Search

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of measuring early changes in serum cytokine levels after intravenous diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Ca-DTPA) chelation in patients manifesting either gadolinium deposition disease (GDD) or gadolinium storage condition (GSC) and the possible usefulness of this method in further research. Methods Four patients with recent-onset GDD (≤1 year) and 2 patients with long-standing GSC (4 and 9 years) underwent chelation with intravenous bolus administration of Ca-DTPA. Multiple blood draws were performed to measure serum cytokines: at T = 0 (before Ca-DTPA injection) and 1, 5, 10, 30, 60 minutes, and 24 hours after Ca-DTPA injection. Patients rated the severity of GDD symptom flare at 24 hours. The 24-hour urine Gd amounts were measured prechelation and for the 24 hours after chelation. Serum samples were analyzed blind to whether patients had GDD or GSC but with knowledge of the time points characterizing each sample. Results Urine samples for both GDD and GSC patients showed increases in Gd postchelation. All GDD patients experienced flare reactions postchelation; the 2 GSC patients did not. Two cytokines, EGF and sCD40L, peaked at 30 minutes postchelation in at least 4 of the 6 participants. Three cytokines, ENA78/CXCL5, EOTAXIN/CCL11, and LEPTIN, peaked at 24 hours in at least 4 of the 6 participants. Two participants were high outliers for a large number of cytokines across time points. No clear distinction between GDD and GSC was apparent from the cytokine patterns, although differences were present. Conclusions This pilot study describes precise temporal resolution (in the range of minutes) after a cytokine-inciting event. Select cytokines exhibited peak values at different time points. At this preliminary stage of investigation, peak cytokine release seems to reflect the amount of Gd mobilized rather than the severity of the patient symptomatic reaction. Too few subjects were studied to support statistical analysis between GDD and GSC groups, although differences were observed through visual data analysis.

Abbreviated Summary The open-label trial of Williams, Sudheimer, Cole, et al., suggests safety, feasibility, and high efficacy for treatment-refractory OCD of an accelerated, fMRI-guided, high-dose, cTBSmod protocol targeting the right frontal pole. Larger, randomized, controlled trials are needed to test the promising results of this pilot study. Clinicaltrials.gov Registry Numbers NCT03404609.

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the following in patients who have undergone magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) and meet the proposed diagnostic criteria for gadolinium deposition disease (GDD): (1) the effectiveness of chelation therapy (CT) with intravenous Ca-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid in removing retained gadolinium (Gd) and factors affecting the amount removed; (2) the frequency of CT-induced Flare, that is, GDD diagnostic symptom worsening, and factors affecting Flare intensity; (3) whether, as reported in a separate cohort, GDD patients' serum cytokine levels differ significantly from those in healthy normal controls and change significantly in response to CT; and (4) whether urine Gd, Flare reaction, and serum cytokine findings in GDD patients are mimicked in non-ill patients described as having gadolinium storage condition (GSC). Materials and methods Twenty-one GDD subjects and 3 GSC subjects underwent CT. Patients provided pre-CT and post-CT 24-hour urine samples for Gd content determination along with pre-CT and 24-hour post-CT serum samples for cytokine analysis. Patients rated potential Flare 24 hours after CT. Pre-CT and post-CT 24-hour urine Gd analyses and Luminex serum cytokine assays were performed blind to patients' GDD and GSC status and all other data except age and sex. Serum cytokine levels in a healthy normal control group of age- and sex-matched subjects drawn from Stanford influenza vaccination studies were measured once, contemporaneously with those of GDD and GSC patients, using the same Luminex assay. Results Urine Gd amounts increased post-CT by 4 times or more after 87% of the 30 CT sessions. The most important factors appeared to be the time since the last GBCA dose and the cumulative dose received. Urine Gd amounts for GDD and GSC patients fell in the same ranges. All GDD patients, and no GSC patient, reported a Flare 24 hours post-CT. Linear regression found that Flare intensity was significantly predicted by a model including pre- and post-CT Gd amounts and the number of GBCA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Post-CT, multiple cytokines showed strong positive relationships with GDD patients' Flare intensity in multivariable models. The pre-CT serum levels of 12 cytokines were significantly different in GDD patients compared with healthy flu vaccine controls. The small number of GSC patients precluded analogous statistical testing. Post-CT, GDD patients' serum levels of 20 cytokines were significantly decreased, and 2 cytokines significantly increased. These cytokines did not exhibit the same change pattern in the 3 GSC patients. The small number of GSC patients precluded statistical comparisons of GSC to GDD patients' results. Conclusions In this preliminary study, 24-hour urine Gd content increased markedly and similarly in GDD and GSC patients after Ca-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid CT. Post-CT Flare reaction developed only in GDD patients. The current study is the second finding significantly different serum cytokine levels in GDD patients compared with healthy normal controls. These differences and the difference between GDD and GSC patients' Flare and cytokine responses to CT suggest some inflammatory, immunologic, or other physiological differences in patients with GDD. Further research into the treatment and physiological underpinnings of GDD is warranted.

Objective: To determine whether individuals with proposed gadolinium deposition disease (GDD) have elevated serum levels of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines, and whether specific cytokines are correlated with certain symptoms. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four participants recruited between May 2016 and June 2017 met GDD diagnostic criteria. The 64 control subjects provided serum samples before prophylactic flu vaccination. Serum cytokine levels were obtained with Luminex serum cytokine assay using eBiosciences/Affymetrix human 62-plex kits. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were performed to assess the difference between the median fluorescence intensity values for the participants and the control group. Generalized linear models were built to evaluate the association between each cytokine of interest and selected participant symptoms. Results: Serum levels of 14 cytokines, including nine pro-inflammatory cytokines, were statistically significantly elevated compared to controls (p ≤ 0.05). Hypotheses regarding pro-fibrotic cytokines and cytokine links to specific symptoms’ intensity were not confirmed. Conclusion: The statistically significantly elevated cytokines may be markers of susceptibility to GDD or agents of symptom induction. These findings suggest that individuals developing symptoms characteristic of GDD after a contrast-assisted magnetic resonance imaging should be studied to investigate whether gadolinium retention and elevated cytokines may be related to their symptoms. Resumo Objetivo: Determinar se indivíduos com doença de deposição de gadolínio (DDG) apresentam níveis séricos elevados de citocinas pró-inflamatórias e pró-fibróticas e se citocinas específicas estão correlacionadas com determinados sintomas. Materiais e Métodos: Vinte e quatro participantes recrutados entre maio/2016 e junho/2017 cumpriram os critérios de diagnóstico de DDG. Amostras de soro de 64 indivíduos controles foram obtidas antes de vacinação profilática contra a gripe. Os níveis de citocinas séricas foram mensurados com o ensaio Luminex usando kits 62-plex humanos. Foram realizados testes de Wilcoxon para avaliar a diferença dos valores médios de intensidade de fluorescência entre os participantes e o grupo controle. Foram construídos modelos lineares generalizados para avaliar a associação entre cada citocina de interesse e os sintomas dos participantes selecionados. Resultados: Níveis séricos de 14 citocinas, incluindo 9 citocinas pró-inflamatórias, foram estatisticamente significantes em comparação aos controles (p ≤ 0,05). Hipóteses sobre as citocinas pró-fibróticas e associação das citocinas com a intensidade de sintomas específicos não foram confirmadas. Conclusão: Citocinas estatisticamente elevadas podem ser marcadores de suscetibilidade para DDG ou agentes de indução de sintomas. Esses achados sugerem que indivíduos que desenvolvem sintomas da DDG após ressonância magnética com contraste devem ser estudados para investigar se a retenção de gadolínio e citocinas elevadas podem estar relacionadas aos seus sintomas.

Many patients with OCD respond partially or not at all to standard medications and cognitive behavioral therapy approaches, making alternate treatments necessary. We review the preliminary evidence that exists in support of the use of stimulants, high-dose caffeine, opiates, memantine, ondansetron, ketamine, and transcranial magnetic stimulation in some patients with OCD. Although limited by small or modest sample sizes, open-label study designs, and brief follow-up periods, studies suggest that each of these strategies can help some patients who have inadequately responded to first-line treatments. The existing data and the unmet needs of OCD patients justify research attention to further test these treatments’ safety and efficacy. Previously untested drugs also deserve attention, especially as recent research has suggested new possible contributors to OCD pathophysiology. Similarly, psychotherapeutic interventions beyond CBT should be investigated, and treatments with preliminary evidence in OCD, including Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Danger Ideation Reduction Therapy, and technology-enabled interventions like computerized CBT and Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy, should be carefully tested.

Corticosteroids are widely used in modern medicine but can result in troubling psychiatric side-effects. Physicians and other medical professionals should be aware of the potential for these side-effects, possible means of prevention, and efficacious treatments. Herein, we review adult case report data published during the past quarter-century on adverse corticosteroid-induced psychiatric effects, and present a case of corticosteroid-induced psychotic depression. PubMed and PsychLit databases were searched using the terms 'corticosteroids', 'steroids', and the generic names of corticosteroid medications with terms for psychiatric symptoms or syndromes, including psychosis, mania, hypomania, depression, apathy, anxiety, panic, depersonalization, delirium, confusion, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, cognitive impairment and dementia. Fifty-five cases and a number of clinical trials investigating the incidence and treatment of these psychiatric symptoms and syndromes were identified. Data on incidence, drug dose, risk factors, course of illness and treatment (when present) were tabulated. We conclude that the cumulative data indicate that psychiatric complications of corticosteroid treatment are not rare and range from clinically significant anxiety and insomnia, to severe mood and psychotic disorders, delirium and dementia. While tapering or discontinuation of the corticosteroid treatment may remedy these adverse side-effects, psychotropic medications are often required because of the medical necessity of the corticosteroid or the severity of the psychiatric symptom. Further studies are needed to better understand the deleterious psychiatric effects associated with corticosteroids.

Objective Despite increasing recognition of the potentially severe medical and psychosocial costs of pathologic skin picking (PSP), no large-sample, randomized investigation of its prevalence in a national population has been conducted. Method Two thousand five hundred and thirteen US adults were interviewed during the spring and summer of 2004 in a random-sample, national household computer-assisted phone survey of PSP phenomenology and associated functional impairment. Respondents were classified for subsequent analysis according to proposed diagnostic criteria. Results Of all respondents, 16.6% endorsed lifetime PSP with noticeable skin damage; 60.3% of these denied picking secondary to an inflammation or itch from a medical condition. One fifth to one quarter of those with lifetime PSP not related to a medical condition endorsed tension or nervousness before picking, tension or nervousness when attempting to resist picking, and pleasure or relief during or after picking. A total of 1.4% of our entire sample satisfied our criteria of picking with noticeable skin damage not attributable to another condition and with associated distress or psychosocial impairment. Pickers satisfying these latter criteria differed from other respondents in demographics (age, marital status) and both picking phenomenology and frequency.

Objective: To determine the adequacy of pharmacotherapy received by patients with newly-diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), based on current practice guidelines.Methods: A 9 year (1997–2006) retrospective claims analysis of adults enrolled in Florida Medicaid for at least 3 continuous years was conducted to determine the percentage who received both a minimally effective duration (≥ 8 continuous weeks) and dose of first-line OCD pharmacotherapy during the year following their first (“index”) OCD diagnosis.Results: Among 2,960,421 adult (≥ 18 years of age) enrollees, 2,921 (0.1%) were diagnosed with OCD. Among the 2,825 OCD patients without comorbid Asperger syndrome or autism, 843 had newly-diagnosed OCD and at least 12 months of follow-up data after their index diagnosis. Among these 843 patients, 588 (69.7%) received first-line OCD pharmacotherapy but only 323 (38.3%) received a minimally effective pharmacotherapy trial in the year following their index diagnosis.Conclusions: Among clinically-diagnosed persons with OCD (

After 12 weeks of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) monotherapy with inadequate response, 10 patients received clomipramine and 11 received quetiapine as augmentation agents of the SSRI. The primary outcome measure was the difference between initial and final scores of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), rated in a blinded fashion, and the score of clinical global improvement (CGI-I). Statistical analyses were performed using nonparametric tests to evaluate treatment efficacy and the difference between treatment groups. Percentile plots were constructed with YBOCS scores from the clomipramine and quetiapine groups. Considering response a ≥35% reduction in the initial Y-BOCS score plus a rating of ‘much improved’ or ‘very much improved’ on CGI-I, four of eleven quetiapine patients and one out of ten clomipramine patients were classified as responders. The mean final Y-BOCS score was significantly lower than baseline in the quetiapine augmentation group (P = 0.023), but not in the clomipramine augmentation group (P = 0.503). The difference between groups showed a trend towards significance only at week 4, the mean Y-BOCS score being lower for those receiving quetiapine (P = 0.052). A difference between groups was also observed at week 4 according to percentile plots. These results corroborate previous findings of quetiapine augmentation efficacy in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Clomipramine augmentation did not produce a significant reduction in Y-BOCS scores. Higher target maximum dosages might have yielded different results.

Objective:In clinical samples, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is associated with substantial suffering and reduced quality of life. Limited surveys report widely varying prevalence estimates. To better establish the prevalence of BDD, we conducted a United States nationwide prevalence survey.Method:We conducted a random sample national household telephone survey in the spring and summer of 2004 and interviewed 2,513 adults, of whom 2,048 qualified for the BDD-module administration. The computer-assisted, structured interviews, conducted by trained lay interviewers, addressed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for BDD, along with information regarding several impulse-control disorders and the respondents' financial and demographic data.Results:The rate of response was 56.3%, which compared favorably with rates in federal national health surveys. The cooperation rate was 97.6%. Respondents included a higher percentage of women and people >55 years of age than in the US adult population, and a lower percentage of Hispanics. The estimated point prevalence of DSM-IV BDD among respondents was 2.4% (49/2,048) (by gender: 2.5% for women, 2.2% for men), exceeding the prevalence of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder type I and about that of generalized anxiety disorder. BDD prevalence decreased after 44 years of age, and a larger proportion of BDD respondents were never married. Of those meeting DSM-IV criteria for BDD, 90% (45/49) met the DSM-IV distress criterion, and 51% (25/49) met the interference-with-functioning criterion.Conclusion:A study using clinically valid interviews is needed to evaluate these results. Such studies could inform treatment by documenting rates of seeking treatment from various sources, suicide attempt rates, and the prevalence of comorbid conditions.

Objective: Compulsive buying (uncontrolled urges to buy, with resulting significant adverse consequences) has been estimated to affect from 1.8% to 16% of the adult U.S. population. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has used a large general population sample to estimate its prevalence. Method: The authors conducted a random sample, national household telephone survey in the spring and summer of 2004 and interviewed 2,513 adults. The interviews addressed buying attitudes and behaviors, their consequences, and the respondents’ financial and demographic data. The authors used a clinically validated screening instrument, the Compulsive Buying Scale, to classify respondents as either compulsive buyers or not. Results: The rate of response was 56.3%, which compares favorably with rates in federal national health surveys. The cooperation rate was 97.6%. Respondents included a higher percentage of women and people ages 55 and older than the U.S. adult population. The estimated point prevalence of compulsive buying among respondents was 5.8% (by gender: 6.0% for women, 5.5% for men). The gender-adjusted prevalence rate was 5.8%. Compared with other respondents, compulsive buyers were younger, and a greater proportion reported incomes under $50,000. They exhibited more maladaptive responses on most consumer behavior measures and were more than four times less likely to pay off credit card balances in full. Conclusions: A study using clinically valid interviews is needed to evaluate these results. The emotional and functional toll of compulsive buying and the frequency of comorbid psychiatric disorders suggests that studies of treatments and social interventions are warranted.

Objective:The Internet has positively altered many aspects of life. However, for a subset of users, the medium may have become a consuming problem that exhibits features of impulse control disorders recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition.Method:This is the first large-scale epidemiological study of problematic Internet use through a random-digit-dial telephone survey of 2,513 adults in the United States. Given the lack of validated criteria, survey questions were extrapolated from established diagnostic criteria for impulse control disorders, obsessivecompulsive disorder, and substance abuse. Four possible diagnostic criteria sets were generated.The least restrictive set required the respondent to report an unsuccessful effort to reduce Internet use or a history of remaining online longer than intended, Internet use interfering with relationships, and a preoccupation with Internet use when offline.Results:The response rate was 56.3%. Interviews averaged 11.3 minutes in duration. From 3.7% to 13% of respondents endorsed ≥1 markers consistent with problematic Internet use. The least restrictive proposed diagnostic criteria set yielded a prevalence of problematic Internet use of 0.7%.Conclusion:Potential markers of problematic Internet use seem present in a sizeable proportion of adults. Future studies should delineate whether problematic Internet use constitutes a pathological behavior that meets criteria for an independent disorder, or represents a symptom of other psychopathologies.

The World Health Organization has determined that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the 10th leading medical cause of disability across the globe. Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of patients with OCD fail to respond to medication trials. In the pivotal double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that established the efficacy of clomipramine and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), 40% to 60% of patients were nonresponders to a given drug. Moreover, patients who do not respond to their first medication trial may be less likely than treatment-naive patients to respond to subsequent trials. For example, only 33% of patients participating in double-blind trials who had failed trials of one or more serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) benefited from a subsequent trial of sertra-line, compared with 53% of those who were treatment naive (Rasmussen, Baer, Eisen, and Shera, unpublished data, 15th Annual Meeting, American Psychiatric Association, May 17-22, 1997).At the Fourth International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Conference, held in February 2000 in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, an afternoon panel was devoted to considering issues and strategies related to treatment-refractory OCD. The panel presentations were divided into three groups: time to response and outcome after long-term followup; pharmacologic strategies for nonresponders; and new data concerning nonpharmacologic interventions.

Patients with chronic forms of major depression are difficult to treat, and the relative efficacy of medications and psychotherapy is uncertain.We randomly assigned 681 adults with a chronic nonpsychotic major depressive disorder to 12 weeks of outpatient treatment with nefazodone (maximal dose, 600 mg per day), the cognitive behavioral-analysis system of psychotherapy (16 to 20 sessions), or both. At base line, all patients had scores of at least 20 on the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (indicating clinically significant depression). Remission was defined as a score of 8 or less at weeks 10 and 12. For patients who did not have remission, a satisfactory response was defined as a reduction in the score by at least 50 percent from base line and a score of 15 or less. Raters were unaware of the patients' treatment assignments.Of the 681 patients, 662 attended at least one treatment session and were included in the analysis of response. The overall rate of response (both remission and satisfactory response) was 48 percent in both the nefazodone group and in the psychotherapy group, as compared with 73 percent in the combined-treatment group. (P0.001 for both comparisons). Among the 519 subjects who completed the study, the rates of response were 55 percent in the nefazodone group and 52 percent in the psychotherapy group, as compared with 85 percent in the combined-treatment group (P0.001 for both comparisons). The rates of withdrawal were similar in the three groups. Adverse events in the nefazodone group were consistent with the known side effects of the drug (e.g., headache, somnolence, dry mouth, nausea, and dizziness).Although about half of patients with chronic forms of major depression have a response to short-term treatment with either nefazodone or a cognitive behavioral-analysis system of psychotherapy, the combination of the two is significantly more efficacious than either treatment alone.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by excessive preoccupation with an imagined or greatly exaggerated defect in appearance, and often by related rituals or pursuit of medical or surgical treatments. The frequent comorbidity of BDD with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the phenomenological similarities between these two disorders suggest that they may be related. BDD reportedly responds to oral clomipramine (CMI).We present here two case studies of patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for BDD with comorbid delusional disorder, somatic type, to whom we administered pulse-loaded intravenous (IV) CMI (150 mg on day 1, 200 mg on day 2). After a 4.5-day drug holiday, both patients continued on oral CMI. As reflected in modified Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores, both patients' BDD improved by about one third within 4.5 days of the second IV dose. Improvement continued over 2 months on oral CMI, and comorbid major depression present in one patient remitted. By the end of 8 weeks of oral CMI, the patients' modified Y-BOCS scores had decreased about 55%, and their social functioning had markedly improved.As in OCD, pulse-loaded, IV CMI may produce a much faster response than oral CMI or selective serotonin reuptake treatment and can be well tolerated. This treatment approach to BDD deserves further study in a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Because physical illness may influence quality of life, we assessed its impact on functional status and treatment outcome in older depressed patients who participated in a clinical trial, which showed a significantly higher remission rate for fluoxetine over placebo (31.6% vs 18.6%, P < .001). DESIGN: Six-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine, 20 mg daily. SETTING: Multiple clinical sites, both university and private. PARTICIPANTS: Outpatients (N = 671) were ≥ 60 years (mean ± SD = 67.7 ± 5.7), met DSM-III-R criteria for unipolar major depression and had baseline scores ≥ 16 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. MEASUREMENTS: The 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) was used to measure baseline and posttreatment functional health and well-being. Physical illness was rated by number of current chronic or historical illnesses. Change from baseline to endpoint in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score was used to measure depression outcome. MAIN RESULTS: Most patients reported physical illness: 83% had one or more chronic illness, and 89% had one or more historical illness. Greater numbers of baseline chronic illness indicated worse physical functioning, general health perceptions, and vitality and greater bodily pain and role limitation from physical problems. Historical physical illness was associated with worse physical functioning, vitality, general health perceptions, social functioning, and mental health. Although the number of chronic illnesses did not influence treatment response, historical physical illness was associated with greater fluoxetine response and lower placebo response. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that both current and previous physical illness are associated with lower quality of life in geriatric depression and that depressed older patients with chronic physical illness respond to antidepressants as well as those without such illness. Recovery from previous physical illness should be explored as a potential predictor of antidepressant treatment outcome.

The authors examined 21 outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder for five neurological soft signs and abnormalities on two neuropsychological tests before and after 10 to 12 weeks of treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Patients showed a mean of 1.8 soft signs. Prevalences were finger-to-finger, 10%; adventitious movements, 29%; mirror movements, 33%; impaired cube drawing, 33%; and agraphesthesia, 76%. The Stroop Color and Word Test was abnormal in 10% and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test was abnormal in 14% of patients. Neither the presence of specific soft signs, the number of signs present, nor a combination of signs and test abnormalities predicted a poorer response to pharmacological treatment. Some baseline soft signs and abnormalities disappeared at endpoint in medication responders and nonresponders; no clear pattern of change emerged.

Clinical revenues rarely suffice to support an academic psychiatric consultationliaison (C-L) service. Nonetheless, the revenue provides a major source offinancial support. The authors describe ten steps that can help maximize the financial return from the C-L service ‘s clinical efforts. The steps range from establishing a reasonable fee schedule and creating an efficient charge document, through educating residents and faculty physicians about documentation requirements, to billing quickly and insisting on meaningful monthh’ reports from the faculty practice plan. A number of “magic phrases” (proper and key wording for reimbursement) are described in detail that can markedly reduce documentation requirements.

Active and important physical disorders are common among public-sector psychiatric patients and are frequently undetected. A total of 289 patients who were consecutively admitted to a public psychiatric hospital were screened for physical disorders and given medical evaluations when screening results suggested an active and important physical disorder. Twenty-nine percent of the patients had such disorders. Of the 119 disorders detected, 24 (20 percent) were newly diagnosed for 23 patients (8 percent). Physical disorders that may have caused or exacerbated patients' psychiatric symptoms affected 2 percent and 3.5 percent of the patients, respectively. Patients admitted to psychiatric inpatient units should be carefully evaluated for physical disease.

Background: Serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been disappointing in the treatment of trichotillomania (TTM). Recent evidence suggests that medications that modulate dopamine may be helpful in this disorder. Objective: To determine if the D2 partial agonist aripiprazole would be effective in the treatment of TTM. Methods: Twelve subjects participated in an 8-week, open-label, flexible-dose study of aripiprazole treatment of TTM. Primary end points were reduction in the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale (MGHHPS) and MGHHPS Actual Pulling Subscale (MGHHPS-APS). Secondary end points were the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Results: Eleven of 12 subjects had 2 or more assessments; one subject dropped out during the first week. For subjects with 2 or more assessments, there was a significant mean reduction in both primary end points, the MGHHPS score (mean change, 7.8; SD, ±7.8; P ≤ 0.01) and the MGHHPS-APS score (mean change, 3.9; SD, ±4.1; P ≤ 0.02). Seven subjects had a greater than 50% reduction in MGHHPS; 7 subjects had an exit Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale of 2 or lower, and 5 participants had absolute exit scores of 3 or lower on the MGHHPS and 1 or lower on the MGHHPS-APS. There were no significant changes in mood-related secondary end points. The mean aripiprazole dose for all completers (N = 11) was 7.5 mg/d (±3.4 mg/d). Conclusions: This small open-label study suggests that aripiprazole is a promising treatment for the treatment of trichotillomania. Larger double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are needed to follow up on these findings.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder patients who do not improve sufficiently after treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor might improve further if other drugs were added to the treatment regimen. The authors present a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy of adding quetiapine or clomipramine to a treatment regimen consisting of fluoxetine. Between May 2007 and March 2010, a total of 54 patients with a primary diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, and a current Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score of at least 16, the score having dropped by less than 35% after fluoxetine monotherapy, were allocated to 1 of 3 arms (n = 18 per arm): quetiapine + fluoxetine (≤200 and ≤40 mg/d, respectively), clomipramine + fluoxetine (≤75 and ≤40 mg/d, respectively), or placebo + fluoxetine (≤80 mg/d of fluoxetine). Follow-up was 12 weeks. The Y-BOCS scores were the main outcome measure. No severe adverse events occurred during the trial, and 40 patients (74%) completed the 12-week protocol. The Y-BOCS scores (mean [SD]) were significantly better in the placebo + fluoxetine and clomipramine + fluoxetine groups than in the quetiapine + fluoxetine group (final: 18 [7] and 18 [7], respectively, vs 25 [6], P < 0.001) (reduction from baseline: -6.7 [confidence interval {CI}, -9.6 to -3.8; and -6.5 [CI, -9.0 to -3.9], respectively, vs -0.1 [CI, -2.9 to 2.7], P < 0.001; number needed to treat = 2.4). The clomipramine-fluoxetine combination is a safe and effective treatment for fluoxetine nonresponders, especially those who cannot tolerate high doses of fluoxetine. However, the period of monotherapy with the maximum dose of fluoxetine should be extended before a combination treatment strategy is applied.

OBJECTIVE AND METHOD A mail survey was conducted in 1988-1989 to study the professional activities of U.S. psychiatrists. Data from the 19,431 active respondents are reported. RESULTS Nineteen percent of the psychiatrists were women, an increase from the 17% reported in 1982. The median age of the respondents was 50 years. Nearly one-third of the respondents expressed interest in each of the following areas of subspecialization: adolescent psychiatry, substance abuse, geriatrics, and consultation-liaison psychiatry. More than one-fifth reported formal fellowship training in child/adolescent psychiatry. The psychiatrists worked an average of 48 hours per week--two-thirds in direct patient care--in an average of 2.3 different settings. The proportion of psychiatrists reporting private practice as their primary work setting showed a marked decline from 53% in 1982 to 45% in 1988. There was an increase from 4% in 1982 to 11% in 1988 in those whose primary work setting was a private psychiatric hospital. The typical caseload was over 60 patients, with roughly half that number seen each week. For inpatients treated, the two most common diagnoses were affective disorders and schizophrenic disorders. In a typical week psychiatrists treated about one-half of their outpatients with individual psychotherapy; three-fifths of these were also treated with medications. The average net income for psychiatrists working 35 hours or more per week was $99,850 for men and $73,174 for women. CONCLUSIONS Major trends evident from this study are subspecialization, medicalization, privatization, feminization, and organizational diversification.

Medical-psychiatric inpatient programs are a relatively recent phenomenon. Although interest in these programs seems widespread, they are still found primarily at academic medical centers. The authors surveyed 11 such academic units. Variations found between their patient populations, milieu, and organization suggest that these programs, in general, are still in an early stage of evolution. It is hoped that these data will provide a descriptive base of how these programs have developed.

BACKGROUND: Despite its considerable personal toll and its impact on the economy and the legal system, kleptomania is an understudied psychiatric disorder. METHOD: We review what is known about the epidemiology, course, and treatment of kleptomania and describe 40 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for the disorder. RESULTS: Our data suggest a female preponderance, with an early age at onset and most often a continuous course. No other gender-based differences were seen. The majority of our subjects had not received treatment for kleptomania despite often having sought help for comorbid psychiatric conditions, most commonly major depressive disorder. Our data confirm kleptomania's devastating effects on personal and professional lives and serious legal consequences, reflected in high arrest and incarceration rates. Because patients with kleptomania rarely seek psychiatric help for the disorder, we indicate how other health care providers can screen for it, possibly as part of taking patients' legal and social histories, and suggest treatments. CONCLUSION: Awareness of kleptomania, empathy toward those afflicted, and rigorous research into treatment options are needed to mitigate kleptomania's personal and societal costs.

Little is known about the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as recognized in clinical settings. The authors report data on the prevalence of clinically recognized OCD in a large, integrated, group practice health maintenance organization (HMO).The authors examined the database of outpatient diagnoses for the 1.7 million people (ageor=6) in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento who were continuously enrolled in Kaiser Permanente from May 1995 through April 1996. OCD diagnoses were confirmed by chart review.The 1-year prevalence of clinically recognized OCD was 84/100,000 (95% confidence interval: 80-89/100,000), or 0.084%. It varied among the 19 clinics within the HMO but was nowhere higher than 150/100,000. Prevalence was higher among women than among men but was higher among boys than among girls. Above age 65, OCD prevalence decreased markedly in both genders. Period prevalence rates increased by 60% as the length of the study period doubled from 1 to 2 years, more than would be expected for a chronic disease requiring regular care. About three-quarters of both children and adults with OCD had comorbid psychiatric diagnoses; major depression was common in both groups.Although previously reported prevalences of 1%-3% from community studies may have included many transient or misclassified cases of OCD not requiring treatment, the very low prevalence of clinically recognized OCD in this population suggests that many individuals suffering from OCD are not receiving the benefits of effective treatment.

The adequacy of pharmacotherapy for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in a large, prepaid HMO was studied. An analysis was made of the computerized records for December 1, 1994, through April 30, 1998, for members of a Kaiser Permanente plan in northern California who were six years of age or older and had had continuous membership during an index year (May 1, 1995, to April 30, 1996) (1,728 million members). A total of 880 adults and 168 children and adolescents with chart-review-confirmed OCD and a pharmacy benefit were identified. The percentage of patients with an adequate drug trial, defined as > or = 56 days of continuous treatment with a serotonin-reuptake inhibitor or phenelzine at dosages at or above established minimal effective dosages, was determined. Forty-three percent of the adults and 28% of the children and adolescents who were newly diagnosed with OCD in the index year had an adequate trial of medication in the year after their first visit for OCD. By the second six months after the index year, only 75.2% of newly treated adults and 60.9% of newly treated children and adolescents continuing in the health plan filled at least one anti-OCD prescription. During the second follow-up year, these figures fell to 60.4% and 38.9%, respectively. Continuing-care patients filling a prescription in the index year were more likely than newly diagnosed patients to fill prescriptions in the two-year follow-up period, but their treatment still decreased substantially. Despite the typically chronic course of OCD, many patients with OCD who were enrolled in a large HMO appeared not to receive an adequate trial of pharmacotherapy or ongoing pharmacotherapy.

Background Recent reports suggest that pregnancy and the puerperium may precipitate or exacerbate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The influence of this illness on other reproductive events, such as the premenstruum, is unknown. We examined retrospectively the relationships of pregnancy, the puerperium, and premenstruum to the course of OCD in 57 women. Method Women outpatients with OCD meeting DSM-III-R criteria completed a standardized telephone interview administered by a psychiatric resident. They were asked retrospectively about the clinical course of their illness premenstrually and during and after pregnancy. Results Of 72 women eligible for the study, 79% (N = 57) completed the interview. Premenstrual worsening of OCD was described by 24 (42%) of the 57 women, and 12 (21%) described premenstrual dysphoria. Of the 57 women, 38 (67%) had been pregnant at least once; 31 (54%) had delivered at least one child. Pregnancy was associated with the onset of OCD in only 5 (13%) of the 38 women. Of the 29 women with preexisting OCD who became pregnant, 20 (69%) described no change in symptoms during pregnancy, 5 (17%) described worsening, and 4 (14%) described improvement. Postpartum exacerbation of OCD symptoms was reported by 7 (29%) of the 24 women with preexisting OCD who completed full-term pregnancies. Nine (37%) of the 24 women with both preexisting OCD and completed pregnancies also reported postpartum depression. Conclusion The premenstrual and postpartum exacerbation of OCD symptoms in some women suggests that the course of this disorder may, in some cases, be influenced by changes in gonadal hormones. Our finding that women with OCD may be at increased risk for postpartum depression underscores the importance of careful postpartum evaluation of women with OCD to prevent maternal and infant morbidity.

Despite offering many benefits to patients, the hospital, and the hospital staff, an academic psychiatric consultation service is difficult to fund. By screening Medicare patients for psychiatric complications and comorbid conditions, the consultation-liaison (C-L) service can generate incremental revenue for the hospital by moving patients from lower-paying to higher-paying Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs). The C-L service chief can negotiate with the hospital to obtain a portion of these incremental funds to support the C-L service. Concurrent psychiatric disorders that move patients to more complex DRGs include substance abuse, substance dependence, drug-induced delirium, drug-induced organic affective syndrome, and psychotic depression. This paper presents a method of calculating the incremental hospital revenue generated by such screening along with the results of applying the method to selected DRGs at a west coast teaching hospital. Implementing this program at that hospital in fiscal year 1989 would have resulted in screening 142 Medicare patients (2.2% of Medicare admissions), discovering an estimated 25 patients with comorbid psychiatric conditions, and generating $51,800 in incremental hospital revenue. In creating a screening program, a C-L service chief must be prepared to negotiate issues with the medical records department, referring physicians, and the hospital administration.

No standard treatment exists for the DSM-IV Impulse Control Disorders, Not Elsewhere Classified, including Compulsive Buying Disorder. This paper reviews the suggested pharmacotherapies for this disorder and their theoretical basis. McElroy et al. first reported benefit from antidepressant therapy in three cases of Compulsive Buying Disorder with comorbid depression and anxiety. In a retrospective chart review, McElroy's group reported on 20 patients that benefited from antidepressants, often in combination with mood stabilizers. Lejoyeux reported on two patients in whom treatment of a comorbid mood disorder led to remission of compulsive buying behavior. Black reported fluvoxamine to be effective in patients without comorbid major depression, suggesting that improvement was independent of the treatment of mood symptoms. Kim reported improvement with naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, in a case series. Two double-blind placebo-controlled trials found fluvoxamine no better than placebo; however, in both studies patients kept shopping logs, which may have confounded the results. An open-label trial of citalopram and a double-blind crossover trial which excluded shopping logs both reported positive results. Twelve-month follow-up data for the open-label group found that remission rates at quarterly time points were independent of continuing drug therapy. The data reviewed above suggest that pharmacologic interventions may be effective for compulsive buying disorder. Whether pharmacological treatment is superior to placebo and whether it is more, less or equally effective compared to psychotherapeutic interventions remains to be established.

Context.—The chronic form of major depression is associated with a high rate of prevalence and disability, but no controlled research has examined the impact of long-term treatment on the course and burden of illness.Objective.—To determine if maintenance therapy with sertraline hydrochloride can effectively prevent recurrence of depression in the high-risk group of patients experiencing chronic major depression or major depression with antecedent dysthymic disorder ("double depression").Design.—A 76-week randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study, conducted from September 1993 to November 1996.Setting.—Outpatient psychiatric clinics at 10 academic medical centers and 2 clinical research centers.Intervention.—Maintenance treatment with either sertraline hydrochloride (n=77) in flexible doses up to 200 mg or placebo (n=84).Patients.—A total of 161 outpatients with chronic major or double depression who responded to sertraline in a 12-week, double-blind, acute-phase treatment trial and continued to have a satisfactory therapeutic response during a subsequent 4-month continuation phase.Main Outcome Measure.—Time to recurrence of major depression.Results.—Sertraline afforded significantly greater prophylaxis against recurrence than did placebo (5 [6%] of 77 in the sertraline group vs 19 [23%] of 84 in the placebo group; P=.002 for the log-rank test of time-to-recurrence distributions). Clinically significant depressive symptoms reemerged in 20 (26%) of 77 patients treated with sertraline vs 42 (50%) of 84 patients who received placebo (P=.001). With use of a Cox proportional hazards model, patients receiving placebo were 4.07 times more likely (95% CI, 1.51-10.95; P=.005) to experience a depression recurrence, after adjustment for study site, type of depression, and randomization strata.Conclusions.—Maintenance therapy with sertraline is well tolerated and has significant efficacy in preventing recurrence or reemergence of depression in chronically depressed patients.

Despite the high prevalence of dysthymia and its associated morbidity, few controlled trials have evaluated the efficacy of antidepressant medication for this disorder. A 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter trial was performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sertraline hydrochloride and imipramine hydrochloride in treating dysthymia.A total of 416 outpatients (271 women and 145 men) aged 25 to 65 years with DSM-III-R-defined, early-onset, primary dysthymia without concurrent major depression were randomized to 12 weeks of treatment with sertraline, imipramine, or placebo.Both active treatments resulted in significantly reduced scores on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (P = .04 and P = .01 for sertraline and imipramine vs placebo, respectively), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (P = .01 and P = .003 vs placebo, respectively), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (P.05), and the self-rated version of the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (P.05). With the use of a Clinical Global impressions improvement score of 1 or 2 (very much or much improved) to define response, response rates were 59% for sertraline, 64% for imipramine, and 44% for placebo (P = .02 for sertraline vs placebo and P.001 for imipramine vs placebo). A significantly greater proportion of patients receiving imipramine than those receiving sertraline or placebo discontinued treatment because of adverse events (P = .001 and P.001, respectively).Pharmacotherapy provides considerable relief from the symptoms of dysthymia in patients suffering from this chronic affective disorder, with both sertraline and imipramine being more effective than placebo. The greater tolerability of sertraline is an important consideration because of the chronicity of dysthymia, which may require prolonged treatment with antidepressant medication.