Universal prevention of depression at schools: dead end or challenging crossroad?
Universal school programmes aimed at the prevention of depression and other common mental health problems in adolescents are attractive because they are less stigmatising than targeted interventions, have a high uptake and may shift the ‘normal distribution’ of mental health problems in the positive direction. Research up to now shows small effects of these interventions, but even small effects may have a large impact because of the large number of people receiving these interventions. However, such small effects may also be related to the modest quality of the trials in this area. This means that current resea...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Cuijpers, P. Tags: Perspective Source Type: research
How can we optimise learning from trials in child and adolescent mental health?
Improving child and adolescent mental health requires the careful development and rigorous testing of interventions and delivery methods. This includes universal school-based mindfulness training, evaluated in the My Resilience in Adolescence (MYRIAD) trial reported in this special edition. While discovering effective interventions through randomised controlled trials is our ultimate aim, null or negative results can and should play an important role in progressing our understanding of what works. Unfortunately, alongside publication bias there can be a tendency to ignore, spin or unfairly undermine disappointing findings....
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Axford, N., Berry, V., Lloyd, J., Wyatt, K. Tags: Perspective Source Type: research
Patient-reported outcome measures suitable for quality of life/well-being assessment in multisectoral, multinational and multiperson mental health economic evaluations
Conclusions
The PECUNIA PROM-MH Compendium provides a unique overview of the relevant PROMs and their linked meta-data, and should be a helpful tool when choosing a suitable instrument for future mental health economic evaluations. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Łaszewska, A., Helter, T. M., Nagel, A., Peric, N., Simon, J. Tags: Open access Systematic review Source Type: research
PAX-D: study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and mechanism of pramipexole as add-on treatment for people with treatment resistant depression
Discussion
Pramipexole is a promising augmentation agent for TRD and may be a useful addition to existing treatment regimes. PAX-D will assess its effectiveness and test for a potential mechanism of action in patients with TRD.
Trial registration number
ISRCTN84666271 (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Au-Yeung, S. K., Griffiths, J., Roberts, S., Edwards, C., Yu, L.-M., Bogacz, R., Rendell, J., Attenburrow, M.-J., Watson, S., Chan, F., Cipriani, A., Cleare, A., Harmer, C. J., Kessler, D., Evans, J., Lewis, G., Singh, I., Simon, J., Harrison, P. J., Cowe Tags: Open access Protocol Source Type: research
Data sharing in the age of predictive psychiatry: an adolescent perspective
Conclusions
Emerging predictive psychiatric services are valued by young people; however, these services must consider privacy versus utility trade-offs from the perspective of different stakeholders, including adolescents.
Clinical implications
Respecting adolescents’ need for transparency, privacy and choice in the age of digital phenotyping is critical to the responsible implementation of predictive psychiatric services. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Pavarini, G., Yosifova, A., Wang, K., Wilcox, B., Tomat, N., Lorimer, J., Kariyawasam, L., George, L., Ali, S., Singh, I. Tags: Open access Ethics Source Type: research
Serum folate deficiency and the risks of dementia and all-cause mortality: a national study of old age
Conclusions
Serum concentrations of folate may function as a biomarker used to identify those at risk of dementia and mortality; however, reverse causation is likely. Further research is needed to examine the role of serum folate deficiency in dementia aetiology.
Clinical implications
Serum folate deficiency in older adults requires monitoring and treatment for preventative measures and/or as part of implemented therapeutic strategies. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Rotstein, A., Kodesh, A., Goldberg, Y., Reichenberg, A., Levine, S. Z. Tags: Editor's choice, Press releases Old age psychiatry Source Type: research
Antipsychotic use in pregnancy and risk of attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder: a Nordic cohort study
Discussion
Our findings suggest little or no increased risk of child ADHD or ASD after in utero exposure to antipsychotics.
Clinical implications
Results regarding child neurodevelopment are reassuring for women who need antipsychotics during pregnancy. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Halfdanarson, O., Cohen, J. M., Karlstad, O., Cesta, C. E., Bjork, M.-H., Haberg, S. E., Einarsdottir, K., Furu, K., Gissler, M., Hjellvik, V., Kieler, H., Leinonen, M. K., Norgaard, M., Öztürk Essen, B., Ulrichsen, S. P., Reutfors, J., Zo Tags: Open access Pregnancy and peri-partum Source Type: research
Economic threshold analysis of delivering a task-sharing treatment for common mental disorders at scale: the Friendship Bench, Zimbabwe
Conclusions
The economic case for a scaled-up delivery of the FB appears convincing in principle and its adoption at scale in LMIC settings should be given serious consideration.
Clinical implications
Further evidence on the types of scale-up strategies that are likely to offer an effective and cost-effective means of sustaining required levels of treatment coverage will help focus efforts on approaches to scale-up that optimise resources invested in task-sharing programmes. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Healey, A., Verhey, R., Mosweu, I., Boadu, J., Chibanda, D., Chitiyo, C., Wagenaar, B., Senra, H., Chiriseri, E., Mboweni, S., Araya, R. Tags: Open access Health economics Source Type: research
Building trust in artificial intelligence and new technologies in mental health
In 2019, the Topol review was published on behalf of the secretary of state for health and social care in the UK, preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future.1 A multidisciplinary team of experts, including clinicians, researchers, ethicists, computer scientists, engineers and economists, reviewed the available data and projected into the future (ie, next 20 years) two key questions: what impact technological developments (including genomics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital medicine and robotics) will have on the roles and functions of National Health System clinical staff? How could this innovat...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - April 21, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: O'Dell, B., Stevens, K., Tomlinson, A., Singh, I., Cipriani, A. Tags: Editorials Source Type: research
Prevalence of childhood mental disorders in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis to inform policymaking
Conclusions
An estimated one in eight children have mental disorders at any given time, causing symptoms and impairment, therefore requiring treatment. Yet even in high-income countries, most children with mental disorders are not receiving services for these conditions. We discuss the implications, particularly the need to substantially increase public investments in effective interventions. We also discuss the policy urgency, given the emerging increases in childhood mental health problems since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (PROSPERO CRD42020157262). (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Barican, J. L., Yung, D., Schwartz, C., Zheng, Y., Georgiades, K., Waddell, C. Tags: Open access, Press releases Systematic review Source Type: research
Methods and efficacy of social support interventions in preventing suicide: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Conclusions
Social support interventions were recommended as a suicide prevention strategy for those with elevated suicide risk. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Hou, X., Wang, J., Guo, J., Zhang, X., Liu, J., Qi, L., Zhou, L. Tags: Open access Systematic review Source Type: research
Using computerised adaptive tests to screen for perinatal depression in underserved women of colour
Conclusions
CAD-MDD detected 5% more cases of PND in women of colour compared with traditional tests, and the majority of these cases were verified by clinician notes.
Clinical implications
Use of CAT in routine clinic care may address health disparities in PND screening. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Wenzel, E., Penalver Bernabe, B., Dowty, S., Nagelli, U., Pezley, L., Gibbons, R., Maki, P. Tags: Digital mental health Source Type: research
Metformin in the management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain in adults with psychosis: development of the first evidence-based guideline using GRADE methodology
Conclusion
All 11 recommendations and 7 supporting good practice developed here were formulated de novo.
Clinical implications
These recommendations build on the number and quality of recommendations in this area, and facilitate the optimised use of metformin when managing AIWG. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Fitzgerald, I., O'Connell, J., Keating, D., Hynes, C., McWilliams, S., Crowley, E. K. Tags: Open access Adult mental health Source Type: research
Caesarean section and its relationship to offspring general cognitive ability: a registry-based cohort study of half a million young male adults
Conclusion
Birth by caesarean section is weakly associated with a lower general cognitive ability in young adult males. However, the magnitude of this association is not clinically relevant and seems to be largely explained by familial factors shared between siblings.
Clinical implication
Clinicians and gravidas ought not to be concerned that the choice of mode of delivery will impact offspring cognitive ability. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ahlqvist, V. H., Ekström, L. D., Jonsson-Bachmann, E., Tynelius, P., Madley-Dowd, P., Neovius, M., Magnusson, C., Berglind, D. Tags: Open access Pregnancy and peri-partum Source Type: research
Promoting inclusivity by ensuring that all patients with mental health issues are offered research opportunities in the NHS
Research-active clinical services have lower mortality rates and produce higher quality care outcomes, however, recruiting participants to clinical research in the National Health System (NHS) remains challenging.1 A recent study, assessing the feasibility of clinical staff electronically documenting patient consent to discuss research participation, indicated very low patient uptake, limiting its effectiveness as a strategy for improving access to research.2 A follow-on study comparing this ‘opt-in’ approach with an ‘opt-out’ approach, whereby patients are informed about research opportunities unle...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - January 20, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Henshall, C., Jones, H., Smith, T., Cipriani, A. Tags: Letter Source Type: research
