Feasibility and acceptability of the Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire in clinical and community settings.

We developed and tested the Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ), which was reported to be reliable and valid as compared to the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale -2 (CARS2). The present study describes the feasibility, acceptability, sociodemographic and developmental details of IASQ study participants in 5 settings- a psychiatry outpatients' clinic (n = 145), a specialised paediatric clinic (n = 24), a speciality disability centre (n = 174), a primary school (n = 41) and a government housing colony (n = 255). The IASQ could be easily administered and understood.

A mentored hands-on training model for scaling up implementation and intervention research in India: "connecting the dots".

Despite the high burden of mental disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), less than 25% of those in need have access to appropriate services, in part due to a scarcity of locally relevant, evidence-based interventions and models of care. To address this gap, researchers from India and the United States and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) collaboratively developed a "Grantathon" model to provide mentored research training to 24 new principal investigators (PIs). This included a week-long didactic training, a customized web-based data entry/analysis system and a National Coordination Unit (NCU) to support PIs and track process objectives.

Scaling a Behavioral Health Home Delivery Model to Special Populations.

The present project utilized a Learning Collaborative (LC) to disseminate the Behavioral Health Home Plus (BHHP) physical-behavioral health integration model to providers serving two behavioral health populations at risk for adverse health conditions: youth psychiatric residential treatment facilities (five sites) and adult opioid treatment providers (seven sites). Following the positive results of a randomized controlled trial utilizing an LC to implement two behavioral health home models in community mental health provider organizations serving adults with serious mental illness, Community Care Behavioral Health Organization facilitated integration of the models to scale health and wellness supports to additional behavioral health care delivery settings. This paper presents provider results focused on BHHP implementation training, LC implementation, physical health and wellness promotion within sites, and BHHP model sustainment plans.

Comparing the Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ) and the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (CARS2) in Indian settings.

Unlabelled: The Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ), derived from the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism ISAA (the mandated tool for autism in India), is an autism screening instrument for use in the general population by minimally trained workers. While ISAA has 40 items with four anchor points, the IASQ is a 10-item questionnaire with yes/no answers. It was initially validated using the ISAA.

From Office-Based Treatment to Telehealth: Comparing Clinical Outcomes and Patient Participation in a Psychiatric Intensive Outpatient Program with a Large Transdiagnostic Sample.

Patient participation and clinical outcomes of a precoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) office-based transdiagnostic psychiatric intensive outpatient program (IOP) were compared with those of telehealth IOP during COVID-19. Weeks of enrollment, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) assessments, and sociodemographic and clinical factors (including group track and diagnosis) were collected during pre-COVID-19 (n = 191) and during COVID-19 ( = 200). Continuous and categorical measures of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 were analyzed; potential sociodemographic and clinical covariates to scores were also explored.

Psychometric properties of a screening tool for autism in the community-The Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire (IASQ).

Introduction: Currently available screening questionnaires for Autism spectrum disorders were tested in developed countries, but many require additional training and many are unsuitable for older individuals, thus reducing their utility in lower/ middle- income countries. We aimed to derive a simplified questionnaire that could be used to screen persons in India.

Methods: We have previously validated Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA), that is now mandated for disability assessment by the Government of India.

Less is more: Deprescribing anticholinergic medications in persons with severe mental illness.

Background: Long-term prescribing of anticholinergic medications (ACM) for antipsychotic-associated extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) is not recommended, yet is widely prevalent. Adverse effects of ACM include memory impairment, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, urinary retention, and tachycardia, which can seriously impact quality of life. This quality improvement deprescription project sought to reduce chronic ACM use in patients with serious mental illness (SMI).

Protocol for Development of the Indian Autism Screening Questionnaire: The Screening Version of the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism.

Introduction: Autism is included as a certifiable disability in the Indian Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016. The Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA), developed by the Government of India and mandated for certifying disability, is a detailed instrument that needs trained mental health experts and takes time to administer. The current project was planned to develop a simple, easy to use screening tool based on the ISAA to identify possible cases in the community.

Managing Depression in Diabetes Mellitus: A Multicentric Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Effectiveness of Fluoxetine and Mindfulness in Primary Care: Protocol for DIAbetes Mellitus ANd Depression (DIAMAND) Study.

Background: Suboptimal management of depression in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often translates into poor glycemic control, medical complications, and impaired quality of life. Feasibility and effectiveness of collaborative care models of depression in diabetes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain unexplored. DIAbetes Mellitus ANd Depression (DIAMAND) study, a multicentric single-blind randomized controlled trial (SBRCT) comparing effectiveness of fluoxetine and mindfulness in primary care settings, addresses this gap in scientific literature.

Implementing a Learning Collaborative for Population-Based Physical and Behavioral Health Integration.

Behavioral health home models are increasingly being utilized to provide physical-behavioral health integration for individuals with mental illness. The Behavioral Health Home Plus model (BHHP) is a phased approach designed to instill a culture of wellness, provide wellness coaching, and offer care coordination for individuals with serious mental illness. The present study utilized a 12-month Learning Collaborative to implement scaling of BHHP in two cohorts totaling 24 community mental health provider organizations in Pennsylvania to include population-wide screening and intervention for tobacco use and hypertension.

Deprescribing anticholinergic medication in the community mental health setting: A quality improvement initiative.

Background: Chronic anticholinergic medication (ACM) prescribing with antipsychotics when no longer clinically indicated can lead to serious side effects and adversely impact patient quality of life.

Objectives: Through modifications of previously described deprescribing strategies undertaken in an academic, schizophrenia clinic, this quality improvement (QI) project aimed to bolster ACM deprescription where clinically appropriate among patients with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders at a community mental health center.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team involving clinical pharmacists and psychiatrists created web streaming video medical education accredited modules, supplemented by small groups sessions and case consultations, and provided these to psychiatrists and nurse practitioners at a community mental health center over a one-year period.

Effects of a standardized extract of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on depression and anxiety symptoms in persons with schizophrenia participating in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Extracts of Withania somnifera (WSE), or Ashwagandha, has traditionally been used as an adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine, and evidence suggests that it may have efficacy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. This secondary analysis reviewed change in depression and anxiety symptoms in a study using WSE as an adjunctive treatment in patients with schizophrenia experiencing an exacerbation of positive symptoms.

Methods: We enrolled patients with schizophrenia in a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

Adjunctive Use of a Standardized Extract of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) to Treat Symptom Exacerbation in Schizophrenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Objective: To determine if adjunctive treatment with a standardized extract of Withania somnifera (WSE), with known anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties, improves psychopathology and stress in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (DSM-IV-TR).

Methods: Patients experiencing an exacerbation of symptoms were assigned to WSE (1,000 mg/d) or placebo for 12 weeks, added to their antipsychotic medication, in a random-assignment, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted from April 2013 to July 2016. Primary outcomes were change from baseline to end of treatment on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS total, positive, negative, and general symptoms) between treatment groups.

Initial Cross-Over Test of A Positive Allosteric Modulator of Alpha-7 Nicotinic Receptors to Aid Cessation in Smokers With Or Without Schizophrenia.

Preclinical research shows that compounds acting at α7 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) can reduce nicotine self-administration, suggesting that a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of α7 receptors, JNJ-39393406, may aid smoking cessation. Moreover, individuals with schizophrenia, who have very high rates of smoking, have reduced expression of α7 nAChRs and may particularly benefit from this compound. In two parallel studies using a within-subject cross-over design, 36 healthy smokers (Study 1) and 62 smokers with schizophrenia (Study 2), both groups high in quit interest, attempted to initiate quitting temporarily during each of two 3-week phases.

A 'Grantathon' model to mentor new investigators in mental health research.

Background: There is a critical gap between needs and available resources for mental health treatment across the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In countries committed to increasing resources to address these needs it is important to conduct research, not only to assess the depth of mental health needs and the current provision of public and private mental health services, but also to examine implementation methods and evaluate mental health approaches to determine which methods are most effective in local contexts. However, research resources in many LMICs are inadequate, largely because conventional research training is time-consuming and expensive.

The Development and Implementation of an Electronic Health Record Tool for Monitoring Metabolic Syndrome Indices in Patients with Serious Mental Illness.

Objectives: 1. A quality performance improvement (QI) project to implement an electronic screening and monitoring tool to record components of the metabolic syndrome (e-MSD) during clinic visits by persons with serious mental illness (SMI). 2.

Telephone-delivered physical activity intervention for individuals with serious mental illness: a feasibility study.

Background: Obesity is prevalent in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI).

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of a telephone-delivered physical activity (PA) intervention for outpatients with serious mental illness to maintain PA and to explore the preliminary efficacy of the intervention on health status.

Design: This study used a randomized experimental design.

Varenicline for smoking cessation in bipolar disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: Virtually no clinical trials for smoking cessation have been undertaken in bipolar disorder. Varenicline has shown efficacy for smoking cessation, but warnings about neuropsychiatric adverse events have been issued. We assessed the efficacy and safety of varenicline in euthymic bipolar subjects motivated to quit smoking.

Randomized placebo-controlled adjunctive study of an extract of withania somnifera for cognitive dysfunction in bipolar disorder.

Objective: Cognitive impairments contribute significantly to inadequate functional recovery following illness episodes in bipolar disorder, yet data on treatment interventions are sparse. We assessed the cognitive effects of a standardized extract of the medicinal herb Withania somnifera (WSE) in bipolar disorder.

Method: Sixty euthymic subjects with DSM-IV bipolar disorder were enrolled in an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of WSE (500 mg/d) as a procognitive agent added adjunctively to the medications being used as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder.

The Development and Implementation of an Electronic Health Record Tool for Monitoring Metabolic Syndrome Indices in Patients with Serious Mental Illness.

Objectives1. A quality performance improvement (QI) project to implement an electronic screening and monitoring tool to record components of the metabolic syndrome (e-MSD) during clinic visits by persons with serious mental illness (SMI). 2.

Physical activity and depressive symptoms in older adults.

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are prevalent in older adults, and physical activity (PA) may have beneficial effects on depression. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms, taking into account demographic factors, and the associations between selected demographic factors and physical activity levels in community-dwelling older adults (age ≥ 60 years).

Methods: Data were drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006.