Hypersexuality and couple relationships in bipolar disorder: A review.

Background: Although change in sexual behavior is recognized as an integral part of bipolar disorder, most of the relevant literature on sexual issues in patients with this illness concerns medication side effects and does not differentiate bipolar disorder from other serious mental disorders. Surprisingly, little has been published on mania-induced hypersexuality and the effects of mood cycling on couple relationships. In this review, we examine the extant literature on both of these subjects and propose a framework for future research.

The Patient Assessment Questionnaire: initial validation of a measure of treatment effectiveness for patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Investigation of patients' subjective perspective regarding the effectiveness - as opposed to efficacy - of antipsychotic medication has been hampered by a relative shortage of self-report measures of global clinical outcome. This paper presents data supporting the feasibility, inter-item consistency, and construct validity of the Patient Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ)-a self-report measure of psychiatric symptoms, medication side effects and general wellbeing, ultimately intended to assess effectiveness of interventions for schizophrenia-spectrum patients. The original 53-item instrument was developed by a multidisciplinary team which utilized brainstorming sessions for item generation and content analysis, patient focus groups, and expert panel reviews.

Disparities in diagnosis of bipolar disorder in individuals of African and European descent: a review.

Background: Over the past 3 decades, a wide range of studies in the United States and the United Kingdom has reported that white individuals are more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar and affective disorders, whereas black individuals appear to be at higher risk for schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses. Despite the pressing need for strategies aimed at eliminating racial and cultural disparities in diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder, no systematic review of the existing literature in this area has been done. This study draws together the disparate strands of information in a comprehensive overview of the research base in this area.

Investigating the relationship between sexual and chemical addictions by comparing executive function in subjects with pedophilia or opiate addiction and healthy controls.

Disorders of driven sexual behavior have been conceptualized as sexual addictions. In the following study, we compared 51 subjects with pedophilia, 53 subjects with opiate addiction, and 84 healthy control subjects on neuropsychological tests that tap executive functions. The test battery included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Color-Word Test, the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT), Porteus Mazes, Controlled Word Association (COWA), and Trailmaking Test.

Ensuring research competency in psychiatric residency training.

Objective: This article discusses the importance of research training in psychiatric residency programs and makes recommendations for enhancement.

Methods: The authors examine the literature detailing the shortage of psychiatrist-researchers and the limitations of research training during residency. The authors then describe the Psychiatrists Acquiring Research Training (PART) program at Beth Israel Medical Center that attempts to address this problem.

Predictors of relapse in bipolar disorder: A review.

Introduction: Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the United States. Moreover, repeated episodes and non-responsiveness to treatment continue to present a significant problem, and little is known about the factors that may precipitate relapse. This article reviews the available literature on predictors of bipolar relapse.