The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Patients with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder are known to be impaired relative to healthy controls on neurocognitive tests, but the degree of impairment may be obscured if the data are analyzed in terms of group means. ⋯ Substantial numbers of patients with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder are cognitively impaired. A score that is 2 standard deviations below the mean is usually clinically important, and 2 domain scores in that range is cause for serious concern. The importance of this finding is discussed, with respect to clinical trials, in terms of establishing a homogeneous trial population and minimizing the placebo response rate.
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To retrospectively examine published cases of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) in patients aged 18 and below who had been treated with atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, and aripiprazole). ⋯ Young patients can develop NMS during treatment with atypical antipsychotics. Symptoms of this disorder are consistent with those described in adults. Although NMS is rare in this population, clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion. Appropriate caution in treating children and adolescents with any antipsychotic is warranted.
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There are no previous studies describing the correlates of suicide attempts in individuals with major depressive disorder in a nationally representative sample. This study explores the sociodemographic variables, mental disorders, and specific depressive symptoms associated with suicide attempts in depression. ⋯ This study contributes to the existing literature on risk factors for suicide attempts in depressed individuals. Identifying specific depressive symptoms and comorbid mental illnesses may improve the clinical assessment of suicide risk in people with major depressive disorder.
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Multicenter Study
A multisite study of the capacity of acute stress disorder diagnosis to predict posttraumatic stress disorder.
Previous studies investigating the relationship between acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have reported mixed findings and have been flawed by small sample sizes and single sites. This study addresses these limitations by conducting a large-scale and multisite study to evaluate the extent to which ASD predicts subsequent PTSD. ⋯ The majority of people who develop PTSD do not initially meet criteria for ASD. These data challenge the proposition that the ASD diagnosis is an adequate tool to predict chronic PTSD.