Prediction of estimated risk for bipolar disorder using machine learning and structural MRI features.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with bipolar disorder are commonly correctly diagnosed a decade after symptom onset. Machine learning techniques may aid in early recognition and reduce the disease burden. As both individuals at risk and those with a manifest disease display structural brain markers, structural magnetic resonance imaging may provide relevant classification features. METHODS: Following a pre-registered protocol, we trained linear support vector machine (SVM) to classify individuals according to their estimated risk for bipolar disorder using regional cortical thickness of help-seeking individuals from seven study sites (N = 276). We estimated the risk using three state-of-the-art assessment instruments (BPSS-P, BARS, EPIbipolar). RESULTS: For BPSS-P, SVM achieved a fair performance of Cohen's κ of 0.235 (95% CI 0.11-0.361) and a balanced accuracy of 63.1% (95% CI 55.9-70.3) in the 10-fold cross-validation. In the leave-one-site-out cross-validation, the model performed with a Cohen's κ of 0.128 (95% CI -0.069 to 0.325) and a balanced accuracy of 56.2% (95% CI 44.6-67.8). BARS and EPIbipolar could not be predicted. In post hoc analyses, regional surface area, subcortical volumes as well as hyperparameter optimization did not improve the performance. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals at risk for bipolar disorder, as assessed by BPSS-P, display brain structural alterations that can be detected using machine learning. The achieved performance is comparable to previous studies which attempted to classify patients with manifest disease and healthy controls. Unlike previous studies of bipolar risk, our multicenter design permitted a leave-one-site-out cross-validation. Whole-brain cortical thickness seems to be superior to other structural brain features.

Larger putamen in individuals at risk and with manifest bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Individuals at risk for bipolar disorder (BD) have a wide range of genetic and non-genetic risk factors, like a positive family history of BD or (sub)threshold affective symptoms. Yet, it is unclear whether these individuals at risk and those diagnosed with BD share similar gray matter brain alterations. METHODS: In 410 male and female participants aged 17-35 years, we compared gray matter volume (3T MRI) between individuals at risk for BD (as assessed using the EPIbipolar scale; n = 208), patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of BD (n = 87), and healthy controls (n = 115) using voxel-based morphometry in SPM12/CAT12. We applied conjunction analyses to identify similarities in gray matter volume alterations in individuals at risk and BD patients, relative to healthy controls. We also performed exploratory whole-brain analyses to identify differences in gray matter volume among groups. ComBat was used to harmonize imaging data from seven sites. RESULTS: Both individuals at risk and BD patients showed larger volumes in the right putamen than healthy controls. Furthermore, individuals at risk had smaller volumes in the right inferior occipital gyrus, and BD patients had larger volumes in the left precuneus, compared to healthy controls. These findings were independent of course of illness (number of lifetime manic and depressive episodes, number of hospitalizations), comorbid diagnoses (major depressive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder), familial risk, current disease severity (global functioning, remission status), and current medication intake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that alterations in the right putamen might constitute a vulnerability marker for BD.

Changes in patient care through flexible and integrated treatment programs in German psychiatric hospitals: meta-analyses based on a series of controlled claims-based cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Global treatment budgets, i.e. predefined budgets for patients treated in hospital independent of the setting within the hospital, together with flexible and integrated treatment (FIT) have been introduced in some German psychiatric hospitals since 2013. We investigated pooled changes in inpatient, day-care, outpatient treatment, and continuity of care for patients with mental disorders in 12 FIT-hospitals. METHODS: We conducted a series of 12 controlled cohort studies regarding FIT hospitals using anonymized patient claims data from more than 70 German statutory health insurance funds. Each study compared one FIT-hospital to matched patients from equivalent non-FIT-hospitals (routine care). We included only those patients without treatment in the respective hospital within two years prior to first hospital treatment (either FIT or routine care). We contrasted results between the year prior to with the first and second year after patient's first treatment (treatment continuity: only group comparison) using multivariate multi-level models. To approximate the difference-in-difference effect in the meta-analysis, we used the interaction terms group (FIT hospital vs. routine care) x time (year before vs. first or second patient year after study inclusion) in the Poisson models. RESULTS: The 12 studies included 36,069 patients with 2,358 patients from a Department of child and adolescent psychiatry. The pooled effect revealed a 5.1 days lower increase in inpatient treatment in FIT-hospitals during the first patient year compared to routine care. Results were statistically significant for adult care FIT-hospitals but not for child and adolescent FIT-hospitals. Utilization of day-care treatment increased more in most FIT-hospitals during the first year, while outpatient contacts increased in some and decreased in others. The odds of treatment continuity increased by 1.4 in FIT-hospitals compared to non-FIT-hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Global treatment budgets lead to the intended changes in mental health care in the majority of FIT-hospitals compared to routine care in this large real-world evidence study from Germany. For child and adolescent psychiatry, more evidence is needed to draw firm conclusions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in the database "Health Services Research Germany" (trial number: VVfD_EVA64_15_003713).

Mapping Research Domain Criteria using a transdiagnostic mini-RDoC assessment in mental disorders: a confirmatory factor analysis.

This study aimed to build on the relationship of well-established self-report and behavioral assessments to the latent constructs positive (PVS) and negative valence systems (NVS), cognitive systems (CS), and social processes (SP) of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework in a large transnosological population which cuts across DSM/ICD-10 disorder criteria categories. One thousand four hundred and thirty one participants (42.1% suffering from anxiety/fear-related, 18.2% from depressive, 7.9% from schizophrenia spectrum, 7.5% from bipolar, 3.4% from autism spectrum, 2.2% from other disorders, 18.4% healthy controls, and 0.2% with no diagnosis specified) recruited in studies within the German research network for mental disorders for the Phenotypic, Diagnostic and Clinical Domain Assessment Network Germany (PD-CAN) were examined with a Mini-RDoC-Assessment including behavioral and self-report measures. The respective data was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to delineate the underlying latent RDoC-structure. A revised four-factor model reflecting the core domains positive and negative valence systems as well as cognitive systems and social processes showed a good fit across this sample and showed significantly better fit compared to a one factor solution. The connections between the domains PVS, NVS and SP could be substantiated, indicating a universal latent structure spanning across known nosological entities. This study is the first to give an impression on the latent structure and intercorrelations between four core Research Domain Criteria in a transnosological sample. We emphasize the possibility of using already existing and well validated self-report and behavioral measurements to capture aspects of the latent structure informed by the RDoC matrix.

Longitudinal Digital Mood Charting in Bipolar Disorder: Experiences with ChronoRecord Over 20 Years.

INTRODUCTION: Longitudinal study is an essential methodology for understanding disease trajectories, treatment effects, symptom changes, and long-term outcomes of affective disorders. Daily self-charting of mood and other illness-related variables is a commonly recommended intervention. With the widespread acceptance of home computers in the early 2000s, automated tools were developed for patient mood charting, such as ChronoRecord, a software validated by patients with bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to summarize the daily mood, sleep, and medication data collected with ChronoRecord, and highlight some of the key research findings. Lessons learned from implementing a computerized tool for patient self-reporting are also discussed. METHODS: After a brief training session, ChronoRecord software for daily mood charting was installed on a home computer and used by 609 patients with affective disorders. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 40.3±11.8 years, a mean age of onset was 22±11.2 years, and 71.4% were female. Patients were euthymic for 70.8% of days, 15.1% had mild depression, 6.6% had severe depression, 6.6% had hypomania, and 0.8% had mania. Among all mood groups, 22.4% took 1-2 medications, 37.2% took 3-4 medications, 25.7 took 5-6 medications, 11.6% took 7-8 medications, and 3.1% took >8 medications. CONCLUSION: The daily mood charting tool is a useful tool for increasing patient involvement in their care, providing detailed patient data to the physician, and increasing understanding of the course of illness. Longitudinal data from patient mood charting was helpful in both clinical and research settings.

Agreement between self-reports and statutory health insurance claims data on healthcare utilization in patients with mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Data on resource use are frequently required for healthcare assessments. Studies on healthcare utilization (HCU) in individuals with mental disorders have analyzed both self-reports and administrative data. Source of data may affect the quality of analysis and compromise the accuracy of results. We sought to ascertain the degree of agreement between self-reports and statutory health insurance (SHI) fund claims data from patients with mental disorders. METHODS: Claims data from six German SHI and self-reports were obtained along with a cost-effectiveness analysis performed as a part of a controlled prospective multicenter cohort study conducted in 18 psychiatric hospitals in Germany (PsychCare), including patients with pre-defined psychiatric disorders. Self-reports were collected using the German adaption of the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory (CSSRI) questionnaire with a 6-month recall period. Data linkage was performed using a unique pseudonymized identifier. Missing responses were coded as non-use for all analyses. HCU was calculated for inpatient and outpatient care, day-care services, home treatment, and pharmaceuticals. Concordance was measured using Cohen's Kappa (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Regression approaches were used to investigate the effect of independent variables on the agreements. RESULTS: In total 274 participants (mean age 47.8 [SD = 14.2] years; 47.08% women) were included in the analysis. No significant differences were observed between the linked and unlinked patients in terms of baseline characteristics. Total agreements values were 63.9% (κ = 0.03; PABAK = 0.28) for outpatient contacts, 69.3% (κ = 0.25; PABAK = 0.39) for medication use, 81.0% (κ = 0.56; PABAK = 0.62) for inpatient days and 86.1% (κ = 0.67; PABAK = 0.72) for day-care services. There was varied quantitative agreement between data sources, with the poorest agreement for outpatient care (ICC [95% CI] = 0.22 [0.10-0.33]) and the best for psychiatric day-care services (ICC [95% CI] = 0.72 [0.66-0.78]). Marital status and time since first treatment positively affected the chance of agreement on utilization of outpatient services. CONCLUSIONS: Although there were high levels of absolute agreement, the measures of concordance between administrative records and self-reports were generally minimal to moderate. Healthcare investigations should consider using linked or at least different data sources to estimate HCU for specific utilization areas, where unbiased information can be expected. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was part of the multi-center controlled PsychCare trial (German Clinical Trials Register No. DRKS00022535; Date of registration: 2020-10-02).

[Evidence-based inpatient psychotherapy of bipolar disorders]. / Evidenzbasierte stationäre Psychotherapie bipolarer Störungen.

BACKGROUND: Although psychotherapy is an important pillar in the treatment of bipolar disorders, alongside pharmacotherapy, non-drug and complementary procedures, there is no up to date evidence synthesis for inpatient psychotherapeutic treatment and work with caregivers. OBJECTIVE: To review and evaluate the current study situation on evidence-based inpatient psychotherapy for bipolar disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1.Summary of the evidence for inpatient psychotherapy in adolescents and adults with bipolar disorders from current review articles and guidelines (German S3 guidelines, Australian, Canadian, and British NICE guidelines). 2. Systematic literature search (PRISMA) in Cochrane trials and Medline (via PubMed). 2a. Identification of original articles using the following search term: "bipolar fft" OR "bipolar ipsrt" OR "bipolar cbt" OR "bipolar cognitive remediation" OR "bipolar psychotherapy inpatient". 2b. Screening of n = 942 publications on the following inclusion criteria: randomized controlled efficacy trials, inpatient treatment/recruitment in the inpatient setting, adolescent or adult patients with bipolar disorder or caregivers. RESULTS: The guidelines recommend a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorders (so far no evidence-based presentation of inpatient psychotherapy). The results from reviews and original papers are heterogeneous. Recently described evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches for inpatient treatment are family focused therapy (FFT), interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) and psychoeducation. CONCLUSION: Although the current evidence is heterogeneous and further systematic studies are necessary, the results indicate that psychotherapy should be started or initiated in the inpatient setting with inclusion of caregivers.

[Challenges and current approaches in the development of psychiatric living guidelines in Germany]. / Herausforderungen und aktuelle Ansätze der Entwicklung psychiatrischer Living Guidelines in Deutschland.

Outdated guidelines can cause inadequate care. To counter this problem a dynamic updating process for guidelines is being internationally discussed (living guidelines). This process has specific challenges. The rhythm of updating has to be determined and a priori criteria have to be defined, which indicate that a substantial change of the medical practice is needed in order to then update individual recommendations. Digital tools have to be identified that can support a dynamic updating. Their (further) development has to be oriented to the specific requirements and needs of the trialogically composed guideline development teams. Recommendations have to be examined from the user perspective. The current guideline development methods that are still divergent, have to be harmonized and specific needs with respect to the cross-linking of guidelines have to be taken into account. The German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN) supports and accompanies scientific projects dealing with the challenges of the dynamics of guideline development. From the first results of "Guide2Guide", a project funded by the Innovation Fund, it can be summarized that the development of living guidelines is a complex dynamic process that has only just started internationally and in Germany. It demands a special engagement of the guideline developers including representatives of patients and relatives, to responsibly work long term and flexibly. Digital tools can be useful in various process steps but at present they still have to be meaningfully linked into the process. Central elements of the development of S3 guidelines will continue to require substantial working time of the experts in the trialogue. In order for living guidelines to be actually used dissemination and implementation have to be integrated into the dynamic process.

[Expectations of guideline developers on living guidelines]. / Erwartungen der Leitlinienentwickler*innen an "living guidelines".

BACKGROUND: Guidelines are central pillars of high-quality care and care planning. The quality requirements for the development of guidelines and the associated effort are very high. Therefore, more efficient approaches are being forced. OBJECTIVE: The opportunities and challenges in the introduction of a dynamic updating concept within the framework of the digitalization of guidelines were explored from the perspective of guideline developers in the field of psychiatry. This perspective should be included in the implementation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January and May 2022 a cross-sectional survey was conducted among guideline developers (N = 561, response 39%) based on a questionnaire developed and tested in advance. Data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: A total of 60% were familiar with the concept of living guidelines. A large proportion endorsed a dynamic updating (83%) and digitalization (88%) of guidelines; however, various challenges are associated with the concept of living guidelines: the risk of inflationary changes (34%), the need for continuity of all actors (53%), involvement of patient and family representatives (37%) and definition of criteria regarding the decision what to change (38%). The vast majority (85%) thought it necessary that guideline development should be followed by implementation projects. CONCLUSION: German guideline developers are very receptive regarding the implementation of living guidelines; however, they named numerous challenges, which need to be addressed in this approach.

[Concepts to support dynamic updating processes of guidelines and their practical implementation-Systematic literature review]. / Konzepte zur Unterstützung dynamischer Aktualisierungsprozesse von Leitlinien und ihre Implementierung in der Praxis ­ systematische Literaturrecherche.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines (CPG), which are crucial for evidence-based healthcare, should be kept up to date, especially on topics where emerging evidence could modify one of the recommendations with implications for the healthcare service; however, an updating process, which is practicable for guideline developers as well as users represents a challenge. OBJECTIVE: This article provides an overview of the currently discussed methodological approaches for the dynamic updating of guidelines and systematic reviews. MATERIAL AND METHODS: As part of a scoping review, a literature search was conducted in the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE (via Ovid), Scopus, Epistemonikos, medRxiv, as well as in study and guideline registers. Concepts on the dynamic updating of guidelines and systematic reviews or dynamically updated guidelines and systematic reviews or their protocols published in English or German were included. RESULTS: The publications included most frequently described the following main processes that must be adapted in dynamic updating processes 1) the establishment of continuously working guideline groups, 2) networking between guidelines, 3) the formulation and application of prioritization criteria, 4) the adaptation of the systematic literature search and 5) the use of software tools for increased efficiency and digitalization of the guidelines. CONCLUSION: The transformation to living guidelines requires a change in the needs for temporal, personnel and structural resources. The digitalization of guidelines and the use of software to increase efficiency are necessary instruments, but alone do not guarantee the realization of living guidelines. A process in which dissemination and implementation must also be integrated is necessary. Standardized best practice recommendations on the updating process are still lacking.

[Flexible and integrative treatment in psychiatry: implementation of specific care components at model and standard care clinics in Germany (PsychCare study)]. / Settingübergreifende Behandlung in der Psychiatrie: Umsetzung spezifischer Versorgungsmerkmale an Kliniken der Modell- und Regelversorgung (PsychCare-Studie).

BACKGROUND: Since 2003 a new remuneration and care model has been implemented in currently 22 psychiatric clinics in Germany, which provides flexible and integrative treatment (FIT) across different settings of treatment, including assertive outreach care. The FIT is based on a global treatment budget covering costs for all psychiatric hospital services and is related to the number of patients treated per year. Previous research identified 11 program components that describe treatment structures and processes of FIT. The present analysis quantitatively compared FIT with standard care, aiming to validate these components. METHODS: As part of the PsychCare study, grading according to FIT-specific components was carried out and comparatively analyzed in nine hospitals that used FIT and seven hospitals of standard care. The FIT models were examined in depth in subgroups, which were divided according to the share of the FIT model in the total hospital budget. RESULTS: Of the 11 FIT program components 7 (flexible care management across settings, therapeutic group sessions across all settings, outreach home care, involvement of informal caregivers, accessibility of services, cooperation across sectors and expansion of professional expertise) showed a high statistical differentiation. These differences were even stronger in the subgroup of those hospitals that had a model contract with all health insurers. CONCLUSION: Specific components of FIT are suitable for evaluating the quality of implementation of intersectoral, flexible and outreach psychiatric care.

[Willingness to get vaccinated among hospital staff in Germany: What is the role of COVID-19 conspiracy assumptions?] / Impfbereitschaft von Krankenhauspersonal in Deutschland: Welche Rolle spielen Verschwörungsannahmen zu COVID-19?

BACKGROUND: A critical factor in achieving widespread immunity against COVID-19 is the willingness of previously unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated. Medical staff play a key role in this, as they ensure healthcare during the pandemic and for many serve as a source of information about vaccinations. Among the factors that negatively influence the general willingness to get vaccinated are conspiracy assumptions and the spread of misinformation. OBJECTIVE: The willingness of hospital staff in Germany to get vaccinated and various influencing variables were examined to obtain indicators that could help increase the general willingness to get vaccinated. METHODS: Between January and June 2021, a voluntary and anonymous online survey conducted as part of the egePan joint project of the national network for university medicine (funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research) was used to assess the willingness to be vaccinated, individual social characteristics, the belief in conspiracy assumptions, and communication items in German hospitals. RESULTS: In comparison with the general population, physicians and scientific staff in particular indicated an increased willingness to get vaccinated. Conspiracy assumptions were not very widespread but most frequent among administrative and nursing staff. Conspiracy assumptions were negatively associated with the willingness to get vaccinated. Predictors for a higher willingness to get vaccinated were the perceived safety and effectiveness of vaccinations and a higher age. DISCUSSION: Since the perceived safety and effectiveness of vaccinations have a positive effect on the willingness to get vaccinated, educational work and transparent information transfer could counteract the spread of conspiracy assumptions and increase vaccination rates among hospital staff.

Do outcomes of psychiatric hospital treatment differ for migrants and non-migrants?

PURPOSE: Providing effective treatment for immigrants is an increasing challenge for mental health services across Europe. Yet, little is known as to whether current practice is associated with different outcomes in migrant and non-migrant patients. We compared outcomes of inpatient psychiatric treatment for migrants and non-migrants in a sample from five European countries. METHODS: Patients with psychotic disorders, affective disorders or anxiety/somatisation disorders admitted to routine psychiatric inpatient treatment were assessed in hospitals in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom. Treatment outcomes were satisfaction with care during hospitalisation, length of stay, readmission to hospital (any and, specifically, involuntary re-hospitalisation), as well as untoward incidents in a 1-year follow-up period. Outcomes were compared between patients born inside (non-migrants) and outside (migrants) the country of treatment, through mixed regression models. RESULTS: Across all sites, 985 migrant patients and 6298 non-migrant patients were included. After accounting for the influence of confounding patient characteristics, migrants reported significantly lower treatment satisfaction, but there were no significant differences for length of stay and re-hospitalisations, in general and involuntary ones. Migrants had a lower rate of suicide attempts, but there was no significant difference in other types of untoward incidents in the year following the index admission. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that migrants are less satisfied with their hospital treatment, there is no evidence that routine inpatient care as currently provided results overall in poorer objective outcomes for migrants than in non-migrant populations.

Evaluation of a flexible and integrative psychiatric care model in a department of child and adolescent psychiatry in Tübingen, Germany: study protocol (EVA_TIBAS).

BACKGROUND: Model projects for flexible and integrated treatment (FIT) in Germany aim at advancing the quality of care for people with mental disorders. A new FIT model project was established in 2017 at the Department of child and adolescent psychiatry (KJP) of the University Hospital Tübingen (Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, UKT). The study design of EVA_TIBAS presented here describes the evaluation of the FIT model project at the KJP of the UKT. This evaluation aims at quantifying the anticipated FIT model project changes, which are to improve patients' cross-sectoral care at the same maximum cost as standard care. METHODS: EVA_TIBAS is a controlled cohort study using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. The FIT evaluation consists of three modules. In Module A, anonymized claims data of a statutory health insurance fund will be used to compare outcomes (duration of inpatient and day care psychiatric treatment, inpatient and day care psychiatric length of stay, outpatient psychiatric treatment in hospital, inpatient hospital readmission, emergency admission rate, direct medical costs) of patients treated in the model hospital with patients treated in structurally comparable control hospitals (estimated sample size = ca. 600 patients). In Module B, patient-reported outcomes (health related quality of life, symptom burden, return to psychosocial relationships (e.g. school, friends, hobbies), treatment satisfaction, societal costs) will be assessed quantitatively using validated questionnaires for the model and two control hospitals (estimated sample size = ca. 300 patients). A subsequent health economic evaluation will be based on cost-effectiveness analyses from both the insurance fund's and the societal perspective. In Module C, about 30 semi-structured interviews will examine the quality of offer, effects and benefits of the service offered by the social service of the AOK Baden-Württemberg (for stabilizing the overall situation of care in the family) in the model hospital. A focus group discussion will address the quality of cooperation between employees of the university hospital and the social services. DISCUSSION: The results of this evaluation will be used to inform policy makers whether this FIT model project or aspects of it should be implemented into standard care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov PRS (ID: NCT04727359 , date: 27 January 2021).

[DNVF-Discussion paper - Specificities, Challenges and Aims of Mental Health Service Research in Germany]. / DNVF-Diskussionspapier ­ Besonderheiten, Herausforderungen und Ziele der Versorgungsforschung im Feld der seelischen Gesundheit.

Research in mental health services in Germany is of increasing relevance. To this end, the recently founded "Mental Health Working Group" as part of the German Network of Health Services Research (DNVF) has written a discussion paper presenting key specifics, challenges, and goals of health service research in the field of mental health. Some research-relevant specifics in the area of mental health care, pragmatic challenges of research organization, ethical problems, and particular research topics in this field are presented and discussed critically.

Clinical Risk Constellations for the Development of Bipolar Disorders.

The early recognition of psychiatric disorders has been a focus of research in the last decades and has led to improvements in clinical care, especially in the area of early psychosis. Like non-affective psychosis, bipolar disorders are often diagnosed with a delay that can lead to long periods of untreated illness and impact long-term outcomes. This article presents the rationale for early recognition in bipolar disorder and presents the current evidence for the identification of risk factors, their assessment and validity in predicting the onset of bipolar disorder.

Factors associated with satisfaction of inpatient psychiatric care: a cross country comparison.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of inpatient care quality and is associated with clinical outcomes following admission. Different patient characteristics have been inconsistently linked with satisfaction. This study aims to overcome previous limitations by assessing which patient characteristics are associated with satisfaction within a large study of psychiatric inpatients conducted across five European countries. METHODS: All patients with a diagnosis of psychotic (F2), affective (F3) or anxiety/somataform (F4) disorder admitted to 57 psychiatric inpatient units in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK were included. Data were collected from medical records and face-to-face interviews, with patients approached within 2 days of admission. Satisfaction with inpatient care was measured on the Client Assessment of Treatment Scale. RESULTS: Higher satisfaction scores were associated with being older, employed, living with others, having a close friend, less severe illness and a first admission. In contrast, higher education levels, comorbid personality disorder and involuntary admission were associated with lower levels of satisfaction. Although the same patient characteristics predicted satisfaction within the five countries, there were significant differences in overall satisfaction scores across countries. Compared to other countries, patients in the UK were significantly less satisfied with their inpatient care. CONCLUSIONS: Having a better understanding of patient satisfaction may enable services to improve the quality of care provided as well as clinical outcomes for all patients. Across countries, the same patient characteristics predict satisfaction, suggesting that similar analytical frameworks can and should be used when assessing satisfaction both nationally and internationally.

Efficacy of cognitive-behavioral group therapy in patients at risk for serious mental illness presenting with subthreshold bipolar symptoms: Results from a prespecified interim analysis of a multicenter, randomized, controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Most patients with bipolar disorders (BD) exhibit prodromal symptoms before a first (hypo)manic episode. Patients with clinically significant symptoms fulfilling at-risk criteria for serious mental illness (SMI) require effective and safe treatment. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) has shown promising results in early stages of BD and in patients at high risk for psychosis. We aimed to investigate whether group CBT can improve symptoms and functional deficits in young patients at risk for SMI presenting with subthreshold bipolar symptoms. METHOD: In a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, patients at clinical risk for SMI presenting with subthreshold bipolar symptoms aged 15-30 years were randomized to 14 weeks of at-risk for BD-specific group CBT or unstructured group meetings. Primary efficacy endpoints were differences in affective symptomatology and psychosocial functioning at 14 weeks. At-risk status was defined as a combination of subthreshold bipolar symptomatology, reduction of psychosocial functioning and a family history for (schizo)affective disorders. A prespecified interim analysis was conducted at 75% of the targeted sample. RESULTS: Of 128 screened participants, 75 were randomized to group CBT (n = 38, completers = 65.8%) vs unstructured group meetings (n = 37, completers = 78.4%). Affective symptomatology and psychosocial functioning improved significantly at week 14 (P < .001) and during 6 months (P < .001) in both groups, without significant between-group differences. Findings are limited by the interim character of the analysis, the use of not fully validated early detection interviews, a newly adapted intervention manual, and the substantial drop-outs. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that young patients at-risk for SMI presenting with subthreshold bipolar symptoms benefit from early group sessions. The degree of specificity and psychotherapeutic interaction needed requires clarification.

Melatonin suppression by melanopsin-weighted light in patients with bipolar I disorder compared to healthy controls

Background: Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the onset and course of bipolar disorder is influenced by environmental light conditions. Increased suppression of melatonin by light (supersensitivity) in patients with bipolar disorder has been postulated as an endophenotype by several studies. However, due to methodological shortcomings, the results of these studies remain inconclusive. This study investigated melatonin suppression in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder using evening blue light specifically targeting the melanopsin system. Methods: Melatonin suppression was assessed in euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder and healthy controls by exposure to monochromatic blue light (λmax = 475 nm; photon density = 1.6 × 1013 photons/cm2/s) for 30 minutes at 2300 h, administered via a ganzfeld dome for highly uniform light exposure. Serum melatonin concentrations were determined from serial blood sampling via radioimmunoassay. All participants received mydriatic eye drops and were genotyped for the PER3 VNTR polymorphism to avoid or adjust for potential confounding. As secondary outcomes, serum melatonin concentrations during dark conditions and after monochromatic red light exposure (λmax = 624 nm; photon density = 1.6 × 1013 photons/cm2/s) were also investigated. Changes in subjective alertness were investigated for all 3 lighting conditions. Results: A total of 90 participants (57 controls, 33 bipolar I disorder) completed the study. Melatonin suppression by monochromatic blue light did not differ between groups (F1,80 = 0.56; p = 0.46). Moreover, there were no differences in melatonin suppression by monochromatic red light (F1,82 = 1.80; p = 0.18) or differences in melatonin concentrations during dark conditions (F1,74 = 1.16; p = 0.29). Healthy controls displayed a stronger increase in subjective alertness during exposure to blue light than patients with bipolar I disorder (t85 = 2.28; p = 0.027). Limitations: Large interindividual differences in melatonin kinetics may have masked a true difference. Conclusion: Despite using a large cohort and highly controlled laboratory conditions, we found no differences in melatonin suppression between euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder and healthy controls. These findings do not support the notion that supersensitivity is a valid endophenotype in bipolar I disorder.

Use of psychiatric hospitals and social integration of patients with psychiatric disorders: a prospective cohort study in five European countries.

PURPOSE: Long lengths of stay (LoS) in psychiatric hospitals or repeated admission may affect the social integration of patients with psychiatric disorders. So far, however, studies have been inconclusive. This study aimed to analyse whether long LoS or repeated admissions in psychiatric wards were associated in different ways with changes in the social integration of patients. METHODS: Within a prospective cohort study, data were collected on 2181 patients with a main ICD-10 diagnosis of psychotic, affective, or anxiety disorder, hospitalised in the UK, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Belgium in 2015. Social integration was measured at baseline and 1 year after admission using the SIX index, which includes four dimensions: employment, housing, family situation, and friendship. Regression models were performed to test the association between LoS, the number of admissions, and the change in social integration over the study period, controlling for patients' characteristics (trial registration ISRCTN40256812). RESULTS: A longer LoS was significantly associated with a decrease in social integration (ß = - 0.23, 95%CI - 0.32 to - 0.14, p = 0.03), particularly regarding employment (OR = 2.21, 95%CI 1.18-3.24, p = 0.02), housing (OR = 3.45, 95%CI 1.74-5.16, p < 0.001), and family situation (OR = 1.94, 95%CI 1.10-2.78, p = 0.04). In contrast, repeated admissions were only associated with a decrease in friendship contacts (OR = 1.15, 95CI% 1.08-1.22, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that a longer hospital LoS is more strongly associated with a decrease in patients' social integration than repeated admissions. Special attention should be paid to helping patients to find and retain housing and employment while hospitalised for long periods.