The Psychosocial Assessment of Transplant Candidates: Internal Consistency, Interrater Reliability, and Content Validity of the Thai Version of the Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT-Thai Version).

Background: Standardized pretransplant psychosocial assessment is critically needed in Thailand to optimize medical and psychosocial outcomes after transplantation. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT) is a comprehensive and evidence-based tool that has demonstrated excellent reliability and predictive value in many psychosocial transplant studies. We translated the SIPAT into Thai and explored the validity and reliability of the SIPAT-Thai version among Thai transplant recipients.

Valproic Acid for Treatment of Hyperactive or Mixed Delirium: Rationale and Literature Review.

Background: Delirium is the most often encountered psychiatric diagnosis in the general hospital, with an incidence of up to 82% in the intensive care unit setting and with significant detrimental effects on patients' morbidity and mortality. Antipsychotics are often considered the first-line pharmacological treatment of delirium, but their use may be limited by lack of efficacy, existing contraindications (e.g.

The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation: A Prospective Study of Medical and Psychosocial Outcomes.

Background: Psychosocial factors may significantly affect post-transplant outcomes. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT) was developed as an assessment tool to enhance the pre-transplant psychosocial evaluation.

Methods: We identified heart, lung, liver, or kidney transplant recipients assessed with the SIPAT pre-transplantation and transplanted between June 1, 2008, and July 31, 2011, at our institution.

Prospective Validation Study of the Prediction of Alcohol Withdrawal Severity Scale (PAWSS) in Medically Ill Inpatients: A New Scale for the Prediction of Complicated Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.

Aims: The prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among hospitalized medically ill patients exceeds 40%. Most AUD patients experience uncomplicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), requiring only supportive medical intervention, while complicated AWS occurs in up to 20% of cases (i.e.

Adjunctive Valproic Acid in Management-Refractory Hyperactive Delirium: A Case Series and Rationale.

Patients with delirium may fail to respond to standard therapies. Sixteen patients with management-refractory hyperactive delirium responded to adjunctive valproic acid, with complete resolution of hyperactive delirium in 13 cases. A rationale for using valproic acid in such circumstances is discussed.

Epigenetics of depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is associated with poor psychological, medical, and socioeconomic outcomes. Although much has been learned about the etiology and treatment options of MDD over the past decade, there remain unanswered questions that pose challenges to improving acute and chronic outcomes for those with MDD. MDD is a clinically heterogeneous disorder.

Recommendations for training psychiatry residents in psychosomatic medicine.

Background: The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandates that residents in psychiatry training programs learn to provide psychiatric consultation to other medical and surgical services. The ACGME, however, offers little information to instruct academic faculty and institutions to what constitutes a quality educational experience in psychosomatic medicine/consultation-liaison psychiatry for the resident trainee.

Methods: These recommendations were developed through a collaborative process between educators in C-L psychiatry and members of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine's Residency Education Subcommittee.

The "Prediction of Alcohol Withdrawal Severity Scale" (PAWSS): systematic literature review and pilot study of a new scale for the prediction of complicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Background: To date, no screening tools for alcohol withdrawal syndromes (AWS) have been validated in the medically ill. Although several tools quantify the severity of AWS (e.g.

The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT): a new tool for the psychosocial evaluation of pre-transplant candidates.

Background: While medical criteria have been well established for each end-organ system, psychosocial listing criteria are less standardized. To address this limitation, we developed and tested a new assessment tool: the Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplantation (SIPAT).

Methods: The SIPAT was developed from a comprehensive review of the literature on the psychosocial factors that impact transplant outcomes.

The impact of depression in heart disease.

Depression and heart disease affect millions of people worldwide. Studies have shown that depression is a significant risk factor for new heart disease and that it increases morbidity and mortality in established heart disease. Many hypothesized and studied mechanisms have linked depression and heart disease, including serotonergic pathway and platelet dysfunction, inflammation, autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis imbalance, and psychosocial factors.

Neurocognitive impairment and psychiatric comorbidity in well-controlled human immunodeficiency virus-infected Thais from the 2NN Cohort Study.

This research is a cross-sectional study to determine the frequency of neurocognitive impairment and psychiatric comorbidity among Thais maintained on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with undetectable plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA in the 2NN Cohort. Sixty-four subjects were evaluated with neurological examinations, neuropsychological testing, and psychiatric questionnaires. Twenty-four subjects (37.

Psychiatric aspects of chronic lung disease.

Chronic lung diseases continue to be common and cause significant morbidity and mortality. There is a complex interplay between psychiatric issues and pulmonary diseases. This review aims to summarize the recent literature and advances involving psychiatric aspects of lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, restrictive lung disease, and cystic fibrosis.

Effects of progressive muscle relaxation training on anxiety and depression in patients enrolled in an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program.

Background: This prospective, randomized controlled trial examined the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training on anxiety and depression in patients with chronic breathing disorders receiving pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).

Methods: Eighty-three subjects with chronic breathing disorders entering the 8-week PR program were randomly assigned to a standard care or intervention group. The standard program included 2 days per week of exercise, education and psychosocial support delivered by a multidisciplinary team.

Interface of Women's Mental and Reproductive Health.

The interface of women's reproductive and mental health is an evolving area of psychiatric practice, necessitating familiarity with psychobiological factors unique to women. The role of estrogen in particular has profound implications for the etiology and treatment of women's psychiatric illness, and has been reviewed along with the role of other hormones. Additionally, the stress of specific life events such as miscarriage, abortion, and menopause affects female mental health from a biological and psychosocial standpoint with the potential for secondary mood and anxiety disorders.