Multi-disciplinary Psychiatric Case Management Model in Hong Kong: Service Coverage and Risk Stratification.

Introduction: Community mental health services in Hong Kong follow a multi-disciplinary case management model. We investigated whether at-risk patients received higher intensity care and whether risk stratification concorded between personalised care programmes and integrated community centres of mental wellness.

Methods: Records of all patients in North Lantau and Mongkok districts who received case management services (from personalised care programmes and/or integrated community centres of mental wellness) between 1 April 2014 and 30 June 2015 were reviewed.

Patients' Reports of Traumatic Experience and Posttraumatic Stress in Psychiatric Settings.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of traumatic experience (TE) among patients in psychiatric settings in Hong Kong and the associations between TE and levels of distress and anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Methods: 129 patients who have received inpatient psychiatric services were recruited. Their lifetime TE was assessed using the Life Event Checklist (LEC), and TE in psychiatric settings using the Psychiatric Experiences Questionnaire (PEQ).

Validation and extension of the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self Report (MAP-SR) across the schizophrenia spectrum in the Chinese context.

Background: Developed based on the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS), the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self Report (MAP-SR) was designed to address the conceptual and psychometric limitations of other instruments assessing negative symptoms. We sought to validate and extend the applicability of the MAP-SR in the Chinese context across the schizophrenia spectrum.

Methods: Three samples, including college students, individuals with social anhedonia and patients with schizophrenia, were recruited.

Associations between demographic factors and psychological distress among Chinese residents in Hong Kong: beyond socioeconomic classes.

Most studies highlighted the association between psychological distress and socioeconomic status (SES). There were weaker explanations for distress found in the middle classes, especially in Asian countries. We conducted a questionnaire survey with 1626 adult Chinese primary-care attenders from 13 private and 6 public clinics in different districts of Hong Kong.

Moment-to-moment dynamics between auditory verbal hallucinations and negative affect and the role of beliefs about voices.

Background: Negative affect (NA) has been suggested to be both an antecedent and a consequence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH). Furthermore, negative appraisals of voices have been theorized to contribute to the maintenance of AVH. Using the experience sampling method (ESM), this study examined the bi-directional relationship between NA and AVH, and the moderating effect of negative beliefs about voices.

Pulmonary Embolism as a Cause of Death in Psychiatric Inpatients: a Case Series.

We report four cases of fatal pulmonary embolism confirmed by autopsy among inpatients in a Hong Kong psychiatric hospital from 2010 to 2014. None of the four patients had a medical or premorbid condition associated with vascular thromboembolism or causing prolonged immobilisation. Only two patients were taking long-term antipsychotic medication, but all were physically restrained shortly before the event.

Abnormal cognitive effort allocation and its association with amotivation in first-episode psychosis.

Background: Abnormal effort-based decision-making represents a potential mechanism underlying motivational deficits (amotivation) in psychotic disorders. Previous research identified effort allocation impairment in chronic schizophrenia and focused mostly on physical effort modality. No study has investigated cognitive effort allocation in first-episode psychosis (FEP).

New Service Model for Common Mental Disorders in Hong Kong: a Retrospective Outcome Study.

Objective: To review the first 8-month outcome of the Common Mental Disorder Clinic model in Hong Kong in terms of patient exit status and improvement in depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Methods: During the first appointment, patients were interviewed by a multidisciplinary team comprising a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse, and an occupational therapist. A multidisciplinary case conference was conducted to discuss clinical observations, diagnosis, issues of concern, and the optimal individualised treatment plan.

Cognitive behavioural family intervention for people diagnosed with severe mental illness and their families: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) and family intervention (FI) for psychosis are effective evidence-based interventions, but they are practically difficult to be implemented in many clinical settings. The CBTp and FI approaches have been integrated to form cognitive behavioural family intervention (CBFI). This brief intervention may be more feasible to implement in clinical practice.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Hong Kong Version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HK-KOOS) for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Introduction: This study aimed to validate the Hong Kong version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HK-KOOS) for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Content validity was assessed using the Item and Scale Content Validity Index (I-CVI and S-CVI). Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha.

The Hong Kong Survey on the Epidemiology of Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

This study examined the epidemiology of trauma exposure (TE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among community-dwelling Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Multistage stratification sampling design was used, and 5,377 participants were included. In Phase 1, TE, probable PTSD (p-PTSD), and psychiatric comorbid conditions were examined.

Screening Of Pulmonary Hypertension in Methamphetamine Abusers (SOPHMA): rationale and design of a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Methamphetamine misuse is classified as a 'likely' risk factor for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Nevertheless, the actual prevalence of and a screening strategy for PAH in methamphetamine users have not been established. We plan to study the prevalence of PAH and identify its independent risk factors among methamphetamine users.

A Novel Percutaneous Biportal Endoscopic Technique for Symptomatic Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis: Technical Note and Case Presentations.

Objective: To describe a minimally invasive decompression technique for symptomatic spinal epidural lipomatosis using percutaneous biportal endoscopic surgery.

Methods: In this report, we describe the indirect decompressive effect that was gained by partial laminotomy and ligamentum flavectomy under biportal endoscopic view. Direct neural decompression was then performed by removal of proliferated fat.

Effect of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 Genotypes on the Efficacy of Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Southern Chinese Patients With Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia, and age is strongly associated with the incidence of AD. This study aimed to investigate the association between the genotypes of CYP2D6, CYP3A4, and CYP2C9 genes to the clinical efficacy and tolerability of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) in Chinese patients with AD. One hundred seventy-nine patients with AD with newly prescribed with ChEIs were recruited.

How Chinese psychiatrists see and manage stigmatisation of psychiatric patients: a qualitative study in Hong Kong.

Background: Health professionals including psychiatrists were reported to have stigmatising opinions on psychiatric patients. Their views may be affected by clinical, social and cultural factors.

Objective: This study explored the views of Chinese psychiatrists on stigmatisation of psychiatric patients.

The effectiveness of acupressure in the management of depressive symptoms and in improving quality of life in older people living in the community: a randomised sham-controlled trial.

The primary aim of the current trial was to assess the clinical effectiveness of acupressure in the management of depression in elderly people compared to patients receiving sham acupressure or standard care alone. Randomized sham-controlled trial of acupressure, sham acupressure and standard care alone in older patients with depression living in the community. Patients with a score>/=8 in the Geriatric Depression Scale were recruited for this study.

Altered risky decision making in patients with early non-affective psychosis.

Abnormal risky decision making may represent an important factor contributing to functional impairment in psychotic disorders. Previous research revealed impaired decision making under risk in patients with chronic schizophrenia. However, risky decision making is under-studied in the early course of illness.

Experiences of self-stigmatization and parenting in Chinese mothers with severe mental illness.

Mental health stigma has serious ramifications on people with a severe mental illness (SMI). Stigma damages self-esteem, recovery outcomes, family relationships, socialization abilities, access to housing, and career prospects. The cultural tendencies of Chinese people have been shown to be associated with particularly high levels of stigmatization.

Real-world evidence of improved healthcare utilization in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder after early treatment of paliperidone palmitate once-monthly treatment in Hong Kong.

Background: Very few data are available to demonstrate the economic benefit of early paliperidone palmitate once-monthly long-acting injectable (PP1M) treatment in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Methods And Materials: This study has retrospectively compared the healthcare utilization and associated costs of pre- and post-PPIM treatment in 413 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder recruited from three major public hospitals providing psychiatric services in Hong Kong. Patients were categorized into early treatment (≤3 years since diagnosis) and chronic (>3 years) groups, and also whether they were receiving polypharmacy (POP).

Prevalence and clinicians' awareness of psychiatric comorbidities among first-episode schizophrenia.

Background: To explore the prevalence and clinicians' awareness of psychiatric comorbidities, and to identify factors associated with current psychiatric comorbidities in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, 128 patients with FES, who were in symptomatic remission, were consecutively recruited from a local early intervention clinic. All patients were interviewed using the Chinese bilingual version of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Axis I Disorders, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scales, Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder, Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, Simpson-Angus Scale, Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale.