Specific Associations Between Type of Childhood Abuse and Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Young Adult Psychiatric Rehabilitation Participants.

Background: Early-life adversity such as childhood emotional, physical, and sexual trauma is associated with later-life psychiatric and chronic medical conditions, including elevated inflammatory markers. Although previous research suggests a role for chronic inflammatory dysfunctions in several disease etiologies, specific associations between childhood trauma types and later-life inflammation and health status are poorly understood.

Methods: We studied patients (n = 280) admitted to a psychiatric rehabilitation center.

Training engagement, baseline cognitive functioning, and cognitive gains with computerized cognitive training: A cross-diagnostic study.

Computerized cognitive training (CCT) interventions are increasing in their use in outpatient mental health settings. These interventions have demonstrated efficacy for improving functional outcomes when combined with rehabilitation interventions. It has recently been suggested that patients with more cognitive impairment have a greater therapeutic response and that reduced engagement in training can identify cases who manifest low levels of benefit from treatment.

Measuring and Facilitating Client Engagement with Financial Incentives: Implications for Improving Clinical Outcomes in a Mental Health Setting.

Significant numbers of individuals with severe mental illnesses are difficult to engage in treatment services, presenting challenges for care. To be able to assess the relationship between engagement and discharge outcomes, we modified the "Milestones of Recovery Scale". This scale was modified for content to match the current clinical setting, evaluated for inter-rater reliability after modification in a sample of 233 cases receiving psychiatric rehabilitation, and then was administered to 423 additional psychiatric rehabilitation clients over a 24-month study period.

Parental relationships and behavioral approach system dysregulation in young adults with bipolar disorder.

Objectives: Expressed emotion (EE), or the presence of criticism/hostility/emotional overinvolvement in a family relationship, predicts poorer outcomes in bipolar disorder; however, the mechanism of this is unclear. The present study investigated whether, in a sample of young adults (aged 18-40 years) with bipolar disorder, parental criticism was associated with Behavioral Approach System (BAS) dysregulation, including emotional reactivity to negative feedback and cognitive schemas of self-criticism/perfectionism.

Method: Twenty-two young adults with bipolar I disorder and 22 matched control participants completed an interview, questionnaires, and a computer-based task with false negative feedback; emotional reactivity to this feedback was assessed.

Systematic Study of Structured Diagnostic Procedures in Outpatient Psychiatric Rehabilitation: A Three-year, Three-cohort Study of the Stability of Psychiatric Diagnoses.

Background. Psychiatric diagnoses are important for treatment planning. There are a number of current challenges in the area of psychiatric diagnosis with important treatment implications.

Developing a modern standard to define and assess professionalism in trainees.

Objective: Assessing professionalism in medical education poses many challenges. The authors discuss common themes and principles in managing professionalism in medical education.

Methods: The authors review the development of standards of professionalism in medical education.

Key features of a unique community psychiatry fellowship: the emory university fellowship in community psychiatry/public health.

The Emory University Fellowship in Community Psychiatry/Public Health is a unique training opportunity whose mission is to train future leaders in the arena of community psychiatry. To complement the recent description of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship of New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center, this report describes the key features of Emory's fellowship-its academic curriculum, practicum experiences, site visits and other opportunities for collaboration, and ongoing mentoring and career development. Congruencies between these four key features and the seven core elements of Columbia's fellowship are highlighted, as are several important differences.

Brief reports: crisis intervention team training: changes in knowledge, attitudes, and stigma related to schizophrenia.

Objective: Crisis intervention team (CIT) training provides police officers with knowledge and skills to improve their responses to individuals with mental illnesses. This study determined changes in knowledge, attitudes, and social distance related to schizophrenia among police officers after CIT training.

Methods: A survey was administered to 159 officers immediately before and after a 40-hour CIT training program in Georgia.

Incorporating community mental health into local bioterrorism response planning: experiences from the DeKalb County Board of Health.

Following a brief introduction to response planning for terrorism and other disasters, the authors present their experiences in developing a grassroots, interdisciplinary group charged with incorporating a mental health response component into the bioterrorism response plan for the metropolitan Atlanta area. This group was organized and supported by the Center for Public Health Preparedness at the DeKalb County Board of Health. Various viewpoints of key participating agencies are presented.