Clinical prediction of violence as a conditional judgment

Previous research on the prediction of violence in mentally ill individuals has focused primarily on determinations about the appropriateness of institutional confinement. The assessment and management of violent, mentally ill individuals in the community, however, requires clinicians to take a more detailed look at the factors that might precipitate or inhibit violence in the community. This paper examines a model of conditional prediction, in which clinicians provide assessments of the factors that they expect to be associated with violence in particular patients. These types of predictions were elicited from clinicians for a sample of 712 patients seen in an urban psychiatric emergency room. These patients were then followed in the community for 6 months, using both interviews and official records. Results showed that clinicians were generally accurate about the seriousness and location of the violence, but overestimated the role of medication compliance and drug use in the violent incidents.     

Characteristics of patients with schizophrenia who do not believe they are mentally ill

The purpose of this study was to use a very simple self-report measure to identify patients who did not believe they were mentally ill and describe their characteristics. The study included 177 inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia. Multivariate regression methods analyzed the relationship between illness belief and sociodemographic, clinical, and attitudinal factors. Thirty-seven percent of subjects did not believe they were mentally ill. Younger age, fewer depressive symptoms, lower perceived medication efficacy, greater satisfaction with current mental health, and less concern about mental illness stigma were associated with not believing one was mentally ill. Outpatients with fewer hospitalizations were less likely to believe they were ill. Inpatients with more hospitalizations were less likely to believe they were ill and had poor medication adherence. Readily identifying patients who do not believe they are mentally ill may be useful to clinicians and policymakers when matching at-risk patients with adherence interventions.     

Utilization of patient expertise in medication groups

Medication groups can be an effective way for the psychiatrist to assess changing medication requirements, while also informing patients about the medications that they are taking. Groups can also facilitate patients' own sense of expertise by allowing them to teach each other and to share their own experience with medications. Two different groups are described that encourage chronically mentally ill patients to gain a sense of expertise about their medication. These groups increase patient involvement in their own medication and seem to increase medication compliance, while also decreasing the amount of physician time required to provide effective treatment.     

Awareness of Obesity and Weight Issues Among Chronically Mentally Ill Inpatients: A Pilot Study

Obesity in psychotic patients is a subject of increasing scrutiny, but there is a dearth of data regarding awareness about weight related issues among chronic inpatients. To assess this issue state hospital patients voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire concerning obesity, weight gain variables, concern about weight, and methods to control weight gain. Sex, age, weight, and height were collected with completed surveys. A total of 128 respondents completed the questionnaire of which 85% were male. Respondents' mean age was 39.8 years, mean BMI 30.84 kg/m² with 46.6% obese. There was a significant correlation between BMI and awareness of current weight status (p = 0.005), but not between BMI and level of concern about weight among all respondents (p = 0.308) or in the obese subgroup (p = 0.693). Significantly fewer obese patients indicated no weight problem, or no need to control their weight compared to the nonobese (p = 0.004), yet only 10% of obese patients requested to be placed on a mandatory monitored diet. Chronically mentally ill inpatients thus accurately perceive their obesity status, but level of concern does not correlate with BMI, and the obese are reluctant to choose mandatory dieting as a remedy. These findings have significant implications for programmatic measures to control weight gain among chronic inpatients, and for use of atypicals that have a greater propensity to cause weight gain.     

The economic advancement of the mentally ill in the community: 1. Economic opportunities

Consumer cooperatives have been shown to be feasible in Europe for generating adequately reimbursed jobs for the mentally ill, and may be viable in the U.S.. Such businesses can gain a market advantage by offering goods and services to mental health agencies or to the consumer group. Interviews with 50 mentally ill people living in Boulder, Colorado, identified sizable markets controlled by consumers: the average mentally ill person in the sample consumes $2,000 a month in psychiatric treatment, accommodation, food, medication and other goods and services. The findings suggest several income-generating opportunities. Consumers can be employed as mental health service providers, under certain conditions a consumer-cooperative pharmacy may be established, and some types of housing cooperative are viable.     

Dietary restrictions and drug interactions with monoamine oxidase inhibitors: an update

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are effective treatments for depression that has atypical features or that has failed to respond to other antidepressants. However, MAOIs are underused because clinicians are concerned about dietary and drug interactions with this class of medication. Hypertensive crisis and serotonin syndrome can occur in rare cases due to interactions between MAOIs and foods containing tyramine as well as interactions with serotonergic and sympathomimetic agents. A better understanding of the foods and drugs that can cause adverse reactions, as well as knowledge of newer MAOIs with mechanisms of action and delivery methods that reduce these risks, may help clinicians to consider the use of these medications, when appropriate, in their patients with depression.     

The etiology of violent behavior: An overview

Society often considers violent people to be mentally ill, and a significant number of patients exhibit violent behavior. For the assessment of violent individuals, a thorough understanding of the complex biopsychosocial causes of violence is required. This paper critically reviews recent investigations of the multiple causes of violence to clarify those aspects that can be helpful to clinicians in their inquiries.     

Hypothalamic neurogenesis and its implications for obesity-induced anxiety disorders

Obesity and anxiety are public health problems that have no effective cure. Obesity-induced anxiety is also the most common behavioural trait exhibited amongst obese patients, with the mechanisms linking these disorders being poorly understood. The hypothalamus and hippocampus are reciprocally connected, important neurogenic brain regions that could be vital to understanding these disorders. Dietary, physical activity and lifestyle interventions have been shown to be able to enhance neurogenesis within the hippocampus, while the effects thereof within the hypothalamus is yet to be ascertained. This review describes hypothalamic neurogenesis, its impairment in obesity as well as the effect of interventional therapies. Obesity is characterized by a neurogenic shift towards neuropeptide Y neurons, promoting appetite and weight gain. While, nutraceuticals and exercise promote proopiomelanocortin neuron proliferation, causing diminished appetite and reduced weight gain. Through the furthered development of multimodal approaches targeting both these brain regions could hold an even greater therapeutic potential.     

Psychiatry and primary care: Can a working relationship develop?

This article explores the relationship between psychiatrists and primary care physicians. Expectations and results of attempts to train nonpsychiatric physicians in the care of the mentally ill are reviewed. The failure of this effort, along with the stigma against psychiatry has led to poor treatment of disturbed patients by primary care physicians. Using other mental health professionals as both educators and clinicians in primary care training programs over the past 20 years has resulted in a different referral pattern system for the mentally ill than for any other group of patients. Although the gap between psychiatry and the rest of medicine has widened, there are models of interaction and cooperation that are explored. The development of consultation-liaison programs has been a most important effort. The need for all of medicine to recognize the relationship between mind and body is stressed.     

Ziprasidone and weight gain

We describe the case of a 12-year-old white male in whom significant weight gain occurred within 3 months of treatment with Ziprasidone. It is important that clinicians are aware of this possibility since this medication is marketed as one of the few antipsychotic medications not associated with significant weight gain.     

Antipsychotic induced weight gain in schizophrenia:mechanisms and management

The aim of the present paper was to describe the mechanisms and management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain in schizophrenia patients. A comprehensive literature review of all available articles on the mechanisms and management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain was done by searching databases PsychINFO and PubMed. A summary of the available guidelines for monitoring of antipsychotic-induced weight gain and metabolic syndrome is also provided. There has been a substantial increase in the number of studies investigating the mechanisms and management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain after 2002. These include advances in the understanding of pharmacogenomics of weight gain and several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating pharmacological and psychological treatments to promote weight loss. The most effective strategy for prevention of weight gain is the choice of antipsychotic medication with low weight gain potential. In individuals with established weight gain and metabolic issues, switching to an antipsychotic agent with lower weight gain potential and/or lifestyle modifications with physical activity are most effective in promoting weight loss. Pharmacological agents such as orlistat and sibutramine are effective in general obesity but have not been sufficiently evaluated in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. The case to prescribe routine pharmacological treatment to promote weight loss is weak. Long-term, pragmatic studies are required to inform clinical practice. Weight gain in schizophrenia is associated with significant physical and psychological morbidity. Achieving an optimal trade-off between effectiveness and side-effects of antipsychotic agents, although difficult, is achievable. This should be based on three main principles: (i) a shared decision-making model between the patient, clinician and carer(s) when choosing an antipsychotic; (ii) a commitment to baseline and follow-up monitoring with explicit identification of the responsible individual or team; and (iii) the adoption of clear structured protocols for clinicians to follow in case of clinically significant weight gain and metabolic issues, which should incorporate greater collaboration between various health professionals from psychiatric and medical specialist services.     

Altered reward anticipation: Potential explanation for weight gain in schizophrenia?

Obesity and weight gain are severe complications of mental illness, especially schizophrenia. They result from changes in lifestyle and nutrition, side effects of medication and other, less well-understood factors. Recent studies suggest that obesity and weight gain are linked to psychopathology. Specifically, severe psychopathology is associated with greater weight dysregulation, typically weight gain. However, our knowledge about the neuroscientific basis of weight gain in schizophrenia is currently limited. We propose that altered reward anticipation, which in turn is related to striatal dopaminergic dysregulation, may explain why obesity is more prevalent in individuals with mental illness. We review evidence that reward anticipation and weight change are linked by a core deficit in dopaminergic striatal circuits. Several lines of evidence, running from animal studies to preclinical and clinical studies, suggest that striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission is a major hub for the regulation of eating behavior and that dopamine links eating behavior to other motivated behavior. From this perspective, the present review outlines a unifying perspective on dopaminergic reward anticipation as a theoretical frame to link weight gain, medication effects and psychopathology. We derive important but open empirical questions and present perspectives for new therapeutic concepts.     

Accuracy of body image perception and preferred weight loss strategies in schizophrenia: a controlled pilot study

Objective: Obesity in severely mentally ill (SMI) populations is an increasing problem, but there is no controlled data regarding the relationship between SMI and weight perception. Method: Fifty patients with schizophrenia and 50 demographically matched control participants were recruited. Weight, height, and body image accuracy were assessed for all participants, and assessments of mood, psychotic symptom severity and anxiety, and preferred modes of weight loss were assessed for the schizophrenia sample. Results: Patients with schizophrenia were significantly more likely to be obese than controls (46% vs. 18%, P < 0.005), and most patients expressed an interest in losing weight. Obese participants with schizophrenia underestimated their body size (11.0%) more than controls (4.9%) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia are more likely to underestimate their body size, independent of the effects of obesity. However, they also express concern about weight issues and willingness to participate in psychoeducational groups targeted at weight loss.     

Zwangsbehandlungen unter Rechtsunsicherheit

The current legal uncertainty on compulsory treatment of mentally ill patient incapable of giving consent favors the practice of defensive treatment, such as the increased use of isolation and fixation instead of medication. Such a stance runs the risk of acute or chronic health damage for patients. The dissent between legal practitioners and psychiatrists on compulsory treatment is obviously based on a different understanding of autonomy and its prerequisites. We advocate an individual centered, preferably open form of treatment by medicinal and milieu therapeutic approaches in association with intensified relationships with the aim to restore or improve the ability for self-determination. We also call upon the legislative authorities to establish legal certainty. It is decisive that the characteristics of mental diseases and the possibilities of modern treatment are taken into consideration in order to suitably respect patient autonomy without neglecting the necessary help.     

Should electroconvulsive therapy be an early consideration for suicidal patients?

INTRODUCTION: This article describes a quality management project undertaken for the purpose of ensuring that the most appropriate patients were being selected for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at an 80-bed, state-operated, civil psychiatric facility for the seriously mentally ill. METHOD: Thirty mentally ill patients, including patients with comorbid substance abuse diagnoses, were treated with ECT. Pre-ECT and post-ECT scores on the 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-24) were compared with admission and discharge BPRS-24 scores of a control group treated with psychotropic medication. RESULTS: ECT-treated patients demonstrated greater improvement in BPRS scores during a shorter period than did non-ECT-treated patients. Furthermore, the greatest improvement was seen in the areas of depression and expressed suicidal intent. An unanticipated result was that patients with comorbid substance abuse diagnoses treated with ECT showed the most improvement in these areas. CONCLUSION: ECT was shown to be particularly useful in the treatment of suicidally inclined depressed patients, suggesting that ECT should be an early consideration for suicidal patients.     

Safety of available agents used to treat bipolar disorder: focus on weight gain

BACKGROUND: Pharmacotherapeutic management of bipolar disorder has advanced considerably since the introduction of lithium therapy nearly 50 years ago. The sizable percentage of patients who do not respond adequately to lithium and/or are intolerant to its side effects has served as an impetus for identifying alternative pharmacotherapeutic agents. Recent advances in the understanding of the neurotransmitter systems and their receptors as it applies to treatment of bipolar disorder has, in part, led to progress in delineating applications of anticonvulsant/antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in this area. Although the efficacy of many drugs has been evaluated in patients with this disorder, medication tolerability and adherence issues related to unfavorable side effect profiles are substantial impediments to the development of novel pharmacotherapies. The potential for excessive weight gain as a side effect of certain psychopharmacologic agents remains a concern to both clinicians and patients. METHOD: English-language literature from 1985-2001 in MEDLINE was searched for the terms bipolar disorder, anticonvulsant, antiepileptic, lithium, antipsychotic, weight, and compliance. This article reviewed current therapeutic options for bipolar disorder, including newer AEDs and atypical antipsychotic drugs, with emphasis on the issue of weight gain and possible approaches to minimizing this risk. RESULTS: Certain newer AEDs are characterized by more favorable safety and tolerability profiles that include weight loss as a desirable side effect. Because bipolar disorder is associated with unacceptably high rates of relapse, recurrence, and morbidity, the concept of pharmacotherapeutic efficacy logically not only includes symptom relief but also necessarily encompasses issues related to regimen tolerability and adherence. CONCLUSION: There is a need for guidelines to help physicians carefully formulate and individualize management plans to reach safe, effective, and cost-efficient patient outcomes. Monitoring the weight of patients with bipolar disorder and educating them regarding this issue should be standard components of any treatment plan.     

Risk factors for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among the chronic mentally ill

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to document the prevalence of risk factors for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C among people with chronic mental illness treated in a community setting. METHOD: 234 patients attending four community mental health clinics in the North-western Health Care Network in Melbourne, Australia, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire which covered demographics, risk behaviour and psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS: The sample was 58% male, and 79% of the sample had a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia. Forty-three per cent of mentally ill men and 51% of mentally ill women in the survey had been sexually active in the 12 months preceding the survey. One-fifth of mentally ill men and 57% of mentally ill women who had sex with casual partners never used condoms. People with mental illness were eight times more likely than the general population to have ever injected illicit drugs and the mentally ill had a lifetime prevalence of sharing needles of 7.4%. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of risk behaviours among the study group indicate that people with chronic mental illness should be regarded as a high-risk group for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. It is essential that adequate resources and strategies are targeted to the mentally ill as they are for other high-risk groups.     

Victimization of women and its impact on assessment and treatment in the psychiatric emergency setting.

An understanding of victimization is critical to the practice of emergency psychiatry. Victimization histories are disturbingly common among women presenting to the PES, particularly among frequent service users. The sequelae of victimization are both psychological and physical and often impair health and functioning across numerous domains. PTSD, BPD, and substance-use disorders are often seen among women with victimization histories, which can be particularly challenging for PES providers. Screening for trauma on PES presentation or history should not be overlooked in any person, including severely mentally ill, homeless, disabled, or elderly women. PES clinicians should remember to ask about victimization and pose questions privately in a direct and an open-ended format while conveying empathic validation. Clinical assessment of women with victimization histories in the PES should be guided by the principles of standard emergency psychiatry and be informed by an understanding of trauma. This includes a working knowledge of trauma dynamics, adherence to sound professional boundaries, and care not to retraumatize patients or re-enact perpetrator-victim dynamics. Voyeurism and regression should be avoided, particularly when eliciting trauma history. The PES should be a place for screening and acute intervention, not for conducting intensive trauma therapy. In the PES, the focus should remain on triage and treatment priorities, those of safety and stabilization, and carefully evaluating for substance use and psychosis. The PES ideally provides a "holding environment" that affords a balance of nurturing, limits, consistency, and communication. A basic knowledge of cognitive-behavioral interventions affording "crisis survival strategies," such as DBT, can be particularly useful to PES clinicians. Clinicians also need to monitor issues of countertransference and the potential to be dismissive to these women with complex, comorbid, and chronic problems and diseases. The role for the use of psychotropic medication in PES cohorts with victimization histories should target acute symptoms. Involving regular providers of these decisions is advised to coordinate care and minimize splitting and risks of polypharmacy. Although the SSRIs are effective in symptom management of disorders related to victimization, patients must be reminded of the side-effect profile, particularly sexual dysfunction and withdrawal and discontinuation syndromes.     

Emergency psychiatric intervention on the street.

The development of outreach approaches to engage and provide services to the homeless mentally ill must account for the heterogeneity of the population. The homeless mentally ill as a group are symbols of the failure of a comprehensive and integrated system of community-based care to develop in conjunction with the widespread proliferation of deinstitutionalization policies over the past several decades. Life in a community is far more complex and less easily controlled than life in an institution. People are free to reject the label of patient and refuse all mental health services. An engagement strategy must therefore be devised from the knowledge of specific aspects of a person's life in that community, so that outreach and networking efforts can be sensitive to the total context of the problems experienced by that patient. A multidisciplinary team approach is essential to the effort to engage and monitor those chronically mentally ill individuals who are at risk for psychiatric and/or medical decompensation. A variety of skills are needed, and team members must be flexible about their roles on the team. The clinician, while maintaining expert psychiatric, diagnostic, and treatment skills, must at the same time be able to adapt to people in their own environments, provide them with necessary social and medical services, and interface with other agencies working with these persons. The work is very labor intensive. It may involve two or more clinicians spending entire days with one patient. During a crisis state, these patients will require even more intensive attention from multiple team members to prevent decompensation and rehospitalization. In conclusion, there is no one intervention style in the work of psychiatric outreach. While the type of intervention offered follows from the mission of the outreach program, all outreach teams must be able to address the totality of needs of people who are fragile and at risk for psychiatric and medical decompensation. Case management services cannot be segregated easily from the task of crisis intervention in the work with the seriously mentally ill. The failure to establish an accessible network of community-based services for those chronically disaffiliated populations of mentally ill gives the outreach team the critical role of brokering any available services needed to support the individual in the community. The flexibility required of the outreach team derives both from the scarcity of community-based resources and the heterogeneity of the population of chronically ill adults who will most need these services.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)