COVID-19 and Beyond: A Prototype for Remote/Virtual Social Work Field Placement.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an abrupt conclusion of field placement for social work interns at a comprehensive cancer center. In response to social distancing requirements, social workers, but not interns, were granted access to work remotely. Virtual programming became necessary to meet the interns' remaining educational requirements and provided an opportunity for proper termination from the program. This article will delineate the program redesign for oncology social work interns using remote/virtual modalities. This melded approach involved creating simulated clinical interactions, based on selected points along the illness trajectory targeting specific clinical competencies, which were presented to interns by phone and/or videoconference. Examples will be provided related to developing clinical skills and critical thinking and preparing for professional responsibilities within a broad range of healthcare settings. Guidelines for working with individuals, couples/families, and groups will be included. Issues of individual and group supervision will be explored, with sensitivity to the parallel experience of existential uncertainty and mortality awareness among the interns in the context of the pandemic. Although in-person training is preferable, there are advantages to virtual learning for both supervisors and interns. This creative adaptation of field education provides an innovative programming model that can be used to enhance the experience for social work interns moving forward in various healthcare settings during ordinary or extraordinary circumstances.

Methylphenidate as Treatment for Clozapine-Induced Sedation in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients frequently need to be managed with clozapine. However, noncompliance is in-part due to complaints of sedation, fatigue, and low energy. There is little literature reporting on the effectiveness and safety of using stimulants to treat clozapine-induced sedation. We report three cases of treatment-resistant schizophrenia where methylphenidate was used to address these common side-effects. METHODS: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of psychostimulants in treatment-resistant schizophrenia, we reviewed 3 extensively documented cases of clozapine-induced sedation treated with methylphenidate for over 2 years, in addition to reviewing the literature on this topic. RESULTS: All 3 patients reported improvements in energy and fatigue, along with decreased sedation, while treated with methylphenidate for 27, 30, and 32 months respectively. Clozapine doses ranged between 325mg and 500mg daily; methylphenidate doses ranged between 2.5mg of the immediate-release and 72mg daily of the extended-release formulation. There was no reported or observed increase in psychotic symptoms resulting from treatment with methylphenidate. CONCLUSION: Methylphenidate may be safe and effective in the management of clozapine-induced sedation in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Large scale, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials are needed to further validate the safety and efficacy of methylphenidate as treatment for clozapine-induced sedation.

The impact of fatigue and energy on work functioning and impairment in patients with major depressive disorder treated with desvenlafaxine.

Fatigue and low energy are cardinal symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) that have an impact on work functioning. Antidepressants with noradrenergic activity have been hypothesized to improve symptoms of fatigue and low energy. We examined the impact of these symptoms on work functioning in patients with MDD treated with the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, desvenlafaxine. A secondary analysis was carried out from a study of employed adult outpatients (n=35) with MDD and subjective cognitive complaints treated with desvenlafaxine 50-100 mg/day for 8 weeks. Multiple regression analyses modeled improvement in work functioning measures (Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale, Health and Work Performance Questionnaire, Sheehan Disability Scale) with measures of fatigue (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Fatigue scale and 20-item Hopkins Symptom Check List Energy scale). Patients showed a significant improvement in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores as well as in fatigue and work functioning measures following treatment. Fatigue measures were significantly associated with improvement in some (Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale, Sheehan Disability Scale), but not all (Health and Work Performance Questionnaire) work functioning measures, independent of improvement in overall depressive symptoms. The limitations of this study include the small sample size and the lack of a placebo or a comparison group. Fatigue and low energy are important symptoms that are associated with occupational impairment in MDD. Treatments that improve these symptoms are likely to improve work functioning.

The effect of remission status on work functioning in employed patients treated for major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The ability to function at work is impaired in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) but few clinical trials include occupational outcome assessments. This study examined whether symptom remission following treatment for MDD is associated with work functioning improvement. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of a 12-week randomized clinical trial comparing escitalopram with or without telephone-administered cognitive therapy in employed patients with MDD (N = 86). Outcomes included the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and validated, self-rated work functioning scales including the Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale (LEAPS), Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ), and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Remission was defined as MADRS score ≤10 at 12 weeks. Data were evaluated using analysis of covariance with baseline score as covariates. RESULTS: Remission status was associated with significant improvement in work performance as assessed by the LEAPS productivity subscale, HPQ overall performance, and the SDS work/school item; a trend (P = .08) was observed with the HPQ productivity subscale. The effect sizes (d = 0.23, 0.51, 0.36, and 0.43, respectively) indicate small to medium effects that are likely clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study confirm that symptom remission following treatment is associated significantly with improvement in work performance and productivity, as measured by validated work functioning scales. Measurement-based care for MDD should include both symptom and functional outcome assessments.

HIV Testing Among Teens Attending Therapeutic Schools: Having a Personal Source of Information About HIV/AIDS Matters!

Being informed and using positive coping strategies are associated with engaging in health-promoting behaviors. We assessed whether the type of information source about HIV (personal or impersonal) and coping strategies (optimism, avoidance, or emotion-focused) are associated with HIV testing among adolescents attending therapeutic schools. Participants were 417 adolescents, ages 13-19, who attended one of 20 therapeutic day schools for emotionally/behaviorally disordered youth in two US cities (Providence, RI and Chicago, IL) and completed a baseline assessment for an HIV prevention study. Among adolescents in the study, 29% reported having been tested for HIV. Adolescents were more likely to have been tested if they were older, female, Hispanic, identified as non-heterosexual, came from lower SES households, and had recently had unprotected sex. Additionally, youth who endorsed greater use of optimistic thinking and emotion-focused coping, and who reported having been informed about HIV by more personal sources, were also more likely to have been tested for HIV. In a multivariate analysis, having had recent unprotected sex and having more personal sources of information about HIV/AIDS were independently associated with HIV testing. Study findings suggest that, controlling for sociodemographic background, sexual risk behavior, and coping strategy, HIV testing among adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems may be increased when adolescents learn about HIV/AIDS from personal sources such as their healthcare providers, family, and friends.