Screening for problem gambling within mental health services: a comparison of the classification accuracy of brief instruments.

Background And Aims: Despite the over-representation of people with gambling problems in mental health populations, there is limited information available to guide the selection of brief screening instruments within mental health services. The primary aim was to compare the classification accuracy of nine brief problem gambling screening instruments (two to five items) with a reference standard among patients accessing mental health services.

Design: The classification accuracy of nine brief screening instruments was compared with multiple cut-off scores on a reference standard.

Emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic treatment construct across anxiety, depression, substance, eating and borderline personality disorders: A systematic review.

A large body of research has implicated difficulties in emotion regulation as central to the development and maintenance of psychopathology. Emotion regulation has therefore been proposed as a transdiagnostic construct or an underlying mechanism in psychopathology. The transdiagnostic role of emotion regulation has yet to be systematically examined within the psychological treatment outcome literature.

Barriers and Facilitators of Responding to Problem Gambling: Perspectives from Australian Mental Health Services.

Despite high rates of comorbidity between problem gambling and mental health disorders, few studies have examined barriers or facilitators to the implementation of screening for problem gambling in mental health services. This exploratory qualitative study identified key themes associated with screening in mental health services. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 30 clinicians and managers from 11 mental health services in Victoria, Australia.

The effects of inter-trial interval on implicit learning of sequential visual isometric pinch task.

Sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) has been recently used as a visuomotor sequence task in clinical research. The influence of varying intervals between sequenced trials on the acquisition of implicit sequence learning is not yet determined for SVIPT. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inter-trial interval (ITI) on implicit motor sequence learning using SVIPT.

Mismatch negativity in bipolar disorder: A neurophysiological biomarker of intermediate effect?

The event-related potential, mismatch negativity (MMN), has been touted as a robust and specific neurophysiological biomarker of schizophrenia. Earlier studies often included bipolar disorder (BD) as a clinical comparator and reported that MMN was significantly impaired only in schizophrenia. However, with the increasing number of MMN studies of BD (with larger sample sizes), the literature is now providing somewhat consistent evidence of this biomarker also being perturbed in BD, albeit to a lesser degree than that observed in schizophrenia.

Single-Session Anodal tDCS with Small-Size Stimulating Electrodes Over Frontoparietal Superficial Sites Does Not Affect Motor Sequence Learning.

Due to the potential of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) for enhancement of fine sequenced movements and increasing interest in achieving high level of fine movements in the trained and untrained hands especially at initial stage of learning, we designed this study to investigate whether the application of single-session a-tDCS with small-size stimulating electrodes over FPN sites, such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), primary motor cortex (M1) or posterior parietal cortex (PPC) could enhance sequence learning with the trained hand and these effects are transferred into the untrained hand or not. A total of 51 right-handed healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the four stimulation groups: a-tDCS of left M1, DLPFC, PPC, or sham. Stimulation was applied for 20 min during a sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT).

Investigating Cortical Inhibition in First-Degree Relatives and Probands in Schizophrenia.

Deficits in GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission are a reliable finding in schizophrenia (SCZ) patients. Previous studies have reported that unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with SCZ demonstrate neurophysiological abnormalities that are intermediate between probands and healthy controls. In this study, first-degree relatives of patients with SCZ and their related probands were investigated to assess frontal cortical inhibition.

Patient characteristics associated with aggression in mental health units.

Aggression in mental health units is a significant and pervasive problem. However, the characteristics of patients associated with increased aggression propensity remain unclear and there are few attempts to expand understanding of these characteristics by drawing upon contemporary aggression theory. This study assessed the influence of interpersonal (hostile-dominance) and personality (psychopathy), General Aggression Model-specified (aggressive script rehearsal, attitudes towards violence, and trait anger), and clinical (psychiatric symptoms) factors on aggression during psychiatric hospitalization in 200 inpatients (132 men and 68 women; 19-64 years, M=38.

Are people with severe mental illness ready for online interventions? Access and use of the Internet in Australian mental health service users.

Objectives: The Internet is increasingly used in mental health service delivery, but there are significant potential barriers to Internet access for persons with severe mental illness (SMI). There is a need to understand this group's access to, and confidence with using, the Internet, and current views on using online resources as part of mental healthcare.

Method: A survey was conducted of 100 consumers attending a specialist mental health service in Melbourne, Australia.

Do mental health clinicians elicit a history of previous trauma in female psychiatric inpatients?

Background: A history of trauma is linked to the development of a wide range of mental health problems, and has long-lasting physiological and psychological consequences. The importance of clinicians directly questioning trauma history has been consistently emphasised in the literature.

Aims: To investigate whether a trauma history is obtained from female psychiatry inpatients during an inpatient admission.

Single session family therapy in youth mental health: can it help?

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of single session therapy in meeting the needs of young people and their families on first presentation to a mental health service.

Method: We conducted a quantitative analysis of routinely collected data using self- and family member-reported session and outcome rating scales.

Results: Both young people and their family members rate single session therapy sessions highly.

Unilateral and bilateral MRI-targeted repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: a randomized controlled study.

Background: Several factors may mitigate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over sham rTMS in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). These factors include unilateral stimulation (i.e.

A negative double-blind controlled trial of sequential bilateral rTMS in the treatment of bipolar depression.

Background/objective: To explore the therapeutic benefit of sequential bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of bipolar depression.

Method: A 2 arm randomized controlled parallel design trial comparing the use of active sequential bilateral rTMS to a sham form of stimulation in 49 patients with bipolar disorder and treatment resistant depression.

Results: There was no significant difference in mean reduction in depression rating scale scores or response rates between active and sham stimulation.

Crisis averted: How consumers experienced a police and clinical early response (PACER) unit responding to a mental health crisis.

When mental health crisis situations in the community are poorly handled, it can result in physical and emotional injuries. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the experiences and opinions of consumers about the way police and mental health services worked together, specifically via the Alfred Police and Clinical Early Response (A-PACER) model, to assist people experiencing a mental health crisis. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 mental health consumers who had direct contact with the A-PACER team between June 2013 and March 2015.

Factors to consider when applying transcranial magnetic stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex when resting motor threshold is asymmetric: A case study.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an increasingly popular tool in treating psychiatric conditions. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is typically targeted for stimulation, with magnetic field intensity being calibrated by establishing resting motor threshold (RMT) at hand region of primary motor cortex (M1 hand). This presumes that scalp-to-cortex distance (SCD) and cortical thickness is similar at both sites.

Using thermographic cameras to investigate eye temperature and clinical severity in depression.

Previous studies suggest that altered corneal temperature may be a feature of schizophrenia, but the association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and corneal temperature has yet to be assessed. The aim of this study is to investigate whether eye temperature is different among MDD patients than among healthy individuals. We used a thermographic camera to measure and compare the temperature profile across the corneas of 16 patients with MDD and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Cognitive remediation in schizophrenia: A methodological appraisal of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Objective: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are a primary source of evidence when evaluating the benefit(s) of cognitive remediation (CR) in schizophrenia. These studies are designed to rigorously synthesize scientific literature; however, cannot be assumed to be of high methodological quality. The aims of this report were to: 1) review the use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses regarding CR in schizophrenia; 2) conduct a systematic methodological appraisal of published reports examining the benefits of this intervention on core outcome domains; and 3) compare the correspondence between methodological and reporting quality.

The effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on motor sequence learning in healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A large number of studies have indicated the effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on the primary motor cortex (M1) during motor skill training. The effects of a-tDCS on different stages of motor sequence learning are not yet completely understood. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the effects of single and multiple sessions of a-tDCS on two different tasks: the sequential finger tapping task/serial reaction time task (SEQTAP/SRTT) and the sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT).

Outcomes achieved by and police and clinician perspectives on a joint police officer and mental health clinician mobile response unit.

Despite their limited mental health expertise, police are often first to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Often the person in crisis is then transported to hospital for care, instead of receiving more immediate assessment and treatment in the community. The current study conducted an evaluation of an Australian joint police-mental health mobile response unit that aimed to improve the delivery of a community-based crisis response.

An examination of the stability of interpersonal hostile-dominance and its relationship with psychiatric symptomatology and post-discharge aggression.

The relevance of interpersonal hostile-dominance (HD) to post-discharge aggression in mental health patients is unclear. This study assessed whether (1) HD is stable over time; (2) the relationship between HD and positive, negative, disorganized, and excited symptoms is consistent over time; and (3) HD is related to aggression post-discharge. Two hundred psychiatric inpatients were recruited on admission to hospital; 41 were available for follow-up at 6 months post-discharge, including 29 men and 12 women, with an age range of 19-63 (M = 39.

C-reactive protein: an early critical sign of clozapine-related myocarditis.

Objective: We present a case of clozapine-related myocarditis, with a rising C-reactive protein as the only initial evidence supporting the diagnosis.

Method: An otherwise healthy young male presenting with treatment-resistant schizophrenia was started on clozapine. Monitoring was performed.

NEUROBIOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF RESPONSE TO DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

Background: A significant proportion of patients with depression fail to respond to psychotherapy and standard pharmacotherapy, leading to treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Due to the significant prevalence of TRD, alternative therapies for depression have emerged as viable treatments in the armamentarium for this disorder. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is now being offered in clinical practice in broader numbers.

Neurobiological mechanisms of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depression: a systematic review.

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses worldwide and a leading cause of disability, especially in the setting of treatment resistance. In recent years, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising alternative strategy for treatment-resistant depression and its clinical efficacy has been investigated intensively across the world. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of rTMS are still not fully understood.