obtain global estimates of puerperal psychosis prevalence based on population-based samples and to understand how postpartum psychosis is assessed and captured among included studies.
Kraepelin considered declining course a hallmark of schizophrenia, but others have suggested that outcomes usually stabilize or improve after treatment initiation. The authors investigated this question in an epidemiologically defined cohort with psychotic disorders followed for 20 years after first hospitalization. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Childhood trauma (CT) is associated with a range of psychopathologies, including psychosis. However, evidence on underlying mechanisms remains limited. The study aimed to investigate whether CT impacts on youth mental health by modifying sensitivity to stress in daily life. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
This population-based study compares psychiatric hospital readmission in patients with severe affective disorders based on receipt of electroconvulsive therapy.....Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Open access. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal adverse event associated with the use of antipsychotics. Although atypical antipsychotics were initially considered to carry no risk of NMS, reports have accumulated over time implicating them in NMS causation. Almost all atypical antipsychotics have been reported to be associated with NMS. The clinical profile of NMS caused by certain atypical antipsychotics such as clozapine has been reported to be considerably different from the NMS produced by typical antipsychotics, with diaphoresis encountered more commonly, and rigidity and tremor encountered less frequently. This article briefly discusses the evidence relating to the occurrence, presentation and management of NMS induced by atypical antipsychotics.
The first episode of schizophrenia is a pivotal phase of this debilitating illness. Which drug to use remains controversial without a summary of all direct or indirect comparisons of drugs. We did a systematic review with pairwise and network meta-analyses of efficacy and tolerability. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Comment. Nobody can fail to appreciate the importance of providing the very best treatment for a person having his or her first episode of schizophrenia. For most people who are diagnosed as having schizophrenia, the first episode will be the start of lifelong drug treatment. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Open access. The incidence of psychotic disorders is elevated in some minority ethnic populations. However, we know little about the outcome of psychoses in these populations.
Murtada Alsaif reports on a nationwide Swedish cohort study that explores the real-world effectiveness of oral and depot antipsychotics for schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a complex, heterogeneous disorder, with highly variable treatment outcomes, and relatively little is known about what is important to patients. The aim of the study was to understand treatment outcomes informal carers perceive to be important to people with schizophrenia.
The Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) has been used to understand the implementation of physical health care interventions. The current study aims to apply the NPT model to a secondary mental health context, and test the model using exploratory factor analysis. This study will consider the implementation of a brief cognitive behaviour therapy for psychosis (CBTp) intervention.
Auditory Hallucinations may arise from people confusing their own inner speech with external spoken speech. People with visual hallucinations (VH) may similarly confuse vivid mental imagery with external events. This paper reports two experiments exploring confusion between internal and external visual material. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This study aimed to determine whether the rate of clozapine use, an indicator of refractoriness in schizophrenia, is associated with the season of birth and age at onset in patients with schizophrenia based on nationwide data. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Despite clinical guidelines recommendations, many relatives of people with psychosis or bipolar disorder do not currently receive the support they need. Online information and support may offer a solution.
Open Access Article
Open access. Cannabis use following the onset of first-episode psychosis has been linked to both increased risk of relapse and non-adherence with antipsychotic medication. Whether poor outcome associated with cannabis use is mediated through an adverse effect of cannabis on medication adherence is unclear.
Comment. In The Lancet Psychiatry, Schoeler and colleagues present a study1 describing the mediating effect of medication adherence on the association between continued cannabis use and relapse risk in patients with first-episode psychosis. They have previously reported a relapse rate of 36% in this patient group over a 2-year period.2 Acknowledging the potential risk of psychosis relapse related to the high proportion of patients continuing cannabis use after the onset of psychosis, the current study1 investigates the same patient group consisting of 245 patients, obtaining retrospective data on active cannabis use and medication adherence shortly after illness onset, as well as risk of relapse at 2-year follow-up. The authors find that relapse of psychosis associated with continued cannabis use is partly mediated through non-adherence to prescribed antipsychotic medication. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Our primary objective was to identify cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivery for people with psychosis (CBTp) using an automated method in a large electronic health record database. We also examined what proportion of service users with a diagnosis of psychosis were recorded as having received CBTp within their episode of care.
Open Access Article
Novel treatment strategies for cognitive dysfunctions may prevent long-term disability in patients with schizophrenia, and polyphenolic compounds might be a promising strategy. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), a citrus fruit characterized by a high amount of flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides, may represent a potential nutraceutical approach to cognitive dysfunction. The present study was aimed to explore the efficacy of bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF) supplementation on cognitive/executive functioning in a sample of patients with schizophrenia receiving second-generation antipsychotics. SSSFT staff can use the OVID link, or you can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Deficits in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function contribute to symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia and are associated with impaired generation of event-related potential measures including auditory mismatch negativity. Parallel studies of the NMDAR agonist D-serine have suggested that sensitivity of these measures to glutamate-based interventions is related to symptomatic and cognitive response. Bitopertin is a selective inhibitor of glycine transport. This study investigates effects of bitopertin on NMDAR-related event-related potential deficits in schizophrenia. SSSFT staff can use the OVID link, or you can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Negative symptoms and cognitive impairments tend to co-occur in people with schizophrenia. If their association with each other is due, in part, to shared pathophysiology, then this suggests that a single drug could potentially be effective for both domains. The current study was designed to examine this hypothesis. SSSFT staff can use the OVID link, or you can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Conclusions: Diagnosis appears to differentially impact on reconviction, readmission and mortality rates. Services could tailor pathways to prioritise symptom management and promoting healthy lifestyles for patients with MI, and reducing reoffending for patients with PD. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text.
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and ecological momentary intervention (EMI) are technologies used to track fluctuations in experiences and prompt behavioral responses within the context of a person’s daily life. Most commonly delivered via smartphone, EMA and EMI have potential to provide simple, cost-effective, and user-led treatment for psychotic disorders. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current research exploring the feasibility, acceptability, and clinical outcomes of EMA and EMI in the treatment of psychotic disorders. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Although outpatient care within 30 days of mental health hospital discharge is an established quality indicator, little is known about the clinical implications of not receiving such care. This study evaluated whether receipt of outpatient care within 30 days of discharge was associated with a reduced risk of readmission during days 31–120 postdischarge among adult inpatients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Geoff Davies publishes his debut elf blog about a recent systematic review and meta-analysis looking at age at onset and the outcomes of schizophrenia.
To determine the effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide added to clozapine or olanzapine treatment of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This database study uses a nationwide cohort to examine the comparative real-world effectiveness of antipsychotic treatments for patients with schizophrenia. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This meta-analysis compares the multiple pharmacologic combination strategies that have been studied for suboptimal treatment responses in schizophrenia....Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This Viewpoint discusses the benefits and limitations of clinical high risk for psychosis services and suggests strategies for improvement. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
In general, the results suggest considerable overlap between paranoid ideation, predisposition to hallucinations, and OCD and metacognitive beliefs in a non-clinical sample. Further experimental- and clinical studies are needed in order to explore metacognitive models of OCD and psychosis.
We report a case of a patient experiencing wearing-off symptoms with aripiprazole LAI who benefited from switching to aripiprazole lauroxil. Pharmacogenetic testing revealed normal activity for relevant metabolism pathways but a DRD2 -141C variant that may influence brain D2 expression and antipsychotic responsiveness.
Antipsychotics may possess immunological properties that may be involved in immune-mediated conditions, such as psoriatic rash. Further studies are warranted to determine causality and mechanism.
The therapeutic benefits achieved by the extended, 3-year early intervention were not sustainable after termination of the specialised service. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details
Patients with schizophrenia are at a significantly increased risk of cancer mortality compared with the general population or individuals without schizophrenia. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details
Many people with schizophrenia do not achieve a satisfactory treatment response with their initial antipsychotic drug treatment. Sometimes a second antipsychotic, in combination with the first, is used in these situations.
Living in a city could make young people more vulnerable to psychotic experiences, according to a UK study.
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Laoise Renwick on a systematic review of barriers and facilitators to implementing family support and education in early psychosis intervention programmes.
Antipsychotic drug sensitivity in very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (VLOSLP) is well documented, but poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate blood drug concentration, D2/3 receptor occupancy and outcome in VLOSLP during open amisulpride prescribing, and compare this with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text.
Objectives To evaluate the usability of a neuropsychological screening instrument and two observation scales of everyday behaviour to describe cognitive and functional capacity of patients with multiepisode schizophrenia and considerable care needs, who frequently refuse to participate in cognitive testing or performance-based functional measurement.
Open Access Article
Schizophrenia is a neurological disease characterized by alterations to patients’ cognitive functions and emotional expressions. Relevant studies often use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to explore structural differences and responsiveness within brain regions. However, as this technique is expensive and commonly induces claustrophobia, it is frequently refused by patients. Thus, this study used non-contact infrared thermal facial images (ITFIs) to analyze facial temperature changes evoked by different emotions in moderately and markedly ill schizophrenia patients.
The study examined six-month follow-up results and the impact of length of illness on treatment outcomes of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R). Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text.
Safety-seeking behaviours are responses employed to protect against perceived threat. In relation to anxiety disorders, safety-seeking behaviours have been implicated in both the formation and maintenance of distress. Several studies have highlighted similar findings in relation to psychosis; however, this literature has not yet been synthesized. This review is, therefore, being conducted in order to synthesize the literature on safety seeking in people with psychosis to increase the understanding of this relationship. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text.
We’ve just heard that SSOTP will not be renewing their agreement with SSSFT LKS for library services for this financial year. Because of this we will be reviewing our Be Aware bulletins. Sadly we won’t be accepting any new sign-ups from SSOTP staff and will be withdrawing some of the physical healthcare bulletins that we…
People with schizophrenia who are treated with long acting injectable antipsychotics have a 20-30% lower risk of relapse requiring readmission to hospital than people treated with equivalent oral formulations, a nationwide study assessing the real world effectiveness of these drugs has found.
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Randomized controlled trials in adults with severe mental illness indicate that, compared with standard care, intensive case management (ICM) improves retention in treatment and may reduce hospitalization but other positive effects of ICM are unclear.
Open access. The majority of patients respond to antipsychotic monotherapy at standard doses, but a subset of patients will require more heroic measures that include antipsychotic polypharmacy and high-dose monotherapy. Indeed, research has shown that roughly 30% of patients with psychosis are prescribed multiple antipsychotic medications. We discuss the potential benefits and challenges of these approaches and provide a rationale for why and when they should be utilised.
Open access. The STEPWISE trial (STructured lifestyle Education for People WIth SchizophrEnia, schizoaffective disorder and first episode psychosis) is currently evaluating a lifestyle education programme in addition to usual care. However, it is difficult to define what constitutes ‘usual care’. We aimed to define ‘usual care’ for lifestyle management in people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and first-episode psychosis in STEPWISE study sites. Ten National Health Service (NHS) mental health trusts participated in a bespoke survey based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.
Lithium is the third element in the periodic table, and although lithium is present in the natural environment and is used to make batteries, it is perhaps best known as a therapeutic drug. Lithium in various forms was used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders before falling into disuse because of concerns over toxicity. The Australian psychiatrist John Cade rediscovered lithium for the treatment of mania in 1949 and the Danish psychiatrist Mogens Schou did one of the first randomised controlled trials in mania in 1954 assessing lithium use, also suggesting the potential for use of lithium as a prophylactic drug for depressive illness. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Head-to-head trials to guide antipsychotic treatment choices for paediatric psychosis are urgently needed because extrapolations from adult studies might not be implementable. In this superiority trial with two-sided significance testing, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of quetiapine-extended release (quetiapine-ER) versus aripiprazole in children and adolescents with first-episode psychosis, to determine whether differences between the two treatments were sufficient to guide clinicians in their choice of one drug over the other. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Patients with schizophrenia constitute a substantial proportion of patients hospitalized in forensic psychiatry. Antipsychotic medication is an essential part of evidence-based treatment and can significantly improve both the medical and legal prognosis. In this study, we compared psychopathological features, psychopharmacological treatment, and the neurologic and metabolic side effects of treatment in demographically comparable in-patients with schizophrenia being treated in either forensic or general psychiatry...Assembling the pieces of a systematic review: a guide for librarians
Editorial. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
The objective of the study was to investigate whether a combined intervention composed of early detection plus integrated care (EDIC) enhances outcomes in patients with early psychosis compared to standard care (SC). Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Current approaches to stratify patients with psychiatric disorders into groups on the basis of violence risk are limited by inconsistency, variable accuracy, and unscalability. To address the need for a scalable and valid tool to assess violence risk in patients with schizophrenia spectrum or bipolar disorder, we describe the derivation of a score based on routinely collected factors and present findings from external validation......Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Although most individuals with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia are neither antisocial nor violent, the risk of committing a homicide for people with schizophrenia is higher than that for those in the general population.1 Thus, a paradox typifies many psychiatric conditions for which a specific disorder is associated with increased risk of violence, despite a low prevalence of violence among those with the disorder. Seena Fazel and colleagues'2 new study in The Lancet Psychiatry seeks to clarify this paradox by identifying low risk of committing violent crime among a national cohort of 75 158 Swedish individuals......Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Staff representing the Health Foundation visited NELFT recently to see the PHCP project (Physical Health Care for Patients with psychosis via community pharmacy).
Hypoactive delirium tends to capture less clinical attention than hyperactive delirium. Like all delirium, it can occur in a variety of patients and settings and will consequently be encountered by many groups of doctors. It can be more difficult to recognise, and is associated with worse outcomes, than hyperactive delirium. This article outlines when to suspect, assess, and appropriately manage patients with hypoactive delirium.
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Evidence supports the use of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in the treatment and prevention psychosis, but these formulations remain under-used in the UK. Overall, LAIs offer many advantages and the advent of second-generation LAIs increased interest in injectables as these newer drugs offer similar benefits to their oral equivalents. LAIs should be one of the options discussed with patients requiring long-term treatment.To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Antipsychotic drug efficacy may have decreased over recent decades. The authors present a meta-analysis of all placebo-controlled trials in patients with acute exacerbations of schizophrenia, and they investigate which trial characteristics have changed over the years and which are moderators of drug-placebo efficacy differences. Login at top right hand side of page using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
While psychotic experiences (PEs) are known to be associated with a range of mental and general medical disorders, little is known about the association between PEs and measures of disability. We aimed to investigate this question using the World Mental Health surveys. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Mesolimbic dopamine sensitization has been hypothesized to be a mediating factor of childhood adversity (CA) on schizophrenia risk. Activity of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met increases mesolimbic dopamine signaling and may be further regulated by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T. This study investigates the three-way interaction between CA, COMT, and MTHFR. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Editorial. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
People with serious mental illness (SMI) are at risk of dying many years earlier than the general population. Providing an effective, cost-efficient healthcare service requires a holistic approach, and improving the physical health of people with SMI should be integral to all healthcare roles. It is important for nurses to identify and understand the barriers that people with SMI may experience when accessing physical healthcare.
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Raphael Underwood on a systematic review of stigma and pathways to care for people at risk of psychotic disorders or experiencing first-episode psychosis.
One of the greatest challenges for the identification of the causes and cures for schizophrenia is the overwhelming heterogeneity of the disorder. Schizophrenia is defined by symptoms that have only weak associations with one another and are found in patients with other illnesses. Further, some of the most devastating symptoms, such as cognitive impairment and amotivation, are present in segments of the healthy general population. Our inability to define sharp boundaries in the clinical presentation of the illness has hampered research efforts to identify treatments. There are no single genes of substantial effect that can identify patients, no clear biological markers, and, despite decades of research on the structure and function of the brains of these patients, no neuroanatomical abnormality that clearly distinguishes a person with schizophrenia from someone who is healthy. The absence of clear boundaries among patients with severe mental illness has significant implications for treatment and treatment development. There are 23 antipsychotic medications approved for use in the United States, but there is precious little reliable information to determine which patients should receive which medication.1 And while our understanding of human neurobiology advances swiftly, if we have no biological means to separate those who will benefit from a treatment from those who will not, then clinical trials for new treatments will be challenged to succeed. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Patients with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, have 53% higher odds of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than matched controls without these conditions, a large meta-analysis has found.
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