Higher Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Child-adolescent Patients with Bipolar Disorder.

Objective: Previous studies have indicated a convergent and bidirectional relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and bipolar disorder (BD). As most of these studies focused mainly on adults diagnosed with BD, our study aims to investigate and characterize metabolic disturbances in child-adolescents diagnosed with BD.

Methods: We retrospectively examined the medical records of psychiatric hospitalizations with admitting diagnosis of BD in child-adolescents (age ＜ 18 years).

Treatment-resistant and multi-therapy-resistant criteria for bipolar depression: consensus definition.

Background: Most people with bipolar disorder spend a significant percentage of their lifetime experiencing either subsyndromal depressive symptoms or major depressive episodes, which contribute greatly to the high levels of disability and mortality associated with the disorder. Despite the importance of bipolar depression, there are only a small number of recognised treatment options available. Consecutive treatment failures can quickly exhaust these options leading to treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBD).

C-Reactive Protein Correlates with Negative Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia.

Peripheral and CNS-localized inflammatory processes are hypothesized to contribute to the complex pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Elevated levels of the acute phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) have been observed in schizophrenia, yet relatively few studies have investigated the association between this inflammatory biomarker and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. This study is a pilot cross-sectional analysis investigating the relation of plasma CRP levels and the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia (the primary aim), assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

An Unusual Case of Acute Psychosis With Obsessive-Compulsive Features Following Arsenic Poisoning.

Arsenic exposure, particularly the chronic type, can lead to poisoning with manifestations presenting in multiple organ systems. However, acute psychosis is not a commonly described manifestation of arsenic exposure. In this report, we present the case of a patient who developed acute psychosis with hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms following chronic occupational arsenic exposure.

Knowledge and Attitude Towards Pharmacological Management of Acute Agitation: A Survey of Psychiatrists, Psychiatry Residents, and Psychiatric Nurses.

Objective: The authors compared the current knowledge and attitude of psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, and psychiatric nurses towards the pharmacological management of acute agitation.

Methods: Questionnaires were electronically distributed to all attending psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, and psychiatric nurses who were either employed by the University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences or were staff at a 250-bed affiliated Psychiatric Hospital. Where possible, Fisher's exact test was used to compare responses to questions based on designation.

The potential association between obesity and bipolar disorder: A meta-analysis.

Background: Several epidemiological studies have found that the prevalence of bipolar disorder (BD) is significantly higher in obese population than non-obese population. However, no meta-analysis has been published to quantitatively summarize the related literature.

Methods: In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association between obesity and BD by combining 9 cross-sectional studies with a total of 12,259 BD cases and 615,490 non-BD controls.

A Study of the Impact of Cannabis on Doses of Discharge Antipsychotic Medication in Individuals with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder.

Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder have a high prevalence of comorbid cannabis use disorder (CUD). CUD has been associated with poorer outcomes in patients. We compared doses of antipsychotic medications at the time of discharge from hospital among inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with or without concurrent cannabis use.

Racial disparities during admission to an academic psychiatric hospital in a large urban area.

Multiple studies confirm that African Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to receive needed mental health services. Research has consistently shown that African Americans are under-represented in outpatient mental health treatment settings and are over-represented in inpatient psychiatric settings. Further, African Americans are more likely to receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia and are less likely receive an affective disorder diagnosis during inpatient psychiatric hospitalization compared to non-Hispanic white patients, pointing to a need for examining factors contributing to mental health disparities.

Factors differentially associated with early readmission at a university teaching psychiatric hospital.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The rate of psychiatric readmissions within 30 days of discharge is a well-established behavioural health system performance measure linked to the quality of inpatient hospital care as well as to access to community-based aftercare services. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors differentially associated with earlier readmission among a sample of patients (n = 588) readmitted within 30 days of discharge to a university teaching psychiatric hospital from 2001 to 2010.

Methods: Quality assurance interviews were conducted with patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge.

Cocaine use in individuals with schizophrenia: impact on doses of discharge antipsychotic medications.

Objectives: Despite the high prevalence of cocaine use disorder in schizophrenia, the impact of cocaine on antipsychotic requirement has not been studied in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cocaine on doses of antipsychotic medication prescribed during periods of acute exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of individuals with schizophrenia discharged from hospitals between 2008 and 2012.

Hospital length of stay in individuals with schizophrenia with and without cocaine-positive urine drug screens at hospital admission.

Despite the high prevalence of cocaine use disorder (CUD) in individuals with schizophrenia, current understanding of the effect of cocaine on psychiatric hospital length of stay (LOS) in individuals with schizophrenia is limited. We therefore retrospectively examined the medical records of 5106 hospital admissions due to exacerbation of schizophrenia. Linear regression and t-test were used to compare LOS between individuals with schizophrenia with cocaine-positive urine drug test results and those with negative test results.

Reflections from Dutch advanced nursing practice students on psychiatric mental healthcare in the United States.

Background: An international clinical learning experience is a unique opportunity to witness another nursing and healthcare system. The Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (MANP) program at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, mandates an international experience.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews, a focus group session and written reflections were used for data collection with 6 Dutch MANP nursing students who specialized in psychiatric mental healthcare.

Antipsychotic medication-induced dysphoria: its meaning, association with typical vs. atypical medications and impact on adherence.

Antipsychotic medication-induced dysphoria is a relatively under-recognized and understudied effect of antipsychotic medication. Although the term is encountered in clinical practice and in the literature, there is no consensus regarding its exact meaning. This article is a narrative review of the literature on antipsychotic medication and dysphoria based on a pubmed database search.

6R-l-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4): a potential treatment for all symptom domains of schizophrenia.

Current psychopharmacological treatment of schizophrenia is suboptimal and the available antipsychotic medications have little or no effect on negative and cognitive symptom domains of the disorder. 6R-l-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is a cofactor involved in the synthesis of dopamine, serotonin and nitric oxide which have all been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. BH4 may potentiate dopaminergic neurotransmission via mechanisms independent of dopamine biosynthesis.

Depression and Nigerian-born immigrant women in the United States: a phenomenological study.

This phenomenological study, using the Husserlian philosophy, explored the perceptions of Nigerian-born immigrant women in the United States and their portrayal of depression. Through face-to-face, semi-structured, audio-taped interviews incorporating open-ended questions and probes to facilitate discussion, the study examined a purposive sample of 19 Nigerian-born immigrant women's perception of depression. Data were analysed using Colaizzi's seven step method of data analysis.

Increasing the rate of return of resident rotation evaluations by their attending physicians in an in-patient psychiatric facility.

Objective: Psychiatrist's evaluations of residents are the primary means of determining whether the residents are ready to be promoted. However, the return rate for evaluations is quite low. The purpose of this study was to increase the return rates.

Role of a medical staff coding committee in documentation, coding, and billing compliance.

Physician documentation, Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding, and compliance with federal billing regulations are essential given the government's significant efforts to address fraud and abuse and the grave financial and legal consequences of noncompliance. Because Medicare guidelines do not focus substantially on psychiatric care, compliance is especially challenging for psychiatrists and psychiatric centers. Four years ago, the University of Texas-Harris County Psychiatric Center formed a medical staff coding committee to assist the center and its psychiatrists in dealing with compliance issues.

Simulated home treatment of depression with nortriptyline.

1. Twenty-two patients hospitalized for treatment of depression were treated under conditions simulating those of home treatment. 2.

Usefulness of screening EEGs in a psychiatric inpatient population.

Many clinicians presume that a screening electroencephalogram (EEG) is useful in differentiating psychiatric from neurologic disorders. In a retrospective review of 698 charts of psychiatric inpatients, the authors assessed the usefulness of screening EEGs. Usefulness was defined as leading to a change in diagnosis or treatment.