Publications by authors named "Bella Schanzer"
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with missed initial psychiatric assessments among new patients in an outpatient setting.
Methods: A 12-month analysis of no-show rates for initial assessments during an entire academic year of residency (July 2017 to June 2018) was conducted based on sex, age, status of insurance coverage, and length of waiting time for an appointment.
Results: The average no-show rate was 22.
Novel investigational therapeutics for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Expert Opin Investig Drugs
November 2019
: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and disabling psychiatric condition that affects 3% of the population and exacts significant costs to society if untreated. There are numerous treatment options available, but all have side effects, and none are reliably effective; hence, there is a significant need for new medications.: The authors reviewed clinical Phase II and III studies listed on the clinicaltrials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDecisions concerning treatment changes pervade the management of chronic psychiatric disorders that resist definitive cure, yet empirical evidence for the comparative clinical effectiveness of treatment strategies remains underdeveloped. In this paper we exploit the example of psychosis following substance use to illustrate some new developments in clinical trials design that can provide the most solid evidence base for defining successful strategies. The intent is to explore the strengths and limitations of the methodological approach through a meaningful clinical example, with an emphasis on concepts and issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The stability of the diagnostic distinction between a substance-induced psychosis and a primary psychotic disorder co-occurring with substance use is not established.
Aims: To describe DSM-IV diagnostic changes over 1 year and determine the predictive validity of baseline indicators of the substance-induced psychosis v. primary psychosis distinction.
Objectives: Little is known about the health status of those who are newly homeless. We sought to describe the health status and health care use of new clients of homeless shelters and observe changes in these health indicators over the study period.
Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 445 individuals from their entry into the homeless shelter system through the subsequent 18 months.
Objective: For patients who are actively using a substance and experience psychotic symptoms, determining whether the psychotic symptoms are due to a primary psychotic disorder or are substance induced is challenging, especially in emergency departments, where historical information is limited. This study examined the accuracy and subsequent treatment implications of emergency department diagnoses among substance-using patients who were having their first psychotic episode.
Methods: Emergency department diagnoses for 302 patients were compared with best-estimate longitudinal diagnoses (BELDs) based on research assessments at three time points (baseline, six months, and 12 months).
Objective: To examine rates and predictors of psychosis remission at 1-year follow-up for emergency admissions diagnosed with primary psychotic disorders and substance-induced psychoses.
Method: A total of 319 patients with comorbid psychosis and substance use, representing 83% of the original referred sample, were rediagnosed at 1 year postintake employing a research diagnostic assessment. Remission of psychosis was defined as the absence of positive and negative symptoms for at least 6 months.
Objectives: We examined risk factors for long-term homelessness among newly homeless men and women who were admitted to New York City shelters in 2001 and 2002.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 377 study participants upon entry into the shelter and at 6-month intervals for 18 months. Standardized assessments of psychiatric diagnosis, symptoms, and coping skills; social and family history; and service use were analyzed.
Context: The distinction between a substance-induced psychosis and a primary psychotic disorder that co-occurs with the use of alcohol or other drugs is critical for understanding illness course and planning appropriate treatment, yet there has been little study and evaluation of the differences between these 2 diagnostic groups.
Objective: To identify key demographic, family, and clinical differences in substance-induced psychosis and primary psychotic disorders diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria using a research diagnostic instrument for psychiatric and substance use comorbidity.
Design: Data on demographic, family, and clinical factors were gathered at baseline as part of a 3-year longitudinal study of early-phase psychosis and substance use comorbidity in New York, NY.
Background: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has emerged as an alternative to conventional, open surgery. Although most studies of robotically assisted cardiac surgery have reported morbidity and mortality, few have addressed outcome measures, such as pain and quality of life, which was the aim of this study.
Methods: Eleven patients with atrial septal defects (ASD), and five patients with patent foramen ovale, underwent repair using the Da Vinci system (Intuitive Surgical, Mountain View, CA).
Background: Advanced age is viewed by some transplant centers as a contraindication for heart transplantation secondary to concerns regarding decreased survival.
Methods: Between January 1992 and June 2002, 63 of 881 (7.2%) orthotopic heart transplants were performed in patients above 65 years.