[The impact of territorial care in the treatment of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and delusional disorders in a Rio de Janeiro community]. / El impacto del cuidado territorial en el tratamiento de personas diagnosticadas con esquizofrenia y trastornos delirantes en una comunidad en Río de Janeiro.

Care for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and delusional disorders involves many challenges, especially in territorial contexts of pronounced social vulnerability. In Rio de Janeiro, the two decades after the passing of Federal Law 10,216 on Psychiatric Reform in 2001 have been characterized by the transition from a hospital-centered model to one based on community services. Taking the case of a community in Rio de Janeiro, data was extracted from the medical records of 94 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizotypal disorders, and delusional disorders (ICD-10 codes F20 to F29) in five public health services. Covering the period from 2003 to 2016, indicators of the quality of treatment provided were analyzed. As a result of this transition, psychiatric hospitals have all but emptied and a low number of currently untreated patients can be observed. In addition, crisis care and long-term hospitalizations have been replaced by territorial care, and clinical comorbidities are monitored and treated at Family Health Units.

El cuidado de personas diagnosticadas con trastornos esquizofrénicos y delirantes representa un desafío, especialmente, en territorios de gran vulnerabilidad social. En Río de Janeiro, con la promulgación de la Ley Federal 10216 de 2001 sobre la Reforma Psiquiátrica, las últimas dos décadas se han caracterizado por la transición del modelo centrado en el hospital al modelo basado en los servicios comunitarios. Utilizando el caso de una comunidad de Río de Janeiro, se seleccionaron cinco servicios de salud pública y se extrajeron datos de los registros médicos de 94 pacientes con diagnósticos de esquizofrenia, trastornos esquizotípicos y trastornos delirantes (codificados en la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades 10 edición entre los códigos F20 a F29) y se analizaron indicadores de calidad del tratamiento ofrecido en el período 2003-2016. Como resultado de la transición se observa que los hospitales psiquiátricos quedaron casi vacíos con un bajo número de pacientes actualmente desatendidos. Además, la atención a la crisis y las hospitalizaciones a largo plazo se reemplazaron por la atención territorial y las comorbilidades clínicas se monitorean y se tratan en unidades de salud familiar.

[The complex assessment of state and treatment results of patients with paranoid schizophrenia]. / Kompleksnaya otsenka sostoyaniya i rezul'tatov lecheniya patsientov s paranoidnoi shizofreniei.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a scale of complex assessment of treatment outcomes based on the indicators of the traditionally used scales. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 420 patients with paranoid schizophrenia were examined. During the study, an analysis of patients' outpatient and inpatient cards and psychodiagnostic scales for quantitative assessment of clinical, cognitive and social aspects patients' life was carried out. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The developed scale of treatment result complex assessment provides a personalized approach to the management of patients with paranoid schizophrenia. Such complex assessment of the patients' mental state helps to optimize the analysis of the effects of various therapies, to simplify diagnostic tactics and to personalize the treatment algorithm.

El impacto del cuidado territorial en el tratamiento de personas diagnosticadas con esquizofrenia y trastornos delirantes en una comunidad en Río de Janeiro / The impact of territorial care in the treatment of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and delusional disorders in a Rio de Janeiro community

RESUMEN El cuidado de personas diagnosticadas con trastornos esquizofrénicos y delirantes representa un desafío, especialmente, en territorios de gran vulnerabilidad social. En Río de Janeiro, con la promulgación de la Ley Federal 10216 de 2001 sobre la Reforma Psiquiátrica, las últimas dos décadas se han caracterizado por la transición del modelo centrado en el hospital al modelo basado en los servicios comunitarios. Utilizando el caso de una comunidad de Río de Janeiro, se seleccionaron cinco servicios de salud pública y se extrajeron datos de los registros médicos de 94 pacientes con diagnósticos de esquizofrenia, trastornos esquizotípicos y trastornos delirantes (codificados en la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades 10 edición entre los códigos F20 a F29) y se analizaron indicadores de calidad del tratamiento ofrecido en el período 2003-2016. Como resultado de la transición se observa que los hospitales psiquiátricos quedaron casi vacíos con un bajo número de pacientes actualmente desatendidos. Además, la atención a la crisis y las hospitalizaciones a largo plazo se reemplazaron por la atención territorial y las comorbilidades clínicas se monitorean y se tratan en unidades de salud familiar.

ABSTRACT Care for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and delusional disorders involves many challenges, especially in territorial contexts of pronounced social vulnerability. In Rio de Janeiro, the two decades after the passing of Federal Law 10,216 on Psychiatric Reform in 2001 have been characterized by the transition from a hospital-centered model to one based on community services. Taking the case of a community in Rio de Janeiro, data was extracted from the medical records of 94 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizotypal disorders, and delusional disorders (ICD-10 codes F20 to F29) in five public health services. Covering the period from 2003 to 2016, indicators of the quality of treatment provided were analyzed. As a result of this transition, psychiatric hospitals have all but emptied and a low number of currently untreated patients can be observed. In addition, crisis care and long-term hospitalizations have been replaced by territorial care, and clinical comorbidities are monitored and treated at Family Health Units.

Addressing Delusions in Women and Men with Delusional Disorder: Key Points for Clinical Management.

Delusional disorders (DD) are difficult conditions for health professionals to treat successfully. They are also difficult for family members to bear. The aim of this narrative review is to select from the clinical literature the psychosocial interventions that appear to work best for these conditions and to see whether similar strategies can be modeled or taught to family members so that tensions at home are reduced. Because the content of men's and women's delusions sometimes differ, it has been suggested that optimal interventions for the two sexes may also differ. This review explores three areas: (a) specific treatments for men and women; (b) recommended psychological approaches by health professionals, especially in early encounters with patients with DD; and (c) recommended psychoeducation for families. Findings are that there is no evidence for differentiated psychosocial treatment for men and women with delusional disorder. What is recommended in the literature is to empathically elicit the details of the content of delusions, to address the accompanying emotions rather than the logic of the presented argument, to teach self-soothing techniques, and to monitor behavior with respect to its safety. These recommendations have only been validated in individual patients and families. More rigorous clinical trials need to be conducted.

Treating the untreatable? The biopsychosocial treatment of delusional disorder: a case study.

OBJECTIVE: Delusional disorder (DD) is well recognised, but its treatment is controversial. This article presents a case study that highlights the therapeutic benefits associated with assertive biopsychosocial treatment of DD. METHOD: The literature on pharmacological and psychological treatments for DD is briefly reviewed, and a case example from the Queensland Fixated Threat Assessment Centre is given to illustrate a comprehensive biopsychosocial treatment framework. RESULTS: Combined pharmacological and psychosocial intervention resulted in stabilisation and improvement in mental state for the case described. CONCLUSIONS: There is an emergent evidence base for an assertive biopsychosocial approach to treating DD. The case study demonstrates that a range of therapeutic goals is achievable.

The madness of Princess Alice: Sigmund Freud, Ernst Simmel and Alice of Battenberg at Kurhaus Schloß Tegel.

During the winter of 1930, Princess Alice of Battenberg was admitted to Kurhaus Schloß Tegel, where she was diagnosed with schizophrenic paranoia. When Freud was consulted about her case by Ernst Simmel, the Sanatorium's Director, he recommended that the patient's ovaries be exposed to high-intensity X-rays. Freud's suggestion was not based on any psychoanalytic treatment principles, but rooted in a rejuvenation technique to which Freud himself had subscribed. In recommending that psychotic patients should be treated with physical interventions, Freud confirmed his conviction that the clinical applicability of psychoanalysis should not be extrapolated beyond the neuroses, yet he also asserted that a proper consideration of endocrinological factors in the aetiology and treatment of the psychoses should never be excluded.

Psychoeducational therapy with families of paranoid schizophrenia patients. / Terapia psicoeducativa para familias de pacientes con esquizofrenia paranoide.

AIM: The study aimed to measure the effectiveness of psychoeducational therapy on the burden of families of paranoid schizophrenia patients. METHODS: An experimental research design was used in this study with an equivalent control group using 84 random allocation samples at a mental hospital in Semarang. The study instrument was the Indonesian version of the care burden scale (CBS). The Mann-Whitney test was used for the data analysis. RESULTS: The findings obtained show the effectiveness of psychoeducational therapy on family burden in the experimental group as opposed to standard therapy in the control group (before: Z=-1.27; P=.092, and after: Z=-3.47; P=.002). CONCLUSION: We conclude that family psychoeducational therapy, as given to the experiment group, can decrease the family burden for the family of a paranoid schizophrenia patient. The application of family psychoeducational therapy can serve as guidance for the psychiatric nurse in reducing the family burden in the care of patients with paranoid schizophrenia.

Treatments for primary delusional infestation.

BACKGROUND: Primary delusional infestation (DI) is a primary psychiatric disorder characterised by delusions and abnormal tactile sensations. The pathophysiology is undecided and treatment includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological options. There is currently no Cochrane Review of the treatments used. Primary DI is a diagnosis often encountered by both dermatologists and psychiatrists, with a large associated disease burden. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments in primary delusional infestation (DI). SEARCH METHODS: On 24 December 2014 and 19 March 2019, we searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Study-Based Register of Trials including registries of clinical trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials involving the treatment of adults with primary DI. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened and assessed studies for inclusion using pre-specified inclusion criteria. MAIN RESULTS: We did not identify any studies for inclusion. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Currently there is no evidence from RCTs available to compare treatment of primary DI with placebo. We cannot, therefore, make any conclusions regarding the effects of treatments (pharmacological or non-pharmacological) for primary DI. This lack of evidence for treatment of primary DI has implications for research and practice. Robust randomised trials are indicated.

FDG-PET in Cotard syndrome before and after treatment: can functional brain imaging support a two-factor hypothesis of nihilistic delusions?

Introduction: Cotard syndrome is a neuropsychiatric entity recognised by the presence of nihilistic delusions. Although different models have been proposed for the development of monothematic delusions, including Cotard syndrome, functional neuroanatomical models are lacking.Methods: A case report of a 19-year old male with autoimmune encephalitis and Cotard syndrome, in whom Positron Emission Tomography (18F-FDG-PET) scans were performed before and after successful treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is presented. Literature review on brain imaging is provided to discuss a functional neuroanatomical model of Cotard syndrome, in accordance with the two-factor theory of delusions.Results: The patient's 18F-FDG-PET showed marked insular and prefrontal metabolic abnormalities. Except for insular hypometabolism, metabolic abnormalities improved after ECT. Previously reported structural neuroimaging studies in Cotard syndrome showed a predominance of right hemisphere lesions, in which frontal lobes were more frequently involved, followed by parietal and temporal lesions. Functional neuroimaging studies reported abnormalities in frontoparietal circuits as well as midline structures included in the "default mode network".Conclusions: Abnormalities in the functioning of the insular cortex and the prefrontal cortex could be related to the development of nihilistic delusions when a two-factor theory of delusions is considered.

First-episode psychosis and vocational outcomes: A predictive model.

Most studies on predictors of vocational outcomes are cross-sectional and results are varied. This study aimed to examine the vocational rates of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), identify factors predicting a lack of engagement in age-appropriate roles, and evaluate the predictive ability of a model with baseline sociodemographic information and 2-year symptom and functioning trajectories on vocational outcomes. The Singapore Early Psychosis Intervention Program (EPIP) has maintained a standing database on patient clinico-demographic information. The primary outcome, vocational status, was operationalized as "meaningfully employed", that is, being gainfully employed or engaged in an age-appropriate role, and "unemployed". Using logistic regression, the predictive ability of the proposed model was evaluated. Vocational data was available for 1177 patients accepted into EPIP between 2001 and 2012. At the end of two years in the service, 829 (70.4%) patients were meaningfully employed and 348 (29.6%) patients were unemployed. The binary logistic regression model on the prediction of 2-year vocational outcomes yielded an AUC of 0.759 (SE = 0.016, p-value < 0.001). Clinico-demographic risk factors for being unemployed at the end of two years included being Malay, single, and unemployed at baseline; having a longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP); a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or delusional disorder at baseline; and belonging to the 'delayed response' or 'slower response and no response' general psychopathology trajectories. We have proposed a model that allows vocational outcomes to be predicted with high specificity. The results of this study will be relevant in developing future intervention models to improve outcomes among FEP patients with different illness trajectories.

[Electroconvulsive therapy in treatment of resistant schizophrenia: biological markers of efficacy and safety]. / Primenenie élektrosudorozhnoi terapii pri rezistentnoi shizofrenii: biologicheskie pokazateli éffektivnosti i bezopasnosti.

AIM: To evaluate clinical and biological efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with treatment-resistant paranoid schizophrenia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Determination of CNS specific biological markers (BDNF, NSE, S100B), together with markers of inflammation and CNS alteration (IL-2, CPK, CPK-MB), and clinical evaluation were performed in two groups of patients: the ECT + antipsychotic treatment group (n=66) and the antipsychotic treatment group (n=32). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the ECT + antipsychotic treatment group, the more pronounced reduction of psychotic symptoms has been revealed compared with subjects on antipsychotic treatment as monotherapy. Patients receiving ECT showed no increase in plasma levels of inflammation and CNS alteration biomarkers (NSE, S100B, CPK, CPK-MB, IL-2). The plasma level of BDNF, capable to characterize both the efficacy and safety of antipsychotic therapy, had a more pronounced upward trend in subjects with combined electroconvulsive and antipsychotic treatment, which may indicate good tolerability and high effectiveness of ECT.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Nightmares for Patients with Persecutory Delusions (Nites): An Assessor-Blind, Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Nightmares are relatively common in patients experiencing psychosis but rarely assessed or treated. Nightmares may maintain persecutory delusions by portraying fears in sensory-rich detail. We tested the potential benefits of imagery-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for nightmares on nightmare severity and persecutory delusions. METHOD: This assessor-blind parallel-group pilot trial randomized 24 participants with nightmares and persecutory delusions to receive CBT for nightmares delivered over 4 weeks in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Assessments were at 0, 4 (end of treatment), and 8 weeks (follow-up). Feasibility outcomes assessed therapy uptake, techniques used, satisfaction, and attrition. The primary efficacy outcome assessed nightmare severity at week 4. Analyses were intention to treat, estimating treatment effect with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: All participants offered CBT completed therapy (mean [SD], 4.8 [0.6] sessions) with high satisfaction, and 20 (83%) participants completed all assessments. Compared with TAU, CBT led to large improvements in nightmares (adjusted mean difference = -7.0; 95% CI, -12.6 to -1.3; d = -1.1) and insomnia (6.3; 95% CI, 2.6 to 10.0; d = 1.4) at week 4. Gains were maintained at follow-up. Suicidal ideation was not exacerbated by CBT but remained stable to follow-up, compared with TAU, which reduced at follow-up (6.8; 95% CI, 0.3 to 3.3; d = 0.7). CBT led to reductions in paranoia (-20.8; 95% CI, -43.2 to 1.7; d = -0.6), although CIs were wide. Three serious adverse events were deemed unrelated to participation (CBT = 2, TAU = 1). CONCLUSIONS: CBT for nightmares is feasible and may be efficacious for treating nightmares and comorbid insomnia for patients with persecutory delusions. It shows promise on paranoia but potentially not on suicidal ideation.

Precuneus and psychiatric manifestations: Novel neurobiological formulations through lesion based connectivity mapping of psychopathology.

Lesion-based investigations of psychopathology have preceded contemporary network-neuroscience initiatives. However, brain-lesions detected in routine psychiatric practice are often considered incidental and therefore ignored. Here, we illustrate a strategy to combine individual subject-level lesion information with open-source normative functional-connectomics data to make putative, neuroscience-informed symptom interpretation. Specifically, we report a patient with left precuneus granulomatous lesion and seizures followed by two distinct symptoms - kinetopsia and delusions of nihilism and guilt - which had a differential treatment response. The lesion-based brain-mapping approach could identify correlated (default-mode) and anti-correlated (temporo-parieto-occipital) networks, which enabled a neurobiological formulation of these diverse clinical manifestations.