There are communities in which hearing voices frequently is common and expected, and in which participants are not expected to have a need for care. This paper compares the ideas and practices of these communities. We observe that these communities utilize cultural models to identify and to explain voice-like events—and that there are some common features to these models across communities......To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Personal recovery literature has been influential in the conceptualisation of emotional distress and service provision. While personal recovery in psychosis has been well-studied, voice hearing literature has not been reviewed to elucidate recovery processes. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
A consensus definition of clinical recovery in first-episode psychosis (FEP) is required to improve knowledge about recovery rates in this population. To propose criteria for a future consensus definition, this study aims to investigate rates of clinical recovery when using a standard definition (full psychotic symptom remission and adequate functioning for minimum one year) across both affective and nonaffective FEP groups (bipolar spectrum and schizophrenia spectrum disorders).
To quantify CVD-R in people diagnosed with early psychosis and profile their obesity prevalence, lifestyle behaviours and QOL. Secondary aim was to explore associations between lifestyle behaviours/treatment characteristics and CVD-R/QOL.
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This research suggests that contrary to popular opinion delaying exposure to cannabis does not appear to reduce the chances of using more of the drug as an older teenager. However, it does suggest that there does not appear to be a strong relationship between developing psychosis as a trigger to stop using cannabis. Again, this won’t come as a surprise to those working with this age group in the mental health or drug field as they will have witnessed this with the young people they encounter as part of their work.
Clozapine is the only antipsychotic that is effective in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. However, in certain clinical situations, such as the emergence of serious adverse effects, it is necessary to discontinue clozapine. Stopping clozapine treatment poses a particular challenge due to the risk of psychotic relapse, as well as the development of withdrawal symptoms. Despite these challenges for the clinician, there is currently no formal guidance on how to safely to discontinue clozapine. We assessed the feasibility of developing evidence-based recommendations for (1) minimizing the risk of withdrawal symptoms, (2) managing withdrawal phenomena, and (3) commencing alternatives treatment when clozapine is discontinued. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia predicts functional outcomes and is largely unresponsive to pharmacology or psychotherapy; it is thus a critical unmet treatment need. This article presents the impact of remotely completed, intensive, targeted auditory training (AT) vs control condition computer games (CG) in a double-blind randomized trial in young adults with recent-onset schizophrenia. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Indicated prevention in young people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR-P) originated in Australia more than 20 years ago1 and subsequently impacted national and international clinical guidelines2 and diagnostic manuals.3 While the most recent umbrella reviews (reviews of meta-analyses) demonstrated substantial achievements in detection and prognostic assessment of young CHR-P individuals,4 the most updated network meta-analysis found no robust evidence to favor cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) compared with the control condition (ie, needs-based interventions) To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Based on a number needed to assess (NNA) of 18 for clinically relevant abnormalities, Blackman et al. (2023) conclude that their findings “support the use of MRI as part of the initial clinical assessment of all patients with FEP.” However, due to the authors’ liberal definition of clinical relevance together with the exclusion of patients with a suspected non-psychiatric cause of psychosis in most of the included studies, it remains debatable whether routine screening is warranted for all patients with FEP. Given recent evidence about the prevalence of autoimmune encephalitis as a potential cause of FEP (Scott et al., 2018), there may be other diagnostic procedures that are better warranted than routine neuroimaging in FEP depending on clinical presentation.
This study is important because it raises awareness of available resources, such as HVGs and peer support, from which people who hear voices can access care outside mental health services. The findings can be used to inform further training for professionals working in secondary care mental health services (i.e., CMHTs) and/or those supporting people who hear voices. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the benefits of HVGs and other groups and encourage collaborations between HVGs and the NHS (i.e., via signposting or community referrals).
VR may be an effective environment for psychosis patients with agoraphobia. Although patients are aware that VR environments are not real, they very closely match real-world experiences and allow for greater engagement with treatment (Lambe et al., 2020). Psychosis patients are more likely to enter situations within VR that they would otherwise find incredibly distressing in the real world and this allows a safe space for experimentation (Lambe et al., 2020).
This study evaluated the relationship between negative symptoms, daily time use (productive/non-productive activities, PA/NPA), and negative emotions in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSDs): 618 individuals with SSDs (311 residential care patients [RCPs], 307 outpatients) were surveyed about socio-demographic, clinical (BPRS, BNSS) and daily time use (paper-and-pencil Time Use Survey completed twice/week) characteristics.
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cytokines levels, clinical symptoms and cognitive impairments in CR-TRS patients, both with and without MetS. Open access article - no login required
This study adds epidemiological weight to the implementation of health maintenance strategies and risk management procedures to reduce the risk of violent outcomes in individuals with mental health disorders (specifically, substance use disorder, psychosis, and ‘personality disorders’). The findings highlight how experiences of victimisation and perpetration are more often comorbid, with experiences of both victimisation and perpetration more common than an experience of only one of the outcomes.
Open access. Social networks of patients with psychosis can provide social support, and improve health and social outcomes, including quality of life. However, patients with psychosis often live rather isolated with very limited social networks. Evidence for interventions targeting symptoms or social skills, are largely unsuccessful at improving social networks indirectly. As an alternative, interventions may directly focus on expanding networks. In this systematic review, we assessed what interventions have previously been tested for this and to what extent they have been effective.
The objectives of this study were to (1) analyze the prevalence of diabetes, prediabetes, and antidiabetic medication in patients with psychosis compared with control subjects and (2) determine what factors in patients with psychosis were associated with antidiabetic medication. Open Access Article
Mental Elf Blog post. Our limited understanding of the molecular basis of schizophrenia has restricted our ability to apply research findings in the clinic.
Antipsychotics are the mainstay of treatment, but they have low success rates (~60%), disabling adverse effects, damaging impact on physical health, and poor patient outcomes following ineffective treatment are well documented in the literature. The authors of a new paper published last month in npj Schizophrenia (Martins-de-Souza et al, 2015) examine the effects of antipsychotics on the blood plasma profile of 58 acutely ill schizophrenia patients who were either antipsychotic naive (n=23) or antipsychotic free for >6 weeks (n=35).