The need to explore the prevalence and treatment of acquired brain injury among persons with serious and persistent mental illnesses.

This article highlights the importance of studying the prevalence and treatment of acquired brain injury among persons with serious and persistent mental illnesses. It is likely that the prevalence of acquired brain injury among persons with serious and persistent mental illnesses may be underreported and therefore, treatment may not address symptoms arising from brain injuries. This topic needs to be explored so that persons may participate in treatment that is appropriate to their neurological as well as psychiatric illnesses and so that the clinicians treating these persons may better understand techniques for addressing the needs of a person with an acquired brain injury.

Complementary and alternative medicines in the treatment of dementia: an evidence-based review.

Alternative medicines may have potential beneficial results in treating certain forms of dementia and related symptoms, as well as slowing disease progression. Alternative medicines may ameliorate disturbances in cognition, mood, sleep and activities of daily living. Primary mechanisms of action include modifications in neurotransmitter synthesis, inhibition of neurotransmitter reuptake and enzyme-induced neurotransmitter breakdown, antioxidant and anti-platelet activity, enhanced blood flow and glucose metabolism. Adverse events can include cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, mood, autonomic and dermatologic effects. However, adverse events, when reported represent, a small percentage of treated groups and direct links between adverse events and alternative therapies are tenuous. Many studies of alternative medicines in dementia are inconclusive and characterised by methodological deficiencies such as small sample sizes and inadequate controls. If alternative medicines can be shown to be efficacious using more rigorous experimental designs, both consumers and clinicians could avail themselves of a wider range of pharmacological substances that may offer the advantage of being better tolerated and exhibiting safer therapeutic margins than some allopathic medicines. While a number of complementary interventions have shown both strengths and weaknesses, huperzine A, levacecarnine and EGB 761, based on the overall quality of the studies, identified mechanisms of activity and safety profiles merit further examination in controlled clinical outcome studies.