National Institute of Mental Health Support for Cognitive Treatment Development in Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review.

For several decades the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has supported basic and translational research into cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. This article describes the Institute's ongoing commitment to cognitive assessment and intervention research, as reflected by three signature initiatives-Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia; Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia; and Research Domain Criteria-and related funding announcements that span basic experimental studies, efficacy and comparative effectiveness trials, and implementation research designed to promote cognitive healthcare in real-world treatment settings. We discuss how trends in science and public health policy since the early 2000s have influenced NIMH treatment development activities, resulting in greater attention to (1) inclusive teams that reflect end-user perspectives on the utility of proposed studies; (2) measurement of discrete neurocognitive processes to inform targeted interventions; (3) clinical trials that produce useful information about putative illness mechanisms, promising treatment targets, and downstream clinical effects; and (4) "productive urgency" in pursuing feasible and effective cognitive interventions for psychosis.

Trends in Children's Mental Health Services Research Funding: Response to Hoagwood and Colleagues' Commentary.

In their recent JAACAP Commentary, Hoagwood et al. examined data extracted from the National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT) and concluded there has been a decrease in National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funding for child and adolescent services and intervention research during the 10-year period from 2005 to 2015. They eloquently argued for the importance of research that can guide practice and inform the organization and delivery of children's mental health services in the current context of unmet need and the state of mental health service delivery.

Twelve-Month Health Care Use and Mortality in Commercially Insured Young People With Incident Psychosis in the United States.

Objective: To assess 12-month mortality and patterns of outpatient and inpatient treatment among young people experiencing an incident episode of psychosis in the United States.

Method: Prospective observational analysis of a population-based cohort of commercially insured individuals aged 16-30 receiving a first observed (index) diagnosis of psychosis in 2008-2009. Data come from the US Department of Health and Human Services' Multi-Payer Claims Database Pilot.

Functional Capacity Assessed by the Map Task in Individuals at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis.

Objectives: Recent studies have recognized that signs of functional disability in schizophrenia are evident in early phases of the disorder, and, as a result, can potentially serve as vulnerability markers of future illness. However, functional measures in the psychosis prodrome have focused exclusively on real-world achievements, rather than on the skills required to carry-out a particular real-world function (ie, capacity). Despite growing evidence that diminished capacity is critical to the etiology of the established disorder, virtually no attention has been directed towards assessing functional capacity in the pre-illness stages.

Comprehensive Versus Usual Community Care for First-Episode Psychosis: 2-Year Outcomes From the NIMH RAISE Early Treatment Program.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to compare the impact of NAVIGATE, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, team-based treatment approach for first-episode psychosis designed for implementation in the U.S. health care system, with community care on quality of life.

Specificity of Incident Diagnostic Outcomes in Patients at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis.

It is not well established whether the incident outcomes of the clinical high-risk (CHR) syndrome for psychosis are diagnostically specific for psychosis or whether CHR patients also are at elevated risk for a variety of nonpsychotic disorders. We collected 2 samples (NAPLS-1, PREDICT) that contained CHR patients and a control group who responded to CHR recruitment efforts but did not meet CHR criteria on interview (help-seeking comparison patients [HSC]). Incident diagnostic outcomes were defined as the occurrence of a SIPS-defined psychosis or a structured interview diagnosis from 1 of 3 nonpsychotic Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) groups (anxiety, bipolar, or nonbipolar mood disorder), when no diagnosis in that group was present at baseline.

Duration of Untreated Psychosis in Community Treatment Settings in the United States.

Objective: This study is the first to examine duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) among persons receiving care in community mental health centers in the United States.

Methods: Participants were 404 individuals (ages 15-40) who presented for treatment for first-episode psychosis at 34 nonacademic clinics in 21 states. DUP and individual- and site-level variables were measured.

Stress exposure and sensitivity in the clinical high-risk syndrome: initial findings from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS).

There is inconsistent evidence for increased stress exposure among individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. Yet similar to patients with a diagnosed psychotic illness, the preponderance of evidence suggests that CHR individuals tend to experience stressful life events (LE) and daily hassles (DH) as more subjectively stressful than healthy individuals. The present study utilizes data from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study Phase 2 (NAPLS-2) to test the hypotheses that (1) CHR individuals manifest higher self-reported stress in response to both LE and DH when compared to healthy controls (HC), (2) group differences in self-reported stress increase with age, (3) baseline self-reported stress is associated with follow-up clinical status, and (4) there is a sensitization effect of LE on the response to DH.

Informed consent in the psychosis prodrome: ethical, procedural and cultural considerations.

Research focused on the prodromal period prior to the onset of psychosis is essential for the further development of strategies for early detection, early intervention, and disease pre-emption. Such efforts necessarily require the enrollment of individuals who are at risk of psychosis but have not yet developed a psychotic illness into research and treatment protocols. This work is becoming increasingly internationalized, which warrants special consideration of cultural differences in conceptualization of mental illness and international differences in health care practices and rights regarding research participation.

Developing constructs for psychopathology research: research domain criteria.

There exists a divide between findings from integrative neuroscience and clinical research focused on mechanisms of psychopathology. Specifically, a clear correspondence does not emerge between clusters of complex clinical symptoms and dysregulated neurobiological systems, with many apparent redundancies. For instance, many mental disorders involve multiple disruptions in putative mechanistic factors (e.

Person-centered psychiatric care: a tribute to Wayne S. Fenton, MD.

Wayne S. Fenton, MD, was an accomplished psychiatric researcher, but his colleagues knew him as an equally talented clinician. This memorial recognizes the personal qualities and professional skills that endeared Wayne Fenton to hundreds of mentally ill persons he treated over the course of his professional career.

Overcoming barriers to research in early serious mental illness: issues for future collaboration.

Several methodological barriers impede discovery of early illness pathways in schizophrenia, including small samples, elongated study periods, and failure to integrate procedures and data across prodromal and first episode projects. A compounding factor is the tendency for single-site studies to focus narrowly on schizophrenia risk factors, rather than exploring vulnerability mechanisms that may cut across DSM-IV boundaries. To address these concerns, we discuss the merits of an integrated multisite approach to research that promotes large-scale investigation into the earliest phases of serious mental illness.

Improving medication compliance of a patient with schizophrenia through collaborative behavioral therapy.

Introduction by the column editors: Numerous factors influence a patient's decision to accept or reject prescribed medications, including the patient's personal values, environmental conditions, and the quality of the patient-physician relationship (1). Guidelines for evaluating and managing noncompliance with medication regimens by patients with schizophrenia take this multidimensional perspective into account, emphasizing functional assessment of nonadherence behaviors and individualized behavior-change strategies to secure and maintain the patient's cooperation (2). Moreover, a collaborative approach to planning pharmacotherapy is required to ensure medication compliance, with a particular emphasis on linking the positive effects of medications with the patient's personal goals and desires for better functioning and quality of life (3).