Standard Outpatient Treatment Research Articles

A long-term follow-up of treatment for young children with obesity: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundEarly childhood obesity interventions supporting parents have the largest effects on child weight status. However, long-term follow-ups are lacking.ObjectiveTo examine weight status 48 months after obesity treatment initiation for 4- to 6-year-olds.Methods177 families were recruited to the More and Less study, a 12-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Sweden (2012–2017); 6 children were excluded due to medical diagnoses. Thus, 171 families (non-Swedish origin 59%, university degree 40%) were eligible for this 48-month follow-up with modified intention-to-treat (n = 114 had 48-month data, n = 34 dropped out, n = 23 lost to follow-up). The RCT compared 3 treatment approaches: a 10-week parent support program (1.5 h/w) with follow-up booster sessions (PGB) or without (PGNB), and standard outpatient treatment (ST). Treatment effects on primary outcome (BMI-SDS) and secondary outcomes (BMI, %IOTF25 i.e., the distance, in percent, above the cut-off for overweight) were assessed. Clinically significant reduction of BMI-SDS (≥0.5) was assessed with risk ratio. Sociodemographic factors and attendance were examined by three-way interactions.ResultsAfter 48 months (mean 50 months, range 38–67 months) mean (95% CI) BMI-SDS was reduced in all groups: PGB −0.45 (−0.18 to −0.73, p < 0.001), PGNB −0.34 (−0.13 to −0.55, p < 0.001), ST −0.25 (−0.10 to −0.40, p < 0.001), no significant difference between groups. A clinically significant reduction of BMI-SDS ≥ 0.5 was obtained in 53.7% of PGB which was twice as likely compared to ST, 33.0%, RR 2.03 (1.27 to 3.27, p = 0.003), with no difference to PGNB, 46.6% (p = 0.113). %IOTF25 was unchanged from baseline for PGB 4.50 (−1.64 to 10.63), and significantly lower compared to ST 11.92 (8.40 to 15.44) (p = 0.043). Sociodemographics or attendance had no effect.ConclusionThe intensive parent-support early childhood obesity intervention led to better weight status outcomes over time, though BMI-SDS alone did not reflect this. Further research should investigate how to assess weight changes in growing children.Clinical trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT01792531.

Chatbot-assisted therapy for patients with methamphetamine use disorder: a preliminary randomized controlled trial.

Methamphetamine (MA) use disorder is associated with a large public health burden. Despite the therapeutic effects of psychosocial interventions based on current evidence, finding an approach to retain patients in treatment remains a real-world challenge. The rapid development of mobile health (mHealth) systems suggests the potential to provide real-time personalized care at any time and from any location, minimize barriers to treatment, maximize use, and promote the dissemination of accessible therapeutic tools in at-risk populations. Our study aimed to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of chatbots for the treatment of MA use disorder. The inclusion criteria were (a) a diagnosis of MA use disorder as defined by the DSM-5, (b) age between 18 and 65 years, (c) no acute exacerbation of severe mental illness during the initial assessment, such as schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder, (d) willingness to participate in standard outpatient treatment for ≥ 6 months, and (e) an Android phone. Participants were randomly allocated to either a chatbot-assisted therapy via smartphone (CAT) group or a control group following simple randomization procedures (computerized random numbers) without blinding. All participants were followed up for 6 months. Treatment retention and monthly urine test results were analyzed as outcome measures. Participants' satisfaction with CAT was also assessed. In total, 50 and 49 participants were allocated to the CAT and control groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in retention time between the two treatment groups (df = 1, p = 0.099). The CAT group had fewer MA-positive urine samples than the control group (19.5% vs. 29.6%, F = 9.116, p = 0.003). The proportion of MA-positive urine samples was positively correlated with the frequency of MA use (r = 0.323, p = 0.001), severity of MA use disorder (r = 0.364, p < 0.001), and polysubstance use (r = 0.212, p = 0.035), and negatively correlated with readiness to change (r = -0.330, p = 0.001). Totally 55 participants completed the study at the 6-month follow-up and 60% reported relative satisfaction. Participants in this study had favorable acceptance and generally positive outcomes, which indicates that chatbot is feasible for treating people who use MA.

Adaptation of family-based treatment within an inpatient medical stabilization program for children with eating disorders.

Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions predominantly affecting children, adolescents, and young adults. While family-based treatment (FBT) is the gold standard outpatient treatment approach for adolescents with restrictive eating disorders, there is not a universally recognized best practice within higher levels of care. There is a particular dearth of literature detailing recommended psychological and behavioral interventions in the inpatient medical setting. The present article provides an account of how FBT principles have been incorporated in Children's Hospital of Orange County at Mission's inpatient medical stabilization program for children and adolescents with restrictive eating disorders. Practical examples illustrate how key FBT tenets are successfully translated into the inpatient multidisciplinary setting. The use of FBT can encourage a unified approach among medical and psychosocial providers and serves to destigmatize patients with eating disorders and associated behaviors. The successes and challenges of FBT implementation are discussed. Though anecdotal evidence and preliminary findings support positive outcomes from the implementation of FBT within a pediatric medical stabilization program for patients, families, and staff, research is needed to understand best practices within higher levels of care. Additional research efforts will also help elucidate whether adapted FBT can become a standard of care for patients with restrictive eating disorders in inpatient settings. This article describes how a children's hospital has adopted family-based treatment (FBT) for youth who are hospitalized due to an eating disorder. FBT is the most efficacious treatment for youth with eating disorders. This article describes specific examples of how FBT can be implemented within a medical setting. This article will support a greater understanding of FBT principles and guide providers to translate FBT into higher level of care settings.

Less dropout from prolonged exposure sessions prescribed at least twice weekly: A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Trauma-focused psychotherapies, such as prolonged exposure (PE), are strongly recommended to treat posttraumatic stress disorder due to their effects in reducing symptoms. However, such therapies may also suffer from high dropout rates. To investigate how clients might benefit from trauma-focused therapy while minimizing dropout, we conducted a meta-analysis of 1,508 adults from 35 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of outpatient PE programs to evaluate treatment frequency as a predictor of dropout. When an RCT prescribed PE sessions at least twice weekly compared to less frequently, the dropout rate was significantly lower at 21.0%, 95% CI [13.9%, 30.4%], compared to 34.0%, 95% CI [28.9%, 39.4%], OR=0.52, 95% CI [0.30, 0.89], p=.018. It was not possible to draw causal conclusions, as only one RCT compared two PE treatment frequencies head-to-head. Nonetheless, the findings remained significant after controlling for study characteristics. These data invite reconsideration of the common practice of weekly psychotherapy in favor of twice-weekly sessions in standard outpatient treatment.

A pilot economic evaluation of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorder as an addition and alternative to traditional therapy.

Computer-based delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be a less costly approach to increase dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, comprehensive evaluations of costs, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit of computer-delivered interventions are rare. This study used data from a completed randomized clinical trial to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of a computer-based version of CBT (CBT4CBT) for AUD. Sixty-three participants were randomized to receive one of the following treatments at an outpatient treatment facility and attended at least one session: (1) treatment as usual (TAU), (2) CBT4CBT plus treatment as usual (CBT4CBT+TAU), or (3) CBT4CBT plus brief monitoring. Median protocol treatment costs per participant differed significantly between conditions, Kruskal-Wallis H(2)=8.40, p=0.02, such that CBT4CBT+TAU and CBT4CBT+monitoring each cost significantly more per participant than TAU. However, when nonprotocol treatment costs were included, total treatment costs per participant did not differ significantly between conditions. Median incremental cost-effective ratios (ICERs) revealed that CBT4CBT+TAU was more costly and more effective than TAU. It cost $35.08 to add CBT4CBT to TAU to produce a reduction of one additional drinking day per month between baseline and the end of the 8-week treatment protocol: CBT4CBT+monitoring cost $33.70 less to produce a reduction of one additional drinking day per month because CBT4CBT+monitoring was less costly than TAU and more effective at treatment termination, though not significantly so. Net benefit analyses suggested that costs of treatment, regardless of condition, did not offset monthly costs related to healthcare utilization, criminal justice involvement, and employment disruption between baseline and 6-month follow-up. Benefit-cost ratios were similar for each condition. Results of this pilot economic evaluation suggest that an 8-week course of CBT4CBT may be a cost-effective addition and potential alternative to standard outpatient treatment for AUD. Additional research is needed to generate conclusions about the cost-benefit of providing CBT4CBT to treatment-seeking individuals participating in standard outpatient treatment.

Physical training for patients with depression and anxiety - a randomized controlled study

IntroductionPharmaceutical treatment and psychotherapy constitute the most common treatment methods for depression and anxiety. Physical training has been shown to have comparable effect to cognitive behavioral therapy in treatment of mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Physically active individuals also show lower risks to develop depression and relapse in depression.ObjectivesThe objectives are to evaluate how physical activity can affect depressive and anxiety symptoms, by examining biomarkers in the blood and from the gut and also by measuring cognitive functions. Hopefully, this can lead to new treatment strategies for patients with depression and anxiety.Methods102 patients are randomized to two groups and undergo 12 weeks intervention as add-on to standard outpatient psychiatric treatment. The first group will participate in physical training three times per week and the other group will receive relaxation therapy on a weekly basis. Daily activity intensity will be measured before and at the last week of intervention with an accelerometer. Blood and faeces sample collection, symptom grading by clinician together with self-rating scales and cognitive screening will be performed at baseline, week 12 and one year of follow-up. The cognitive screenings are performed digitally in cooperation with Mindmore.ResultsThe RCT is currently recruiting patients at the Department of Psychiatry of Örebro University Hospital.Conclusions The project aims to be holistic in its approach, combining the defining clinical psychiatric symptoms in patients who have both depression and anxiety with the finding and evaluation of new biomarkers from blood and gut to improve cognitive functions.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

A prospective study of intensive in-patient treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder

Multimodal in-patient treatment incorporating intensive cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) and medication management is a promising alternative for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients who do not respond to standard out-patient treatment. We prospectively examined the short-term outcome and predictors of outcome of intensive in-patient treatment in a largely pharmacotherapy-resistant OCD sample. Fifty eight consecutive patients, admitted for treatment of OCD were evaluated at admission, at discharge and 2 months post-discharge for psychiatric diagnosis, personality disorders, obsessive beliefs, insight into obsessions and severity of obsessive-compulsive, depressive and anxiety symptoms. All patients received comprehensive treatment consisting of a combination of pharmacotherapy and intensive CBT. The mean Y-BOCS score was 29.38(±5.72) at admission, which reduced to 16.62(±7.91) at discharge and 16.75(±8.85) at follow-up. Thirty five participants (60.3%) met the prespecified criteria for response and 19 (32.8%) for remission. There was a significant reduction in Y-BOCS scores at discharge [43.67 (23.81)%] and post-discharge follow-up [2.18 (29.32)%] as compared to baseline (p<0.01). Baseline Browns Assessment of Beleifs Scale score (insight) was the only variable that statistically differentiated responders and non-responders. In-patient treatment is an effective treatment for medication resistant, severe and chronic OCD. Poor insight is a potential predictor of non-response to in-patient treatment.

APA Achievement Award Winners Meet Contemporary Challenges With Innovation

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article APA & MeetingsFull AccessAPA Achievement Award Winners Meet Contemporary Challenges With InnovationMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:13 Apr 2020https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2020.4b22AbstractThis year’s winners use collaboration and community engagement to extend psychiatric expertise to distressed populations and rural hospitals facing a shortage of mental health manpower.APA’s 2020 Achievement Award winners include innovative community and academic-based services focusing on veterans’ health and mental health, support for victims of sex trafficking, and psychiatric support of primary care practices given the shortage of mental health professionals.Since 1949, the Psychiatric Services Achievement Awards have recognized creative models of service delivery and innovative programs for people with mental illness or disabilities. Each year, APA bestows a Gold, a Silver, and a Bronze Award. Following are this year’s winners:Lt. Col. (Ret.) Army Medical Service Corps Michael Richardson, vice president for mental health and brain health programs of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Warrior Care NetworkMollie Gordon, M.D., medical director of the Baylor College of Medicine Anti-Human Trafficking ProgramZsuzsa Szombathyne Meszaros, M.D., Ph.D., director of the residency training program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at SUNY Upstate Medical CenterGold Award: Warrior Care Network. The Warrior Care Network, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a collaboration of the Wounded Warrior Project and four academic medical centers throughout the United States: Emory Healthcare, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rush University Medical Center, and UCLA Health. The program operates in cooperation with the Department of Veterans Affairs to enhance access to clinical and family-centered treatment for veterans experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and related conditions. Care is offered through standard outpatient treatment and an innovative intensive outpatient program.Silver Award: Baylor College of Medicine Anti-Human Trafficking Program. In this collaboration with the Houston Mayor’s Office and the Office of the Governor of Texas, Baylor Department of Psychiatry faculty members supervise two psychology postdoctoral fellows and a clinical social worker/case manager to address the problems related to human trafficking through a medical and public health lens. Through the program, health care professionals and community providers are trained in the identification and treatment of victims of human trafficking. By maintaining a working relationship with community-based case managers, the program enables victims to be referred for mental health treatment. An interdisciplinary approach enables the appropriate response to patients’ individual needs and provides a better chance for recovery and healing from this trauma.Bronze Award: SUNY Upstate Medical University. SUNY Upstate Medical University is located in a rural area where there is a serious shortage of psychiatrists. To help mitigate this problem, the school’s residency program has partnered with rural hospitals to support additional residency positions that will provide community care. The hospitals contract with the school with the understanding that the residents assigned to them, besides receiving standard residency training, will spend two months of the first two years of residency and one day a week during the second two years at a rural hospital site. The residents are committed to spending the five years after residency at the rural site. The first graduate has now started full-time work, and 12 residents are providing care to rural communities where people in need would otherwise have great difficulty accessing psychiatric care. ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Reinforcing exercise to improve drug abuse treatment outcomes: A randomized controlled study in a substance use disorder outpatient treatment setting.

Exercise holds potential to reduce substance use, but engaging patients in exercise regimens is challenging. Contingency management (CM) interventions can directly address adherence by targeting initiation and maintenance of exercise behavior. This study evaluated the efficacy of a CM-reinforced exercise intervention as an adjunct to standard outpatient substance use disorder treatment. Participants were 120 patients with substance use disorders who were randomly assigned to standard care with CM for completing exercise goals or CM for completing general nonexercise goals weekly for a 4-month treatment period. Urine samples were tested for evidence of illicit substance use up to twice a week during treatment and at follow-ups through month 12. Results found that the CM-exercise condition demonstrated during-treatment improvements on several physical activity and relevant psychosocial functioning indices (e.g., self-efficacy for exercise). The CM-exercise condition had no advantage relative to the CM-general condition in decreasing substance use. Overall, this study adds to a small body of well-powered trials assessing effects of exercise interventions as adjunct treatment for substance use disorders and finds no benefit over an alternate CM approach in terms of drug abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining Response to Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children 6–59 Months Old in Afghanistan, Chad, Mali, and Niger (P12-002-19)

ObjectivesIdentify the most significant factors affecting the trajectory of recovery from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), as measured by average daily weight gain in each child 6–59 months of age who were diagnosed and treated for SAM and treated, adjusting for covariates including: breastfeeding status, number of children in household, illness, and distance to health center.Hypothesis 1a:Children 6–59 months enrolled in SAM treatment have slower times to recovery and slower weight gain if they are admitted for treatment at a lower anthropometric cut-off admission (weight for height z-score < –4) than children admitted for treatment at a higher anthropometric cut-off (weight for height z-score ≥ –4).Hypothesis 1b: Older children (24–59 months) recover more quickly than younger children (6–23 months) controlling for ration size. MethodsA retrospective panel data analysis on children 6–59 months enrolled in standard outpatient treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) between 2014 and 2016 was conducted. The study period was between September-December 2018. Children were exhaustively sampled. Children with edema, children with implausible z-scores for W/H (<–5 and >5) and H/A (<–6 and >6), children who were referred for inpatient therapeutic feeding to a stabilization center, and children from the same household, except in the case of twins, were eliminated from the analysis. There was one database per country. A total of 1384 children between 6–59 months were included in the analysis. ResultsThe most significant factors affecting the proportional weight gain include age at enrollment (P = 0.001, 95%CI = –0.00—0.00) and Weight for height z-score (WHZ) (P = 0.00, 95%CI = 0.04—0.05) in each child 6–59 months of age who were diagnosed with SAM and treated, adjusting for covariates including: breastfeeding status, number of children in household, illness, and distance to health center. Sex of child did not significantly affect proportional weight gain (P = 0.404, 95%CI = –0.012–0.005). ConclusionsThe existing protocol to treat severe acute malnutrition should be modified to treat younger children and children who are admitted with a lower weight for height z-score due to different vulnerabilities. Funding SourcesThe research was conducted as part of a dissertation at The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Data were obtained from World Vision.

Evaluating the effects of mobile health intervention on weight management, glycemic control and pregnancy outcomes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

To explore the effects of mobile health (mHealth) intervention on pregnancy weight management, blood glucose control and pregnancy outcomes. A total of 124 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were selected. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The 60 patients in the control group received standard outpatient treatment, while the remaining 64 patients received a nurse's online guidance both through a mobile medical App installed on their phone and through regular offline clinical treatment in the mHealth group. Patients were treated for an average of 13weeks and general conditions, compliance, blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, weight gain, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes were monitored in both groups longitudinally. The mHealth group demonstrated higher levels of compliance (83.3 ± 12.5% vs. 70.4 ± 10.1%, t = - 6.293, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower frequency of outpatient service (8.1 ± 1.3 vs. 11.2 ± 1.1, t = 14.285, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower hemoglobin A1C before delivery (4.7 ± 0.2 vs. 5.3 ± 0.3, t = 13.216, df = 122, p < 0.001) as well as the rates of off-target measurements both fasting (4.6 ± 0.4% vs. 8.3 ± 0.6%, t = 40.659, df = 122, p < 0.001) and 2h post-prandial (7.9 ± 0.7% vs. 14.7 ± 0.8%, t = 50.746, df = 122, p < 0.001). Weight gain in the mHealth group was less than control group (3.2 ± 0.8 vs. 4.8 ± 0.7, t = 11.851, df = 122 p < 0.001). Mobile health intervention management of gestational diabetes mellitus improves patients' compliance and blood glucose control, and reduces weight gain, thereby reducing the rates of complications in both pregnant women and fetuses during delivery during pregnancy.

Culturally Adapted, Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Spanish-Speaking Individuals With Substance Use Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

To evaluate whether adding Web-based cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) to standard outpatient psychiatric or addiction treatment improved substance use outcomes. We conducted a randomized clinical trial in New Haven, Connecticut, between 2014 and 2017 comparing 8 weeks of standard outpatient treatment to the same treatment with access to a culturally adapted version of Web-based CBT with a 6-month follow-up. Participants were 92 treatment-seeking individuals with Spanish as their primary language and current substance use disorder, with few other restrictions. Treatment completion and data availability were high (98% of the randomized sample). For the primary outcome (change in frequency of primary substance used), there was a significant effect of treatment condition by time (t 1, 718 = -2.64; 95% confidence interval = -0.61, 0.09; P = .01), indicating significantly greater reductions for those assigned to Web CBT, which were durable through the 6-month follow-up. The knowledge test indicated significantly greater increases for those assigned to Web CBT. Adding a culturally adapted version of Web-based CBT to standard treatment improved substance use outcomes. Public Health Implications. This approach has high potential to address health disparities by providing an easily accessible, inexpensive form of evidence-based treatment to a range of Latinos with substance use disorders.

Three-Week Inpatient Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study.

Background: Specialized inpatient or residential treatment might be an alternative treatment approach for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that do not respond satisfactorily to the standard outpatient treatment formats.Method: The aim of this open trial was to investigate the 6-month effectiveness of a 3-week inpatient treatment of OCD, where exposure with response prevention (ERP) was the main treatment intervention. The sample consisted of 187 adult patients with OCD, all with previous treatment attempts for OCD.Results: The sample showed significant reductions in symptoms of OCD and depression. The effect sizes were large for obsessive-compulsive symptoms and moderate to large for depressive symptoms. At discharge, 79.7% of the intent-to-treat (ITT) group were classified as treatment responders (≥35% reduction in Y-BOCS scores). However, some participants experienced relapse, as 61.5% of the ITT group were classified as treatment responders at 6-month follow-up. Antidepressant use appeared not to influence the outcome. Only pre-treatment levels of obsessive-compulsive symptoms emerged as a significant predictor of relapse.Conclusion: The 3-week inpatient programme produced similar treatment effects as previous inpatient and residential studies of longer duration (2 – 3 months). The results suggest that patients with severe OCD can be treated efficiently using this brief inpatient format. However, better relapse prevention interventions are needed.

Effectiveness of enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) for eating disorders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundWhile eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) is the most common eating disorder (ED) diagnosis in routine clinical practice, no specific treatment methods for this diagnosis have yet been developed and studied. Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) has been described and put to the test as a transdiagnostic treatment protocol for all EDs, including EDNOS. Initial research in the UK suggests that CBT-E is more effective for EDs, especially bulimia nervosa (BN) and EDNOS, than the earlier version of CBT. These positive results of CBT-E have to be replicated in more detail, preferably by independent researchers in different countries. Being the first Dutch study into CBT-E, the results from this national multicenter study – on three sites specialized in EDs – will deliver important information about the effectiveness of CBT-E in several domains of ED pathology, while providing input for the upcoming update of the Dutch Multidisciplinary Guideline for the Treatment of Eating Disorders.Methods/designA multicenter randomized controlled trial will be conducted. One hundred and thirty-two adult outpatients (aged 18 years and older) with an ED diagnosis and a Body Mass index (BMI) of between 17.5 and 40 will be randomly allocated to the control or the intervention group. Subjects in the control group will receive Treatment as Usual (standard outpatient treatment provided at the participating sites). Subjects in the intervention group will receive 20 sessions of CBT-E in 20 weeks. The design is a 2 (group) × 5 (time) repeated measures factorial design in which neither therapists nor patients will be blinded for treatment allocation. The primary outcome measure is recovery from the ED. Secondary outcome measures include ED psychopathology, common mental disorders, anxiety and depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life, health care use and productivity loss. Self-esteem, perfectionism and interpersonal problems will be examined as putative predictors and mediators of the effect of treatment. Also, an economic evaluation from a societal perspective will be undertaken. All relevant effects, direct and indirect costs will be included. Utility scores will measure the effects. Measurements will take place at pretreatment, 6 weeks, 20 weeks, 40 weeks and 80 weeks.DiscussionThis effectiveness study into CBT-E has the aim of broadening the scope and generalizability of former studies. If CBT-E appears to be at least as effective as traditional diagnosis-specific treatments for a broad range of ED patients, training in one protocol would be sufficient for clinicians to treat patients with different kinds of EDs. It gives the opportunity to offer treatment for a severe mental disorder with fewer resources, thereby increasing the accessibility of specialized care for patients with an ED.Trial registrationNetherlands Trial Register, NTR4485. Registered on 2 April 2014.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-016-1716-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Contingency management is effective in promoting abstinence and retention in treatment among crack cocaine users in Brazil: A randomized controlled trial.

Crack cocaine dependence has become a severe public health problem in Brazil, and current psychosocial approaches to this problem have shown little or no effectiveness. Although contingency management is among the most effective behavioral treatments for substance use disorders, it has never been applied in the treatment of crack cocaine-dependent individuals in Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of incorporating contingency management into standard outpatient treatment for crack cocaine dependence, as well as the impact that doing so has on treatment attendance, retention in treatment, maintenance of abstinence, and the frequency of substance use. We evaluated 65 treatment-seeking, crack cocaine-dependent individuals, randomized to receive 12 weeks of standard treatment plus contingency management (STCM; n = 33) or 12 weeks of standard treatment alone (STA; n = 32). Those in the STCM group received monetary incentives for being abstinent, earning up to US$235.50 if they remained abstinent throughout the entire treatment period. The STCM group participants attended a mean of 19.5 (SD = 14.9) treatment sessions, compared with 3.7 (SD = 5.9) for the STA group participants (p < .01). Those in the STCM group were 3.8, 4.6, and 68.9 times more likely to be retained in treatment at weeks 4, 8, and 12 than were those in the STA group. The likelihood of detecting 4, 8, and 12 weeks of continuous abstinence was 17.7, 9.9, and 18.6 times higher in the STCM group than in the STA group (p < .05). Compared to the STA group, the STCM group submitted a significantly higher proportion of negative samples for crack cocaine, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and alcohol (p < .001) when all expected samples were included in the denominator but not when only submitted samples were considered. The average monthly cost/participant for incentives was $29.00. Contingency management showed efficacy in a sample of Brazilian crack cocaine users. The intervention holds promise for broader application in international settings. (PsycINFO Database Record

Telemedicine compared with standard care in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized trial in an outpatient clinic

Introduction Good metabolic control is important in type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve quality of life, work ability and life expectancy, and the use of telemedicine has proved efficient as an add-on to the usual treatment. However, few studies in type 2 diabetes patients have directly compared telemedicine with conventional outpatient treatment, and we wanted to evaluate whether telemedicine, compared with standard care, provides equivalent clinical outcomes. Methods Forty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus allocated from October 2011–July 2012 were randomized to either treatment at home by video conferences only or standard outpatient treatment. Primary outcomes were HbA1c and blood glucose levels and secondary outcomes were 24-hour blood pressure, cholesterol levels and albuminuria. The video-telephone was a broadband solution installed and serviced by the Danish Telephone Company (TDC). Results The improvements in the two treatments, given as changes in percentage of telemedicine vs standard, showed significant differences in HbA1c (−15 vs −11%), mean blood glucose (−18 vs −13%) and in cholesterol (−7 vs −6%). No differences in LDL (−4 vs −6%), weight (−1 vs 2%), diastolic diurnal blood pressure (−1 vs −7%), and systolic diurnal blood pressure (0 vs −1%) were found. Nine consultations were missed in the standard outpatient group and none in the telemedicine group. Conclusions In the direct comparison of home video consultations vs standard outpatient treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus, telemedicine was a safe and available option with favourable outcomes after six months treatment.

Changes in psychiatric symptoms among persons with methamphetamine dependence predicts changes in severity of drug problems but not frequency of use

ABSTRACTBackground: Few studies have examined how changes in psychiatric symptoms over time are associated with changes in drug use and severity of drug problems. No studies have examined these relationships among methamphetamine (MA)-dependent persons receiving motivational interviewing within the context of standard outpatient treatment. Methods: Two hundred seventeen individuals with MA dependence were randomly assigned to a standard single session of motivational interviewing (MI) or an intensive 9-session model of MI. Both groups received standard outpatient group treatment. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and timeline follow-back (TLFB) for MA use were administered at treatment entry and 2-, 4-, and 6-month follow-ups. Results: Changes in ASI psychiatric severity between baseline and 2 months predicted changes in ASI drug severity during the same time period, but not changes on measures of MA use. Item analysis of the ASI drug scale showed that psychiatric severity predicted how troubled or bothered participants were by their drug us, how important they felt it was for them to get treatment, and the number of days they experienced drug problems. However, it did not predict the number days they used drugs in the past 30 days. These associations did not differ between study conditions, and they persisted when psychiatric severity and outcomes were compared across 4- and 6-month time periods. Conclusions: Results are among the first to track how changes in psychiatric severity over time are associated with changes in MA use and severity of drug problems. Treatment efforts targeting reduction of psychiatric symptoms among MA-dependent persons might be helpful in reducing the level of distress and problems associated with MA use but not how often it is used. There is a need for additional research describing the circumstances under which the experiences and perceptions of drug-related problems diverge from frequency of consumption.

Utilizing a Personal Smartphone Custom App to Assess the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

BackgroundAccurate reporting of patient symptoms is critical for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in psychiatry. Smartphones offer an accessible, low-cost means to collect patient symptoms in real time and aid in care.ObjectiveTo investigate adherence among psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder in utilizing their personal smartphones to run a custom app to monitor Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression symptoms, as well as to examine the correlation of these scores to traditionally administered (paper-and-pencil) PHQ-9 scores.MethodsA total of 13 patients with major depressive disorder, referred by their clinicians, received standard outpatient treatment and, in addition, utilized their personal smartphones to run the study app to monitor their symptoms. Subjects downloaded and used the Mindful Moods app on their personal smartphone to complete up to three survey sessions per day, during which a randomized subset of PHQ-9 symptoms of major depressive disorder were assessed on a Likert scale. The study lasted 29 or 30 days without additional follow-up. Outcome measures included adherence, measured by the percentage of completed survey sessions, and estimates of daily PHQ-9 scores collected from the smartphone app, as well as from the traditionally administered PHQ-9.ResultsOverall adherence was 77.78% (903/1161) and varied with time of day. PHQ-9 estimates collected from the app strongly correlated (r=.84) with traditionally administered PHQ-9 scores, but app-collected scores were 3.02 (SD 2.25) points higher on average. More subjects reported suicidal ideation using the app than they did on the traditionally administered PHQ-9.ConclusionsPatients with major depressive disorder are able to utilize an app on their personal smartphones to self-assess their symptoms of major depressive disorder with high levels of adherence. These app-collected results correlate with the traditionally administered PHQ-9. Scores recorded from the app may potentially be more sensitive and better able to capture suicidality than the traditional PHQ-9.

Quality of life of patients with schizophrenia treated in foster home care and in outpatient treatment.

BackgroundThe Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital in Zagreb, Croatia, offers foster home care treatment that includes pharmacotherapy, group psychodynamic psychotherapy, family therapy, and work and occupational therapy. The aim of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life of patients with schizophrenia treated in foster home care with that of patients in standard outpatient treatment.MethodsThe sample consisted of 44 patients with schizophrenia who, upon discharge from the hospital, were included in foster home care treatment and a comparative group of 50 patients who returned to their families and continued receiving outpatient treatment. All patients completed the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire on the day they completed hospital treatment, 6 months later, and 1 year after they participated in the study. The research also included data on the number of hospitalizations for both groups of patients.ResultsThough directly upon discharge from the hospital, patients who entered foster home care treatment assessed their health-related quality of life as poorer than patients who returned to their families, their assessments significantly improved over time. After 6 months of treatment, these patients even achieved better results in several dimensions than did patients in the outpatient program, and they also had fewer hospitalizations. These effects remained the same at the follow-up 1 year after the inclusion in the study.ConclusionNotwithstanding the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that treatment in foster home care is associated with an improvement in the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia, but the same was not observed for the patients in standard outpatient treatment. We hope that these findings will contribute to an improved understanding of the influence of psychosocial factors on the functioning of patients and the development of more effective therapeutic methods aimed at improving the patients’ quality of life.

Randomized Trial of Intensive Motivational Interviewing for Methamphetamine Dependence

An intensive, 9-session motivational interviewing (IMI) intervention was assessed using a randomized clinical trial of 217 methamphetamine (MA) dependent individuals. Intensive motivational interviewing (IMI) was compared with a single standard session of MI (SMI) combined with eight nutrition education sessions. Interventions were delivered weekly over 2 months. All study participants also received standard outpatient group treatment three times per week. Both study groups showed significant decreases in MA use and Addiction Severity Index drug scores, but there were no significant differences between the two groups. However, reductions in Addiction Severity Index psychiatric severity scores and days of psychiatric problems during the past 30 days were found for clients in the IMI group but not the SMI group. SMI may be equally beneficial to IMI in reducing MA use and problem severity, but IMI may help alleviate co-occurring psychiatric problems that are unaffected by shorter MI interventions. Additional studies are needed to assess the problems, populations, and contexts for which IMI is effective.