Coercion: point, perception, process

Background: The use of coercion in the treatment of persons with serious mental illness is a long debated strategy to gain adherence to treatment for persons believed to be cognitively impaired by their illness. This article examines the psychometric properties of a scale developed to measure perception of coercion. Using a psychometrically sound scale found to be both reliable and valid in a specific sample of men and women from New York State, we found no difference in perception of coercion between those court-ordered to remain in treatment following hospital discharge and those persons receiving outpatient treatment without a court order. Methods: Therefore, to understand why, given the objective difference in the use of coercion, there was no difference in the subjective perception of coercion, we conducted 20 open-ended interviews with 11 persons without court orders and 9 persons with court orders. Results: We found that where a collaborative relationship was established between the case manager, assigned to the patient with the court order to coordinate post-hospitalization treatment services, and the patient, it was much less likely that the patient perceived him/herself as coerced or forced to take treatment. Conversely, persons without advocates felt themselves to be coerced into treatment when there was no court order to insure treatment adherence. Conclusion: Since perception of coercion significantly influences adherence to treatment, it is vital to identify strategies to reduce perceived coercion for all who receive treatment for serious mental illness

AOT and treatment engagement: evidence from interviews with consumers

Background: The mental health service consumer's perspective on engagement with treatment focuses is the focus of a one year follow-up study of recipients receiving AOT orders (76) and outpatient recipients without AOT orders (108) participating in a study (n = 184) in two boroughs of New York City. Methods: These data complement information regularly collected by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Results: AOT recipients report improved relationships with their case managers and greater insight into their illness over time. Recipients also report an increased participation in services, a decrease in some forms of perceived stigma and coercion, and improved quality of life over time. The individual's relationship with the case manager in more actively engaging the individual in making choices about his own treatment importantly influences persons court ordered into treatment to remain in treatment. Specifically the case manager makes the recipient aware of treatment options that are available and support efforts to take advantage of housing and recovery opportunities. In this way the case manager assists the recipient in gaining more control over his life and may facilitate an improved quality of life. Conclusion: This study provides a unique examination of outpatient commitment from the recipient's perspective

Diagnosis of Dementia in a Heterogeneous Population: A Comparison of Paradigm-Based Diagnosis and Physician's Diagnosis

Each of 430 subjects received a diagnosis using two independent methods: a test-based quantitative paradigm and a semistructured neurological examination by a physician. The paradigm diagnosis was based on a battery of tests that assessed short- and long-term verbal memory and shortterm nonverbal memory, orientation, construction, abstract reasoning, and language. The subjects came from a community in Manhattan County, in New York City, and were characterized by diversity with respect to both ethnicity (29.1% black, 33.4% Hispanic) and educational level (23.5% with 6 or fewer years of education, 25.6% college educated). Based on the paradigm, 10.5% of subjects received diagnoses of dementia, 29.1% of cognitive impairment, and 60.5% of normal. Based on the physician's diagnosis, 9.8% were demented, 21.6% cognitively impaired, and 68.6% normal. There was agreement between the two diagnostic methods for 71.8% of subjects. Diagnostic disagreement (n=121) was in most cases between normal and cognitively impaired (71.0%) or between cognitively impaired and demented (21.5%). There were only nine cases (7.5%) in which a subject was judged demented by one method and normal by the other. The reliability of each method with respect to the other was moderate (intraclass correlation coefficient,.62), while the reliability of a composite diagnosis based on both methods was much higher (.77). The paradigm was more likely than the physician to give the diagnosis of dementia to patients with low educational levels. The physician's diagnosis was strongly influenced by measures of functioning and by the mental status test administered in the semistructured neurological examination. Race and diagnosis were not related when the effect of education was controlled. Strengths and potential weaknesses of each method of diagnosis, and the relationship between education and diagnosis, are discussed

Relationship between Lifetime Occupation and Parietal Flow: Implications for a Reserve against Alzheimer's Disease Pathology

We previously reported an inverse relation between parietal cerebral blood flow and years of education in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients matched for clinical severity. This suggested that the clinical manifestation of advancing AD pathology is delayed in patients with higher educational attainment. Other aspects of life experience may also provide a reserve against the clinical expression of AD. To test this hypothesis, we classified the primary lifetime occupations of 51 AD patients using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, published by the US Department of Labor, and derived six factor scores describing intellectual, interpersonal, and physical job demands. Regional cerebral blood flow was measured using the xenon-133 inhalation method. After controlling for age, clinical dementia severity, and education, there was less relative perfusion in the parietal region in subjects whose occupations were associated with higher interpersonal skills and physical demands factor scores. We conclude that independent of education, aspects of occupational experience may provide a reserve that delays the clinical manifestation of AD

Independent Review Of Social And Population Variation In Mental Health Could Improve Diagnosis In DSM Revisions

At stake in the May 2013 publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), are billions of dollars in insurance payments and government resources, as well as the diagnoses and treatment of millions of patients. We argue that the most recent revision process has missed social determinants of mental health disorders and their diagnosis: environmental factors triggering biological responses that manifest themselves in behavior; differing cultural perceptions about what is normal and what is abnormal behavior; and institutional pressures related to such matters as insurance reimbursements, disability benefits, and pharmaceutical marketing. In addition, the experts charged with revising the DSM lack a systematic. way to take population-level variations in diagnoses into account. To address these problems, we propose the creation of an independent research review body that would monitor variations in diagnostic patterns, inform future DSM revisions, identify needed changes in mental health policy and practice, and recommend new avenues of research. Drawing on the best available knowledge, the review body would make possible more precise and equitable psychiatric diagnoses and interventions

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

In Support of a Patient-Driven Initiative and Petition to Lower the High Price of Cancer Drugs

Comment in Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--III. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--I. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs--IV. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] In Reply--Lowering the High Cost of Cancer Drugs. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2016] US oncologists call for government regulation to curb drug price rises. [BMJ. 2015