Evidence on methylphenidate in children and adolescents with ADHD is in fact of 'very low quality
Banaschewski and colleagues from the European Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) guideline group make a number of critical comments regarding our systematic review on methylphenidate for children and adolescents with ADHD. In this article, we present our views, showing that our trial selection was not flawed and was undertaken with scientific justification. Similarly, our data collection and interpretation was systematic and correct. We have followed a sound methodology for assessing risk of bias and our conclusions are not misleading. We acknowledge that different researchers might make risk of bias judgments...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Storebo, O. J., Zwi, M., Krogh, H. B., Moreira-Maia, C. R., Holmskov, M., Gillies, D., Groth, C., Simonsen, E., Gluud, C. Tags: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Perspective Source Type: research
Methylphenidate for ADHD in children and adolescents: throwing the baby out with the bathwater
A recent Cochrane review assessed the efficacy of methylphenidate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Notwithstanding the moderate-to-large effect sizes for ADHD symptom reduction found in the meta-analysis, the authors concluded that the quality of the evidence is low and therefore the true magnitude of these effects remains uncertain. We identified a number of major concerns with the review, in the domains of study inclusion, approaches to quality assessment and interpretation of data relating to serious adverse events as well as of the clinical implications of the reported ef...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Banaschewski, T., Buitelaar, J., Chui, C. S. L., Coghill, D., Cortese, S., Simonoff, E., Wong, I. C. K., on behalf of the European ADHD Guidelines Group Tags: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Perspective Source Type: research
Reduction in general intelligence and executive function persists into adulthood among very preterm or very low birthweight children
ABSTRACT FROM: Eryigit Madzwamuse S, Baumann N, Jaekel J, et al. Neuro-cognitive performance of very preterm or very low birth weight adults at 26 years. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2015;56:857–64. What is already known on this topic Reduced intelligence and executive function deficits have been reported in very preterm (VP) and very low birthweight (VLBW) survivors in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.1 The aim of the present study was to compare general cognitive ability (IQ) and executive functioning (EF) of adults born VP/VLBW with term born controls at 26 years. Methods of the study The study popula...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Skranes, J., Lohaugen, G. C. C. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Autoimmune diseases can be associated with depression
ABSTRACT FROM: Andersson NW, Gustafsson LN, Okkels N, et al. Depression and the risk of autoimmune disease: a nationally representative, prospective longitudinal study. Psychol Med 2015;45:3559–69. What is already known on this topic Autoimmune diseases are, according to a previous nationwide Danish register study, associated with a 57% increased subsequent risk of depression (45% after excluding the effect of infections).1 However, no large-scale study has previously investigated the longitudinal associations with autoimmune diseases after the depression diagnosis. Methods of the study Andersson et al investigated t...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Benros, M. E. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Are sertraline, paroxetine and duloxetine the most effective antidepressants for use in depressed adults over 60 years?
ABSTRACT FROM: Thorlund K, Druyts E, Wu P, et al. Comparative efficacy and safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors in older adults: a network meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc 2015;63:1002–9. What is already known on this topic Although major depressive disorder (MDD) is less prevalent in older adults compared to in younger individuals, its somatic and psychological effects differ in these age groups.1 As such, it is important to evaluate the efficacy, safety and relative risk (RR) of antidepressants in patients with MDD, particularly selective serotonin reupta...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: IsHak, W. W., Naghdechi, L. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Is long-acting injectable aripiprazole useful for the treatment of acute exacerbation of schizophrenia?
ABSTRACT FROM: Meltzer HY, Risinger R, Nasrallah HA, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aripiprazole lauroxil in acute exacerbation of schizophrenia. J Clin Psychiatry 2015;76:1085–90. What is already known on this topic? Depot antipsychotics may increase adherence to medication, reducing recurrence and rehospitalisation in schizophrenia.1 Aripiprazole lauroxil, a novel lipid ester prodrug of aripiprazole, is a long-acting injection (LAI) administered intramuscularly. After injection, it is metabolised by esterases to N-hydroxymethyl aripiprazole and then hydrolysed to aripiprazole. The av...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Takekita, Y., Serretti, A. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Lack of clinically useful response predictors for treating aggression and agitation in Alzheimer's disease with citalopram
ABSTRACT FROM: Schneider LS, Frangakis, C, Drye LT, et al. Heterogeneity of treatment response to citalopram for patients with Alzheimer's disease with aggression or agitation: the CitAD randomized clinical trial. Am J Psychiatry 2016;173:465–72. What is already known on this topic Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) include depression, apathy, hallucinations, delusions, wandering and anxiety. Of all the NPS, agitation and aggression are among the most problematic and are associated with increased risk of mortality, earlier institutionalisation, increased cost of care and markedly...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Herrmann, N. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Cognitive impairment in depression and its (non-)response to antidepressant treatment
ABSTRACT FROM: Shilyansky C, Williams LM, Gyurak A, et al. Effect of antidepressant treatment on cognitive impairments associated with depression: a randomised longitudinal study. Lancet Psychiatry 2016;3:425–35. What is already known on this topic Cognitive impairment is a reliable feature of major depressive disorder. Depressed individuals perform more poorly than never-depressed healthy volunteers across a range of neuropsychological tests. Cognitive impairments predict poor response to antidepressant drugs, persist after successful treatment1 and are associated with poor psychosocial functioning.2 Remediation of ...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Halahakoon, D. C., Roiser, J. P. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Reconsidering risk factors for renal dysfunction in lithium-treated patients
ABSTRACT FROM: Clos S, Rauchhaus P, Severn A, et al. Long-term effect of lithium maintenance therapy on estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with affective disorders: a population-based cohort study. Lancet Psychiatry 2015;2:1075–83. What is already known on this topic Over the past 6 years, a series of studies have investigated risk factors for renal dysfunction in lithium-treated patients, following the 2010's report that end-stage renal disease is an uncommon but not rare consequence of long-term lithium treatment and is more prevalent than previously thought.1 Besides risk factors already known t...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Bocchetta, A. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research
Is there a future for other glutamate receptor modulators in the pharmacotherapy of mood disorders?
Status quo There is increasing evidence that some glutamatergic drugs could have antidepressant effects. Ketamine as a promising prototype for novel glutamatergic antidepressants has a much faster onset of action and is possibly more efficacious than standard antidepressants.1 Two recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses assessed the antidepressant efficacy (including modes of administration, duration of effect and adverse effects) of ketamine and other glutamate receptor modulators in the treatment of unipolar depression (Caddy et al,2 in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), and, more generally, in mood disord...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Sos, P. Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Neurology, Bipolar disorder, Depressive disorder, Epidemiology Expert commentary Source Type: research
Markedly raised risk of attempted suicide in female immigrants and violent criminality in male immigrants in Denmark
ABSTRACT FROM: Webb RT, Antonsen S, Mok PL, et al. National Cohort Study of Suicidality and Violent Criminality among Danish Immigrants. PLoS ONE 2015;10:e0131915. What is already known on this topic? Immigrant populations in the European Union (EU) have grown considerably in recent years with over 1 in 10 residents born in another country, two-thirds of whom come from beyond the EU.1 There is a need to better understand the impact of increasing diversity within immigrant populations and the nature of psychosocial difficulties caused by adversities, such as racism and marginalisation. In Denmark, the risk of mental illness...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ryland, H. T. Tags: Epidemiologic studies, EBMH Forensic Psychiatry, Suicide (psychiatry), Epidemiology Source Type: research
Comparing applets and oranges: barriers to evidence-based practice for app-based psychological interventions
Poor-quality pharmaceuticals and medical devices rarely make it to market; however, the same cannot be said for app-based interventions. With a high availability but low evidence base for mHealth, apps are an increasingly uncertain prospect to users and healthcare professionals alike. Although in a first-best situation, the burden of proof concerning app safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness ‘should’ ultimately lie with app developers; a number of barriers to evidence generation, including the fact that ‘acceptable evidence’ itself is largely open to interpretation, mean that it may be folly to ex...
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Leigh, S. Tags: Editor's choice New technologies, digital innovation and mHealth Source Type: research
Use of the experience sampling method in the context of clinical trials
Conclusions
ESM can be a valuable asset in clinical trial research and should be used more often to study the benefits of treatment in psychiatry and somatic health. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Verhagen, S. J. W., Hasmi, L., Drukker, M., van Os, J., Delespaul, P. A. E. G. Tags: EBMH Statistics in Practice Source Type: research
Quality and impact of secondary information in promoting evidence-based clinical practice: a cross-sectional study about EBMH
Conclusions and clinical implications
The commentators and original study authors view EBMH not as a vehicle for criticism, but instead as a trustworthy publication that crystallises important findings and presents them in digestible form with the aim of promoting key advances in mental health. Next, we aim to assess the extent to which the readership of this journal agrees. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Barber, S., Corsi, M., Furukawa, T. A., Cipriani, A. Tags: Epidemiologic studies, Epidemiology Original article Source Type: research
Prevalence, impact and treatment of generalised anxiety disorder in bipolar disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Conclusions
Published studies report prevalence rates with high heterogeneity and consistently higher than those typically reported in the general population. It is believed that comorbid GAD might be associated with a more severe BD course and increased suicidality, and it is unknown how best to treat such conditions. The current meta-analysis confirms that GAD is highly prevalent in BD and the rate is higher in comparison to those in the general population. (Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health)
Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - July 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Preti, A., Vrublevska, J., Veroniki, A. A., Huedo-Medina, T. B., Fountoulakis, K. N. Tags: Epidemiologic studies, Editor's choice, Neurology, Bipolar disorder, Depressive disorder, Epidemiology Systematic review Source Type: research
