Understanding and preventing nonadherence and treatment dropout in adolescents and young adults with anxiety and depressive disorders

Dropout from psychological or pharmacological treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders is common. It is especially problematic in adolescents and young adults because of the adverse consequences for their development. Reasons for treatment dropout can be divided into therapy-process related factors, attitudinal aspects, and practical issues. Adjusting treatment to patient preferences and shared decision making, improving the therapeutic alliance, and interventions such as (family) psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, and help with practical issues are promising strategies to optimize engagement and adherence

Failure to Respond after Reinstatement of Antidepressant Medication:A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Following remission of an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder, antidepressants are frequently discontinued and in the case of symptom occurrence reinstated. Reinstatement of antidepressants seems less effective in some patients, but an overview is lacking. This systematic review aimed to provide insight into the magnitude and risk factors of response failure after reinstatement of antidepressants in patients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: PubMed, Embase, and trial registers were systematically searched for studies in which patients: (1) had an anxiety disorder, a depressive disorder, OCD, or PTSD and (2) experienced failure to respond after reinstatement of a previously effective antidepressant. RESULTS: Ten studies reported failure to respond following antidepressant reinstatement. The phenomenon was observed in 16.5% of patients with a depressive disorder, OCD, and social phobia and occurred in all common classes of antidepressants. The range of response failure was broad, varying between 3.8 and 42.9% across studies. No risk factors for failure to respond were investigated. The overall study quality was limited. CONCLUSION: Research investigating response failure is scarce and the study quality limited. Response failure occurred in a substantial minority of patients. Contributors to the relevance of this phenomenon are the prevalence of the investigated disorders, the number of patients being treated with antidepressants, and the occurrence of response failure for all common classes of antidepressants. This systematic review highlights the need for studies systematically investigating this phenomenon and associated risk factors

Sleep habits and sleep disturbances in Dutch children: a population-based study

Abstract Sleep disorders can lead to significant morbidity. Information on sleep in healthy children is necessary to evaluate sleep disorders in clinical practice, but data from different societies cannot be simply generalized. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the prevalence of sleep disturbances in Dutch healthy children, (2) describe sleep habits and problems in this population, (3) collect Dutch norm data for future reference, and (4) compare sleep in children from different cultural backgrounds. A populationbased descriptive study was conducted using the Children's sleep habits questionnaire and the sleep self-report. One thousand five hundred seven proxy-reports and 262 selfreports were analyzed. Mean age was 8.5 years (95% confidence interval, 8.4-8.6), 52% were boys. Sleep problems in Dutch children were present in 25%, i.e., comparable to other populations. Sleep habits were age-related. Problem sleepers scored significantly higher on all scales. Correlations between parental and self-assessments were low to moderate. Dutch children had significantly more sleep disturbances than children from the USA and less than Chinese children. Cognitions and attitudes towards what is considered normal sleep seem to affect the appraisal of sleep, this probably accounts partly for cultural differences. For a better understanding of cultural influences on sleep, more information on these determinants and the establishment of cultural norms are mandatory

Sleep habits and sleep disturbances in Dutch children: a population-based study

Sleep disorders can lead to significant morbidity. Information on sleep in healthy children is necessary to evaluate sleep disorders in clinical practice, but data from different societies cannot be simply generalized. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the prevalence of sleep disturbances in Dutch healthy children, (2) describe sleep habits and problems in this population, (3) collect Dutch norm data for future reference, and (4) compare sleep in children from different cultural backgrounds. A population-based descriptive study was conducted using the Children’s sleep habits questionnaire and the sleep self-report. One thousand five hundred seven proxy-reports and 262 self-reports were analyzed. Mean age was 8.5 years (95% confidence interval, 8.4–8.6), 52% were boys. Sleep problems in Dutch children were present in 25%, i.e., comparable to other populations. Sleep habits were age-related. Problem sleepers scored significantly higher on all scales. Correlations between parental and self-assessments were low to moderate. Dutch children had significantly more sleep disturbances than children from the USA and less than Chinese children. Cognitions and attitudes towards what is considered normal sleep seem to affect the appraisal of sleep, this probably accounts partly for cultural differences. For a better understanding of cultural influences on sleep, more information on these determinants and the establishment of cultural norms are mandatory

Treatment Preferences of Adolescents and Young Adults with Depressive Symptoms:A Discrete Choice Experiment

Background: Depression in adolescents and young adults is common and causes considerable disease burden while hampering their development, leading to adverse consequences in later life. Although treatment is available, young people are a vulnerable group regarding uptake and completion of treatment. To improve this, insight into youth’s preferences for treatment is essential. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate patient preferences for depression treatment in a Dutch sample aged 16–24 years using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). Methods:The study was conducted in The Netherlands between October 2018 and June 2019, and included 236 adolescents and young adults with current depressive symptoms or previous treatment. The DCE included five attributes (treatment type, frequency of appointment, waiting time, effectiveness, evaluation of therapeutic alliance) with corresponding levels. Results were analysed using latent class analysis. Results: Results show a general preference for individual psychotherapy, treatment with high frequency, high effectiveness, short waiting time and a standard evaluation of the therapeutic alliance (‘click’ with the therapist) early in treatment. Latent class analysis revealed three different patterns of preferences regarding treatment type and willingness to engage in therapy. The first class showed a strong preference for individual therapy. The second class, including relatively older, higher educated and treatment-experienced participants, preferred high frequency treatment and was more open to different forms of therapy. The third class, including lower educated, younger and treatment-naïve adolescents showed reluctance to engage in therapy overall and in group therapy specifically. Conclusion: In this DCE, three classes could be identified that share similar preferences regarding treatment effectiveness, waiting time and evaluation of the therapeutic alliance, but varied considerably in their preference for treatment type (individual, group, or combined psychotherapy) and their willingness to engage. The results from this study may inform mental health care providers and institutions and help optimize professional care for adolescents and young adults with depressive symptoms, improving engagement in this vulnerable group.</p

Supplementary Material for: Failure to Respond after Reinstatement of Antidepressant Medication: A Systematic Review

Background: Following remission of an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder, antidepressants are frequently discontinued and in the case of symptom occurrence reinstated. Reinstatement of antidepressants seems less effective in some patients, but an overview is lacking. This systematic review aimed to provide insight into the magnitude and risk factors of response failure after reinstatement of antidepressants in patients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: PubMed, Embase, and trial registers were systematically searched for studies in which patients: (1) had an anxiety disorder, a depressive disorder, OCD, or PTSD and (2) experienced failure to respond after reinstatement of a previously effective antidepressant. Results: Ten studies reported failure to respond following antidepressant reinstatement. The phenomenon was observed in 16.5% of patients with a depressive disorder, OCD, and social phobia and occurred in all common classes of antidepressants. The range of response failure was broad, varying between 3.8 and 42.9% across studies. No risk factors for failure to respond were investigated. The overall study quality was limited. Conclusion: Research investigating response failure is scarce and the study quality limited. Response failure occurred in a substantial minority of patients. Contributors to the relevance of this phenomenon are the prevalence of the investigated disorders, the number of patients being treated with antidepressants, and the occurrence of response failure for all common classes of antidepressants. This systematic review highlights the need for studies systematically investigating this phenomenon and associated risk factors

Facilitating factors and barriers in help-seeking behaviour in adolescents and young adults with depressive symptoms: A qualitative study

Objective Despite the availability of mental health care, only a minority of depressed adolescents and young adults receive treatment. This study aimed to investigate facilitating factors and barriers in help-seeking behaviour of adolescents and young adults with depressive symptoms, using qualitative research methods. Methods In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 32 participants with current or previous depressive symptoms aged 16 to 24 years using thematic content analysis. Findings Our sample consisted mainly of adolescents who eventually found their way to professional help. Five main themes in help-seeking by adolescents and young adults were identified: (I) Individual functioning and well-being, (II) Health literacy, (III) Attitudinal aspects, (IV) Surroundings, and (V) Accessibility. Prompts to seek treatment were disease burden and poor academic performance. Health illiteracy negatively influenced treatment-seeking behaviour. Attitudinal aspects either hampered (shame, wanting to handle the problem oneself, negative attitudes towards treatment) or facilitated (positive attitudes towards treatment) help-seeking. Furthermore, adolescents’ surroundings (school, family, and peers) appeared to play a critical role in the recognition of depressive symptoms and encouragement to seek help. Barriers regarding accessibility of mental health care were found, whereas direct and easy access to treatment greatly improved mental health care use. Conclusion Facilitating factors can play a critical role in the help-seeking process of depressed adolescents and young adults, and may guide efforts to increase access to mental health care of this vulnerable age group. In particular, recognition and encouragement from school personnel and peers and easy access to care providers positively influenced help-seeking in our sample. Health illiteracy and attitudinal aspects appeared to be important barriers to seeking treatment and public/school campaigns aimed at reducing health illiteracy and stigma might be necessary to improve treatment-seeking and health care utilization in this age group