Misdiagnosis of Psychosis and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in a Young Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction and the presence of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Making a first diagnosis of ASD in adults has certain difficulties, including inaccurate recall of developmental history and overlapping behaviors with other psychiatric conditions. This case study presents a young man who was assessed to have no major mental illness during his first visit to emergency services in a psychiatric hospital.

Adult neurodevelopmental services in Singapore: A sociodemographic and clinical profile at a tertiary psychiatric hospital.

Introduction: The Adult Neurodevelopmental Service in Singapore is the first service of its kind in South-East Asia for adults with intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, few studies have documented and compared the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical needs of this subpopulation group.

Methods: Initial assessments conducted from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed for this descriptive study.

The Mental Health Trigger Tool: Development and Testing of a Specialized Trigger Tool for Mental Health Settings.

Objective: Tools generally used in measuring patient safety incidents in general healthcare settings are not considered suitable for mental health settings. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a specialized trigger tool for mental health settings that could detect both traditionally defined adverse events (AEs) and other mental health-related patient safety incidents (MHPSIs).

Methods: We first defined and categorized AEs and MHPSIs based on existing literature and then developed a trigger list, initially consisting of 50 items, which was subsequently reduced to 25 items after a pilot study.

General Practitioners' Perceptions on Clinical Management and Training Needs regarding the Healthcare of Community-Dwelling People with Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Survey in Singapore.

Background: Studies worldwide indicate that people with intellectual disability have high risks of physical and mental morbidities, and poor quality of health care. This study was aimed at determining general practitioners' perceptions on barriers in clinical assessment and training needs with regard to the healthcare of community-dwelling people with intellectual disability.

Methods: A survey questionnaire was developed specifically for the study through focus group discussions and a literature review.

Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intractable Challenging Behaviors Associated With Symptoms of Catatonia.

Background: There are several reports of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) used in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of catatonic symptoms. We describe response to ECT in two adults with ASD and intellectual disability with intractable aggression and self-injurious behaviors associated with catatonic symptoms who had not responded to standard interventions.

Method: Unilateral ECT at a frequency of 3 times a week was given followed by weekly maintenance ECT.