Less Medication Use in Inpatients With Severe Mental Illness Receiving a Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Enhancing Treatment. The MULTI Study III

Besides having an unhealthy lifestyle contributing to premature mortality, inpatients with severe mental illness (SMI) use high dosages of medication. Previous research has shown improved health after lifestyle improvements in SMI. In addition, we aimed to retrospectively study whether a multidisciplinary lifestyle enhancing treatment (MULTI) was associated with changes in medication use after 18 months, as compared with patients that continued treatment as usual (TAU) and explored mediation by a change in physical activity. We conducted an observational study within a cohort of inpatients with SMI, who received MULTI (N = 65) or continued TAU (N = 49). Data on their somatic and psychotropic medications were collected, converted into defined daily dose (DDD), and analyzed using linear multilevel regression, correcting for baseline value and differences between groups in age, diagnosis, and illness severity. Compared with TAU, the DDD for psychotropic medication significantly decreased with MULTI (B = −0.55, P = 0.02). Changes in total activity did not mediate this association, suggesting that multiple components of MULTI contributed. Corrected between-group analyses for subgroups of medication were not possible due to lack of power and skewed distributions. Within-group data showed a decreased proportion of users as well as median DDD in both groups for almost all medications. In addition to previously reported health improvements after 18 months of MULTI, we observed a significant decrease in dose of psychotropic medication in MULTI compared to TAU. This first study evaluating a wide range of medications indicates a possible effect of lifestyle improvements on medication use in inpatients with SMI. Findings need to be confirmed in future controlled studies, however

Evaluating the implementation of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention for people with severe mental illness in sheltered housing:effectiveness-implementation hybrid randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle interventions can improve health-related outcomes for people with severe mental illness (SMI), but few studies evaluate this potential in everyday settings. After a successful approach in routine inpatient mental healthcare (MULTI), we sought to replicate this multidisciplinary lifestyle-enhancing support in people with SMI living in sheltered housing (MULTI_sh). AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of MULTI_sh (trial registration: NCT03157557). METHOD: In an effectiveness-implementation hybrid cluster-randomised controlled trial, six municipalities with sheltered housing facilities in The Netherlands were randomly assigned to MULTI_sh ( n = 3) or treatment as usual (TAU, n = 3). After 12 months, we evaluated effects on metabolic health, sedentary behaviour/physical activity (ActiGraph GT3X+), quality of life (EuroQol 5D, WHOQoL-Bref) and psychopathology (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale Expanded Version) using multiple regression, adjusting for baseline values and municipalities (intention to treat and per protocol). In addition, implementation fidelity and barriers/facilitators were evaluated (Measurement Instrument for Determinants of Innovation). RESULTS: Of 177 eligible patients, 74 (42%) could be included in the analyses. Health outcomes did not substantially improve with MULTI_sh ( n = 45) compared with TAU ( n = 29). MULTI_sh was not implemented as intended. Most patients and all healthcare professionals believed that patients' lifestyle should be part of treatment, but implementation was primarily (in)directly hindered by organisational factors (e.g. staff shortages, complexity of participation, lack of time and difficulty getting patients involved). CONCLUSIONS: MULTI_sh was not implemented as intended and no clinical health improvements were found. Organisations are decisive in the success or failure of the implementation of lifestyle interventions for people with SMI. More intensive implementation strategies on this level are warranted in sheltered housing

Does Cannabis Use Affect Treatment Outcome in Bipolar Disorder? A Longitudinal Analysis

Research suggests that cannabis use affects negatively on onset and outcome of schizophrenia, but less is known about possible effects in mood disorders. Bipolar in- and outpatients (N = 3459) were enrolled in an observational study. The influence of cannabis exposure on clinical and social treatment outcome measures was examined over the course of I year, as well as the effects on these associations of third mediating variables. Over 12 months of treatment, cannabis users exhibited less compliance and higher levels of overall illness severity, mania, and psychosis compared with nonusers. Additionally, cannabis users experienced less satisfaction with life and had a lower probability of having a relationship compared with nonusers. There was little evidence that cannabis-outcome associations were mediated by third variables. An independent impact of cannabis use on psychopathologic outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder was apparent, whereas the impact on social outcomes was modest

Incidence and persistence of tardive dyskinesia and extrapyramidal symptoms in schizophrenia

Although it has been suggested that second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) may reduce the rate of prevalent tardive dyskinesia (TD), little is known about the incidence and outcome of TD in those exposed exclusively to SGA. The incidence and subsequent persistence of TD and extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) was calculated in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia treated predominantly with SGA. This cohort of more than 10,000 patients with schizophrenia was seen six times over a period of two years. Dichotomous measures of EPS and TD were used to calculate the yearly incidence rates of TD and EPS as well as their subsequent cumulative persistence rate in a subset of 9104 and 6285 patients at risk for TD and EPS, respectively. Of 9104 individuals who did not present with TD at baseline, 138 developed TD, yielding a TD incidence rate of 0.74% (95% CI: 0.62, 0.87) and a subsequent cumulative persistence rate of 80%. Of 6285 individuals without EPS at baseline, 464 developed EPS yielding an incidence rate of 3.7% (95% CI: 3.4, 4.0) and a subsequent cumulative persistence rate of 82%. Incidence rates of TD and EPS may be low in the SGA era. However, once emerged, these disorders prove persistent, suggesting strong moderators effects of underlying predisposing factors

TARDIVE DYSKINESIA: CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND TREATMENT

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common and potentially irreversible side effect of dopamine blocking agents, most often antipsychotics. It is often socially and sometimes also physically disabling. The clinical picture can be divided into orofacial, limb-truncal, and respiratory dyskinesia. The clinical options to prevent or mitigate TD include psychoeducation, systematic screening, and evaluation of the need for antipsychotics and/or dosages, managementof known risk factors, and switching to an antipsychotic with a lower risk of TD. There is no evidence-based approach for treating existing TD but several clinical interventions can be effective including discontinuing the antipsychotics or reducing the dosage, switching to clozapine, adding an antidyskinetic agent, or applying deep brain stimulation

Risk of Hyperprolactinemia and Sexual Side Effects in Males 10-20 Years Old Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Disruptive Behavior Disorder and Treated with Risperidone

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term treatment effects of risperidone on prolactin levels and prolactin-related side effects in pubertal boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD). Method: Physical healthy 10-20-year-old males with ASD (n = 89) and/or DBD (n = 9) chronically treated (mean 52 months, range 16-126 months) with risperidone (group 1, n = 51) or not treated with any antipsychotic (group 2, n = 47) were recruited to this observational study from the child psychiatry outpatient clinic. Morning non-fasting serum prolactin levels were measured and prolactin-related side effects were assessed by means of questionnaires and physical examination. Group differences were tested with Student's t, chi(2), Fisher exact, and Mann-Whitney tests, and logistic regression analysis, according to the type and distribution of data. Results: Hyperprolactinemia was present in 47% of subjects in group 1 but only in 2% of subjects in group 2 (odds ratio 71.9; 95% CI, 7.7; 676.3). Forty-six percent of subjects in group1 had asymptomatic hyperprolactinemia. Current risperidone dose and 9-OH risperidone plasma level were significant predictors of hyperprolactinemia (p = 0.035 and p = 0.03, respectively). Gynecomastia and sexual dysfunction were present in 43% and 14% of the subjects in group1, respectively, compared with 21% and 0% of subjects in group 2 (p = 0.05 and p = 0.01). Gynecomastia was not significantly associated with hyperprolactinemia. Conclusions: Hyperprolactinemia is a common side effect in young males treated over the long term with risperidone. Young males treated with risperidone are more likely to report diminished sexual functioning than are those not treated with antipsychotics