Report From the Working Group Conference on Multisite Trial Design for Cognitive Remediation in Schizophrenia

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Project and related efforts have stimulated the initiation of several studies of pharmacologic treatments for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Cognitive remediation may provide an excellent platform for the provision of new learning opportunities and the acquisition of new skills for patients who are engaged in pharmacologic trials to improve cognition. However, it is not clear how a cognitive remediation intervention would be employed in multisite clinical trials. A meeting of experts on cognitive remediation and related methodological topics was convened to address the feasibility and study design issues for the development of a multisite trial of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia called the Cognitive Remediation in the Schizophrenia Trials Network study. This report details the findings from this meeting, which included the following 4 conclusions. (1) A multisite trial of a cognitive remediation intervention using a network of diverse research sites would be of great scientific value. (2) Various interventions could be employed for this multisite trial. (3) Programs that do not address key motivational and interpersonal aspects of cognitive remediation may benefit from supplementation with “bridging groups” that allows patients to meet with others and to apply their newly acquired cognitive skills to everyday life. (4) Before a multisite efficacy trial is initiated, a pilot study could demonstrate the feasibility of conducting a trial using a cognitive remediation intervention.     

Mindfulness in severe and persistent mental illness: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review summarises the current state of research on mindfulness in SPMI, given the pressing need to provide alternative, scalable and cost-effective treatment modalities for patients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI).

Methods: Articles included mindfulness-based interventions for SPMI. Excluded articles included qualitative studies, acceptance and compassion therapies, case reports and reviews. Studies were identified by searching the databases Medline, Embase and PsycINFO.

Results: Six randomised controlled trials, seven prospective studies and one retrospective study were identified. Clinical improvements were observed on psychotic symptoms, and on improvements of depression symptoms, cognition, mindfulness, psycho-social and vocational factors.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that mindfulness is feasible for individuals with SPMI, and displays potential benefits in outcomes aside from psychotic symptoms. The effects of mindfulness in psychotic symptoms needs further investigation in larger definitive studies using methodological rigor and thorough assessments of other psychiatric populations who are also representative of SPMI.     

Smoking in schizophrenia: diagnostic specificity, symptom correlates, and illness severity

Background: Cigarette smoking was consistently found to be more prevalent in individuals with schizophrenia than in other psychiatric groups and the general population. These findings have been interpreted as evidence of a specific association between schizophrenia and smoking. However, the supporting data come primarily from cross-sectional studies, which are susceptible to confounding. Our aim was to test specificity of this link longitudinally in an epidemiologic sample. Methods: A cohort of 542 inpatients with psychosis was followed for 10 years after first hospitalization, completing 5 face-to-face interviews. Assessments included ratings of specific symptoms (psychotic, negative, disorganized, and depressive), Global Assessment of Functioning, and a categorical measure of cigarette consumption. All participants were assigned longitudinal consensus diagnoses by study psychiatrists, and 229 were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZ). Results: At baseline, 52.4% of participants were current smokers and 69.3% were lifetime smokers. Smoking rates did not differ among the diagnostic groups (schizophrenia spectrum, major depressive, bipolar, or other psychotic disorder) at any assessment point. Smokers were more severely ill than nonsmokers but did not differ in specific symptoms either cross-sectionally or longitudinally. Among smokers, changes in cigarette consumption were linked only with changes in depression (β = .16, P < .001). Conclusions: Rates of smoking were elevated in subjects with schizophrenia but were just as high with other psychotic disorders. Smoking was not associated with psychotic symptoms, but cigarette consumption covaried with depression over time. Given the devastating health consequences of cigarette use, smoking cessation interventions are urgently needed in this population and should specifically address depression.     

Developing Family Options: Outcomes for mothers with severe mental illness at twelve months of participation

Family Options is a psychiatric rehabilitation intervention for parents with severe mental illness and their children who work with family coaches to set and achieve goals. The objective of this study is to compare changes in well-being, functioning, and supports and resources achieved from enrollment to 12 months by mothers participating in Family Options (N?=?22) with changes from enrollment to 6 months. Mothers’ scores are compared on standardized measures of psychological distress, trauma symptom severity, mental and physical health status, social support, and the number of services needed but not received from enrollment to 6 months, and from enrollment to 12 months. Data were also obtained about help received and satisfaction with Family Options. Mothers achieved significant improvements in well-being at 12 months, as measured in terms of reductions in psychological distress and symptom severity scores. Significant improvements in social support and services received were reported at 6 months but not at 12 months. Mothers received help obtaining services and benefits for themselves and their children and were satisfied with the intervention. Findings underscore the importance of further refinements to the intervention and larger-scale, rigorous testing of Family Options.     

Severe mental illness and criminal victimization: a systematic review

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of criminal victimization among people with severe mental illness and to explore risk factors. Method: Four databases (MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, ERIC, and AMED) were searched for articles published between January 1966 and August 2007, supplemented with hand‐search of reference lists from retrieved papers. The author and a Medical Doctor independently abstracted data and assessed study quality. Disagreements were resolved by consensus after review of the article and the review protocol. Results: Nine studies, including 5195 patients, were identified. Prevalence estimates of criminal victimization ranged from 4.3% to 35.04%. Rates of victimization among severely mentally ill persons were 2.3–140.4 times higher than those in the general population. Criminal victimization was most frequently associated with alcohol and/or illicit drug use/abuse, homelessness, more severe symptomatology, and engagement in criminal activity. Conclusion: Prevention and intervention programs should target high‐risk groups and improve patients’ mental health and quality of life.     

Recovery Principles and Evidence-Based Practice: Essential Ingredients of Service Improvement

The two of the most commonly advocated service improvement proposals for adults with severe mental illnesses are to redesign services based on recovery principles and to increase the availability of services with strong research support. The two improvement strategies complement and inform each other much more than they conflict. To improve, the field needs the insights of people who have personally experienced severe mental illnesses and it needs the scientific process. Applied together, the two strategies can guide the development of an optimal service system: The kind of service system that most people would want for themselves or their family should they have the need.This article was supported by a grant from the West Family Foundation.     

Bridging the Gap Between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation in the Cognitive Remediation of Schizophrenia

An important development in cognitive remediation of schizophrenia is a focus on motivation. However, following a distinction between the concepts of intrinsic motivation (IM) and extrinsic motivation, discussions of IM-based methods have downplayed or misrepresented the role that extrinsic rewards can, and actually do, serve to promote positive treatment outcomes in cognitive remediation. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore the rationale for using techniques incorporating extrinsic rewards into cognitive treatment of people with schizophrenia. To do this, evidence is presented on each of the following points: (1) there is a long history of research demonstrating that delivery of extrinsic reward is associated with positive outcomes in both behavioral and cognitive rehabilitation; (2) basic human brain systems respond strongly to tangible rewards, and this can directly enhance attention, working memory, and other cognitive functions; (3) nearly all data on the negative effects of extrinsic reward on IM have come from studies of healthy children and adults in school or work settings who have adequate IM for target tasks; these findings do not generalize well to cognitive remediation settings for people with schizophrenia, who often have abnormally low levels of IM and low base rates of attentive behaviors; and (4) in real-world situations, cognitive remediation interventions already utilize a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcers. Future studies are needed to clarify state and trait factors responsible for individual differences in the extent to which extrinsic rewards are necessary to set the conditions under which IM can develop.     

Multimodal Cognitive Therapy: Combining Treatments That Bypass Cognitive Deficits and Deal With Reasoning and Appraisal Biases

The process of recovery in schizophrenia involves resolving persistent symptoms, addressing cognitive impairments, and improving functional outcomes. Our research group has demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive adaptation training (CAT)—a home-based psychosocial treatment utilizing environmental supports such as medication containers, signs, checklists, and the organization of belongings to bypass deficits in cognitive functioning and cue and sequence adaptive behavior) for improving adherence to medications and functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Early CAT pilot studies utilizing some therapists with training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) techniques for psychosis found significant improvements in positive symptoms. More recent larger scale randomized clinical trials failed to replicate this finding with CAT therapists not trained in CBT techniques. Persistent psychotic symptoms substantially impair patients’ ability to adapt to life in the community. Cognitive behavior therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is an evidence-based practice for addressing persistent positive symptoms and the distress associated with them. CBTp decreases symptomatology and minimizes the negative effect of persisting symptoms upon individuals with this disorder. We now describe a home-delivered, multimodal cognitive treatment targeting functional outcomes and persistent positive symptoms for individuals with schizophrenia by utilizing both CAT and CBT techniques. We discuss the advantages and challenges of combining these 2 interventions, present a small retrospective data analysis to support their combination into a multimodal treatment, and describe the design of an ongoing randomized trial to investigate efficacy.     

Disengagement From Mental Health Treatment Among Individuals With Schizophrenia and Strategies for Facilitating Connections to Care: A Review of the Literature

Disengagement from mental health services can lead to devastating consequences for individuals with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses who require ongoing treatment. We review the extent and correlates of dropping out of mental health treatment for individuals with schizophrenia and suggest strategies for facilitating treatment engagement. Although rates vary across studies, reviews of the literature suggest that up to one-third of individuals with serious mental illnesses who have had some contact with the mental health service system disengage from care. Younger age, male gender, ethnic minority background, and low social functioning have been consistently associated with disengagement from mental health treatment. Individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, as well as those with early-onset psychosis, are at particularly high risk of treatment dropout. Engagement strategies should specifically target these high-risk groups, as well as high-risk periods, including following an emergency room or hospital admission and the initial period of treatment. Interventions to enhance engagement in mental health treatment range from low-intensity interventions, such as appointment reminders, to high-intensity interventions, such as assertive community treatment. Disengagement from treatment may reflect the consumer''s perspective that treatment is not necessary, is not meeting their needs, or is not being provided in a collaborative manner. An emerging literature on patient-centered care and shared decision making in psychiatry provides suggestive evidence that efforts to enhance client-centered communication and promote individuals’ active involvement in mental health treatment decisions can also improve engagement in treatment.     

The History of Community Mental Health Treatment and Rehabilitation for Persons with Severe Mental Illness

The authors review the evolution of the treatments for persons with severe mental illnesses over the past 40 years in three areas: pharmacological and other somatic treatments, psychosomatic treatments, and rehabilitation. Current treatments are based on a much stronger evidence base, are more patient-centered, and are more likely to target autonomy and recovery.     

Schizophrenia and 1957 Pandemic of Influenza: Meta-analysis

Maternal influenza during pregnancy is a controversial risk factor for schizophrenia in the child. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether birth during the 9-month period after the pandemic of 1957 was a risk factor for schizophrenia. Studies that compared the risk of schizophrenia among subjects born after the pandemic with that among those born in corresponding time periods in surrounding years were divided into those conducted in the United States, Europe, or Australia (type A studies, n = 8) and those from Japan, where the epidemic came in 2 waves (type B studies, n = 3). Other studies examined the risk among subjects born to mothers who were pregnant during the pandemic and reported having had influenza (type C studies, n = 2). Relative risks (RRs) were extracted or calculated for each month and/or trimester of possible exposure by 2 independent authors. All analyses were performed using a fixed-effects model. The weighted results of the type A studies did not indicate a significantly increased risk of schizophrenia among children exposed during any trimester or month of prenatal life. Not a single study found a significant first- or second-trimester effect. The mean weighted RR for subjects who were in their first, second, or third trimester of prenatal life during the pandemic (8 effect sizes) was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85–0.98), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.93–1.07), and 1.05 (95% CI: 0.98–1.12), respectively. The pooled results of the type B and type C studies were also negative. Given high infection rates during the pandemic (about 50%), these results do not support the maternal influenza hypothesis.     

Clinical Supervision for the Treatment of Adults With Severe Mental Illness: Pertinent Issues When Assisting Graduate Nursing Students

PURPOSE. There is little to guide advanced practice nurses to provide supervision for graduate students conducting psychotherapy with persons with serious mental illness. This article provides concrete suggestions for clinical supervision. CONCLUSIONS. Supervision should focus on assisting students to conduct recovery-based psychotherapy in terms of the therapeutic alliance, methods to provide empathy, collaborative goal setting, the management of countertransference, and the development of self-awareness. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. In providing clinical supervision, preceptors should assist students to become more aware of their own thoughts and feelings as well as stigmatizing beliefs in order to help clients move toward recovery.     

α7-烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体激动剂对精神分裂症认知缺陷和阴性症状治疗:随机双盲对照研究的meta分析

背景:现有α7-烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体激动剂(α7-nAChR受体激动剂)对精神分裂症的认知障碍和阴性症状治疗的临床研究结果不尽一致.目的:评估α7-烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体激动剂在治疗精神分裂症认知缺损和阴性症状的临床疗效和安全性.方法:PubMed、Embase、ClinicalTrials.gov、CochraneLibrary和中国知网、万方、VIP数据库进行文献检索,检索时间截止于2017年5月26日.M eta分析双盲随机对照试验中α7-nAChR受体激动剂的作用,评估α7-nAChR受体激动剂对精神分裂症的总体认知功能和阴性症状的临床疗效.通过计算药物和安慰剂之间的平均差(SMDs),评估α7-nAChR受体激动剂能否作为有效的抗精神病药物.结果:8个低偏倚研究纳入了meta分析.我们没有发现α7乙酰受体激动剂对精神分裂症患者的认知障碍(SMD=-0.10(-0.46,0.25),=88％)和阴性症状(SMD=0.13(-0.04,0.30),I2=64％)有明显疗效.敏感性分析也印证了此结果.药物总体安全且耐受性良好,在不良事件(RR=1.02,[0.85,1.23])和脱落率(RR=1.04,[0.61,1.78])与安慰剂对照无显著差异.根据GRADE评级,该meta分析结果的证据强度为“中”.结论:α7-nAChR受体激动剂可能不是有效地改善精神分裂症患者总体认知障碍和的阴性症状的药物.     

Cognitive Impairment in Affective Psychoses: A Meta-analysis

It has recently been suggested that cognitive impairment should be included in the diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia. One of the main arguments in support of this suggestion has been the hope that cognitive impairment can help distinguish schizophrenia from bipolar disorder (BD). However, recent evidence shows that cognitive deficits occur in BD and persist beyond euthymia. Further, mood disorders with psychotic features might be expected to manifest greater cognitive impairment, which further complicates the potential to differentiate these disorders. The goal of the current meta-analysis was to examine the magnitude and characteristics of cognitive impairments in affective psychoses (AP). A systematic search of the existing literature sourced 27 studies that met the inclusion criteria. These studies compared cognitive performances of 763 patients with AP (550 BD and 213 major depressive disorder) and 1823 healthy controls. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were used to examine the effects of moderator variables. Meta-analyses of these studies showed that patients with AP were impaired in all 15 cognitive tasks with large effect sizes for most measures. There were no significant differences between the magnitude of impairments between the BD and major depressive disorder groups. The largest effect size was found for symbol coding, stroop task, verbal learning, and category fluency, reflecting impairments in elementary and complex aspects of attentional processing, as well as learning and memory. In general, the pattern of cognitive impairments in AP was similar to reported findings in euthymic patients with BD, but relatively more pronounced.