Gang Membership, Violence, and Psychiatric Morbidity.

Gang Membership, Violence, and Psychiatric Morbidity.

Am J Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 12;
Coid JW, Ullrich S, Keers R, Bebbington P, Destavola BL, Kallis C, Yang M, Reiss D, Jenkins R, Donnelly P

OBJECTIVE Gang members engage in many high-risk activities associated with psychiatric morbidity, particularly violence-related ones. The authors investigated associations between gang membership, violent behavior, psychiatric morbidity, and use of mental health services. METHOD The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of 4,664 men 18-34 years of age in Great Britain using random location sampling. The survey oversampled men from areas with high levels of violence and gang activities. Participants completed questionnaires covering gang membership, violence, use of mental health services, and psychiatric diagnoses measured using standardized screening instruments. RESULTS Violent men and gang members had higher prevalences of mental disorders and use of psychiatric services than nonviolent men, but a lower prevalence of depression. Violent ruminative thinking, violent victimization, and fear of further victimization accounted for the high levels of psychosis and anxiety disorders in gang members, and with service use in gang members and other violent men. Associations with antisocial personality disorder, substance misuse, and suicide attempts were explained by factors other than violence. CONCLUSIONS Gang members show inordinately high levels of psychiatric morbidity, placing a heavy burden on mental health services. Traumatization and fear of further violence, exceptionally prevalent in gang members, are associated with service use. Gang membership should be routinely assessed in individuals presenting to health care services in areas with high levels of violence and gang activity. Health care professionals may have an important role in promoting desistence from gang activity. HubMed – depression

Which behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia are the most problematic? Variability by prevalence, intensity, distress ratings, and associations with caregiver depressive symptoms.

Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 12;
Fauth EB, Gibbons A

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) impact well-being for persons with dementia (PWD) and caregivers. Identifying the most problematic symptoms is vital in targeting interventions and allocating resources. The current study highlights inconsistencies in the “most problematic” symptoms when identified via prevalence, intensity, caregiver distress, or associations with caregiver depressive symptoms.Caregivers (N?=?177) were mostly female (77%) and spouses of PWD (73%), with average age of 66.7?years (SD?=?16.1). They reported BPSD frequency and distress via the Revised Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist (RMBPC) and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and their own depressive symptoms via the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). BPSD were ranked by prevalence, average frequency, and average distress ratings. RMBPC subscales were correlated with GDS, and discriminant function analyses used NPI symptoms to discriminate between caregivers’ normal (range 0-9) or elevated (10+) GDS.Most prevalent NPI symptoms were Apathy, Depression, and Agitation. Most intense (frequency?×?severity) were Appetite, Motor behaviors, and Apathy, and most distressing were Delusions, Agitation, and Irritability. For RMBPC, Memory was most frequent but least distressing, whereas Disruptive was least frequent but most distressing. RMBPC frequency and distress subscales were significantly associated with caregiver GDS. Discriminant function analyses were statistically significant (Lambda?=?0.822; ?(2) (12)?=?30.62; p?=?0.002. Canonical correlation?=?0.442); NPI symptoms correctly classified caregivers GDS status 72% of the time.Symptoms revealed as “most problematic” varied by measurement criterion. Common or frequent symptoms are not necessarily the most distressing or most predictive of caregiver depression. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. HubMed – depression

A Trial of Prazosin for Combat Trauma PTSD With Nightmares in Active-Duty Soldiers Returned From Iraq and Afghanistan.

Am J Psychiatry. 2013 Jul 12;
Raskind MA, Peterson K, Williams T, Hoff DJ, Hart K, Holmes H, Homas D, Hill J, Daniels C, Calohan J, Millard SP, Rohde K, O’Connell J, Pritzl D, Feiszli K, Petrie EC, Gross C, Mayer CL, Freed MC, Engel C, Peskind ER

OBJECTIVE The authors conducted a 15-week randomized controlled trial of the alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist prazosin for combat trauma nightmares, sleep quality, global function, and overall symptoms in active-duty soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) returned from combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. METHOD Sixty-seven soldiers were randomly assigned to treatment with prazosin or placebo for 15 weeks. Drug was titrated based on nightmare response over 6 weeks to a possible maximum dose of 5 mg midmorning and 20 mg at bedtime for men and 2 mg midmorning and 10 mg at bedtime for women. Mean achieved bedtime doses were 15.6 mg of prazosin (SD=6.0) and 18.8 mg of placebo (SD=3.3) for men and 7.0 mg of prazosin (SD=3.5) and 10.0 mg of placebo (SD=0.0) for women. Mean achieved midmorning doses were 4.0 mg of prazosin (SD=1.4) and 4.8 mg of placebo (SD=0.8) for men and 1.7 mg of prazosin (SD=0.5) and 2.0 mg of placebo (SD=0.0) mg for women. Primary outcome measures were the nightmare item of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the change item of the Clinical Global Impressions Scale anchored to functioning. Secondary outcome measures were the 17-item CAPS, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Quality of Life Index. Maintenance psychotropic medications and supportive psychotherapy were held constant. RESULTS Prazosin was effective for trauma nightmares, sleep quality, global function, CAPS score, and the CAPS hyperarousal symptom cluster. Prazosin was well tolerated, and blood pressure changes did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS Prazosin is effective for combat-related PTSD with trauma nightmares in active-duty soldiers, and benefits are clinically meaningful. Substantial residual symptoms suggest that studies combining prazosin with effective psychotherapies might demonstrate further benefit. HubMed – depression

Transcutaneous electrical posterior tibial nerve stimulation for chronic anal fissure: a preliminary study.

Int J Colorectal Dis. 2013 Jul 12;
Altunrende B, Sengul N, Arisoy O, Yilmaz EE

Recent studies showed that sacral nerve stimulation might be an effective treatment option for chronic anal fissure. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation as a noninvasive alternative treatment for chronic anal fissure by stimulating the sacral nerve in the ankle via the posterior tibial nerve.In this prospective study, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was applied for 10 days in addition to conventional medical treatment in ten patients. Wexner’s constipation score, visual analog scale for pain, quality of life (Short Form-36), Hamilton anxiety and depression scores, symptom relief, compliance, fissure healing, and side effects were evaluated before and after treatment (days 0, 5, and 10).Ten patients (eight females/two males) with a mean age of 50.7?±?18.5 years were enrolled in the study. Pain and bleeding resolved in all patients 2 days after the treatment, and mucosal healing was observed in six patients 10 days after the treatment. Wexner’s constipation and visual analog scale scores for pain decreased significantly (p?=?0.001 and p?=?0.002, respectively). Hamilton anxiety and depression scores decreased as well (p?=?0.001 and p?=?0.01, respectively). Among Short Form-36 subscales, only mental health score increased significantly (p?=?0.003). One patient underwent surgery at follow-up due to recurrence of symptoms, and rubber band ligation was applied to another patient who had internal hemorrhoidal rectal bleeding at the end of 10 days.Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation application to the posterior tibial nerve has the potential to be an alternative treatment option for chronic anal fissure patients who seek noninvasive treatment modality. HubMed – depression

The Efficacy and Methodological Challenges of Psychotherapy for Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review.

Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2013 Jul 10;
Knowles SR, Monshat K, Castle DJ

: Adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at a greater risk of anxiety and depression and impaired quality of life (QoL) compared with healthy controls and other chronic physical illness groups. Consequently, the development and evaluation of well-defined and theoretically robust psychotherapeutic interventions for adults with IBD are desirable. To date, interventions have, for the most part, used multiple cross-theoretical approaches. Published reviews are heterogeneous in terms both of categorization of psychotherapeutic approaches and also of conclusions relating to efficacy. A recent Cochrane meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found no evidence for the efficacy of these interventions in adults, as in a number of previous reviews, ideologically disparate interventions (e.g., psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral) were grouped together. We aimed to extend the currently available literature on psychological intervention in IBD by: evaluating the efficacy of specific strategies (i.e., stress management, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral therapy, or hypnosis) in improving psychological symptoms and QoL, including all controlled and noncontrolled studies, and explicating the methodological problems in published trials. Sixteen studies (5 stress management, 4 psychodynamic, 5 cognitive behavioral therapy, and 2 hypnosis) were evaluated. Interventions predominantly based on stress management showed only modest benefits for IBD or mental health symptoms or QoL. Cognitive behavioral therapy studies showed generally consistent benefits in terms of anxiety and depression symptoms, but inconsistent outcomes regarding IBD symptoms. Psychodynamically informed interventions reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms, but not IBD severity. Both hypnosis studies, albeit using different methods, seemed to have a more positive impact on disease severity than mental health symptoms or QoL. Our results suggest that while further well-designed and evaluated interventions are needed, psychological input can make a positive contribution to best practice multidisciplinary treatment of adults with IBD. HubMed – depression

5 Natural Depression Cures
free ebook with a few pointers on kicking depression http://www.box.net/shared/dsct6rfs3q copyright Richard Grannon 2009.