The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Sep 2020
Systems modelling and simulation to inform strategic decision making for suicide prevention in rural New South Wales (Australia).
The need to understand and respond to the unique characteristics and drivers of suicidal behaviour in rural areas has been enabled through the Australian Government's 2015 mental health reforms facilitating a move to an evidence-based, regional approach to suicide prevention. However, a key challenge has been the complex decision-making environment and lack of appropriate tools to facilitate the use of evidence, data and expert knowledge in a way that can inform contextually appropriate strategies that will deliver the greatest impact. This paper reports the co-development of an advanced decision support tool that enables regional decision makers to explore the likely impacts of their decisions before implementing them in the real world. ⋯ Systems modelling and simulation offers significant potential for regional decision makers to better understand and respond to the unique characteristics and drivers of suicidal behaviour in their catchments and more effectively allocate limited health resources.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Jan 2020
A pilot study of the utility of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain in differentiating neurodegenerative from psychiatric disorders: A 'C-reactive protein' for psychiatrists and neurologists?
Neurofilament light has shown promise as a biomarker for diagnosis, staging and prognosis in a wide range of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. This study explored the utility of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light in distinguishing primary psychiatric disorders from neurodegenerative and neurological disorders, a common diagnostic dilemma for psychiatrists and neurologists. ⋯ Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light shows promise as a diagnostic test to assist with the often challenging diagnostic dilemma of distinguishing psychiatric disorders from neurodegenerative and neurological disorders. Further studies are warranted to replicate and expand on these findings, including on plasma neurofilament light.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Jan 2020
Meta AnalysisKetamine for suicidal ideation in adults with psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment trials.
Ketamine may reduce suicidal ideation in treatment-resistant depression. But it is not known how quickly this occurs and how long it persists. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the short- and long-term effectiveness of ketamine for suicidality. ⋯ A single infusion of ketamine may have a short-term (up to 72 hours) beneficial impact on suicidal thoughts. While confirmation of these results in further trials is needed, they suggest possible use of ketamine to treat acute suicidality. Means of sustaining any anti-suicidal effect need to be found.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Aug 2019
Altered social cognition and connectivity of default mode networks in the co-occurrence of autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
As two common neurodevelopmental disorders, autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder frequently occur together. Until now, only a few studies have investigated the co-occurrence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum disorder, this is due to restrictions associated with previous Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Most previous research has focused on the developmental trajectories for autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder separately, while the neural mechanisms underpinning the co-occurrence of autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder remain largely unknown. ⋯ Our results showed that dysfunction of the default mode network is a central feature in the co-occurrence of autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including connectivity within the default mode network as well as between the default mode network and the somatomotor networks, thus supporting the existence of a clinically combined phenotype (autistic spectrum disorder + attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).