Active clinical trials for "Psychotic Disorders"

Background: A lack of education, resources, and support for family carers of young adults with psychotic illnesses leaves them ill-equipped to support their loved one. Although family support groups exist, few groups offer evidence-based, skills-focused, psychoeducation taught by certified professionals and provided on a public-health level. By equipping families with skills and knowledge, public healthcare harnesses a powerful ally to maintain community stabilization. Aims: The primary study goal is to implement a psychoeducation intervention for family carers supporting young adults with psychosis to reduce family burden and foster community stabilization of service users. Methods: A longitudinal pre-post design will be used to assess the long-term effectiveness of the psychoeducation intervention for family carers supporting a young adult with psychosis on service utilization and functional indexes. Nine expert-reviewed, and family peer-informed psychoeducation modules are administered in 2-hour sessions over 9 weeks to family carers. Conclusion: Presenting the novel approach of an expert-reviewed, peer-informed psychoeducation intervention for family carers, with a focus on knowledge and skill development, the researchers contribute to literature and best practice in patient and family-centered care.

Introduction: Currently, there is a lack of international guidelines or clinical recommendations for individuals with mental illnesses (i.e., bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder) going on high altitude sojourns. However, these guidelines would be important considering that mental illnesses are among the most common disorders worldwide and millions of people are hiking at high altitudes in the Alps, being granted easy access up to 3800m by cable cars. Before conceptualizing these guidelines, it seems necessary to study the physiological and psychological effects of ambient pressure changes leading to oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) in individuals with mental illnesses when being exposed to hypoxic conditions. The investigators hypothesize a shift towards negative affective responses and state anxiety as well as increased levels of neurotransmitter precursor amino acids (PHE/TYR and KYN/TRP) in individuals with mental illnesses when being exposed to hypoxic conditions. Methods and Analysis: The investigators plan to perform a double-blind randomized controlled trial in a safe laboratory environment by using a normobaric hypoxic chamber. Participants suffering from depression and anxiety symptoms will be included as well as age and sex-matched healthy controls. They will attend a six-hour exposure equivalent to 3800m of altitude as well as a six-hour exposure to sham hypoxic conditions. Recruited participants will be screened by the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory, the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90) as well as an interview assessment. Affective responses in state anxiety will be assessed before, and during each hour of exposure by using the Feeling Scale (FS), Felt Arousal Scale (FAS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), State-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and subjective mental stress levels (Visual Analogue Scale; VAS). Physiological parameters will be assessed by venous blood sampling, pulse oximetry and oxidative stress level measurement before entering the chamber, after three and six hours of exposure. Additionally, symptoms of acute mountain sickness will be assessed by the Lake Louise Score before, after three and six hours of exposure. Follow-up measurements are planned one and seven days after the chamber visit, consisting of venous blood sampling, the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventory. A series of univariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) for repeated measures will be used to test the three-way (i.e. "group × condition × time") and two-way ("group × condition" and "group × time") interactions. Analyses will be adjusted for possible confounding, by adding age, sex, smoking, prior AMS, and medication status in the models as covariates. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been obtained from the ethics committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck (1250/2021).

Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain. Studies with rodents indicate that levels of KYNA can impact levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine. One way to reliably increase KYNA levels is by ingesting the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is a normal part of the human diet. Tryptophan gets metabolized/changed to other chemicals in the body- including KYNA. By giving people 6 grams of tryptophan, the investigators will be able to increase the KYNA level in a controlled way. The investigators will then be able to study the effects of KYNA on neurotransmitters by using cognitive tests and magnetic resonance imaging techniques (measuring brain activity and brain chemistry using the MRI magnet). The overall goal of the study is to examine how the medication N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when added to tryptophan, affects various cognitive functions, such as verbal and visual memory. The investigators will also use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine how NAC affects brain activity and chemicals.

The main purpose of this study is to learn how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) helps improve negative symptoms of schizophrenia. These 'negative symptoms' include anhedonia (the inability to enjoy things), low motivation, and decreased facial expression. TMS is a noninvasive way of stimulating the brain. TMS uses a magnetic field to cause changes in activity in the brain. The magnetic field is produced by a coil that is held next to the scalp. In this study we will be stimulating the brain to learn more about how TMS may improve these symptoms from schizophrenia.

This study will investigate if the SSERT (Social Skills and Emotion Regulation Training) intervention is feasible and acceptable in individual with psychotic disorder and a history of trauma.

It has been described in the scientific literature that people diagnosed with serious mental disorders, such as psychosis and schizophrenia, have difficulties to access medical treatments for their physical illnesses, which produces excess mortality in this population. This project will consist of three different parts. The first will be the detection and accurate diagnosis of hepatitis C (HCV) in the population diagnosed with a severe mental disorder (SMD). It will find the prevalence of people with infection who have not been diagnosed, as well as that of people diagnosed but who have not completed treatment. Likewise, the characteristics of the sample obtained and the risk factors associated with positive cases will be analyzed. The second part of the study will consist of comparing the effectiveness of an individualized monitoring programme (NURSE-NAVIGATION PROGRAMME), carried out by the specialist mental health nurse, during the treatment of hepatitis C versus the usual health care. In order to fulfill these first two objectives, a Clinical Pathway will be opened in which the Microbiology, Gastroenterology, Pharmacy and Mental Health services of the Regional University Hospital of Malaga will participate. The third objective of the project will be to study how the presence of Hepatitis C influences psychotic symptoms, mainly negative ones, changes in daily functioning and changes in quality of life . For these purposes we will use the PANSS scale, a Quality of Life scale (the Life Skill Profile) and the Euroqol5D Health Questionaire before treatment and after verifying the effective cure of HCV. A third and final evaluation with all the study variables will be carried out 6 months after starting the treatment. In addition, the disappearance of the viral load and, therefore, the patient's cure will be determined with a new blood test.

Formal caregiving of elderly dependent people is a both physically and psychologically demanding job, and both musculoskeletal and mental disorders with a negative impact in general health and quality of life are habitual among eldercare workers. Previous research has shown that physical exercise programs can reduce and/or prevent those disorders, consequently improving well-being at work. Online exercise interventions might be a cost-effective tool, as they can reach a large number of people at a relatively low cost. Moreover, they are compatible with situations in which interpersonal physical distancing is required, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, real-time videoconference-based exercise interventions have not yet been studied in working populations. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of a real-time videoconference-based exercise intervention in eldercare workers. The primary outcome will be low back pain. Pain in neck, shoulders and wrists/hands will also be recorded, as well as additional measures of physical fitness, psychoaffective state, health and work-related variables. All outcomes will be measured at baseline and at 12-week and 48-week follow-ups.

Due to an increasing amount of children and adolescents are suffering from mental illnesses i Sweden. Early preventive psychological interventions are important to avoid a long-time use of medicines. Animal assisted therapy and especially equine assisted services (EAS) has shown to be a good complementary method to decrease anxiety and/or depression in children and adolescents. The main aim is to study the effect of a specific EAS program regarding symptoms of mental illness and in long-term follow-up of future healthcare consumption. We will conduct interviews with both participants and their parents besides the questionnaires at follow-ups (12 weeks, and 1 year) The intervention will be EAS at a farm following a detailed program, the staff at the farm are specially trained with a certification to practice EAS. Each session will last for about 60 minutes, once a week. Participants will get information of the study by the child and youth psychiatry in the region of Skane, and from student´s health team at elementary schools. Those who want ti participate will contact the study coordinator for full information and informed consent. The EAS model has been used in treatment of adult with mental illness for many years, and the result are very positive. This project provides an opportunity to evaluate the effect of EAS to promote health and prevent severe manifest mental illness among children and adolescents. There are no previous studies of the long-term effect of EAS regarding health consumption.

Although psychotic disorders typically affect less than 1% of the population, they are a significant cause of disability worldwide. Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions and suicidal ideation can be profoundly disturbing, and negatively impact daily living. However, the social consequences of psychosis are often even more troubling than the symptoms. For example, people with psychosis have a high risk of experiencing violence, poverty, homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment, among other adverse outcomes. There is a need for a range of accessible, appropriate interventions for people with psychosis to be delivered to those in the most vulnerable situations, including in low-resource settings in sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review recently carried out as part of the formative research for SUCCEED identified 10 studies evaluating the impact of interventions for people with psychosis in Africa, most of which had a strongly clinical focus. The review concluded that there was a need for further research involving people with lived experience of psychosis in designing and evaluating holistic interventions that meet their diverse needs, within and beyond the health sector. SUCCEED Africa is a six-year Health Research Programme Consortium (RPC) that has brought together people with lived experience of psychosis and people with professional experience (researchers, clinicians) from four African countries (Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe) to co-produce a community-based intervention for psychosis, using a Theory of Change-driven approach. The SUCCEED intervention takes the World Health Organisation's (WHO's) CBR Matrix as a point of departure to consider the multifaceted needs of people living with psychosis and other psychosocial disabilities, and how best to meet these needs by mobilising the resources of individuals and families affected, as well as their broader communities. This protocol describes a pilot study in which the SUCCEED intervention will be delivered and evaluated on a small scale, in preparation for a larger multi-country research evaluation using more rigorous methods, including randomised controlled trials in Nigeria and Zimbabwe and observational studies in Malawi and Sierra Leone, respectively. The main outcome of interest is change in subjective quality of life among participants with lived experience of psychosis who are offered the intervention over a four-month follow up period.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a VR intervention on (1) stigma, (2) empathy and (3) attitudes towards those experiencing mental disorders. Participants will review a VR intervention, and complete questionnaires at pre-test, post-test and one month follow-up. Researchers will compare the VR intervention with a control VR intervention to evaluate the varying effects on stigma, empathy and attitudes towards those experiencing mental disorders.