Understanding effect size: an international online survey among psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians from other medical specialities, dentists and other health professionals.

Background And Objective: Various ways exist to display the effectiveness of medical treatment options. This study examined various psychiatric, medical and allied professionals' understanding and perceived usefulness of eight effect size indices for presenting both dichotomous and continuous outcome data.

Methods: We surveyed 1316 participants from 13 countries using an online questionnaire.

Relapse in clinically stable adult patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: evidence-based criteria derived by equipercentile linking and diagnostic test accuracy meta-analysis.

Background: There is no consensus on defining relapse in schizophrenia, and scale-derived criteria with unclear clinical relevance are widely used. We aimed to develop an evidence-based scale-derived set of criteria to define relapse in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Methods: We searched the Yale University Open Data Access (YODA) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in clinically stable adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, and obtained individual participant data on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression Severity (CGI-S), Personal and Social Performance (PSP), and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS).

The relationship between blood-brain barrier dysfunction and neurocognitive impairments in first-episode psychosis: findings from a retrospective chart analysis.

Background: Even before the onset of psychotic symptoms, individuals with schizophrenia display cognitive impairments. Simultaneously, increasing amounts of individuals exhibit dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the impact of BBB dysfunction on neurocognitive impairment in people with first-episode psychosis has not yet been investigated.

Antipsychotic drugs and their effects on cognitive function: protocol for a systematic review, pairwise, and network meta-analysis.

Background: There is evidence that antipsychotic drugs differ in their effect on the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. So far, there is no comprehensive systematic review available that would enable providers and patients to make informed choices regarding this important aspect of treatment. With a large number of substances available, conventional pairwise meta-analyses will not be sufficient to inform this choice.

Neurocognitive Deficits in First-Episode and Chronic Psychotic Disorders: A Systematic Review from 2009 to 2022.

Cognitive impairment in patients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders has been discussed as a strong predictor for multiple disease outcome variables, such as response to psychotherapy, stable relationships, employment, and longevity. However, the consistency and severity of cognitive deficits across multiple domains in individuals with first-episode and chronic psychotic disorders is still undetermined. We provide a comprehensive overview of primary research from the years 2009 to 2022.

Neurocognitive deficits in depression: a systematic review of cognitive impairment in the acute and remitted state.

Previous research suggests a broad range of deficits in major depressive disorder. Our goal was to update the current assumptions and investigate the extent of cognitive impairment in depression in the acute and remitted state. A systematic review of the existing literature between 2009 and 2019 assessing the risk of bias within the included studies was performed.

How Efficacious Are Antipsychotic Drugs for Schizophrenia? An Interpretation Based on 13 Effect Size Indices.

Background: The magnitude of the superiority of antipsychotics over placebo is debated. One reason is that the effect-size index which is usually used in meta-analyses is in standard deviation units. Many other indices, some of which are more intuitive, exist.

Atypical dyskinesias under treatment with antipsychotic drugs: Report from the AMSP multicenter drug safety project.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe atypical dyskinesias (AtypDs) occurring during treatment with antipsychotic drugs (APDs). AtypDs are dyskinesias showing either an unusual temporal relationship between onset of treatment and start of the adverse drug reaction (ADR) or an unusual presentation of clinical symptoms.

Methods: Data on the utilisation of APDs and reports of severe APD-induced AtypDs were collected using data from the observational pharmacovigilance programme - 'Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (English: drug safety in psychiatry)' (AMSP) - from 1993 to 2016.

Sex differences in pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder: results from the AMSP pharmacovigilance program from 2001 to 2017.

Data on drug prescription for outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) suggest women are more likely to be treated with psychotropic drugs, while data on sex differences regarding pharmacological treatment of psychiatric inpatients are currently not available. Drug utilization data from the program "Drug Safety in Psychiatry" (German: Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie, AMSP) of 44,418 psychiatric inpatients with MDD were analyzed for sex differences between 2001 and 2017. Sex differences were analyzed using relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Time trends in pharmacological treatment of major depressive disorder: Results from the AMSP Pharmacovigilance Program from 2001-2017.

Background: Currently available data on the prescription practice among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) reflect the outpatient setting. This is the first study to provide information on time trends of psychotropic drug utilization in psychiatric inpatients.

Method: Data stems from German-speaking psychiatric hospitals collected by the program "Drug Safety in Psychiatry" (Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie, AMSP) between 2001 and 2017.

Severe drug-induced liver injury in patients under treatment with antipsychotic drugs: Data from the AMSP study.

Objectives: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) has been associated with various antipsychotic drugs (APDs). Comparative studies between individual APDs are largely not available.

Methods: Antipsychotic drug utilisation data and reports of severe antipsychotic DILI were assessed by using data from an observational pharmacovigilance programme-Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP)-during the period 1993-2016.

Personality Traits in Marathon Runners and Sedentary Controls With MMPI-2-RF.

Background: Endurance exercise in general and marathon running in particular have become increasingly popular over the past decades. Recent investigations about personality structures in this cohort and comparisons to non-active cohorts are lacking.

Methods: In the ReCaP study (Running effects on Cognition and Plasticity), a total of 100 marathon runners and 46 sedentary controls were recruited.

Severe parkinsonism under treatment with antipsychotic drugs.

The aim of the study was to assess rates of severe parkinsonism related to different antipsychotic drugs (APDs) using data from an observational pharmacovigilance programme in German-speaking countries-Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP). Data on APD utilization and reports of severe APD-induced parkinsonism were collected in 99 psychiatric hospitals in Austria, Germany and Switzerland during the period 2001-2016. Of 340,099 patients under surveillance, 245,958 patients were treated with APDs for the main indications of schizophrenic disorders, depression, mania and organic mental disorders.

Translating the BDI and BDI-II into the HAMD and vice versa with equipercentile linking.

Aims: The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) are the most frequently used observer-rated and self-report scales of depression, respectively. It is important to know what a given total score or a change score from baseline on one scale means in relation to the other scale.

Methods: We obtained individual participant data from the randomised controlled trials of psychological and pharmacological treatments for major depressive disorders.

Seizure rates under treatment with antipsychotic drugs: Data from the AMSP project.

The study aimed to assess seizure rates related to different antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in a clinical setting using data from the drug safety programme Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP). Psychotropic drug use data and reports of APD-related seizures were collected in 89 psychiatric hospitals in Austria, Germany and Switzerland from 1993 to 2015. Of 475,096 patients under surveillance, 320,383 patients were treated with APDs for the main indications of schizophrenic disorders, mood disorders and organic disorders.

Birth Order and Maternal Age for Reported Cases of Severe Prenatal Cortical Hyperostosis (Caffey–Silverman Disease).

The spectrum of prenatal cortical hyperostosis includes a mild phenotype that typically presents after 35 weeks of gestation, and a severe form that presents earlier. The skeletal and systemic manifestations of the severe phenotype remain unexplained. A review of reported cases indicates that older mothers and firstborn infants are overrepresented.

Translating the HAM-D into the MADRS and vice versa with equipercentile linking.

Background: The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) are scales used frequently to rate the symptoms of depression. There are many situations in which it is important to know what a given total score or a percent reduction from baseline score of one scale means in relation to the other scale.

Method: We used the equipercentile linking method to identify corresponding scores of simultaneous HAM-D and MADRS ratings in 4388 patients from 31 mirtazapine trials in major depressive disorder.

Use and safety of antiepileptic drugs in psychiatric inpatients-data from the AMSP study.

The psychiatric utilization patterns and risks of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were assessed by using data from the drug safety programme Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie over the time period 1993-2013. In a total of 432,215 patients, the main indications for AED use were acute mania, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenic and organic psychoses. Valproic acid (VPA) was the most common substance across all of those groups, reaching administration rates of up to 50% since 2005, at which time carbamazepine (CBZ) administration consistently dropped below a rate of 10%.

What does the MADRS mean? Equipercentile linking with the CGI using a company database of mirtazapine studies.

Background: Little is known about the clinical relevance of the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total scores. It is unclear how total scores translate into clinical severity, or how commonly used measures for response (reduction from baseline of ≥50% in the total score) translate into clinical relevance. Moreover, MADRS based definitions of remission vary.

Empirical correlates for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form in a German inpatient sample.

We identified empirical correlates for the 42 substantive scales of the German language version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF): Higher Order, Restructured Clinical, Specific Problem, Interest, and revised Personality Psychopathology Five scales. We collected external validity data by means of a 177-item chart review form in a sample of 488 psychiatric inpatients of a German university hospital. We structured our findings along the interpretational guidelines for the MMPI-2-RF and compared them with the validity data published in the tables of the MMPI-2-RF Technical Manual.

Efficacy and Safety of Antidepressants Added to Antipsychotics for Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The authors examined the safety and efficacy of antidepressants added to antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Method: Multiple databases and previous publications were searched through June 2015 to identify all randomized controlled trials of any add-on antidepressants compared with placebo or no-treatment in schizophrenia. Depressive and negative symptoms (primary outcomes), overall symptoms, positive symptoms, side effects, exacerbation of psychosis, and responder rates were examined.

EEG correlates of visual short-term memory as neuro-cognitive endophenotypes of ADHD.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently persists into adulthood. A reduction in visual short-term memory (vSTM) storage capacity was recently suggested as a potential neuro-cognitive endophenotype, i.e.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder--A question of conscience? An fMRI study of behavioural and neurofunctional correlates of shame and guilt.

Shame and guilt can be described as 'self-conscious emotions' and are an essential part of the psychopathology in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Our primary aim was to explore whether individuals with OCD are processing shame and guilt differently from healthy individuals (N = 20 in both groups; 50% female; age: 20-40 years) on the behavioural and neurobiological level. For the experimental task, participants were scanned with functional magnetic resonance tomography (functional magnetic resonance imaging, 3 T) while imagining neutral, shame inducing and guilt inducing scenarios.

Perphenazine versus low-potency first-generation antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia.

Background: Antipsychotic drugs are the core treatment for schizophrenia. Treatment guidelines state that there is no difference in efficacy between the various first-generation antipsychotics, however, low-potency first-generation antipsychotic drugs are sometimes perceived as less efficacious than high-potency first-generation compounds by clinicians, and they also seem to differ in their side effects.

Objectives: To review the effects of high-potency, first-generation perphenazine compared with low-potency, first-generation antipsychotic drugs for people with schizophrenia.