Prodromal Markers of First-degree Relatives of Patients With Psychiatric Disorders Comorbid With...
REM Sleep Behavior DisorderREM sleep behavior disorder (typical or 'idiopathic' RBD, iRBD) is a novel and distinct parasomnia characterized by recurrent dream enactment behaviours and polysomnographic features of loss of normal REM-sleep related muscle atonia, with a male predominance commonly occurring at the age of 60's. A majority of the patients with iRBD will eventually develop α-synucleinopathy (e.g., Parkinson's disease). On the other hand, growing evidence reveals a specific group of psychiatric patients demonstrating comparable clinical RBD features (pRBD) (e.g., abnormal REM-related electromyographic (EMG) activities) as found in typical iRBD, but with less male predominance occurring at the age of mid 40's to early 50's. Although recent findings from both cross-sectional and prospective studies have suggested that pRBD is likely to be a persistent parasomnia with close association with clinical and neuroimaging biomarkers related to neurodegeneration, the nosology of the development of RBD symptoms among patients with psychiatric disorders, notably major depressive disorder, remains unclear as to whether they are simply antidepressants related, or represent a part of the early phase of α-synucleinopathy neurodegeneration. Family studies on iRBD have confirmed a significant familial aggregation of iRBD with a higher rate of RBD cases and presence of prodromal neurodegenerative biomarkers (e.g. tonic EMG activity during REM sleep, constipation, and motor function impairments) of α-synucleinopathy neurodegeneration among first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with iRBD. Thus, the investigators propose this family study to examine the following hypotheses: 1) FDRs of patients with pRBD have a higher rate of RBD symptoms and its core features when compared to FDRs of controls with and without psychiatric disorders; 2) FDRs of pRBD are more likely to exhibit the features associated with prodromal markers of α-synucleinopathy neurodegeneration when compared with FDRs of controls with and without psychiatric disorders; 3) FDRs of patients with pRBD have a higher rate of α-synucleinopathy neurodegeneration when compared with FDRs of controls with and without psychiatric disorders. A total of 176 FDRs from each group (e.g., pRBD cases, psychiatric controls, and healthy controls) will be recruited to undergo a face-to-face clinical interview and a series of assessments on prodromal markers of Parkinson's diseases (as according to the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society research criteria) respectively. All FDRs with possible RBD and a subset of FDRs without possible RBD will be invited to undergo one-night video-polysomnographic assessment to confirm the clinical diagnosis of RBD and to assess the abnormal REM-related EMG muscle activities.
3-year Follow-up of the Mind My Mind RCT
Emotional ProblemAnxiety Disorder of Childhood3 moreThis is a three-year follow up of a previously completed randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a transdiagnostic cognitive and behavioral (CBT) program ("Mind My Mind" [MMM]) compared to management as usual (MAU) in youth with emotional and behavioral problems. The effectiveness trial (Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT03535805) evaluated an intervention for help-seeking youth with emotional and behavioral health problems below the threshold for referral to specialized treatment. The experimental intervention MMM consisted of 9-13 weekly, individual therapy sessions delivered by psychologists in a non-specialist school-based setting. The CBT-methods were organized in modules for anxiety, depression and/or behavioral problems, and the therapy was completed within 17 weeks. The MAU was enhanced by two care-coordination visits to help coordinate the usual care in the four municipalities in Denmark. The trial was conducted in four diverse municipalities in Denmark. The aim of this study is to determine the long-term effects of the transdiagnostic, modular CBT program ("Mind My Mind" [MMM]) compared to management as usual (MAU). The three-year follow-up of the RCT of MMM versus MAU is nested in a larger study of help-seeking youth screened for eligibility and stratified into three groups with increasing severity of problems. Youths with an intermediate level of problems were included in the RCT. We screened 573 help-seeking youths, and we included and randomized a total of 396 youths (age 6-16 years, with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and/or behavioral problems) to MMM (n=197) or MAU (n=199). The study participants comprise the 396 youths and their parents who participated in the RCT. We will use the help-seeking population and the background population in the four municipalities as reference groups. The follow-up study does not include an intervention. The long-term outcome of MMM versus MAU will be investigated using parent-reported questionnaires administered in average three years after random allocation to intervention. All study participants are followed in the Danish national registries.
Epidemiological Study for Psychiatric Disorder Among Children and Adolescents
Mental DisordersThis 3-year school-based epidemiological study on child and adolescent mental disorders aims to obtain the prevalence rate and identify the psychosocial, individual, environmental, and familial risk factors for mental disorders including learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, mood disorders (major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders, phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders in Taiwan.
Telemedicine-based, Multidisciplinary-team, Intervention to Reduce Unnecessary Hospitalizations...
Dementia AlzheimersDisruptive BehaviorThe purpose of this study is to investigate the use of telemedicine-based intervention at urban and rural skilled nursing facilities to recommend multidisciplinary dementia care to residents with dementia who are at risk for unnecessary hospitalization due behavioral or neuropsychiatric symptoms and/or complications as well as caregivers and facility staff. The multidisciplinary team is comprised of trained behavioral neurologists, social workers, advanced practice providers, primary medical team and nurse coordinators.
Computerized Screening for Comorbidity in Adolescents With Substance or Psychiatric Disorders
Psychiatric DisorderThe KSADS-COMP will facilitate identification of comorbid psychiatric and substance use diagnoses frequently missed in clinical practice, and improve adolescent treatment outcomes. The self-administered version of the KSADS-COMP can also be used cost-effectively in schools and juvenile justice settings where there is a growing interest in early identification and referral of youth in need of mental health services. The KSADS-Bridge assessment tool with its RDoC neurocognitive tasks, when completed with the self- or clinician administered KSADS-COMP, will help to create cross-talk between the DSM and RDoC diagnostic perspectives, and begin to generate a database on the relationship between RDoC constructs and treatment outcomes across a range of diagnostic categories.
Impact on QoL and Cognitive Functioning of New Antiviral Therapies in Subjects With Chronic Hepatitis...
Psychiatric DisordersCognitive Impairment1 moreChronic hepatitis HCV-related is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Italy. Patients with chronic hepatitis C present a prevalence of depressive disorders higher than that of the general population; moreover, it has been repeatedly demonstrated the presence of cognitive deficits and poor quality of life. Chronic hepatitis C therapy was based on the combined use of pegylated alpha-interferons (PEG-INF), and ribavirin. Recently, new therapeutic protocols have been introduced, and while some antiviral drugs, including the first-generation ones, were used only in combination with PEG-IFN and ribavirin, the second and third generation antiviral drugs protocols are interferon-free. However, because of the high cost, the access to interferon-free protocols is only for patients with advanced fibrous stages, or with concomitant extra-hepatic HCV-related diseases, or for transplanted patients. Many side effects, such as flu-like symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia) are common during antiviral therapy with IFN. However, in patients with chronic hepatitis C, a high lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and brief recurrent depression have been observed, irrespective of IFN treatment and the use of alcohol and narcotics; such associations between mood and anxiety disorders and chronic hepatitis C may reflect a high prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders. The presence of severe psychopathological symptoms requires the reduction of posology and causes high rates of discontinuation of antiviral therapy. This project represents an innovative psychiatric and neuropsychological screening program for patients with chronic hepatitis C, eligible for antiviral therapy. Primary objectives: to verify the medium-term impact of new antiviral therapies on quality of life, psychological well-being and cognitive function in subjects with chronic hepatitis C; to verify the predictability of specific psychopathological components and specific determinants on compliance with new antiviral therapies. Main secondary objectives: to verify the evidence of association between various psychiatric disorders and cognitive deficits and chronic hepatitis C; to evaluate the relative weight of psychopathological and/or cognitive disorders on the efficacy of antiviral therapy and on quality of life.
Mental Health Prevention Among Preschool Children Using a Culturally Adapted Version of ICPS
Mental HealthAggressive Childhood Behavior2 moreMental health in Chilean children and families is an urgent public health problem. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children between 4 and 11 years old is 27.8%, a higher percentage than was found in adolescents between 12 and 18 years old, which is 16.5%. The most frequent disorders in the population between 4 and 11 years old were disruptive disorders (20.6%), followed by anxiety disorders (9.2%). Mental health problems generate a high burden of disease on society in general; and there is an important treatment gap, especially among economically vulnerable populations. Prevention strategies appear to be the more recommendable options, mainly if these interventions can be implemented early in life and at low cost. Few preventive interventions aiming to increase resilience in the face of adversity, have been rigorously evaluated in Chile among preschoolers. There is substantial international evidence that shows that strengthening basic psychological skills, such as emotion regulation and social problem-solving, can reduce the incidence of mental pathology and improve various academic indicators. The curriculum of the Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving Program, also known as I Can Problem Solve (ICPS), is focused on the development of the cognitive process and children's social problem-solving skills. ICPS has been found to be effective in increasing pro-social behaviours and reducing aggressive behaviour among preschoolers. No previous studies in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries have been conducted aiming to explore the acceptability and feasibility of ICPS to provide information to evaluate later the effectiveness of this intervention at a larger scale. The main objective of this study is the evaluation of the acceptability and feasibility of an adapted version of ICPS in the national context at educational institutions with high socio-economic vulnerability, with the ultimate goal of increasing social-emotional competence and reducing emotional and behavioural problems in preschoolers.
Ideation Trajectories and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents With Psychiatric Disorders in Chile
Mental DisordersSuicide1 moreThis project seeks to evaluate the trajectories of suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescent patients with psychiatric disorders in secondary care controls in the Maule region, in relation to clinical factors (depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, psychiatric comorbidity, mistreatment or abuse, history of psychiatric disorders and pharmacological treatments); psychological (parenting styles, impulsivity, barriers in seeking help and emotional regulation), and neuropsychological (executive function-decision making).
Latent Structure of Multi-level Assessments and Predictors of Outcomes in Psychiatric Disorders...
DepressionAnxiety2 moreIn this study the investigators will seek to improve our understanding of how positive and negative valence systems, cognition, and arousal/interoception are inter-related in disorders of mood, substance use, and eating behavior. The investigators will recruit 1000 individuals and use a wide range of assessment tools, neuroimaging measures, blood and microbiome collections and behavioral tasks to complete the baseline and follow-up study visits. Upon completion, the investigators aim to have robust and reliable dimensional measures that quantify these systems and a set of assessments that should be recommended as a clinical tool to enhance outcome prediction for the clinician and assist in determining who will likely benefit from what type of intervention.
A Prospective Observational Study of Family-based Interventions for Children With Neuropsychiatric...
ADHDAsperger Syndrome1 moreThe purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and the effects of family-based interventions for children (aged 5-12) with neuropsychiatric and psychiatric disorders in Finnish health care settings.