Rapid Effects of MDMA Administration on Self-Reported Personality Traits and Affect State: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults.

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for PTSD and emerging research suggests a change in personality traits may be a factor in treatment response. Most prior research on MDMA and personality has focused on cross-sectional comparisons of MDMA users and non-users; as such, well-controlled research assessing personality and affective states following MDMA vs placebo administration is needed. In the current pre-registered study, we investigated the impact of MDMA administration on five-factor model (FFM) traits and affective states before and 48 h after drug administration in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of healthy adults ( = 34).

Exploring Career Choice Among Black Psychiatry Interns: an Exploratory Qualitative Study.

Objective: Relative to the Black American population size, there is an underrepresentation of Black psychiatrists in the USA. In order to address this issue, it is important to explore factors that contribute to Black medical students' decision to pursue a career in psychiatry.

Methods: First-year psychiatry residents who identify as Black (N = 7) were interviewed.

All studies are not created equal: A systematic narrative review of bipolar depression clinical trial inclusion/exclusion rules and baseline severity scores.

Background: Several bipolar depression treatment guidelines have been designed to assist clinicians with medication selection. When ranking medications, none explicitly considered the inclusion/exclusion criteria or baseline severity scores of the reviewed clinical trials. This article aimed to determine if sufficient differences exist in these variables to justify their consideration when designing treatment guidelines.

A preliminary descriptive report of the longevity of the effects of Swedish Massage therapy for subjects with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Objective: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and costly disorder, and many patients may prefer non-traditional treatment. A proof-of-concept study demonstrated the efficacy of Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) as a monotherapy for treatment of GAD. Subjects were followed-up 6-12 months after study completion to evaluate post-treatment outcome.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Major Depressive Disorder With High Inflammation: A Randomized Dose-Finding Clinical Trial.

This study compared the impact of 3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) doses versus placebo on inflammatory biomarkers and depressive symptoms. Sixty-one unmedicated adults (75% female; 45.5 ± 13.

The United States index of socioeconomic deprivation for individuals (USiDep).

Background: Individuals experiencing socioeconomic deprivation consistently demonstrate poorer physical and mental health. Income alone is inadequate as a measure of socioeconomic status (SES); a better measure for assessing the deprivation status of individuals is needed.

Methods: The New Zealand Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation for Individuals, a validated, eight-item measure of deprivation, was modified to create the United States Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation for Individuals (USiDep).

Lithium in the treatment of acute bipolar depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate lithium in the treatment of acute bipolar depression.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review for: 1) cross-over or parallel-group design studies comparing lithium response in bipolar versus unipolar depressed patients, and 2) parallel group studies of bipolar depressed patients comparing lithium versus placebo or other psychotropics. Meta-analyses using response rate as the primary outcome were conducted to evaluate lithium's efficacy.

Psychiatry Residency Directors' Attitudes Toward and Uses of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation and Other Potential Tools for Residency Selection.

Objective: A survey was conducted to determine US psychiatry residency directors' attitudes regarding current measures of medical student performance and their preferences for the future.

Methods: A team of psychiatry medical student educators and residency program directors developed a 23-question survey. In July 2021, links to the survey were sent out to all program directors registered with the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training.

A randomized controlled trial of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and fear extinction retention in healthy adults.

Background: Fear conditioning and extinction are well-characterized cross-species models of fear-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and recent animal data suggest that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) enhances fear extinction retention.

Aims: This study investigated the effect of MDMA on fear learning, extinction training, and retention in healthy humans.

Methods: The study involved a randomized placebo-controlled, two-group, parallel design trial in a sample of healthy adults, age 21-55 recruited from a major metropolitan area.

Innovations in Psychopharmacology Education in U.S. Psychiatric Residency Programs.

Medications available to treat psychiatric illnesses continue to increase, in conjunction with a shifting of outpatient psychiatric practice from psychotherapy toward medication management. To be successful in this climate, a psychiatrist needs to select the appropriate pharmacologic option(s) for their patient, drawing from old and new psychotropics while accounting for variables such as a patient's comorbid medical conditions and potential drug-drug interactions. In the absence of any national psychopharmacology training guidelines, these skills are taught to varying degrees in American psychiatric residency training programs.

Establishing Evidence for Clinical Utility of a Neuroimaging Biomarker in Major Depressive Disorder: Prospective Testing and Implementation Challenges.

Background: Although a number of neuroimaging biomarkers for response have been proposed, none have been tested prospectively for direct effects on treatment outcomes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective test of the clinical utility of the use of an imaging biomarker to select treatment for patients with major depressive disorder.

Methods: Eligible participants (n = 60) had a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder and were assigned to either escitalopram or cognitive behavioral therapy based on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography activity in the right anterior insula.

Dry Those Crying Eyes: The Role of Depression and Antidepressants in Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose/background: Several clinic-based and large population studies have associated a depression diagnosis or depression severity with dry eye disease (DED) or symptoms. On the other hand, several other large population studies have found that antidepressant use was also associated with DED. Unfortunately, many of the studies finding associations between depression and DED did not control for concomitant antidepressant use, whereas the ones that found associations between antidepressant use and DED did not control for severity of depression or other psychiatric indications for selective serotonin inhibitor use.

Resources and Workforce in Top-Tier Psychiatric Hospitals in China: A Nationwide Survey.

Mental healthcare has gained momentum and significant attention in China over the past three decades. However, many challenges still exist. This survey aimed to investigate mental health resources and the psychiatric workforce in representative top-tier psychiatric hospitals in China.

Efficacy of Vortioxetine Monotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Purpose/background: There are few efficacious pharmacological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many patients fail to benefit from existing treatments. Vortioxetine, a recently developed antidepressant, acts as a serotonin modulator through inhibition of the serotonin transporter and actions at multiple types of serotonin receptors. Its unique pharmacodynamic profile suggests it may have efficacy for the treatment of PTSD.

Six versus twelve weeks of Swedish massage therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Preliminary findings.

Acute treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder often requires 3 months or more of care in order to optimize response. As part of an exploratory grant we have previously demonstrated that six weeks of twice-weekly Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) was more effective than an active control in decreasing Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale Scores (HAM-A). An additional goal of this project was to determine if an additional six weeks of twice-weekly SMT led to greater clinical and statistical benefit.

Cigarette Smoking, Health-Related Behaviors, and Burnout Among Mental Health Professionals in China: A Nationwide Survey.

Objectives: Mental health professionals (MHPs) play an important role in treating patients with nicotine addiction. However, data on MHPs' cigarette smoking habits are scarce. This survey aimed to collect such data and to examine the correlates of smoking among MHPs working in China.

Psychiatric inpatient beds for youths in China: data from a nation-wide survey.

Background: The development of child psychiatric services in China has been slow and very limited resources have been allocated to support its growth. This study set out to investigate the child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric resources currently available in top-tier psychiatric hospitals in China and the characteristics of youth patients hospitalized on an adult unit.

Methods: As part of an official national survey, 29 provincial tertiary psychiatric hospitals in China were selected.

A Virtual Standardized Patient-Based Assessment Tool to Evaluate Psychiatric Residents' Psychopharmacology Proficiency.

Objectives: A virtual standardized patient-based assessment simulator was developed to address biases and practical limitations in existing methods for evaluating residents' proficiency in psychopharmacological knowledge and practice.

Methods: The simulator was designed to replicate an outpatient psychiatric clinic experience. The virtual patient reported symptoms of a treatment-resistant form of major depressive disorder (MDD), requiring the learner to use various antidepressants in order for the patient to fully remit.

Millennials in Psychiatry: Exploring Career Choice Factors in Generation Y Psychiatry Interns.

Objective: There is a national shortage of psychiatrists. To grow the workforce, educators must understand the factors that influence the choice of psychiatry as a specialty for medical students in the Generation Y cohort.

Methods: Psychiatry residents born between 1981 and 2000 were recruited from six psychiatry training programs across the USA and were interviewed in the fall of their first year.