Psychosocial Functioning In Patients Research Articles

Processing speed mediates the relationship between DDR1 and psychosocial functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder presenting psychotic symptoms.

The DDR1 locus is associated with the diagnosis of schizophrenia and with processing speed in patients with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. Here, we investigated whether DDR1 variants are associated with bipolar disorder (BD) features. First, we performed a case‒control association study comparing DDR1 variants between patients with BD and healthy controls. Second, we performed linear regression analyses to assess the associations of DDR1 variants with neurocognitive domains and psychosocial functioning. Third, we conducted a mediation analysis to explore whether neurocognitive impairment mediated the association between DDR1 variants and psychosocial functioning in patients with BD. Finally, we studied the association between DDR1 variants and white matter microstructure. We did not find any statistically significant associations in the case‒control association study; however, we found that the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC were associated with worse neurocognitive performance in patients with BD with psychotic symptoms. In addition, the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC were associated with worse psychosocial functioning through processing speed. We did not find correlations between white matter microstructure abnormalities and the neurocognitive domains associated with the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC. Overall, the results suggest that DDR1 may be a marker of worse neurocognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with BD, specifically those with psychotic symptoms.

Longitudinal trajectories of psychosocial functioning in patients with pre-existing mental disorders after one year of COVID-19 pandemic

Aims of the present study were to prospectively assess psychosocial functioning trajectories during the COVID pandemic and the possible impact of sociodemographic variables, as well as of COVID-19 pandemic-related factors, on these trajectories, in a sample of patients with pre-existing severe mental disorders. Moreover, we aimed at identifying predictors of impairment in psychosocial functioning over a period of 9 months of COVID-19 pandemic. Patients were recruited during the 3rd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (T0, March–April 2021) while strict containment measures were applied in Italy, and reassessed after 3 months (T1, June–July 2021), and after 6 months from T1 (T2- November–December 2021), during the 4th wave of COVID pandemic. A sample of 300 subject (out of the 527 subjects recruited at baseline) completed the T2 evaluation. Patients were assessed by: Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) for psychosocial functioning, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised, for post-traumatic symptoms. Cluster analyses identified 4 trajectories of functioning: the High, Stable Functioning group (N = 77), the Improvement Functioning group (N = 62), the Progressive Impairment group (N = 83) and the Persistent Severe Impairment group (N = 78) respectively. We found that predictors of higher WSAS score at T2 were higher WSAS score at T0 (B = 0.43, p < .001), PHQ scores at baseline >10 (B = 2.89, p < .05), while not living alone was found to be a protective factor (B = −2.5, p < .05).Results of the present study provides insights into the vulnerability of individuals with psychiatric disorders during times of crisis. Study findings can contribute to a better understanding of the specific needs of this population and inform interventions and support strategies.

P285 Communicating Needs and Features of IBD Experiences (CONFIDE) Survey: European and US Patient and Health Care Professional Perspectives on the Broad Impact of Bowel Urgency in Ulcerative colitis

Abstract Background Bowel urgency (BU) affects quality of life and psychosocial function of patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC). This study used data from the Communicating Needs and Features of IBD Experiences (CONFIDE) survey to explore the patient and health care professional (HCP) perceptions on the broad impact of BU on patients’ emotions and daily lives. Methods Online, quantitative, cross-sectional surveys were conducted among patients with moderate-to-severe UC and HCPs in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), the United States (US) and Japan. Data from Europe and US are presented here. A 7-point scale was used to rate the emotional impact of BU (Patients: 1=does not make me feel like this at all, 7=makes me feel like this a great deal; HCPs: 1=patients do not experience at all, 7=patients experience a great deal) and interference of BU with 12 different aspects of patients’ daily lives (Patients: 1=does not interfere, 7=interferes a great deal; HCPs: 1=no impact on patients and 7=impacts patients a great deal). Results Surveys were completed by 556 patients and 503 HCPs in Europe and 200 patients and 200 HCPs in the US. Among patients experiencing BU in the past month (Europe:30%, US:47%), most reported emotional impacts due to BU (mean rating [MR]≥4.1), as did the HCPs (MR≥5.2). In Europe, patients felt embarrassed when having to run to the bathroom due to BU (MR=5.0); HCPs reported that patients felt anxious/nervous due to BU as well as panic and embarrassment when having to run to bathroom due to BU (MR=5.8 each; Figure). In the US, similar to patients (MR=4.8), HCPs (MR=5.8) perceived their patients felt anxious/nervous due to BU. Impacts of BU on daily life were reported by patients (MR≥4.2) and HCPs (MR≥4.6). In Europe, patients reported a high impact on spontaneous activities (MR=5.1); HCPs reported a high impact on patients’ ability to travel (MR=5.8; Table). In the US, patients reported a high impact of BU on the choice (variety) and quantity of food/drinks (MR=5.2 each); HCPs perceived a high impact on patients’ spontaneous activities and ability to travel (MR=5.7 each). While most HCPs (Europe:58%, US:54%) ranked BU among top five most impactful symptoms, it was not among the top three most impactful symptoms on treatment decisions. Conclusion In both Europe and US, BU affected patients emotionally and limited their ability to travel and make spontaneous plans. Despite the broad impact of BU from both HCP and patient perspectives, with HCPs perceiving (numerically) a higher impact than patients, it was not among the top three most impactful symptoms on HCPs’ treatment decisions. Increased awareness of BU among HCPs is needed when making treatment decisions for patients with UC.

Functional Alterations in Patients with Bipolar Disorder and Their Unaffected First-Degree Relatives: Insight from Genetic, Epidemiological, and Neuroimaging Data.

Bipolar disorder (BD) profoundly affects cognitive and psychosocial functioning, leading to a significant illness burden on patients and their families. Genetic factors are predominant in the onset of bipolar disorder and functional impairments. This disorder exhibits a strong family aggregation, with heritability estimates reaching up to 80%. Individuals with BD often experience impaired functioning, especially in significant areas such as physical performance, sleep, cognition, interpersonal interactions, socioeconomic status, family and marital relationships, work and school performance, well-being, and life expectancy. However, patients with different subtypes exhibit significant heterogeneity in social functioning, cognition, and creativity levels. There are notable differences in psychosocial and cognitive function in their unaffected first-degree relatives (UFR) who do not suffer but may carry susceptibility genes compared to healthy control (HC) without a family history. The observations indicate common genetic structures between BD patients and their UFR, which results in varying degrees of functional abnormalities. Therefore, this article mainly provides evidence on cognition, creativity, and psychosocial functioning in patients with BD and their UFR to provide a more comprehensive understanding of this critical topic in the field of BD. By integrating various findings, including clinical data and neuroimaging studies, our article aims to provide insights and valuable information for a deeper exploration of the pathogenesis of BD and the development of more targeted therapeutic strategies in the future.

The Correlations Among Severity of Depression, Level of Observed Expressed Emotions, Perceived Social Support and Psychosocial Functioning in Patients with Unipolar Depression

Abstract The aims of the study were to examine the correlations among severity of depression, level of psychosocial functioning, level of observed expressed emotions and perceived social support in patients diagnosed with unipolar depression. The sample included 61 patients. The following study instruments were applied: the Beck Depression Inventory II, the Functioning Assessment Short Test, the Level of Expressed Emotion scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Descriptive statistics of the sample have shown the mean age of 42.39years (SD=13.387), moderate severity of depression (AS=22.7, SD=11.984), moderate level of observed expressed emotions (AS=74.70, SD=17.959), moderate level of psychosocial difficulties (AS=26.33, SD=17.207) and high level of perceived social support (AS=5.24, SD=1.395). There were significant positive correlations between severity of depression and psychosocial difficulties (r=0.69) and perceived social support (r=−0.42), as well as between psychosocial difficulties and both levels of observed expressed emotions (r=0.31) and perceived social support (r=− 0.53). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that 47.1% of the psychosocial functioning variance can be predicted by severity of depressive symptoms, and perceived social support explained the additional 7% of variance. The level of observed expressed emotion didn’t show an additional explanation of the psychosocial functioning variance. Our research showed that the severity of depressive symptoms and perceived social support predict difficulties in psychosocial functioning, while the level of observed expressed emotion was not an important predictor.

Effects of Spinal Mobilization with Leg Movement and Neural Mobilization on Pain, Mobility, and Psychosocial Functioning of Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized Controlled Study

Effects of Spinal Mobilization with Leg Movement and Neural Mobilization on Pain, Mobility, and Psychosocial Functioning of Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized Controlled Study

Efficacy of Functional Remediation on Cognitive and Psychosocial Functioning in Patients with Bipolar Disorder: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Study.

Neurocognitive impairment is a prominent characteristic of bipolar disorder (BD), linked with poor psychosocial functioning. This study's purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of functional remediation (FR) in enhancing neurocognitive dysfunctions in a sample of remitted patients with diagnosis of BD in comparison to treatment as usual-TAU. To quantify the neurocognitive damage, the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Affective Disorders (BAC-A) will be used, and the overall psychosocial functioning will be measured with the Functioning Assessment Short Test-FAST. The randomized, rater-blinded, controlled study will include two arms (1:1) encompassing 54 outpatients with diagnosis of BD-I and BD-II, as defined by the DSM-5 criteria. In the experimental phase, remitted patients aged 18-55 years will be involved. At the baseline, at the end of intervention and at the 6-month follow-up, patients will be evaluated using clinical scales (Young Mania Rating Scale (Y-MRS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)). Neurocognitive measurements and psychosocial functioning will be valued, respectively, with BAC-A and FAST. The primary expected outcome is that following FR intervention, patients will exhibit improved cognitive abilities and psychosocial outcomes compared to the participants in the TAU group. It is now recognized that neurocognitive deficits are potential predictors of functional outcome in patients with BD. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the implementation of interventions that, in addition to symptomatic remission, are also aimed at neurocognitive dysfunctions in order to achieve a recovery of psychosocial functioning.

Effects of psychosocial function in pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Research on the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on psychosocial function in patients with pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the psychological status of patients with PIBD before and during the pandemic, and the relationship between mental health and disease activity. This study was a retrospective cohort study. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the relationship between demographic, clinical data and psychological data (questionnaires) of PIBD patients before and during the epidemic. The anxiety and depression emotional status of the guardians during the pandemic were evaluated. In the PIBD follow-up cohort, 42 patients(male 61.9%) were included. Female with PIBD had lower pediatric quality of life inventory(PedsQL) scores (P = 0.007) and higher spence children's anxiety scale(SCAS) scores (P = 0.038) than male. The pandemic did not have a substantial impact on PedsQL, pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI), SCAS, or children's depression inventory(CDI) in patients with PIBD. The self-rating anxiety scale(SAS) score, anxiety rate, self-rating depression scale(SDS) score, and depression rate of PIBD guardians were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (SAS, P = 0.008; SDS, P = 0.001). Female children with PIBD were more vulnerable to decreased QOL and increased anxiety than male children. The anxiety and depression status of PIBD guardians were significantly higher than those of healthy controls during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect quality of life(QOL), sleep, anxiety, or depressive mood of patients with PIBD in our study.

Psychosocial well-being among patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The investigators conducted a psychosocial needs assessment of mesothelioma patients through self-report measures of quality of life (QOL), coping, depression, and social support. Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) (N=67) completed a battery of assessments at a single timepoint after being approached during routine medical oncology clinic appointments or by letter. Participants were predominately male (70.0%; n=47) and ranged in age from 35 to 83years old (M=65.61, SD=9.71). Most participants were white (88.0%; n=59), and 10.0% (n=7) were identified as Hispanic. The majority were married or living with a partner (93.0%; n=62) and had some college or more education (64.0%; n=43). Fourteen percent of participants (n=11) endorsed significantly elevated depression symptoms. No significant demographic or clinical differences in depressed compared to nondepressed participants were observed, with a trend toward those identifying as Hispanic and those who were divorced as being more likely to be depressed. For the total sample, the most frequently endorsed coping strategies were active coping, emotional support, and acceptance. The present study did not identify any clear correlates of depression or QOL among patients with MPM. This research contributes to the small literature on psychosocial functioning in patients with MPM and provides putative directions for future larger studies and the development of interventions to provide appropriate support to diverse patients with MPM.

Psychosocial Functioning in Patients of Major Depressive Disorders in Tertiary Care Hospital in Haryana

Psychosocial Functioning in Patients of Major Depressive Disorders in Tertiary Care Hospital in Haryana

Personality traits and coping strategies in recent-onset psychosis: Associations with symptom severity and psychosocial functioning

BackgroundPersonality and coping may be related to symptom severity and psychosocial functioning in patients with recent-onset psychosis. This study aimed to investigate associations of personality traits and coping strategies with concurrent and follow-up symptom severity and functioning in those patients, and identify whether coping mediates relations between personality and symptoms or functioning. MethodsAt baseline, 527 recent-onset psychosis patients (73 % male, mean age = 28 years) received assessments on personality (Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness – Five-Factor Inventory), coping (Utrecht Coping List), symptom severity (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale) and psychosocial functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale). Of those, 149 also received symptom and functioning assessments at follow-up. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to assess cross-sectional associations of personality and coping with symptoms and functioning at baseline. Longitudinal associations of baseline personality and coping with follow-up symptomatic remission and functioning were analyzed with multivariable linear and binary logistic regression analyses, respectively. Lastly, it was investigated whether coping mediated associations between personality and symptoms or functioning. ResultsHigher baseline Agreeableness (B = -0.019, [95%CI: −0.031; −0.007]) and Neuroticism (B = -0.017, [95%CI: −0.028; −0.006]) were associated with lower concurrent symptom severity. Reassuring Thoughts were associated with better functioning at baseline (B = 0.833, [95%CI: 0.272; 1.393]). Neither personality nor coping were associated with follow-up symptomatic remission or functioning. Coping did not mediate associations between personality and symptoms or functioning. ConclusionOnly the coping strategy Reassuring Thoughts is associated with better baseline functioning in patients with recent-onset psychosis. Personality traits seem to have limited clinically relevant relations with symptom severity or functioning.

In the face of change: Which coping strategies predict better psychosocial outcomes in face transplant recipients?

Face transplantation aims to improve patients' quality of life and psychosocial functioning in patients with a disfiguring injury. With 40 cases worldwide, little is known about coping strategies predicting resilient outcomes. Six patients followed in Boston, completed the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997) along with validated measures of depression, self-esteem, and quality of life - every 3 months during the first year post-transplant and every 6 months thereafter, up to 36 months post-transplant. Due to sample size and distribution of the data, nonparametric tests were used to characterize the relation of coping strategies with psychosocial outcomes. As expected, active coping strategies were associated with better mental health pre-transplant, while avoidant coping strategies were associated with poorer mental health. Patients using support-based strategies reported better mental health at baseline. Post-transplant, the pattern reversed such that avoidant strategies appeared protective, when looking at mental health trajectories over 18 months. Importantly, trends identified during the first 18 months matched the trajectories of all patients with existing data up to 36 months post-transplant, for all outcomes measured. Different coping strategies support optimal outcomes in the pre-versus post-transplant phases. Pre-transplant data may better inform interventions supporting mental health of transplant candidates than predict post-transplant behavior. Early post-transplant data seems to provide promising insight in long term psychosocial outcomes. Our data stresses the need for pre-transplant assessment of coping and post-transplant coping training. Research aiming to optimize post-transplant psychosocial outcomes should consider coping as a promising target for intervention.

Psychosocial functioning in pediatric food allergies: A scoping review

The psychosocial burden of food allergy (FA) can significantly affect the lives of pediatric patients and their families. Acomprehensive understanding of the state of the literature on psychosocial functioning is imperative to identify gaps that may affect clinical care and future research. This review characterizes the current literature on psychosocial functioning in pediatric patients with FA and their caregivers, siblings, and families. Aliterature search of 5 databases (PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Embase) was conducted to identify original research articles and abstracts on psychosocial functioning of patients with FA who were aged 0 to 18 years and their caregivers, siblings, and families. Atotal of 257 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies examined child or caregiver psychosocial functioning, with child and caregiver quality of life examined most frequently. Most studies utilized quantitative and cross-sectional methods and inconsistently reported participant race and ethnicity. Existing research on psychosocial functioning in pediatric FA may not be generalizable to patients of color and families and siblings. Future research should diversify recruited samples regarding race, ethnicity, and country of origin; examine psychosocial functioning longitudinally; examine constructs beyond quality of life; and adopt a biopsychosocial approach by considering the interplay among psychosocial functioning, disease burden, and social contexts.

Heterogeneity of psychosocial functioning in patients with bipolar disorder: Associations with sociodemographic, clinical, neurocognitive and biochemical variables.

ObjectiveThis study aims to identify the functional heterogeneity in fully or partially remitted patients with bipolar disorder and explore the correlations between psychosocial functioning and sociodemographic, clinical, neurocognitive and biochemical variables.MethodsOne hundred and forty fully or partially remitted patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and seventy healthy controls were recruited. The patients were grouped into different profiles based on the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) domain scores by hierarchical cluster analysis. The characteristics of subgroups and the correlations between psychosocial functioning and sociodemographic, clinical, neurocognitive and biochemical variables in each cluster were then analyzed.ResultsThere were three subgroups in fully or partially remitted patients with BD: the lower functioning group (LF), performed global functioning impairments; the moderate functioning group (MF), presented selective impairments in functional domains; and the good functioning subgroup (GF), performed almost intact functioning. Among the three subgroups, there were differences in FAST domains, sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, some neurocognitive domains and several biochemical indexes.ConclusionsThe study successfully identified three functional subgroups. The characteristics of discrete subgroups and the specific clinical factors, neurocognitive domains and biochemical indexes that are correlated with functional subgroups will allow for making tailored interventions to promote functional recovery and improve the quality of life.

In pursuit of full recovery in major depressive disorder.

Many individuals with major depression disorder (MDD) who achieve remission of depressive symptoms, do not perceive themselves as fully recovered. This study explores whether clinical remission is related to functional remission and to patient's perception of recovery, as well as, which factors are associated with their functional and subjective remission. 148 patients with MDD in partial clinical remission were included. Demographics and clinical variables were collected through semi-structured interviews. Objective cognition was evaluated through a neuropsychological battery and subjective cognition through a specific questionnaire. The patient's psychosocial functioning and the perception of their remission were also assessed. Apart from descriptive analysis, Pearson correlations and backward stepwise regression models explored the relationship between demographic, clinical, and cognitive factors with patients' functional and self-perceived remission. From the whole sample, 57 patients (38.5%) were considered to achieve full clinical remission, 38 patients (25.7%) showed functional remission, and 55 patients (37.2%) perceived themselves as remitted. Depressive symptoms and objective and subjective executive function were the factors associated with psychosocial functioning. Besides, depressive symptoms, objective and subjective attention, and subjective executive function were the significant explanatory variables for self-perception of remission. The concept of full recovery from an episode of MDD should not only include the clinician's perspective but also the patient's psychosocial functioning along with their self-perceived remission. As residual depressive symptoms and cognition (objective and subjective) are factors with great contribution to a full recovery, clinicians should specifically address them when choosing therapeutic strategies.

Peyronie's disease development and management in diabetic men.

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a fibrosing disorder of the penis resulting in plaque formation and penile deformity that negatively affect sexual and psychosocial function of patients. A multifactorial etiology of PD is assumed with diabetes mellitus (DM) being a potential risk factor. The aim of this narrative review was to investigate diabetes role in PD pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. A non-systematic narrative review of original articles, meta-analyses, and randomized trials was conducted, including articles in the pre-clinical setting to support relevant findings. Diabetes is one of the most common comorbidity observed in PD patients, with a prevalence of about 11% and a strong association with erectile dysfunction (ED). DM is associated with both a higher risk of developing PD and has also an impact on the outcomes of PD's treatments. Evidence from literature underlines that metabolic alterations typical of DM are pivotal factors in the development of PD and resistance to its medical treatment. The role of DM in development of PD is still debated, while its role in PD development is not completely clear, there is a clear impact of DM on PD treatment outcomes.

Клініко-терапевтичні особливості пацієнтів із шизотиповим розладом з обсесивно-компульсивною симптоматикою

Introduction. The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in modern conditions of high stress and the lack of detailed recommendations for this category of patients determine the relevance of this publication. The emergence of suffering at a young age forms insufficiently adaptive behaviors and complicates the socialization of such persons. And the emergence of these symptoms within different etiological disorders requires the development of differentiated diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Materials and methods. The study involved 69 outpatients with leading obsessive-compulsive disorder within schizotypal disorder (F21). The following methods were used: clinical-psychopathological, psychodiagnostic, clinical-follow-up and mathematical statistics. Patients were examined using psychodiagnostic techniques: clinical scale of obsessions and Yel-Brown compulsions (Y-BOCS - Obsessive-compulsive Scale); hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS); quality of life scale (Chaban OS, 2008); multidimensional scale of perception of social support ("MSPSS" D. Zimet); questionnaire "Lifestyle Index" ("LSI" by R. Plutchik - G. Kellerman - H. R. Conte), method "Psychological diagnosis of coping behavior strategy" by R. Lazarus. Results. The clinical typology of these symptoms: type of avoidance, type of ambivalence and type of accumulation was studied by processing the clinical scale of obsessions and Yel-Brown compulsions (Y-BOCS) in patients with schizotypal disorder (F21). It was found that these symptoms were accompanied by anxiety and depressive symptoms only at the subclinical level, which indicates a lack of criticism of one’s condition. In patients with the leading obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizotypal disorder, not quite mature variants of the protective structure are actualized, namely, substitution (62.3%), displacement (60.9%), regression (58%) and denial (26.1%). The leading coping strategies of such individuals are self-control (73.9%) and escape-avoidance (55.1%), which differs significantly from the strategies more often used by patients with ACS at the neurotic level. We have proposed a program of comprehensive treatment of this group of patients. Patients were divided into 2 groups, the first of which received a combined (differentiated psychopharmacological interventions and psychotherapy) option of therapy, and the second – only differentiated psychopharmacotherapy. The psychotherapeutic formulation was determined by different focus targets depending on the type of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and consisted of a combination of techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and gestalt therapy (GT). The results of the follow-up study indicate the effective impact of the developed treatment and rehabilitation program on all components of the mental state and social functioning of patients with all types of obsessive-compulsive symptoms of subpsychotic level. Conclusions. The leading types of ACS in schizotypal disorder and features of psychosocial functioning in patients have been identified, which allowed to create a differentiated approach to the formation of a program of their comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation. Such persons need mandatory psychopharmacotherapy and differentiated psychotherapeutic intervention. The application of the program made it possible to improve the mental state and quality of life and achieve the optimal level of adaptation of patients in various spheres of life, increase periods of remission and prevent recurrence of the disorder.

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety Between Low-Dose Ziprasidone in Combination With Sertraline and Ziprasidone Monotherapy for Treatment-Resistant Patients With Acute Exacerbation Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a prevalent clinical problem with heterogeneous presentations. However, the clinical trial designs for new treatments are still lacking. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of ziprasidone plus sertraline in TRS patients as compared to ziprasidone monotherapy. We conducted a 24 weeks, randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical research trial. 62 treatment-resistant patients with acute exacerbation SZ were randomly allocated to receive a usual dose of ziprasidone (120–160 mg/d) monotherapy (Control group) and 53 TRS inpatients were to receive a low dose of ziprasidone (60–80 mg/d) in combination with sertraline (ZS group). Treatment outcomes were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), CGI-Severity (CGI-S) and Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) at baseline, week 4, 8, 12, and 24. Relative to control group, the patients in ZS group showed greater reductions in the following: PANSS positive symptom, negative symptom, total score, and HAMD total score. Additionally, the patients in ZS group had a greater increase in PSP total score. Notably, the reduction in HAMD was positively correlated with the reduction in PANSS total score. The reduction in CGI-S was a predictor for the improvement of psychosocial functioning in patients. Furthermore, the ZS group had a lower rate of side effects compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that a low dose of ziprasidone in combination with sertraline is an effective therapy for the clinical symptoms as compared to a usual dose of ziprasidone in the treatment-resistant patients with acute exacerbation SZ. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04076371.

The effectiveness of repeated intravenous ketamine on subjective and objective psychosocial function in patients with treatment-resistant depression and suicidal ideation

BackgroundKetamine has rapid and robust antidepressant effects in adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), while its effects on functional outcomes have not been sufficiently evaluated. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of ketamine treatment on both subjective and objective functioning, and to explore whether improvements in depressive symptom and cognition mediated changes in functioning. MethodsAdults (n=111) with TRD and/or suicidality received six infusions of ketamine (0.5mg/kg, thrice-weekly). Depression symptoms were assessed with the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) at baseline, day 13 and day 26. Cognitive domains, including processing speed, working memory, visual learning and verbal learning were measured with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, and subjective and objective functioning were measured with the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) at the same time-points. ResultsSignificant improvement was observed in SDS total score (effect size [ES]=-1.563) and GAF score (ES=1.700) during the 26-day observation. Results from path analysis indicated that reductions of the total MADRS score and improvements in processing speed aggregately significantly mediated the reductions of SDS total score (total indirect effect coef=-3.993, 95%CI [-4.9, -3.2], direct effect coef=-1.374, 95%CI [-2.4, -0.4]) as well as the increases of GAF score (total indirect effect coef=6.022, 95%CI [4.5, 7.8], direct effect coef=3.987, 95%CI [2.1, 5.8]). ConclusionSix infusions of ketamine was associated with improvements in functional outcomes in adults with TRD and/or suicidality. Depressive symptoms severity and processing speed performance were significant partial mediators of objective and subjective functioning improvements.

Development of a psychosocial functioning questionnaire for patients with major depressive disorder

BackgroundThe importance of psychosocial functioning in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is widely recognised. However, there is a lack of effective scales to assess psychosocial...