Publications by authors named "Dan Siskind"

Previous studies have suggested that choroid plexus (ChP) enlargement occurs in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and is associated with peripheral inflammation. However, it is unclear whether such an enlargement delineates a biologically defined subgroup of SSD. Moreover, it remains elusive how ChP is linked to brain regions associated with peripheral inflammation in SSD.

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Introduction And Objectives: Clozapine is the antipsychotic medication with the greatest efficacy in treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Unfortunately, clozapine is ceased in approximately 0.2% to 8.

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Background: Overweight and obesity are highly prevalent in people with severe mental illness (SMI). Antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) is one of the most commonly reported and distressing side effects of treatment and people living with SMI place a high value on the avoidance of this side effect. Metformin is the most effective pharmacological intervention studied for the prevention of AIWG yet clear guidelines are lacking and evidence has not translated into practice.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Using a large Queensland cohort, the research found that 10.1% of participants had been reported for child maltreatment, with 3.3% admitted and 4.8% presenting at emergency departments for CMDs.
  • * The results indicate that all forms of substantiated child maltreatment significantly correlated with increased risk for CMDs, particularly anxiety and depression, suggesting a need for better screening for maltreatment in hospital settings.
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Background: There is a high incidence of serious mental illness (SMI) and antipsychotic use in the respiratory high dependence unit (HDU) compared with the general population. However, there is a paucity of data in the extant literature evaluating the relationships between respiratory failure and antipsychotics.

Aims: To investigate the relationship between antipsychotics and respiratory failure in people admitted to a respiratory HDU, and to gain a better understanding of the potential impact of antipsychotic medications on respiratory outcomes.

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  • Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is crucial for health, especially for individuals with mental illnesses who often experience higher risks of diseases due to lower activity levels and increased sedentary behavior (SB).
  • The study analyzed how different types of motivation (amotivation, controlled, autonomous) affect MVPA and SB among people with various mental health conditions across four countries using self-reported and accelerometer data.
  • Results showed that autonomous motivation significantly increased MVPA, while amotivation and controlled motivation reduced it; controlled motivation was linked to increased SB, highlighting the need for health professionals to encourage autonomous motivation for better physical activity outcomes in this population.
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  • The study examines the link between childhood maltreatment (CM) reported to authorities and the risk of psychiatric diagnoses by age 30, comparing those with agency-reported CM to the general population.
  • Using comprehensive data from birth cohorts in Queensland, Australia, the researchers followed over 83,000 individuals, focusing on psychiatric admissions and types of maltreatment.
  • Findings indicate that individuals with agency-reported CM are significantly more likely to receive hospital diagnoses for various psychiatric disorders, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), highlighting the importance of early intervention and support for affected individuals.
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Objective: To compare rates of participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) and follow-up for people with severe mental illness with those for people without severe mental illness or not prescribed antidepressants.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study; analysis of de-identified linked NBCSP, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) data.

Setting: Australia, 2006-2019.

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Objective: To examine the association between psychotropic medication usage and respiratory failure.

Methods: A systematic search of Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Trial Registry databases for publications that evaluated the association between respiratory failure and the use of psychotropic medications in patients with chronic mental health disorders was performed.

Results: Nine studies were included, with a total of 170,435 participants.

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Background: Although clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), only 40% of people with TRS respond, and there is limited evidence for augmentation agents. Cannabidiol (CBD) reduces positive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia, but no trials have specifically examined its efficacy in those with clozapine-resistant schizophrenia.

Aims: To examine the clinical efficacy of CBD augmentation in people with clozapine-resistant schizophrenia.

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Article Synopsis
  • Digital health interventions (DHIs) could offer low-cost, scalable improvements in care for adults with schizophrenia, with a review assessing their efficacy through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that incorporate human support.
  • A systematic search identified 26 RCTs involving 2,481 participants, finding no significant improvements in psychosis symptoms or overall health outcomes, though there was a notable trend towards benefits in social cognition and quality of life.
  • The study concludes that while DHIs are feasible and may improve health outcomes with human support, more high-quality research is needed to explore their long-term effectiveness and integration of technology in clinical practice.
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This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of smoking cessation interventions on tobacco smoking in adults receiving inpatient psychiatry treatment. To assess whether the effects of smoking cessation interventions differ according to psychiatric diagnosis or type of intervention or comparator condition.

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Introduction: People with severe mental illness have poor cardiometabolic health. Commonly used antidepressants and antipsychotics frequently lead to weight gain, which may further contribute to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Areas Covered: We searched MEDLINE up to April 2023 for umbrella reviews, (network-)meta-analyses, trials and cohort studies on risk factors, prevention and treatment strategies of weight gain associated with antidepressants/antipsychotics.

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Purpose Of Review: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SDD) are characterized by a complex array of psychosis symptoms, and typically require ongoing and long-term support, including pharmacological and nonpharmacological management. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) have been suggested as a novel therapeutic approach to enable low-cost, scalable improvements in quality of care for adults living with SSD. However, the types and role of human involvement and support within DMHIs is currently unknown.

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Background: Child maltreatment (CM) includes neglect, and several types of abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual. CM has been associated with a wide range of mental illnesses. Literature examining these illnesses in mid-life is scarce, and the impact of these illnesses on mental health service use is currently unknown.

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Background: The degree of physiological responses to individual antipsychotic drugs is unclear in children and adolescents. With network meta-analysis, we aimed to investigate the effects of various antipsychotic medications on physiological variables in children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Methods: For this network meta-analysis, we searched Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus from database inception until Dec 22, 2023, and included randomised controlled trials comparing antipsychotics with placebo in children or adolescents younger than 18 years with any neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental condition.

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Purpose Of Review: People with schizophrenia experience three to five times higher prevalence of diabetes and obesity than the general population, contributing to a 20-year reduced lifespan. The impacts of weight gain extend beyond physical health, affecting people's self-esteem, quality of life, and triggering treatment nonadherence, leading to relapse and deteriorations in health. Clinical guidelines recommend patients with antipsychotic-induced weight gain are treated with cognitive behaviour therapy and lifestyle changes; however, effective treatments for obesity in schizophrenia are critically lacking.

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Background: Antipsychotic medications are associated with weight gain and metabolic derangement. However, comprehensive evidence for the efficacy of co-commenced pharmacological treatments to mitigate initial weight gain is limited. Metformin has been shown to be effective in reducing weight among people on antipsychotic medications who are already overweight, but the potential benefits of metformin co-commencement in mitigating antipsychotic-induced weight gain has not been systematically reviewed.

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Introduction: Clozapine is the gold standard treatment for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, however adverse events remain a clinical challenge.

Areas Covered: This review presents a narrative synthesis of systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have reported the onset, incidence, prevalence, and management of clozapine's adverse events. We conducted a systematic literature search using PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, OvidMEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to April 2024.

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Background And Objective: Antipsychotics are core treatments for people living with psychotic disorders. Understanding individualised factors that influence both efficacy and adverse responses will improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine sex differences in antipsychotic-related efficacy and tolerability.

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Background And Hypothesis: The ClozaGene Study is a nationwide cohort of adults who have been treated with clozapine. While clozapine is indicated in the management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia, it is associated with a considerable adverse drug reaction (ADR) burden, and not all patients achieve adequate symptomatic response. The current study focuses on self-reported experiences of clozapine use and response, clozapine-associated ADRs, and mental health comorbidity.

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Background: People with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder, face poorer health outcomes from multiple chronic illnesses. Physical multimorbidity, the coexistence of two or more chronic physical conditions, and psychiatric multimorbidity, the coexistence of three or more psychiatric disorders, are both emerging concepts useful in conceptualising disease burden. However, the prevalence of physical and psychiatric multimorbidity in this cohort is unknown.

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Background And Aims: Evidence on the associations between child maltreatment (CM), alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) comes largely from retrospective studies. These rely on self-reported data, which may be impacted by recall bias. Using prospective CM reports to statutory agencies, we measured associations between CM notifications and inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs up to 40 years of age.

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