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Objectives: Addressing the methamphetamine epidemic will require a more complete understanding of its effect on healthcare systems and of the populations at risk. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of methamphetamine use on psychiatric emergency services outcomes and on Asian American (AA) and Pacific Islander (PI) populations, a historically overlooked population in substance use research., Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all visits to a large level I trauma center in urban Hawaii from 2007 to 2019 that required psychiatric emergency services and in which urine drug screening was completed (N = 44,658). Demographic characteristics and emergency room courses were compared between amphetamine-positive and amphetamine-negative visits., Results: The proportion of amphetamine-positive visits approximately doubled from 13.3% in 2007 to 25.5% in 2019. Amphetamine-positive visits were more likely to involve arrival by law enforcement (38.3% vs 27.2.%, P < 0.001), require intramuscular psychotropic medications (17.3% vs 12.3%, P < 0.001), and have longer emergency department lengths of stay (median, 420 vs 372 minutes, P < 0.001). Visits by Native Hawaiian and Hispanic/Latino patients had the highest rate of amphetamine positivity, while visits by Chinese and Korean patients had the lowest., Conclusions: The findings reveal a concerning rise in amphetamine positivity that is associated with increased resource utilization. There was also significant variability in the rate of amphetamine positivity within the AA and PI population, a group of ethnicities often analyzed as a single entity in previous studies. Culturally sensitive interventions may curb the methamphetamine epidemic's effect on healthcare systems and vulnerable populations., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: For all authors, none were declared., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Addiction Medicine.)

Evidence suggests that interdisciplinary care leads to improvements in patient care and efficiency. To determine whether integrating inpatient hospital behavioral health services would result in improved perceptions of patient care and efficiency, team members (N = 23) were surveyed 1 year after integration on measures of patient care, efficiency, and personal satisfaction. A majority of respondents believed integration improved patient care and efficiency. Overall satisfaction was high. The results suggest integration of behavioral health services improves individual perceptions of patient care, efficiency, and satisfaction.

Background: The simultaneous use of dementia medications and anticholinergic medications occurs frequently. Cholinesterase inhibitors and anticholinergic medications likely counteract one another, potentially exposing patients to medications with decreased benefit, more adverse effects, and higher cost of care. We identified the rate of concurrent prescriptions of cholinesterase inhibitors/memantine with anticholinergics in an urban hospital setting with a large Asian and Pacific Islander population., Methods: This study is a retrospective review of patients hospitalized from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010 at a general hospital who simultaneously received US Food and Drug Administration-approved dementia medications (galantamine, rivastigmine, donepezil, and/or memantine) and anticholinergics., Results: Overall, 304 patients receiving cholinesterase inhibitors/memantine also received anticholinergics. Of these patients, 64.1% were given high-potency anticholinergic medications, and 35.9% received medium-potency medications. Indications for the use of anticholinergic medication were urological (17.8%), gastrointestinal excluding nausea (32.6%), nausea (10.2%), psychiatric (7.9%), and other (31.6%). Asian patients received the combination of cholinesterase inhibitors/memantine and anticholinergics less frequently than Native Hawaiian or Caucasian patients (8.4% vs 12.2% and 13.3%, respectively; χ 2  = 16.04, degrees of freedom = 2, P < 0.0003)., Conclusions: Simultaneous prescribing of cholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, and anticholinergic medications was significantly less common than in previous studies, with some ethnic variability. The less frequent occurrence of concurrent medications in the Asian population may be because of variations in the rate of indications or in tolerability for anticholinergic medications among the population., (© 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.)

Intergenerational longitudinal studies over the lifespan provide valuable information for understanding the contexts and dynamic relations among cognition, family and health in adults and the elderly. The Hawai'i Family Study of Cognition (HFSC), initiated in the early 1970s, included a cohort of over 6500 individuals representing over 1800 families of parents and their offspring. The HFSC gathered data on cognitive, personality, biological and other psychosocial variables, and provided novel information on the nature of cognitive abilities, especially on family issues. Some families were reassessed with short-term retesting in the 1970s. A select sample of offspring and their siblings and spouses were re-measured in the 1980s. Decades later, a 40-year follow-up of the original HFSC cohort was facilitated by the availability of contemporary tracking and tracing methods and internet-based testing. A subgroup of the original HFSC participants was re-contacted and retested on contemporary cognitive as well as socio-demographic and health measures. In this paper, we describe the original HFSC cohort and the design and methodology of the re-contact and retest studies of the HFSC, plans for expanding the re-contact and retesting, as well as directions for future research and collaborations. The Principal Investigator may be contacted for more information regarding the application, review and approval process for data access requests from qualified individuals outside the project., (© The Author 2014; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.)

Previous studies have shown significant ethnic differences in prescribing patterns of two or more antipsychotics. This study examined changes in atypical and typical antipsychotic prescriptions among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Five hundred consecutive charts were reviewed for antipsychotics at the time of admission and discharge from each of two inpatient psychiatric facilities in Hawai'i. Multiple antipsychotic prescription rates were 9% at intake and 6% at discharge. For the ethnic groups studied, there were no statistically significant differences by patient ethnicity regarding antipsychotics at intake (χ(2) = 29.2, df = 21, P = .110) or discharge (χ(2) = 20.5, df = 24, P = .667). There were no significant differences in prescription and polypharmacy patterns among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ethnic groups in this study.

Objectives: Minimal research has been done on sociodemographic differences in utilization of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for refractory depression, especially among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders., Methods: This study examined sociodemographic and diagnostic variables using retrospective data from Hawaii, an island state with predominantly Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Retrospective data were obtained from an inpatient and outpatient database of ECT patients from 2008 to 2010 at a tertiary care community hospital on O'ahu, Hawaii., Results: There was a significant increase in overall ECT utilization from 2008 to 2009, with utilization remaining stable from 2009 to 2010. European Americans (41%) and Japanese Americans (29%) have relatively higher rates of receiving ECT, and Filipino Americans and Native Hawaiians have relatively lower rates in comparison with their population demographics. Japanese Americans received significantly more ECT procedures than European Americans., Conclusions: Electroconvulsive therapy is underutilized by certain sociodemographic groups that may benefit most from the treatment. There are significant differences in ECT usage based on ethnicity. Such differences may be related to help-seeking behavior, economic differences, and/or attitudes regarding mental illness. Further research is needed to elucidate the reasons for differences in utilization.

Underserved populations often utilize the emergency room in place of primary care, particularly for short term behavioral health services. This study examined emergency department (ED) utilization rates for rurality, insurance, sex, and ethnicity in a large sample of adult patients in Hawai'i hospitals from 2000-2010 with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood disorder, or other anxiety disorder. Findings showed a higher rate of use by rural and suburban residents with a diagnosis of PTSD or other anxiety than by urban residents. Utilization of EDs by African Americans and Other Pacific Islanders with PTSD was proportionally higher than for those with mood disorders or other anxiety disorders. Military ED visits were also proportionally higher for individuals with PTSD than for those with mood or other anxiety disorders. Limited economic resources and increasingly costly mental health disorders such as PTSD highlight the importance of better understanding the needs for behavioral health services for underserved populations.

Objective: : Sociocultural factors have been implicated in affecting prevalence, incidence, and diagnosis of depression but previous studies have included heterogeneous ethnic populations. We studied the influence of cultural assimilation on the prevalence and presentation of depressive symptoms in elderly Japanese American men., Method: : This analysis was based on 3,139 Japanese American men aged 71-93 years who were participants in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study between 1991 and 1993. We created a Cultural Assimilation Scale (CAS) using 8 questions assessing the degree of Japanese identity and lifestyle compared to a Western one. Subjects were divided into tertiles of CAS score for analysis. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was measured using an 11-question version of the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale questionnaire, and presence of depressive symptoms was defined as score 9 or more., Results: : Prevalent depressive symptoms did not reach a statistically significant association with CAS tertiles (Western, 10.8%; Mixed, 9.6%; and Japanese, 8.5%). However after adjusting for demographic, functional, and disease factors, the most culturally Japanese group had significantly lower odds for prevalent depressive symptoms, compared to the most Western group. Among the subset of subjects with a high-Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-11 score, there were no significant differences in both mean psychological scores and mean somatic scores between the three CAS groups., Conclusions: : Prevalent depressive symptoms were significantly lower among elderly Japanese American men who were most culturally Japanese, compared to more westernized men. Improving knowledge and understanding about the pathogenesis of depression will have important public health implications.

Purpose: Although depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are common in medical students, few programs address this serious problem. The authors developed, and then tested the effectiveness of, an intervention meant to reduce reported depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation., Method: To reduce the alarming reported rates of depression and suicidal ideation among medical students, the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine implemented the following interventions: increased individual counseling for students, faculty education, and a specialized curriculum including lectures and a student handbook. Although counseling had always been available, a new emphasis was placed on facilitating an anonymous process and providing several options, including volunteer psychiatrists not involved in student education. In 2002 and 2003, the authors measured depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in third-year medical students using, respectively, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and a question about suicidal ideation from the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire., Results: Before the intervention, 26 medical students (59.1%) had reported depressive symptoms, and 13 (30.2%) reported suicidal ideation. After the intervention, 14 medical students (24.1%) reported depressive symptoms (χ² = 12.84, df = 2, P < .01), and 1 (3%) reported suicidal ideation (χ² = 13.05, df = 1, P < .001)., Conclusions: Programs that provide specific mental health support for medical students may significantly decrease the reported rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.

Psychiatric interventions in hospital patients have been shown effective in reducing length of stay and costs. Its effectiveness and benefits in regard to the growing problem of disposition of non-acute, long-term-care, waitlisted hospital patients have not been characterized or described in the literature. The authors present several cases of waitlisted patients that demonstrate direct and indirect psychiatric interventions can play a significant role overcoming barriers and contributing to timely and appropriate disposition of these patients. Future prospective studies should be done to expand upon these findings to prepare for the aging of the population in Hawai'i.

Objective: This study determined the influence of depressive symptoms on subsequent mortality of all causes., Method: The Honolulu Heart Program, established in 1965, is a prospective, community-based cohort of Japanese American men living in Hawaii. The analysis was based on 3,196 Japanese American men aged 71-93 at the time of the fourth examination in 1991-1993. Depressive symptoms were measured by use of an 11-question version of the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale questionnaire. All-cause mortality data were available for 6 years of follow up. Data were analyzed on the basis of presence or absence of chronic diseases., Results: The overall prevalence of frequent depressive symptoms was 9.9%. Age-adjusted mortality rates at 3 years were 48.0 and 30.3 per 1,000 person-years for the depressed and nondepressed groups, respectively. At 6 years, the rates were 54.1 (depressed) and 41.5 (nondepressed) per 1,000 person-years. After adjustment for age, marital status, and antidepressant use, the relative risk for all-cause mortality associated with depressive symptoms was 1.53 for 3-year and 1.27 for 6-year mortality. Among participants who were healthy (without cognitive impairment, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer), the association between depressive symptoms and mortality was greater (relative risk of 2.30 and 1.57 for 3- and 6-year mortality, respectively). Among participants with chronic disease, there were no significant associations between depressive symptoms and mortality., Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are a risk factor for mortality in elderly people, particularly in physically healthy individuals.