How does exposure to thinspiration and fitspiration relate to symptom severity among individuals with eating disorders? Evaluation of a proposed model.

Thinspiration and fitspiration are classes of social media content characterised by idealised depictions of excessively thin and overtly fit/lean bodies, respectively. It is currently unknown whether and how exposure to thinspiration and fitspiration relates to symptom severity within high-risk clinical populations. Thus, in a clinical sample of individuals with eating disorders, we evaluated a model explaining how exposure to thinspiration and fitspiration relates to eating disorder symptoms.

Clozapine is associated with secondary antibody deficiency.

Background: Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population. Clozapine is the only medication licensed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and is intensively monitored to prevent harm from neutropenia. Clozapine is also associated with increased risk of pneumonia although the mechanism is poorly understood.

Impact of the carer on length of hospital stay for mental health: Results from two Australian surveys.

Informal carers play a vital role in supporting Australians living with a mental illness, including during the acute phases of illness; however, little is known about their impact on length of hospital stay. We aimed to investigate the impact of having a carer and of carer burden on length of hospital stay for mental health. Two Australian datasets were used.

Loneliness in psychotic illness and its association with cardiometabolic disorders.

Loneliness is an established risk factor for poor cardiometabolic health. People with psychotic disorders experience high rates of both cardiometabolic disease and loneliness, but how these factors are associated is poorly understood. Thus, using data from the second Australian National Survey of Psychosis we examined whether loneliness is associated with the likelihood of cardiometabolic disorder in psychotic illness.

The relationship between body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review of direct comparative studies.

Objective: Current nosology conceptualises body dysmorphic disorder as being related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the direct evidence to support this conceptualisation is mixed. In this systematic review, we aimed to provide an integrated overview of research that has directly compared body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Method: The PubMed database was searched for empirical studies which had directly compared body dysmorphic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder groups across any subject matter.

A Mobile App-Based Intervention for Depression: End-User and Expert Usability Testing Study.

Background: Despite the growing number of mental health apps available for smartphones, the perceived usability of these apps from the perspectives of end users or health care experts has rarely been reported. This information is vital, particularly for self-guided mHealth interventions, as perceptions of navigability and quality of content are likely to impact participant engagement and treatment compliance.

Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a usability evaluation of a personalized, self-guided, app-based intervention for depression.

Assessment of Placental Cortisol Pathway Gene Expression in Term Pregnant Women with Anxiety.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to expand on this field of work by examining, within a cohort of pregnant women with diagnosed clinical anxiety, the mRNA expression of a panel of genes associated with the cortisol pathway and comparing them to controls.

Methods: Placental samples were obtained from 24 pregnant women, 12 with a diagnosed anxiety disorder and 12 with no psychiatric history, within 30 min of delivery. Differential expression analysis of 85 genes known to be involved in glucocorticoid synthesis, metabolism or signalling was conducted for the: (1) full sample, (2) those at term without labour (5 cases, 7 controls) and (3) those at term with labour (7 cases, 5 controls).

Exploring Australian psychiatrists' and psychiatric trainees' knowledge, attitudes and preparedness in responding to adults experiencing domestic violence.

Objective:: Examine knowledge, opinions and practices of psychiatrists and trainees in responding to domestic violence (DV).

Method:: Online survey including two sub-scales from PREMIS (Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey): knowledge (10 items) and preparedness (10 items).

Results:: Of psychiatrists completing the survey (216), 47% had received less than 2 hours of training in DV.

Improving cardiovascular health and quality of life in people with severe mental illness: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: The estimated 300,000 adults in Australia with severe mental illness (SMI) have markedly reduced life expectancy compared to the general population, mainly due to physical health comorbidities. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the commonest cause of early death and people with SMI have high rates of most modifiable risk factors, with associated quality of life (QoL) reduction. High blood pressure, smoking, dyslipidaemia, diabetes and obesity are major modifiable CVD risk factors.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: current perspectives.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive neurostimulation technique receiving increasing attention in the treatment of different psychiatric disorders. Evidence for rTMS use in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is accumulating and informing further developments in the neurostimulation field, the latest being deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS). dTMS allows direct stimulation of deeper subcortical structures and larger brain volume than conventional rTMS.

White matter microstructure in anorexia nervosa.

The neurobiological underpinnings of anorexia nervosa (AN) are unclear. White matter deficits have been described in the illness, but findings are inconsistent between studies. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in white matter microstructure in AN using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Identity challenges and 'burden of normality' after DBS for severe OCD: a narrative case study.

Background: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an emerging and potentially powerful biological treatment for severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but the wider impact of the intervention and the sometimes dramatic reduction in symptoms need greater attention in research and practice. The aim of this case study is to explore the subjective experience of preparing for and undergoing DBS as a treatment for severe and treatment-refractory OCD and the experience of the impact of the treatment.

Methods: This study of subjective experience before and after DBS is based on narrative analysis of two in-depth interviews conducted in November 2014 (1 year after DBS surgery) with a 30-year-old man and his father, utilizing Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) criteria.

Improvement of cognitive function in schizophrenia with -acetylcysteine: A theoretical review.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric illness associated with positive and negative symptoms as well as significant impairments in cognition. Current antipsychotic medications do not alleviate these cognitive deficits, and more effective therapeutic options are required. Increased oxidative stress and altered antioxidant levels, including glutathione (GSH) have been observed both in individuals with cognitive impairment and in people with schizophrenia.

Testing the relative associations of different components of dietary restraint on psychological functioning in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Although empirical evidence identifies dietary restraint as a transdiagnostic eating disorder maintaining mechanism, the distinctiveness and significance of the different behavioural and cognitive components of dietary restraint are poorly understood. The present study examined the relative associations of the purportedly distinct dietary restraint components (intention to restrict, delayed eating, food avoidance, and diet rules) with measures of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress), disability, and core eating disorder symptoms (overvaluation and binge eating) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Data were analysed from a treatment-seeking sample of individuals with AN (n = 124) and BN (n = 54).

Frequency of return visits to the emergency department in patients discharged following hypoglycemia episodes.

Background: In-hospital observation is typically recommended for patients who present to the emergency department with symptomatic hypoglycemia who are taking oral diabetes medications or long acting insulin. Individuals considered to be at low risk of further hypoglycemic episodes by treating providers are however on occasion discharged to home when a low suspicion of recurrence and close observation is available. We describe the frequency of hypoglycemia recurrence requiring further emergency department evaluation who have been recently discharged from the emergency department and are taking oral diabetes medications or long-acting insulin.

Economic evaluation of a dietary intervention for adults with major depression (the "SMILES" trial).

Background: Recently, the efficacy of dietary improvement as a therapeutic intervention for moderate to severe depression was evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. The SMILES trial demonstrated a significant improvement in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores favouring the dietary support group compared with a control group over 12 weeks. We used data collected within the trial to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this novel intervention.

Peer mentoring for eating disorders: evaluation of a pilot program.

Background: Eating disorders are serious psychiatric illnesses that are often associated with poor quality of life and low long-term recovery rates. Peer mentor programs have been found to improve psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in other mental illnesses, and a small number of studies have suggested that eating disorder patients may benefit from such programs. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a peer mentor program for individuals with eating disorders in terms of improving symptomatology and quality of life.

Determining Anxiety in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder through Behavioural Clustering and Variations in Repetition Intensity.

Background And Objectives: Over the last decade, the application of computer vision techniques to the analysis of behavioural patterns has seen a considerable increase in research interest. One such interesting and recent application is the visual behavioural analysis of mental disorders. Despite the very recent surge in interest in this area, relatively little has been done thus far to assist individuals living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The relationship between illicit amphetamine use and psychiatric symptom profiles in schizophrenia and affective psychoses.

This study examines whether illicit amphetamine use is associated with differences in the prevalence of specific psychiatric symptoms in a community sample of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or affective psychotic disorders. Data was drawn from the Australian Survey of High Impact Psychosis. The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis was used to measure substance use and psychiatric symptoms.

Feeling fat in eating disorders: Testing the unique relationships between feeling fat and measures of disordered eating in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Although widely discussed in theories of eating disorders, the experience of "feeling fat" in this population has received little research attention. This study tested the unique relationships between feeling fat and measures of problematic eating behaviours and attitudes. Data were analysed from individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN; n = 123) and bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 51).