Reaching for the Stars

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of good mental health is becoming more and more relevant. Outdoor therapies have been used as treatments for mental health for years, so the researchers investigated if stargazing has the potential to have the same benefits. Rather than surveying people on how often they stargaze, the researchers used light pollution data as a metric for the ability of a region to stargaze. The light pollution data was gathered from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the mental health data was collected from a survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All fifty states were stratified based on light pollution and ten were chosen for analysis. From these states, the number of people with mental illness, number of people who received mental illness treatment, and number of attempted suicides were all considered. Linear regression was performed for these three metrics against light pollution. Overall, the correlation coefficient is too low to confidently establish correlation. Further research and different methods are required to determine the existence of a correlation.

Ketamine for the multivariate effect of PTSD: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the efficacy, anti-effect of ketamine (intervention) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients during analgesia proceeding and mental illness treatment methods, in comparison with control (midazolam, opioid, saline or placebo). The bibliographic databases Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed and Web of Science were searched from inception to 23 May 2021 for randomized controlled trials, case-control and cohort studies included. For continuous and dichotomous outcomes, respectively, we calculated the mean difference using the inverse-variance method and the risk ratio with the Mantel-Haenszel method. In all, ten trials with 705 patients were included. Confirmed by meta-analysis, ketamine didn't increase the prevalence of PTSD by a risk ratio (95 % CI) of 0.86 (0.61 to 1.20), p = 0.38 in 3 trials with 503 patients. Evidence of a difference was found in the PTSD-scales taken between ketamine and control during short durations (months), with a mean difference (95 % CI) of 2.45 (1.33 to 3.58), p < 0.001 in three trials with 65 patients. Another evidence is shown in chronic PTSD (years), with a mean difference (95 % CI) of -3.66 (-7.05 to -0.27), p = 0.03 in three trials with 91 patients. Sub-group analysis underlined the increased benefit of ketamine administration for those in whom the procedure was more than one week in the chronic PTSD group. The adoption of ketamine for the short duration of PTSD is in avoidance, but for chronic PTSD is recommended and, in the opinion of the authors, should be considered as a new therapy in view of its potential to ameliorate arousal, avoidance and dissociative symptoms, neuroticism after trauma needing more animal research and clinical trials.

The Horseshoe Theory of Mental Illness and Incarceration

This paper focuses on the relationship between historical mental illness treatment and modern incarceration, reimagining it as a horseshoe, with mental illness on one end and prison on the other. There are three reasons why the two parallel each other, these being: formulated sequestration, chronicity, and histories of failed high-minded reform. The paper then writes about the intersection of the two in a mental health ward in a prison. The last aspect discussed is the gap between the ends of the horseshoe, which is due to the role of volition.

Assessment of the current practice of psychiatric pharmacists in the United States

Introduction A comprehensive review of psychiatric pharmacy practice has never been performed in the United States. As psychiatric pharmacists become more involved in mental illness treatment, determining the current state of practice is important to help advance the specialty. The Professional Affairs Committee of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) was charged with performing this review to define current psychiatric pharmacy practice. Methods An electronic survey was sent to all pharmacist members of CPNP and all nonmember Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists (BCPPs) in the United States in late summer 2019. The survey consisted of 36 questions across multiple domains to obtain information about respondents' education and training background, practice setting and type, and information about prescriptive authority and other areas. An initial e-mail invitation was sent along with 2 reminder e-mails over the subsequent 2 weeks. Results A total of 334 of 1015 pharmacists completed the survey (32.9%). Responders completed a postgraduate residency 77.8% of the time, and 88.3% were BCPP. Practice settings were split evenly between inpatient and outpatient practices or a combination of the 2. Among respondents, 46.5% reported having prescriptive authority as part of their practice, and 41.3% reported treating nonpsychiatric as well as psychiatric illnesses. Prescriptive authority was more likely in outpatient practices and in those treating nonpsychiatric illnesses. Discussion The current practice of psychiatric pharmacy is incredibly varied in terms of practice setting, activities performed, and services provided. Further exploration is needed to help determine the optimal role of psychiatric pharmacists.

Evaluating the talking cure

It would seem that a disorder as complex as a mental illness would require equally complex solutions. “Talking cures”, known today as psychotherapies, were lauded as unscientific for a very long time.1 Today, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic technique that has shown considerable success in improving the prognosis for many mental illnesses using the scientific method. It is considered a panacea by some for mental illness amidst the zeitgeist of skepticism for pharmacology. This article explores the philosophical foundations of CBT and explains how a technique considered as unscientific is now the gold-standard in mental illness treatment. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will also be discussed to examine its validity on psychotherapy and determine whether efficiency studies may be more suitable to adequately compare psychotherapies.

Cognition in Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Cognitive impairments are present in patients with severe mental illness (SMI) at the time of the first psychotic episode. People with schizophrenia are more impaired across the lifespan compared to bipolar patients or patients with major depression. Although schizophrenia patients appear to generally function on a lower level than bipolar patients, the functional correlates of cognitive impairment are similar. There is much less research on cognition and its functional impact in depression, with the depression literature largely focusing on the impact of symptoms and only some recent studies examining cognition and functional capacity. Complicating both bipolar and major depressive disorders is the influence of mood states on cognition. Moreover, patients with SMI are often medically compromised, with higher rates of obesity and related comorbidities as well as poor lifestyles, which add further cognitive and functional implications. Cognitive impairments are known determinants of disability in SMI and a rate-limiting step in recovering from mental illness. Treatment options are reviewed in this chapter, and potential ways forward are discussed.