Shorter vs. standard-duration antibiotic therapy for nocardiosis: a multi-center retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: The prolonged treatment recommended for nocardiosis does not rely on strong evidence. Consequently, some clinicians opt shorter therapy in certain circumstances. We assessed the effectiveness of shorter therapy.

Association between behavioral parameters of men in psychiatric emergency department video recording and subsequent violence in the psychiatric ward.

Violence risk is a major challenge among acute psychiatric inpatients. The study aimed to predict violent behavior risk in an acute psychiatric ward using video recordings from the emergency department. 69 videos of the emergency department recording the first ten minutes following patients' arrivals were included.

Nurses Supporting Nurses: A Model for Providing Mental Health Services During War.

Nurses routinely face psychological challenges as part of their work, acutely so during times of crises when nurses may treat many severely injured and dying patients. While the need for such support is well documented in the literature, mental health support programmes aimed at healthcare workers, even when available, are often underutilised, especially by nurses. To gain insights about needed mental health supports for nurses and programme implementation, this study examines a programme launched following a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries and precipitating a war.

Anxiety, post-traumatic symptoms, media-induced secondary trauma, post-traumatic growth, and resilience among mental health workers during the Israel-Hamas war.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is posing additional challenges for mental health workers in an already stressful workplace. This study centres on the psychological effects of the shared traumatic reality on mental health workers, arising from the Israel-Hamas war. One month after exposure to the terrorist attack of 7 October 2023 and the outbreak of war following this event, 147 mental health workers completed questionnaires regarding a variety of variables such as demographics, anxiety symptoms, acute stress symptoms, media-induced secondary trauma, personal resilience, National resilience (NR), and post-traumatic growth (PTG).

Efficacy of Esketamine among patients with treatment resistant depression in a 'real world' health-care setting in Israel.

One in five people will likely suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) during their life. Thirty percent of those with MDD will experience Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD), which is characterized by a failure to respond to two adequately administered trials of antidepressants. Esketamine is a rapidly acting intranasal antidepressant.

Short-term chloral hydrate as an add-on treatment may improve sleep and alleviate agitation in inpatients with treatment resistant schizophrenia: a retrospective case series study.

Introduction: Chloral hydrate (CH), a medication dating back to 1832, is tranquilizer and sleep promoter still used today. It remains an option for short-term insomnia therapy and sedation before medical procedures, despite its controversial safety profile.

Methods: This study investigated the potential benefits of chloral hydrate addition for increasing sleep duration and reducing agitation and violence in inpatients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).

Peripartum dissociation, sense of control, postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder and emotional adjustment to motherhood in adult survivors of childhood maltreatment.

Survivors of childhood maltreatment (CM) may experience difficulties in the peripartum period and in adjustment to motherhood. In this study we examined a model wherein CM is associated with maternal self-efficacy and maternal bonding three months postpartum, through mediation of peripartum dissociation and reduced sense of control during childbirth and postpartum-posttraumatic-stress disorder (P-PTSD). Women were recruited in a maternity ward within 48 h of childbirth (T1, N = 440), and contacted three-months postpartum (T2, N = 295).

Inflammation Markers Among Schizophrenia Patients Who Use Cannabis.

Objectives: The mechanism of inflammation of the immune system, for example, such circulatory markers as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV), has been shown in many studies to be associated with schizophrenia. In addition, it has been shown that the cannabidiol component reduces the activation of the acquired immune system. This study examined the differences in the levels of NLR and MPV among schizophrenia patients with cannabis use versus those without.

The MATRIX: A deliberate practice approach for clinical supervision in the public sector.

Clinical supervision is an essential component of psychotherapeutic practice. However, the literature suggests that the provision of supervision in the public sector has been declining significantly over the past two decades, suggesting that many health care professionals are receiving neither the guidance nor support needed to deliver safe and effective care. Identifying the distinct challenges of supervision in the public sector and proposing prospective solutions is, therefore, a burning issue.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges of Psychiatric Outpatient Clinics.

Background: Worldwide national surveys show a rising mental health burden among children and adolescents (C&A) during COVID-19. The objective of the current study is to verify the expected rise in visits to psychiatric outpatient clinics of C&A, especially of new patients.

Methods: a cross-sectional study focusing on visits as recorded in electronic medical records of eight heterogeneous C&A psychiatric outpatient clinics.

Factors affecting the willingness of mental health staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Rationale And Objective: At the beginning of vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), information about the effects of the vaccine was not known and hesitancy was observed among the population. The mental health staff members in our center in Israel had to decide whether to get vaccinated or not. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in demographic characteristics of vaccinated and nonvaccinated mental health care workers (HCWs), and to identify their reasons for or against vaccination.

Vitamin D as a Protective Factor in COVID-19 Infection in Elderly Schizophrenia and Dementia Inpatients: A Case Series.

Background: Risk factors for severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection include old age, chronic illness, and neurological conditions. In contrast, high vitamin D levels are known to augment immune activity and to reduce the severity of viral infections. Recently, a possible association between the likelihood of COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 severity, and vitamin D blood levels was reported.

Dorsomedial prefrontal rTMS for depression in borderline personality disorder: A pilot randomized crossover trial.

Background: Recently, a small literature has emerged suggesting that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may offer benefit for MDD even in BPD patients, perhaps by enhancing cognitive control, and/or disrupting excessive 'non-reward' activity in right orbitofrontal regions. This study aimed primarily to assess the therapeutic effects of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)-rTMS against MDD symptoms in BPD patients, and secondarily to assess whether the therapeutic effects ensued via mechanisms of reduced impulsivity and core BPD pathology on clinical scales (BIS-11, ZAN-BPD) or of reduced alpha- and theta-band activity on EEG recordings of right orbitofrontal cortex..

Olanzapine intramuscular shows better efficacy than zuclopenthixol acetate intramuscular in reducing the need for restraint, but not in comparison to haloperidol intramuscular.

Many psychotic patients are treated with antipsychotic medications during acute agitation and aggressive behavior episodes in an attempt to achieve a rapid calming effect. Those medications include olanzapine, zuclopenthixol acetate, and haloperidol intramuscular administration. This study compared the effectiveness of these injections in reducing the need for restraint during agitated-psychotic episodes that include aggression.

A Nationwide Study Comparing Mental Health Professionals' Willingness to Try Hallucinogenic Drugs in Basic Research or Clinical Practice.

This study explored whether personal attitudes toward drug users are associated with professional approaches and whether the association between personal and professional attitudes varies across different mental health professions. Participants (N = 347) included medical (psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses) and other (clinical psychologists and social workers) mental health professions from all 13 mental health centers in Israel. They completed questionnaires aimed to assess familiarity with medical usage of hallucinogenic drugs, personal attitudes toward recreational drug users and willingness to use five hallucinogens in research of clinical practice.

Cognitive enhancement drug use among resident physicians: Prevalence and motivations for use - results from a survey.

Non-medical use of prescription drugs for the enhancement of cognitive functioning has gained popularity in recent years, especially among young educated adults. To our knowledge, no previous study investigated this phenomenon among resident physicians. To analyze cognitive enhancement drugs use motivations and patterns among resident physicians.

Effects of country of origin and wave of immigration on prevalence of schizophrenia among first and second-generation immigrants: A 30-year retrospective study.

Objectives: To compare the rates of schizophrenia among 1st and 2nd generation immigrants from two distinct backgrounds and across sequential periods of immigration.

Methods: A 30-years retrospective cohort study (187,184 individuals) of 1st and 2nd generation East-African immigrants (EAIs) and former Soviet-Union immigrants (FSUIs) who migrated to Israel between 1980 and 2012. EAIs were further divided according to waves of immigration.

Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-refractory major depressive disorder: A three-arm, blinded, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a novel intervention for treatment-refractory depression (TRD). To date, many open-label case series and one randomized controlled trial of modest sample size have provided preliminary evidence that DMPFC-rTMS is an effective treatment for TRD. Here, we report the results of a large, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial of DMPFC-rTMS for TRD.

Women, Partners, and Mothers-Migratory Tendencies of Psychiatric Trainees Across Europe.

Combining a successful career with family planning has become increasingly important in recent years. However, maintaining a relationship, deciding upon the optimal time for pregnancy and other family planning decisions can still be quite challenging, especially for junior doctors whose training is long and demanding. Currently, women form an important part of the medical workforce, and there is noticeable feminization in migration.

The association between cannabis use and psychiatric comorbidity in people with personality disorders: A population-based longitudinal study.

Both personality disorders (PD) and cannabis use are highly comorbid with various psychiatric disorders. While previous research indicates specific interactions between cannabis use and schizotypal PD associated with schizophrenia, research into cannabis use among individuals with other PDs and the development of several additional psychiatric disorders is scarce. We explored the prevalence and incidence of psychiatric disorders among individuals with PDs who use cannabis, and whether individuals with PDs who use cannabis are at increased risk for developing psychiatric disorders compared to cannabis users without a PD.