Self-admission to inpatient treatment in anorexia nervosa: Impact on healthcare utilization, eating disorder morbidity, and quality of life

Objective: Little evidence exists concerning the optimal model of inpatient care for patients with longstanding anorexia nervosa (AN). Self-admission has been developed as a treatment tool whereby patients with a history of high healthcare utilization are invited to decide for themselves when brief admission is warranted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a self-admission program on healthcare utilization, eating disorder morbidity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and sick leave for patients with AN. Method: In this cohort study, 29 participants with AN in a Swedish self-admission program were compared to 113 patients with longstanding illness but low previous utilization of inpatient treatment, matched based on age, illness duration, and body-mass index (BMI). Data on healthcare utilization, eating disorder morbidity, and sick leave were obtained from national population and eating disorder quality registers. Results: Participants displayed a >50% reduction in time spent hospitalized at 12-month follow-up, compared to nonsignificant changes in the comparison group. A sensitivity analysis comparing participants to a moderate-utilization comparison subgroup strengthened this observation. In contrast, the approach did not affect participants' BMI or eating disorder morbidity. Regarding HRQoL, mixed results were observed. In terms of sick leave, a beneficial but nonsignificant pattern was seen for participants. Discussion: These findings indicate that self-admission is a viable and helpful tool within a recovery model framework, even though it does not lead to symptom remission. In its proper context, self-admission could potentially transform healthcare from crisis-driven to pre-emptive, and promote autonomy for severely ill patients

A register-based case-control study of health care utilization and costs in binge-eating disorder

Objective: Capturing trends in healthcare utilization may help to improve efficiencies in the detection and diagnosis of illness, to plan service delivery, and to forecast future health expenditures. For binge-eating disorder (BED), issues include lengthy delays in detection and diagnosis, missed opportunities for recognition and treatment, and morbidity. The study objective was to compare healthcare utilization and expenditure in people with and without BED. Methods: A case-control design and nationwide registers were used. All individuals diagnosed with BED at eating disorder clinics in Sweden between 2005 and 2009 were included (N = 319, 97% female, M age = 22 years). Ten controls (N = 3190) were matched to each case on age-, sex-, and location of birth. Inpatient, hospital-based outpatient, and prescription medication utilization and expenditure were analyzed up to eight years before and four years after the index date (i.e., date of diagnosis of the BED case). Results: Cases had significantly higher inpatient, hospital-based outpatient, and prescription medication utilization and expenditure compared with controls many years prior to and after diagnosis of BED. Utilization and expenditure for controls was relatively stable over time, but for cases followed an inverted U-shape and peaked at the index year. Care for somatic conditions normalized after the index year, but care for psychiatric conditions remained significantly higher. Conclusion: Individuals with BED had substantially higher healthcare utilization and costs in the years prior to and after diagnosis of BED. Since previous research shows a delay in diagnosis, findings indicate clear opportunities for earlier detection and clinical management. Training of providers in detection, diagnosis, and management may help curtail morbidity. A reduction in healthcare utilization was observed after BED diagnosis. This suggests that earlier diagnosis and treatment could improve long-term health outcomes and reduce the economic burden associated with BED

Plasma neurofilament light chain concentration is increased in anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder with high mortality and, to a large extent, unknown pathophysiology. Structural brain differences, such as global or focal reductions in grey or white matter volumes, as well as enlargement of the sulci and the ventricles, have repeatedly been observed in individuals with AN. However, many of the documented aberrances normalize with weight recovery, even though some studies show enduring changes. To further explore whether AN is associated with neuronal damage, we analysed the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker reflecting ongoing neuronal injury, in plasma samples from females with AN, females recovered from AN (AN-REC) and normal-weight age-matched female controls (CTRLS). We detected significantly increased plasma levels of NfL in AN vs CTRLS (medianAN = 15.6 pg/ml, IQRAN = 12.1-21.3, medianCTRL = 9.3 pg/ml, IQRCTRL = 6.4-12.9, and p < 0.0001), AN vs AN-REC (medianAN-REC = 11.1 pg/ml, IQRAN-REC = 8.6-15.5, and p < 0.0001), and AN-REC vs CTRLS (p = 0.004). The plasma levels of NfL are negatively associated with BMI overall samples (β (±se) = -0.62 ± 0.087 and p = 6.9‧10-12). This indicates that AN is associated with neuronal damage that partially normalizes with weight recovery. Further studies are needed to determine which brain areas are affected, and potential long-term sequelae

Study protocol: a randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of a healthy lifestyle intervention for people with severe mental disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The largest single cause of death among people with severe mental disorders is cardiovascular disease (CVD). The majority of people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder smoke and many are also overweight, considerably increasing their risk of CVD. Treatment for smoking and other health risk behaviours is often not prioritized among people with severe mental disorders. This protocol describes a study in which we will assess the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle intervention on smoking and CVD risk and associated health behaviours among people with severe mental disorders.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>250 smokers with a severe mental disorder will be recruited. After completion of a baseline assessment and an initial face-to-face intervention session, participants will be randomly assigned to either a multi-component intervention for smoking cessation and CVD risk reduction or a telephone-based minimal intervention focusing on smoking cessation. Randomisation will be stratified by site (Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Australia), Body Mass Index (BMI) category (normal, overweight, obese) and type of antipsychotic medication (typical, atypical). Participants will receive 8 weekly, 3 fortnightly and 6 monthly sessions delivered face to face (typically 1 hour) or by telephone (typically 10 minutes). Assessments will be conducted by research staff blind to treatment allocation at baseline, 15 weeks, and 12-, 18-, 24-, 30- and 36-months.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study will provide comprehensive data on the effect of a healthy lifestyle intervention on smoking and CVD risk among people with severe mental disorders. If shown to be effective, this intervention can be disseminated to treating clinicians using the treatment manuals.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) identifier: <a href="http://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12609001039279.aspx">ACTRN12609001039279</a></p

Examining the cost effectiveness of interventions to promote the physical health of people with mental health problems: a systematic review

Recently attention has begun to focus not only on assessing the effectiveness of interventions to tackle mental health problems, but also on measures to prevent physical co-morbidity. Individuals with mental health problems are at significantly increased risk of chronic physical health problems, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, as well as reduced life expectancy. The excess costs of co-morbid physical and mental health problems are substantial. Potentially, measures to reduce the risk of co-morbid physical health problems may represent excellent value for money

Perceived needs and health-related quality of life in people with schizophrenia and metabolic syndrome: a “real-world” study

BACKGROUND: The complexity of schizophrenia lies in the combination of psychiatric, somatic and social needs requiring care. The aim of the study was to compare perceived needs between groups with absence/presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to analyze the relationship between needs, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and MetS in people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHODS: A “real-world” cross-sectional study was set up with a comprehensive framework including the following, needs for care (Camberwell Assessment of Need Interview [CAN]), HRQoL (Euro Qol-5D Questionnaire), sociodemographic data, lifestyle habits, psychopathology (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS]), global functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale [GAF]), anthropometric measurements and blood test results were assessed for an outpatient sample (n = 60). RESULTS: The mean number of needs (given by CAN) was identified for both groups. Patients with MetS rated a higher number of needs compared to the group without this condition. Mobility problems (given by EQ-5D) were negatively associated with the number of total and unmet needs. For participants with MetS, HRQoL was related to the number of needs and unmet needs. For people with MetS, positive symptomatology score (given by PANSS) was related to the number of needs and met needs and general symptomatology was associated with total, met and unmet needs. For individuals without MetS, the global functioning score (given by GAF) was significantly inversely related with total, met and unmet needs. CONCLUSIONS: Needs and HRQoL, as well as general symptomatology, were related only in patients with MetS. This has implications for treatment planning at the individual and organizational levels. An analysis of both physical and mental needs could provide a starting point for the extension of facilities in the health care system in order to reach the goal of improving quality of life