Active clinical trials for "Mental Disorders"

Background: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) than the general population and a control of these risk factors poorer. Serious mental illness often causes health teams to focus interventions in mental illness and put aside the CVRF. Objectives: This project aims to assess the CVRF, stratify the cardiovascular risk, adequate drug treatment to reduce this risk and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention by professional community nurses in patients with SMI. Materials and Methods: Prospective study of a cohort of patients over 18 years with a diagnosis of SMI with two cross sections to evaluate the cardiovascular risk and adequacy of drug treatment. The investigators calculate the risk to the cardiovascular risk tables with the SCORE (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation) for countries of low cardiovascular risk and the of Framingham REGICOR (Heart registry of Girona, Spain). The adequacy of pharmacotherapy will be assessed contrasting it with the recommendations of the Program of Preventive Activities and Health Promotion of Family medical association. The intervention will be conducted by professional nurses and consist of an initial psycho-educational intervention, and two more reinforcement throughout twelve months, of duration less than 30 minutes that will be addressed in an integrated manner the clinical situation with regard to cardiovascular risk. If necessary, pharmacological treatment will be prescribed. Twelve months after the first intervention, a second evaluation on cardiovascular risk and the effectiveness of the intervention will be performed.

Background: - Eye tracking, the ability to focus on and follow a moving target with the eyes, is often difficult for people who have schizophrenia. Research has shown that first-degree relatives of people with schizophrenia, such as parents and siblings, also tend to have difficulty with smooth eye movement and eye tracking. Researchers are interested in using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activity during eye tracking tests in order to better understand the effect that schizophrenia has on brain function. Objectives: - To study eye-tracking and eye-tracking impairments in people with and without schizophrenia. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 62 years of age in one of three groups: (1) patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, (2) first-degree relatives of patients in group 1, and (3) healthy volunteers with no family history of psychosis. Design: The study will involve two visits, one screening session and one testing session. Each session will take about 3 hours. Participants will be asked to avoid consuming alcohol and restrict consumption of caffeine before the start of the study. Participants will provide urine and breath samples to be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study. Participants will visit the clinical center the morning of the day before the scanning session to provide blood and urine samples as required. Participants will return and be admitted for an overnight stay later that afternoon or evening. During the screening session, participants will provide a medical and psychological history, provide blood samples, and learn the eye movement tasks they will do during the scanning session. During the scanning session, participants will have an fMRI scan. During the scan, they will perform eye movement tasks that involve following moving light targets on a screen, and will also perform other tasks that test the ability to think and pay attention.

Compliance with treatment is notoriously low in psychiatric patients. Traditional methods of monitoring compliance, however, may underreport nonadherence to treatment. In this study, actual plasma levels at admission - which are ROUTINELY taken at the Dept Psychiatry of the Paracelsus Medical University - were compared to plasma levels that can be expected from the prescribed preadmission dosing regimen. This was done to give treating psychiatrists a quantitatively precise idea of how frequently they can expect their patients to have plasma levels that are below the level of medication as intended by the prescribing physician.

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a 9-month psychosocial intervention that will assist patients with hepatitis C in overcoming barriers that prevent them from becoming appropriate candidates for interferon therapy.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the relationships among findings in structural and functional neuroimaging, cognitive testing and HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis dysregulation in psychotic depression.

This is a three year follow up of a previous study where researchers at UNSW and UNewc asked smokers with serious mental health problems to participate in a 12-month study, to assess whether intervention could assist people experiencing mental illness reduce their tobacco smoking.

Use of the drug interferon-alpha (IFN-A), is associated with frequent and well characterized side effects like neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity can cause symptoms of depression, agitation, anxiety, and/or confusion. The NIDDK is conducting a research study called, "Combination of Alpha Interferon with Long Term Ribavirin Therapy for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C" (98-DK-0003). Patients participating in it are receiving interferon-alpha in addition to an antiviral medication called ribavirin. Researchers at the NIMH intend to study patients to learn more about how different medications can influence mood, thoughts and behavior. The primary purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with IFN-A in combination with ribavirin alters human brain biochemistry as measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). MRS uses strong magnetic fields in order to measure biochemical products of metabolism found in the brain. Researchers intend to perform MRS scans before, during, and after patients receive their medications Researchers believe that the combination of IFN-A/Ribavirin will directly affect specific areas of the brain and as a result, some patients will develop specific mood or cognitive symptoms. Patients often must stop taking these medications because of the side effects. This study will not contribute directly to the treatment of patient's Hepatitis C condition. However, the information gathered from this study will help researchers better understand the neuropsychiatric affects associated with interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy.

Despite being originated in Wuhan, in the China mainland region of the Hubei, Italy has been the hardest-hit country in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic during the month of March. Due to the uncontrollable spread of the contagion, the Italian Government has been forced to impose a series of restrictions and social distancing measures, culminating in the extension of lockdown to the entire Italian territory on March 8th. During this period, the general population has been overwhelmed by feelings of worry, anxiety, and discomfort. The discomfort is reinforced by the lengthening of the lockdown, to the point that it may be considered as a mass model of chronic or subchronic mild stress. The predictable effects of this stress on mental health have already been claimed, Post-traumatic symptoms were found in 7% among 285 Wuhan and surrounding cities' residents during the COVID-19 outbreak. A recent survey in the Italian general population reported similar outcomes. In this context, the psychic conditions of the most fragile ones, i.e. those already affected by a severe mental disorder, represent a major concern. Having a history of psychiatric illness is regarded as one of the most relevant predictors of a negative psychological impact of quarantine. Patients with severe mental disorders may be among the hardest hit subjects, as they may be more vulnerable by the COVID-19 outbreak for a series of clinical and psychological factors. In the Italian context, the vulnerability of these patients may be increased by the lockdown of mental health services as a consequence of mass quarantine and optimization of health resources toward action to contrast COVID-19-related sanitary emergencies. Despite several reports investigated the psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic on health-care workers, COVID-19 affected people, or the general population, at the moment, no study has investigated the effects of the distress caused by fear of contagion and mass quarantine on severe mental disorder patients. The present study aimed at providing a first evaluation of anxiety, depressive, stress-related symptoms in these patients.

Adolescence is a period of many physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. It is also associated with risk behaviour conducts. Nonetheless, not all youths under disadvantage, adversity, or exposure to risk factors experience negative mental health outcomes. The concept of RESILIENCE provides one possible explanation for the ability of some individuals to maintain positive mental health. Resilience is thus the ability of an individual or community to adapt to life challenges or adversities while maintaining mental health and well-being. The increasing prevalence of mental disorders amongst children (around 10-20% of young people) makes positive mental health promotion in schools necessary through intervention programmes. UPRIGHT (Universal Preventive Resilience Intervention Globally implemented in schools to improve and promote mental Health for Teenagers) is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union´s Horizon 2020 programme (No. 754919). UPRIGHT general aim is to promote mental well-being and prevent mental disorders in youth by enhancing resilience capacities. It has been designed as a whole school approach addressing early adolescents, their families and the school community to finally create a real mental well-being culture at schools.

This trial (Phase II) will assess the different methods of supporting families in finding mental health and/or addictions (MHA) services for youth. Youth with MHA issues and their families are particularly vulnerable in the MHA system, due to a lack of specialized support and complicated transitions between services. This study will assess the potential impact of Navigation on youth MHA symptom reduction or functional improvement, family functioning, satisfaction with MHA services, as well as the cost-benefit of Navigation. This project will seek to determine whether there is a difference for those youth with MHA issues and their families who receive Navigation over those who find and access MHA care on their own.