Efficacy and Safety of Psychedelics in Treating Anxiety Disorders.

Background: Anxiety disorders are commonly diagnosed and cause substantial functional impairment. A mixture of pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments currently exists, but these treatments are not always tolerable and effective. For patients with anxiety resistant to standard therapy, psychedelics may be a promising alternative. This review assesses the therapeutic benefits and safety of psychedelics in treating anxiety disorders. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo, and CINAHL for clinical trials investigating psychedelics in patients with clinician-diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and anxiety attributable to another medical condition. We analyzed data from 9 independent psychedelic-assisted trials testing ayahuasca (1 study), ketamine (4 studies), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (2 studies), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (1 study), and psilocybin (1 study). Efficacy was assessed by measuring the change in outcome measures and the quality of life from baseline. Results: The reviewed studies demonstrated encouraging efficacy in reducing anxiety symptoms, increasing self-perception, and increasing social function in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or anxiety attributable to another medical condition while establishing feasibility and evidence of safety. For many patients, the therapeutic effects of the psychedelic treatment lasted weeks, and no severe adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Based on the evidence of symptom reduction and safety, the current literature (2011 to 2021) shows that psychedelics could be considered for treating clinician-diagnosed anxiety disorders. Psychedelics may provide an alternative therapeutic option for patients resistant to current standard treatments.

Chronic pain outcomes of patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy: A systematic review and case series.

INTRODUCTION: The potential benefits of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in chronic pain and several theories for its mechanism have been reported in the past, but mixed findings have also been reported. In the current systematic review and case series, our primary aim was to assess whether pain and functional outcomes are improved after ECT in patients with chronic pain. Secondary objectives included examining whether psychiatric improvement, specific pain diagnoses, and demographic or medical characteristics were associated with differences in pain treatment response. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review to identify patients with chronic pain diagnoses for more than 3 months prior to the initiation of ECT and a systematic literature search on electronic databases for studies on chronic pain outcomes after ECT. RESULTS: Eleven patients with various chronic pain diagnoses and comorbid psychiatric conditions were identified in the case series. Six patients reported improvement in pain while 10 patients reported improvement in mood following ECT. Systematic review identified 22 articles reporting a total of 109 cases. Eighty-five (78%) of cases reported reduction in pain while 96.3% of the patients with a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis reported improvement in mood symptoms post-ECT. While there was an association between improvement in mood and pain in studies with numeric ratings in both outcomes (r = 0.61; p < 0.001), some patients reported pain improvement without improvement in mood in both the case series and the pooled analysis of cases in the review. Certain pain diagnoses such as CRPS, phantom limb pain, neuropathic pain, and low back pain have consistently reported benefits and should be further studied in future studies with matched case controls. CONCLUSION: ECT may be offered to patients with certain pain conditions who have not responded sufficiently to conventional therapies, particularly when comorbid mood symptoms are present. Improved documentation practices on the outcomes in chronic pain patients receiving ECT will help generate more studies that are needed on this topic.

Psychiatric Manifestations as the Primary Presentation of Frontal Meningioma.

Background: Although some patients with primary brain lesions remain clinically asymptomatic, others may experience a range of symptoms, including headaches, seizures, focal neurological deficits, changes in baseline mental function, and psychiatric manifestations. Distinguishing between a primary psychiatric illness and symptoms of a primary central nervous system tumor can be especially difficult for patients with a history of mental illness. A major challenge in effectively treating patients with brain tumors is first obtaining the diagnosis. Case Report: A 61-year-old female with a medical history significant for bipolar 1 disorder with psychotic features, generalized anxiety, and previous psychiatric hospitalization presented to the emergency department with worsening depressive symptoms and without focal neurologic deficits. She was initially placed on a physician's emergency certificate for grave disability, with anticipated discharge to a local inpatient psychiatric facility once she was stabilized. A frontal brain lesion, concerning for a meningioma, was found on magnetic resonance imaging and she was instead transferred to a tertiary center for urgent neurosurgical consultation. Bifrontal craniotomy with neoplasm excision was performed. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and continued symptom improvement was noted at the patient's 6- and 12-week postoperative visits. Conclusion: This patient's clinical course exemplifies the clinical ambiguity associated with brain tumors, the challenge of obtaining a timely diagnosis with nonspecific symptoms, and the importance of neuroimaging for patients presenting with atypical cognitive symptoms. This case report contributes to the literature about the psychiatric manifestations of brain lesions, especially in patients with concurrent mental health disorders.

Shared trauma, resilience, and growth: A roadmap toward transcultural conceptualization.

Objective: Countless communities worldwide are exposed directly and subsequently to the effects of massive-scale collective stressors, from natural disasters to human-caused. In contexts of collective adversity, health care providers who are also members of these communities share and interdependently affect the range of responses their patients have. We aim to conceptualize this spectrum, termed shared trauma, shared resilience, and shared growth. Method: In this metasynthesis, we review the literature on these underacknowledged dynamics globally. We include prior conceptualizations of direct and indirect trauma, collective trauma, cultural context, and the COVID-19 pandemic toward clearer conceptualization of shared mental health in global collective stressor contexts. Results: Most trauma and resilience research focuses on prevailing concepts and measures with questionable cross-cultural applicability. These works usually center on acute, highly distressing threats to physical safety at the individual level. The scarce literature on shared trauma describes it as a rare phenomenon, entailing conflicting messages of narrative accounts within contexts of few cultures with medium to high degrees of individualism. There has been little consideration of other non-Western and indigenous communities with more collectivist values and collective trauma histories. There is limited understanding of these concepts as they pertain to the vast majority of cultures. As a result, shared trauma, resilience, and growth have been poorly conceptualized, differentiated, or empirically researched. Conclusions: We propose uniquely inclusive models of shared trauma, resilience, and growth. These models reflect the cumulative effects and interplay of direct to indirect, acute to chronic, individual to collective, and historic to transgenerational factors influenced by cultural context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Personality, Resilience, and Calling in Students Undertaking a Medical Degree Across Two Continents: Disparate Pathways to the Healing Profession.

Background: An educational partnership between The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia and Ochsner Health in the United States developed the UQ-Ochsner medical program that trains American citizens to practice medicine in the United States. This program provides the opportunity to explore and compare the personal characteristics of UQ-Ochsner students with their domestic (Australian citizen) and international classmates not enrolled in the Ochsner program. Findings may offer some insights into the types of students who choose to study medicine across multiple countries. Methods: We used a quantitative cross-sectional design for our study. A first-year cohort of domestic, international, and UQ-Ochsner students completed a survey comprising demographic questions and measures of temperament and character personality, resilience, and calling to medicine. Univariate statistics were used to compare groups for all variables. Results: The whole sample response rate was 72.1% (375/520). Domestic students represented the greatest proportion of students <25 years, and UQ-Ochsner students represented the greatest proportion of students of ≥26 years. Gender did not differ significantly between groups. The majority first degree for all students was science, although 23% of UQ-Ochsner students reported arts/law/humanities degrees. In comparison to all other students (domestic and international combined), UQ-Ochsner students scored significantly lower in levels of harm avoidance (P=0.039) and higher in self-directedness and self-transcendence, resilience, and calling with medium to strong effect sizes (d>0.3). Conclusion: UQ-Ochsner students have a personality profile similar to their classmates but with levels of certain traits-higher self-directedness and lower harm avoidance-that in combination contribute to higher resilience and a strong sense of calling to medicine. Being slightly older may allow for more development of self-directedness, but low harm avoidance suggests an innate degree of confidence in and acceptance of risk to achieving goals.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Feasibility of a Multicomponent Delirium Prevention Intervention Versus Usual Care in Acute Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Delirium after acute stroke is a serious complication. Numerous studies support a benefit of multicomponent interventions in minimizing delirium-related complications in at-risk patients, but this has not been reported in acute stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of conducting a randomized (delirium care) versus usual standardized stroke care (usual care) in reducing delirium in acute stroke. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study assessed the feasibility of (1) enrollment within the 48-hour window when delirium risk is greatest, (2) measuring cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, (3) delivering interventions 7 days per week, and (4) determining delirium incidence in stroke-related cognitive dysfunction. METHODS: A 2-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. Patients admitted with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and 50 years or older, English speaking, and without delirium on admit were recruited, consented, and randomized to usual care or delirium care groups. RESULTS: Data from 125 subjects (delirium care, n = 59; usual care, n = 66) were analyzed. All Montreal Cognitive Assessment subscales were completed by 86% of subjects (delirium care, mean [SD], 18.14 [6.03]; usual care, mean [SD], 17.61 [6.29]). Subjects in the delirium care group received a mean of 6.10 therapeutic activities (range, 2-23) and daily medication review by a clinical pharmacist using anticholinergic drug calculations. Delirium incidence was 8% (10/125), 3 in the delirium care group and 7 in the usual care group. CONCLUSION: Findings support the feasibility of delivering a multicomponent delirium prevention intervention in acute stroke and warrants testing intervention effects on delirium outcomes and anticholinergic medication administration.

Serotonin Syndrome With Fluoxetine: Two Case Reports.

BACKGROUND: Serotonin syndrome is a rare but serious complication of treatment with serotonergic agents. In its severe manifestations, death can ensue. Early recognition and aggressive management are crucial to mitigating the syndrome. Often the presentation can be subtle and easy to miss. CASE REPORTS: We present 2 cases of serotonin syndrome seen in the psychiatric consultation service of a busy academic hospital. Both patients had favorable outcomes because of early recognition and aggressive management. CONCLUSION: Physicians should carefully consider and rule out the clinical diagnosis of serotonin syndrome when presented with an agitated or confused patient who is taking serotonergic agents.

Peduncular hallucinosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Peduncular hallucinosis is a rare form of visual hallucination often described as vivid, colorful visions of people and animals. The exact pathophysiology is unknown; however, most cases have been described in relation to lesions in the thalamus or midbrain. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 59-year-old female with peduncular hallucinosis associated with infarction in the right basal ganglia with the background of malignant hypertension. The patient's visual hallucinations decreased without pharmaceutical treatment by the time of discharge and on further follow-up had resolved completely. CONCLUSION: We believe ours is one of few reported cases of peduncular hallucinosis in a patient with an infarct isolated to the basal ganglia (striatum and globus pallidus).

A case of teeth discoloration upon transition from zyprexa to generic olanzapine.

BACKGROUND: Although crucial to the success of the US healthcare system, generic medication is not without some risks, especially when a transition is made midtreatment from a brand-name formulation to its generic counterpart. Thankfully, such a transition is usually orderly and unnoticed, without disruption to the treatment; however, this is not always the case. CASE REPORT: This case study details an example of 1 such unfortunate disruption to treatment. A stable patient with schizophrenia was switched from brand-name Zyprexa to generic olanzapine. Within several months of the switch, the patient suffered a marked grayish discoloration of his teeth. His medication regimen was then transitioned from generic olanzapine to a new but different brand-name medication (Abilify). The transition was a success, with resolution of the adverse effect and continued stability of his mental state. CONCLUSION: Generic olanzapine was introduced to the market in fall 2011. It remains to be seen whether this adverse effect was simply an anomaly or the beginning of a more ominous trend.

Quality improvement on the acute inpatient psychiatry unit using the model for improvement.

BACKGROUND: A need exists for constant evaluation and modification of processes within healthcare systems to achieve quality improvement. One common approach is the Model for Improvement that can be used to clearly define aims, measures, and changes that are then implemented through a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle. This approach is a commonly used method for improving quality in a wide range of fields. The Model for Improvement allows for a systematic process that can be revised at set time intervals to achieve a desired result. METHODS: We used the Model for Improvement in an acute psychiatry unit (APU) to improve the screening incidence of abnormal involuntary movements in eligible patients-those starting or continuing on standing neuroleptics-with the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). RESULTS: After 8 weeks of using the Model for Improvement, both of the participating inpatient services in the APU showed substantial overall improvement in screening for abnormal involuntary movements using the AIMS. CONCLUSION: Crucial aspects of a successful quality improvement initiative based on the Model for Improvement are well-defined goals, process measures, and structured PDSA cycles. Success also requires communication, organization, and participation of the entire team.

Housing patterns among a schizophrenic patient population pre- and post-katrina.

BACKGROUND: Stable housing is the cornerstone of effective psychiatric treatment, especially treatment for the most vulnerable and marginalized patients-those with schizophrenia. Hurricane Katrina was a disaster of epic proportions that uprooted an entire region. Some residents were temporarily dislocated, whereas others faced more permanent moves. METHODS: The purpose of this retrospective chart review was to examine the housing of schizophrenic patients treated at an area health system before and after Katrina. We sorted patients into 4 living arrangements: living alone, living with family, living in a supervised setting, and homeless. RESULTS: We reviewed 300 charts, and 69 patients met the inclusion criteria. Contrary to our initial assumptions, this population showed a marked degree of stability and cohesion: Nearly 90% had no disruption in their living configuration after the storm. This finding may in part be because nearly 75% lived with family, in addition to specific characteristics of the health system. CONCLUSION: We believe that the results demonstrate the resiliency of the region and its people.

New Onset LSD Flashback Syndrome Triggered by the Initiation of SSRIs.

During the 1960s, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) emerged as a widely popular drug, used by a substantial portion of the adolescent and young adult population. Since Major Depressive Disorder is a common disorder, clinicians will increasingly encounter patients who used LSD in the far distant past and now require treatment with antidepressant agents. We describe such a case in the following report of a patient who experienced a troubling array of unusual side effects, which we postulate to be a new onset LSD flashback syndrome triggered by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Antidepressant treatment patterns in a novel methadone maintenance clinic targeting young adults an observational study.

This observational study examined the antidepressant treatment patterns of a novel New York City methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP), founded for the treatment of adolescents and now targeting young adults and older patients with special problems. The goal of the study was to investigate demographic or clinical characteristics that were associated with prescribing patterns, as well as whether antidepressant use was associated with sobriety. The method of data collection was a thorough chart review. Antidepressant treatment was significantly associated with gender, education, marital status, and relapse. However, after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, antidepressant treatment was not significantly associated with a reduction in relapse risk. Further research is needed to explore these relationships, as well as their generalizability to adult methadone clinics, and to examine the underlying factors that lead to similarities and distinctions in antidepressant prescribing practices between various types of clinics (i.e., general outpatient vs. methadone maintenance).