bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
People Never See Us Living Well: An Appraisal of the Personal Stories About Mental Illness in a Prospective Print Media Sample
Authors: Nairn R. G. , Coverdale J. H. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: Having found no discussions of self-depictions offered by psychiatric patients in the mass media we sought such items in a prospective national sample of print media and analysed how those speakers portrayed themselves. Method: As part of a larger study of media depictions of mental illnesses in print media all items with any mental health or illness aspect that appeared in a New Zealand publication over a four-week period were collected. The resulting collection of 600 items ranged from news briefs to full-page newspaper articles. From that set we selected and analysed items in which a person identified as having been a psychiatric patient or as having a mental disorder was either quoted by the reporter who had interviewed them, or personally described their experiences. Employing both propositional analyses and discourse analysis we explored how the speakers were positioned and identified patterns or themes in their construction of living with a mental illness. Results: Only five articles (0.8%) met our criteria for a person with a mental disorder being reported directly. In those items the journalists had positioned the speakers as credible, expert sources who, in representing their lives and experiences, drew on five clusters of resources, that we titled: Ordinariness/Living Well; Vulnerability; Stigma; Crisis; and Disorder/ Treatment. Ordinariness/Living Well foregrounded the role of personal strengths in living well and in overcoming adversity, particularly that associated with being stigmatized. We identified that theme as central to the ways in which these speakers depicted themselves as recognizably human and understandable. Conclusion: The findings are preliminary but these depictions are different from those reported by most researchers. Unlike those depictions, these speakers provided accessible and recognizably human self-portrayals. That finding intensifies our concern that most researchers appear to be unaware that these consumer voices are largely absent from mass media depictions of mental illnesses.
Anatomical MRI Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder: Do They Exist and Do They Progress?
Authors: Serap Monkul E. , Malhi Gin S. , Soares Jair C. 
Published: December 2009

Aim: Morphometric brain imaging studies have revealed regional brain abnormalities in patients with bipolar disorder, which may play a role in illness pathophysiology. It is not known whether such changes are of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, or combined origin. We reviewed the anatomical brain imaging literature in bipolar disorder, in an attempt to determine whether there is evidence to suggest that such abnormalities are progressive. Method: Literature searches were conducted using MEDLINE for the period from 1966 to June 2004, using specific key words; bipolar disorder and the names of the individual brain structures. Papers were selected according to their salience in relation to whether reported changes are progressive. Results: Available findings suggest reduced grey matter in prefrontal brain regions such as anterior cingulate and subgenual prefrontal cortex, and abnormalities in amygdala size in adult and paediatric bipolar patients. White matter hyperintensities, which are non-specific abnormalities, are also common in bipolar patients. Bipolar patients may lose more brain grey matter by ageing. There is also evidence for impaired myelination of the corpus callosum in bipolar disorder. Lithium may reverse or prevent grey matter prefrontal cortex abnormalities in bipolar patients by its neuroprotective effects. Conclusions: Both early developmental and later neurodegenerative processes may play a role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. Findings from anatomical brain imaging studies implicate key regions involved in mood regulation. The evidence for the progressive nature of this illness is tentative, as no follow-up study with bipolar patients has been reported to this date.
Screening for Autism in Infants and Preschool Children with Developmental Delay
Authors: Gray Kylie M. , Tonge Bruce J. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: This study aimed to identify emotional and behavioural problems specific to young children with autism using the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC-P) and thus evaluate the efficacy of this checklist as a screening tool for autism in children with developmental delay aged 18–48 months. Method: Subjects were 60 children with autism and developmental delay and 60 children with developmental delay without autism. Results: Features were identified which differentiated the children with autism from those with developmental delay without autism. Analyses revealed that a 17-item version of the DBC-P performed well as a screening tool for autism, with an ‘area under the curve’ of 0.874, sensitivity of 0.8750, and specificity of 0.6909. Conclusions: The DBC-P offers a potential simple and inexpensive method of screening at risk populations of preschool children with developmental delay for autism, thus facilitating timely referral to scarce specialist autism diagnostic services.
Antipsychotic Treatment in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Literature Review
Authors: Keuneman Richard J. , Pokos Vanda , Weerasundera Rajiv , Castle David J. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: To review the role of antipsychotic medications in the treatment of obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD); to explore current hypothesized conceptualizations of their mechanism of action; to highlight evolving interest in the validation of meaningful OCD subtypes within a heterogeneous spectrum of OCD, based on treatment response and other psychobiological variables. Method: A computerized literature search ( MEDLINE: 1966 to December 2003, EMBASE: 1982 to December 2003) was used to locate relevant literature, using the terms obsessivecompulsive, antipsychotic and subtypes, with no restrictions imposed on searches. Results: Earlier studies of augmentation of serotonergic antidepressants (SRIs) with typical antipsychotics including haloperidol and pimozide in OCD demonstrated favourable responses, also highlighting patient subgroups with robust treatment response. Studies examining augmentation with atypical agents are emerging. SRI-resistant OCD patients are likely to benefit from augmentation with atypical antipsychotics in around 50% of cases. Conclusions: While there is little role for antipsychotic monotherapy in OCD, there is growing evidence in support of adjunctive antipsychotics in OCD refractory to serotoninreuptake inhibitors (SRIs). Further controlled trials are warranted. Particular subgroups of OCD patients, notably those with comorbid tic disorder and those with schizotypal personality disorder, have been shown to respond more robustly to augmentation strategies in some trials of both typical and atypical antipsychotics. Dopaminergic mediation with or without a moderating effect on serotonergic systems is likely to be important in the pharmacodynamic mechanisms of action of antipsychotic-SRI combinations in OCD.
Alcoholics Anonymous: Cult or Cure?
Authors: Vaillant George E. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: To discuss the mechanism of action, the efficacy and the safety of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in the treatment of alcoholism. Method: The published works on effective treatments for alcoholism is briefly reviewed and a prospective multidisciplinar y follow-up of recovery from alcoholism in two community cohorts of adolescent males followed from 1940 until the present day is reviewed. Conclusions: The suggested mechanism of action of AA is that it employs four factors widely shown to be effective in relapse prevention in addictions: external supervision, substitute dependency, new caring relationships and increased spirituality. In addition, AA serendipitously follows the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy in relapse prevention. Alcoholics Anonymous appears equal to or superior to conventional treatments for alcoholism, and the skepticism of some professionals regarding AA as a first rank treatment for alcoholism would appear to be unwarranted. Alcoholics Anonymous is probably without serious side-effects.
Obstetric Complications and Transition to Psychosis in an ‘Ultra’ High Risk Sample
Authors: Yun Yang , Phillips Lisa J. , Cotton Sue , Yung Alison R. , Francey Shona M. , Pan Yuen Hok , Mcgorry Patrick D. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: An association between birth and pregnancy complications and the later development of schizophrenia has been described for decades and obstetric complications (OCs) have been proposed as a vulnerability marker for psychosis in line with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of psychotic disorders. Previous studies of OCs have focused on established schizophrenia. In this study, the association between OCs and the development of psychotic disorder was studied in a group of 74 young people identified as being at very high risk for the first onset of psychosis. Method: The ‘ultra’ high risk (UHR) cohort was identified by the presence of subthreshold psychotic symptoms, or a combination of first-degree relative with a psychotic disorder and recent functional decline. Thirty-eight per cent of the cohort developed an acute psychotic episode over the 12-month period after recruitment. As a component of a larger research study, the level of OCs experienced by the UHR cohort was assessed at intake. Results: Obstetric complicationswere not associated with the later development of psychosis in the UHR group included in this study. Conclusions: This study does not suppor t a role for OCs as a risk factorfor the later development of psychosis; however, we cannot conclude that they should be completely ignored as a candidate risk factor for onset of psychosis. A number of weaknesses of the study suggest that it may be premature to dismiss OCs as a risk factor for the development of psychosis and further research is urged in this area.
Expressed Emotion as Predictor of Relapse in Patients with Comorbid Psychoses and Substance use Disorder
Authors: Pourmand Diba , Kavanagh David J. , Vaughan Kevin 
Published: December 2009

Objective: Expressed emotion (EE) and substance use disorder predict relapse in psychosis, but there is little research on EE in comorbid samples. The current study addressed this issue. Method: Sixty inpatients with a DSM-IV psychosis and substance use disorder were recruited and underwent diagnostic and substance use assessment. Key relatives were administered the Camberwell Family Interview. Results: Patients were assessed on the initial symptoms and recent substance use, and 58 completed the assessment over the following 9 months. High EE was observed in 62% of households. Expressed emotion was the strongest predictor of relapse during follow-up and its predictive effect remained in participants with early psychosis. A multivariate prediction of a shorter time to relapse entered EE, substance use during follow-up and (surprisingly) an absence of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Conclusions: Since high EE is a common and important risk factor for people with comorbid psychosis and substance misuse, approaches to address it should be considered by treating clinicians.
Nutritional Intervention to Prevent Weight Gain in Patients Commenced on Olanzapine: A Randomizedcontrolled Trial
Authors: Evans Sherryn , Newton Richard , Higgins Sally 
Published: December 2009

Objective: Olanzapine is the most commonly prescribed atypical antipsychotic medication in Australia. Research repor ts an average weight gain of between 4.5 and 7 kg in the 3 months following its commencement. Trying to minimize this weight gain in a population with an already high prevalence of obesity, mor tality and morbidity is of clinical and social importance. This randomized controlled trial investigated the impact of individual nutrition education provided by a dietitian on weight gain in the 3 and 6 months following the commencement of olanzapine. Method: Fifty-one individuals (29 females, 22 males) who had star ted on olanzapine in the previous 3 months (mean length of 27 days 20) were recruited through Peninsula Health Psychiatric Services and were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 29) or the control group (n = 22). Individuals in the intervention group received six 1 hour nutrition education sessions over a 3-month period. Weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI) and qualitative measures of exercise levels, quality of life, health and body image were collected at baselineat 3 and 6 months. Results: After 3 months, the control group had gained significantly more weight than the treatment group (6.0 kg vs 2.0 kg, p≤0.002). Weight gain of more than 7% of initial weight occurred in 64% of the control group compared to 13% of the treatment group. The control group's BMI increased significantly more than the treatment group's (2 kg/m2 vs 0.7 kg/m2, p ≤0.03). The treatment group reported significantly greater improvements in moderate exercise levels, quality of life, health and body image compared to the controls. At 6 months, the control group continued to show significantly more weight gain since baseline than the treatment group (9.9 kg vs 2.0 kg, p≤0.013) and consequently had significantly greater increases in BMI (3.2 kg/m2vs 0.8 kg/m2, p ≤0.017). Conclusion: Individualnutritional intervention provided bya dietitian is highly successful at preventing olanzapine-induced weight gain.
Relative Contributions of Psychiatric Symptoms and Neuropsychological Functioning to Quality of Life in First-Episode Psychosis
Authors: Wegener Signy , Redoblado-Hodge Marie Antoinette , Wegener Signy , Redoblado-Hodge Marie Antoinette , Lucas Sara , Fitzgerald Dianne , Harris Anthony , Brennan John 
Published: December 2009

Objective: To repor t on the relationship between quality of life (QOL), psychiatric symptoms and neuropsychological functioning in a sample of young people who have experienced a first episode of psychosis 2–3 years following initial presentation. Method: Fifty-one participants aged 15–27 years old completed the short form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL-Brèf), a self-repor t instrument assessing physical, psychological, social and environmental aspects of QOL. A comprehensive neuropsychological batterywas administered. Measures of psychiatric symptoms including depression (as assessed by the Calgary Depression Scale), positive, negative and general psychopathology (as assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) were obtained. Results: Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the ability of neuropsychological measures and psychiatric symptoms to predict QOL. When neuropsychological variables were considered on their own, cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, verbal ability and sustained attention explained up to 28% of the variance in the four domains of QOL. However, in the presence of psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological variables were no longer significant predictors for physical and psychological QOL; depression, general psychopathology and negative symptoms together explained up to 43% of the variance in QOL, with neuropsychological variables remaining significant for social and environmental QOL. Conclusions: In young people with their first episode of psychosis, QOL is more strongly related to levels of psychopathology, particularly depression, than neuropsychological deficits. This finding replicates previous studies in chronic schizophrenia that have suggested QOL is more strongly related to levels of psychopathology than the presence of neuropsychological deficits.
Investigation of Consumer Satisfaction with Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy and Sertraline in the Treatment of Adolescent Depression
Authors: Dudley Amanda L. , Melvin Glenn A. , Williams Nicola J. , Tonge Bruce J. , King Neville J. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: A new instrument, the Adolescent Depression Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (ADTSQ) was devised to measure the consumer satisfaction of depressed adolescents and their parents. The objectives of the paper were to present the psychometric proper ties ofthe ADTSQ and to investigate the relative consumer satisfaction with cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), sertraline (SRT) and a combined treatment of CBT and SRT (COMBINED) for the treatment of adolescent depression. In addition, participants were asked to rank their most preferred treatment from the following approaches: medication, individual counselling, group program and family therapy. Method: Thirty-eight adolescents with a unipolar depressive disorder and 37 parents who participated in a randomized clinical trial of CBT versus SRT versus COMBINED completed the ADTSQ following the completion of acute treatment. Results: The ADTSQ was found to have high internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis detected three underlying factors. High levels of consumer satisfaction were reported by both adolescents and parents in all three treatments. Those treated with CBT treatments reported higher levels of skill acquisition than those treated with SRT. Of the four treatment approaches, most parents and adolescentsrated individual counsellingas their first preference. Conclusions: The ADTSQ is a useful measure of consumer satisfaction for depressed adolescents and their parents. CBT, SRT and COMBINED were shown to have high consumer satisfaction with CBT's higher skills training content reflected in the participants' reports. Individual counselling was perceived as the most favourable choice of treatment for adolescent depression. Although limitations associated with the measurement of consumer satisfaction and of the study are acknowledged, it is recommended that the inclusion of consumer satisfaction measures be considered in clinical trials that examine treatment efficacy.
Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research: The First 17 Years
Authors: Mcgrath John , Mcgrath John , Mowry Bryan , Whiteford Harvey 
Published: December 2009

Objective: To reflect on the establishment and evolution of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research. Method: Narrative historical review. Results: First established as an inpatient research unit in December 1987, the focus of the Centre evolved in concert with the skills of the staff. After the structure was revised in 1996 and 1999, the Centre has evolved into a group with four main research streams – epidemiology, developmental neurobiology, genetics and policy and economics. Although the group maintains a strong focus on serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia, our policy and economic work has a wider perspective. The Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research is based in an historic mental health service, with laboratories in collaborating universities and institutes. Key lessons learnt by the group along the way relate to the importance of focusing on a restricted range of research topics in order to build a critical mass. Conclusions: Given a facilitating environment, hospital-based research groups can prosper. Over the last 17 years, a cost-efficient, focused and productive research group has evolved that has made contributions to international research.
Techniques for the Identification of Genes Involved in Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Blair Ian P. , Mitchell Philip B. , Schofield Peter R. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: Most psychiatric disorders are complex genetic traits involving both genetic and environmental risk factors. This paper aims to review the gene identification strategies being applied bymolecular geneticists in their efforts to elucidate the genetic and molecular basis of psychiatric disorders. Future strategies will also be canvassed. Method: The psychiatric genetic literature was reviewed to identify current strategies applied to gene identification, with examples provided where available. The future strategies and applications that will arise from genome projects, including the International Haplotype Mapping Project, are also discussed. Results: Many advances in the techniques of gene discovery, and the increasing resources available, are rapidly being adopted by researchers and applied to the complex problem of identifying susceptibility genes for mental illnesses. Perhaps the single most important advance to date is the Human Genome Project and all that has stemmed from the vast quantity of information that this endeavour has provided. With these technological advances and the massive increase of publicly available genetic resources, several genes have recently been implicated in the susceptibility to psychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia and depression. After many years of fruitless endeavours, these recent reports indicate that the labours of researchers in psychiatric genetics are beginning to show exciting results. Conclusions: Identification of these susceptibility genes holds great promise, with the unravelling of the molecular and biochemical basis of some conditions now being a more realistic and tangible goal. The increasing number of genes being identified augers well for the future treatment of psychiatric disorders. The genes identified, and the pathways of genes and proteins that they implicate, will provide potential novel targets for new therapeutic drugs. Psychiatric genetics appears to be poised for significant advances in our knowledge and understanding of the molecular genetic basis of mental illness.
Importance of Animal Models in Schizophrenia Research
Authors: Van Den Buuse M , Garner B , Gogos A , Kusljic S 
Published: December 2009

Objective: This review aims to summarize the importance of animal models for research on psychiatric illnesses, particularly schizophrenia. Method and Results: Several aspects of animal models are addressed, including animal experimentation ethics and theoretical considerations of different aspects of validity of animal models. A more specific discussion is included on two of the most widely used behavioural models, psychotropic drug-induced locomotor hyperactivity and prepulse inhibition, followed by comments on the difficulty of modelling negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we emphasize the impact of new developments in molecular biology and the generation of genetically modified mice, which have generated the concept of behavioural phenotyping. Conclusions: Complex psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, cannot be exactly reproduced in species such as rats and mice. Nevertheless, by providing new information on the role of neurotransmitter systems and genes in behavioural function, animal ‘models’ can be an important tool in unravelling mechanisms involved in the symptoms and development of such illnesses, alongside approaches such as post-mortem studies, cognitive and psychophysiological studies, imaging and epidemiology.
Acute Tryptophan Depletion. Part I: Rationale and Methodology
Authors: Hood Sean D. , Bell Caroline J. , Nutt David J. 
Published: December 2009

Objective: Acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) is an experimental technique that has been widely used over the last decade to investigate the role of serotonin (5-HT) in a variety of disorders. This review, the first of two articles, describes the rationale behind this technique and provides detail on how it is applied in research settings. Method: The authors outline the development of this technique with reference to the seminal literature and more recent findings from neuroimaging and neuroendocrine studies. This is supplemented by the authors' clinical experience of over 5 years of continuous experimental work with this paradigm in over 50 subjects. Results: Acute tryptophan depletion is a method that significantly reduces central 5-HT in human subjects. Non-serotonergic explanations of the effects of ATD have not been confirmed, supporting the specificity of this method. Conclusions: The ATD technique is a valid method of manipulating central 5-HT levels. The second article in this series will review the application of ATD in depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions.