Psychiatry Residency Directors' Attitudes Toward and Uses of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation and Other Potential Tools for Residency Selection.

OBJECTIVE: A survey was conducted to determine US psychiatry residency directors' attitudes regarding current measures of medical student performance and their preferences for the future. METHODS: A team of psychiatry medical student educators and residency program directors developed a 23-question survey. In July 2021, links to the survey were sent out to all program directors registered with the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training. RESULTS: Seventy program directors out of 223 initiated the survey, resulting in a response rate of 31.4%. Forty percent of respondents reported that the most important use of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is in screening out applicants for interviews, and only 26.1% reported that the MSPE in its current form could be trusted to provide a valid and reliable assessment of a student's medical school performance. Most respondents agreed that in the absence of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 numerical scores, the existing MSPE format/content requirements should be modified, use a set of ranking categories that are uniform across all medical schools, and be supplemented with additional measures of the student's character and ability specific to psychiatry. CONCLUSIONS: US psychiatry program directors are eager for change when it comes to the MSPE and how it reports rankings, grades, and professionalism. The transition of the USMLE step 1 score reporting to pass/fail presents an opportunity to pursue this change and for stakeholders from all medical specialties to work together toward a shared goal of an improved residency selection process.

Dry Those Crying Eyes: The Role of Depression and Antidepressants in Dry Eye Disease.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Several clinic-based and large population studies have associated a depression diagnosis or depression severity with dry eye disease (DED) or symptoms. On the other hand, several other large population studies have found that antidepressant use was also associated with DED. Unfortunately, many of the studies finding associations between depression and DED did not control for concomitant antidepressant use, whereas the ones that found associations between antidepressant use and DED did not control for severity of depression or other psychiatric indications for selective serotonin inhibitor use. The purpose of this review was to identify whether depression and antidepressants play an independent role from one another in the onset of DED. METHODS/PROCEDURES: A systematic literature review was conducted searching for DED studies that adjusted for concomitant antidepressant use in depressed patients, that adjusted for depressive symptoms in patients taking antidepressants, and that enrolled depressed patients who were not taking psychiatric medications at the time of the study. Additionally, the prescribing information of marketed antidepressants was reviewed to determine rates of dry eyes reported during clinical trials. FINDINGS/RESULTS: The literature review initially identified 43 studies with 13 fitting the inclusion criteria. Although these studies varied in their quality, 7 revealed statistically significant associations between depression and DED, whereas 7, including 1 randomized trial, revealed significant associations between antidepressants and DED. Sixteen percent of the antidepressant package inserts inspected reported DED symptoms as an infrequent risk. IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that independent of one another, both depression and antidepressant use are associated with DED.

Efficacy of Vortioxetine Monotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: There are few efficacious pharmacological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many patients fail to benefit from existing treatments. Vortioxetine, a recently developed antidepressant, acts as a serotonin modulator through inhibition of the serotonin transporter and actions at multiple types of serotonin receptors. Its unique pharmacodynamic profile suggests it may have efficacy for the treatment of PTSD. METHODS/PROCEDURES: We conducted a 12-week placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of vortioxetine (flexibly dosed from 10 to 20 mg/d) versus placebo in adults with PTSD. The primary outcome was change from baseline in the past-month version of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), analyzed using a mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance. FINDINGS/RESULTS: Forty-one patients were randomized, and 32 (78%) completed the 12 weeks of treatment. The mean reduction in CAPS-5 scores at week 12 did not significantly differ between the 2 arms; the effect size for the difference in changes between vortioxetine and placebo on CAPS-5 total scores at week 12 was Cohen d = 0.29. However, at week 8, the drug-placebo difference was d = 0.78, which met the multivariate criteria for statistical significance, P = 0.014. IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: In this study of 41 patients, vortioxetine did not demonstrate superiority over placebo for adults with PTSD. Future PTSD trials may benefit from stratifying the randomization based on number of years since the index traumatic event and a history of failure to respond to treatment.

Contributions of common genetic variants to risk of schizophrenia among individuals of African and Latino ancestry.

Schizophrenia is a common, chronic and debilitating neuropsychiatric syndrome affecting tens of millions of individuals worldwide. While rare genetic variants play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia, most of the currently explained liability is within common variation, suggesting that variation predating the human diaspora out of Africa harbors a large fraction of the common variant attributable heritability. However, common variant association studies in schizophrenia have concentrated mainly on cohorts of European descent. We describe genome-wide association studies of 6152 cases and 3918 controls of admixed African ancestry, and of 1234 cases and 3090 controls of Latino ancestry, representing the largest such study in these populations to date. Combining results from the samples with African ancestry with summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) study of schizophrenia yielded seven newly genome-wide significant loci, and we identified an additional eight loci by incorporating the results from samples with Latino ancestry. Leveraging population differences in patterns of linkage disequilibrium, we achieve improved fine-mapping resolution at 22 previously reported and 4 newly significant loci. Polygenic risk score profiling revealed improved prediction based on trans-ancestry meta-analysis results for admixed African (Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.032; liability R2 = 0.017; P < 10-52), Latino (Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.089; liability R2 = 0.021; P < 10-58), and European individuals (Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.089; liability R2 = 0.037; P < 10-113), further highlighting the advantages of incorporating data from diverse human populations.

A Virtual Standardized Patient-Based Assessment Tool to Evaluate Psychiatric Residents' Psychopharmacology Proficiency.

OBJECTIVES: A virtual standardized patient-based assessment simulator was developed to address biases and practical limitations in existing methods for evaluating residents' proficiency in psychopharmacological knowledge and practice. METHODS: The simulator was designed to replicate an outpatient psychiatric clinic experience. The virtual patient reported symptoms of a treatment-resistant form of major depressive disorder (MDD), requiring the learner to use various antidepressants in order for the patient to fully remit. Test scores were based on the proportion of correct responses to questions asked by the virtual patient about possible side effects, dosing, and titration decisions, which depended upon the patient's tolerability and response to the learner's selected medications. The validation paradigm included a novice-expert performance comparison across 4th year medical students, psychiatric residents from all four post-graduate year classes, and psychiatry department faculty, and a correlational analysis of simulator performance with the PRITE Somatic Treatments subscale score. Post-test surveys evaluated the test takers' subjective impressions of the simulator. RESULTS: Forty-three subjects completed the online exam and survey. Total mean scores on the exam differed significantly across all the learner groups in a step-wise manner from students to faculty (F = 6.10, p = 0.0001). Total mean scores by residency class correlated with PRITE Somatic Therapies subscale scores (p < 0.01). The post-test survey mean Likert results ranged from 3.33 ± 1.20 to 4.4 ± 0.79, indicating neutral to favorable responses for use of the simulator. CONCLUSIONS: This simulator demonstrated strong construct validity and high participant acceptability for assessing proficiency in the psychopharmacologic treatment of MDD.

Millennials in Psychiatry: Exploring Career Choice Factors in Generation Y Psychiatry Interns.

OBJECTIVE: There is a national shortage of psychiatrists. To grow the workforce, educators must understand the factors that influence the choice of psychiatry as a specialty for medical students in the Generation Y cohort. METHODS: Psychiatry residents born between 1981 and 2000 were recruited from six psychiatry training programs across the USA and were interviewed in the fall of their first year. The interviews were coded and analyzed qualitatively for themes. Career Construction Theory (CCT) was applied to relate the themes within the four domains of Career Adaptability (a focus of CCT): concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. RESULTS: The majority of themes mapped onto the four domains. A fifth domain, "contribution," was created to capture additional themes. Themes associated with choosing psychiatry as a career included Practice Concerns and Economic/Lifestyle Concerns (concern), Changes in Stigma and Changes in Legitimacy (control), Exploring Humanity and Exposures to Psychiatry (curiosity), Abilities Called Upon by the Field, Recognized Qualities in the Participant, and Recognized Qualities in the Faculty/Residents (confidence), and Hoping to Make a Difference and Engaging in Research/Technology (contribution). CONCLUSIONS: With the knowledge generated from this study, educators now have a guide for the kinds of learning experiences that may attract Generation Y students to the field, and can identify those with the background, values, or personality traits most likely to find a career in psychiatry to be attractive.

Suicidal ideation and other persisting symptoms after CBT or antidepressant medication treatment for major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Persisting symptoms after treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) contribute to ongoing impairment and relapse risk. Whether cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) or antidepressant medications result in different profiles of residual symptoms after treatment is largely unknown. METHODS: Three hundred fifteen adults with MDD randomized to treatment with either CBT or antidepressant medication in the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) study were analyzed for the frequency of residual symptoms using the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) item scores at the end of the 12-week treatment period. Separate comparisons were made for treatment responders and non-responders. RESULTS: Among treatment completers (n = 250) who responded to CBT or antidepressant medication, there were no significant differences in the persistence of residual MADRS symptoms. However, non-responders treated with medication were significantly less likely to endorse suicidal ideation (SI) at week 12 compared with those treated with CBT (non-responders to medication: 0/54, 0%, non-responders to CBT: 8/30, 26.7%; p = .001). Among patients who terminated the trial early (n = 65), residual MADRS item scores did not significantly differ between the CBT- and medication-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Depressed adults who respond to CBT or antidepressant medication have similar residual symptom profiles. Antidepressant medications reduce SI, even among patients for whom the medication provides little overall benefit.

Satisfaction of family members with inpatient psychiatric care and its correlates: a national survey in China.

BACKGROUND: Measuring family members' satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric care may help improve the quality of healthcare in psychiatric hospitals. This survey aimed to investigate the satisfaction of family members with inpatient psychiatric care and to explore its associated factors, using a newly-developed 5-item questionnaire. METHODS: This study included 1598 family members of psychiatric inpatients in 32 tertiary public psychiatric hospitals in 29 provinces of China. Satisfaction and demographic data were collected by research staff while patient and hospital data were retrieved separately. RESULTS: We found that the overall satisfaction level was 93.84% (23.46/25). The total satisfaction score in Northeast China was the highest, followed by the East, Middle and West regions (p < 0.001). There was no significant sex difference in total family satisfaction scores. Family members with a lower educational background (elementary school or less) had significantly lower satisfaction. Family members of patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia were significantly less satisfied with doctor-family communication. In different treatment response subgroups, the marked improvement subgroup had significantly higher total satisfaction scores and subscores. Meanwhile, lower self-payment expenses and a higher number of psychologic treatments offered per day were significantly associated with higher total satisfaction scores and all subscores. Logistic regression showed a higher educational background, more psychologic treatments offered per day, adequacy of professional staffing (higher doctor/bed, nurse/bed and psychologist/bed ratio) were all significantly associated with higher family satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest government and hospital managers recruit more mental health professions to improve family satisfaction. If feasible, providing more psychologic treatments to inpatients may also improve families' satisfaction and involvement.

Developing medical record-based, healthcare quality indicators for psychiatric hospitals in China: a modified Delphi-Analytic Hierarchy Process study.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a medical record-based, comprehensive system of healthcare quality indicators for psychiatric hospitals in China. DESIGN: A modified Delphi process with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty nationally-recognized experts were invited to participate in two rounds of Delphi expert consultation and AHP. METHODS: Fifty potential indicators were included based on literature review, and 20 experts were asked to rate the importance of each indicator using two rounds of email surveys. The AHP was used to determine the relative importance of the finalized quality indicators. RESULTS: The average authoritative coefficient was 0.92 ± 0.07. After two rounds of Delphi consultation, 47 healthcare quality indicators were identified for Chinese psychiatric hospitals. The mean importance ratings ranged from 7.06 to 8.84 on a nine-point scale, with variation coefficients ranging from 0.04 to 0.22. The percentage of full score for potential indicators ranged from 16% to 74%. In two rounds, the Kendall's W coefficients ranged from 0.423 to 0.535. The weights of structure, process and outcome were 0.175, 0.211 and 0.614, respectively. CONCLUSION: We developed the first set of healthcare quality indicators for psychiatric hospitals in mainland China, and it will provide a standardized and meaningful guide to evaluate the healthcare quality of psychiatric hospitals across the country.

Massage therapy decreases cancer-related fatigue: Results from a randomized early phase trial.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and debilitating symptom experienced by cancer survivors, yet treatment options for CRF are limited. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of weekly Swedish massage therapy (SMT) versus an active control condition (light touch [LT]) and waitlist control (WLC) on persistent CRF in breast cancer survivors. METHODS: This early phase, randomized, single-masked, 6-week investigation of SMT, LT, and WLC enrolled 66 female stage 0-III breast cancer survivors (age range, 32-72 years) who had received surgery plus radiation and/or chemotherapy/chemoprevention with CRF (Brief Fatigue Inventory > 25). The primary outcome was the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), with the National Institutes of Health PROMIS Fatigue scale secondary. RESULTS: Mean baseline MFI scores for 57 evaluable subjects were 62.95 for SMT, 55.00 for LT, and 60.41 for WLC. SMT resulted in a mean (standard deviation) 6-week reduction in MFI total scores of -16.50 (6.37) (n = 20) versus -8.06 (6.50) for LT (n = 20) and an increase of 5.88 (6.48) points for WLC (n = 17) (treatment-by-time P < .0001). The mean baseline PROMIS Fatigue scores were SMT, 22.25; LT, 22.05; and WLC, 23.24. The mean (standard deviation) reduction in PROMIS Fatigue scores was -5.49 (2.53) points for SMT versus -3.24 (2.57) points for LT and -0.06 (1.88) points for WLC (treatment-by-time P = .0008). Higher credibility, expectancy, and preference for SMT than for LT did not account for these results. CONCLUSION: SMT produced clinically significant relief of CRF. This finding suggests that 6 weeks of a safe, widely accepted manual intervention causes a significant reduction in fatigue, a debilitating sequela for cancer survivors. Cancer 2018;124:546-54. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Measuring Burnout Among Psychiatry Clerkship Directors.

OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of burnout among Psychiatry clerkship directors. METHODS: Psychiatry clerkship directors were solicited via email to complete an electronic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and the Respondent Information Form. RESULTS: Fifty-four out of 110 surveys (49%) were completed. Fourteen percent of respondents scored in the "high exhaustion" category, 21.6% scored in the "low professional efficacy" category, 20.4% scored in the "high cynicism" category, and 15.1% of respondents met threshold for at least two of the three categories. Those who scored in the "low professional efficacy" category reported higher levels of salary support for research, while those who scored in the "high cynicism" category reported lower levels of salary support at a trend level. Those who scored in the "high cynicism" category were younger. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 14-22 percent of psychiatry clerkship directors reported some level of burnout depending on the subscale used. Future studies should aim to better identify those clerkship directors who are at greatest risk for becoming burned out by their educational role and to clarify the link between salary support for research, age, and burnout.

Assessing Residents' Confidence in the Context of Pharmacotherapy Competence.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether residents' confidence initiating medications increased with the number of times they prescribed individual medications and to quantify the relationship between prescription frequency and gains in confidence. METHODS: From July 2011 to June 2014, PGY-3 residents completed a survey of confidence levels at their psychopharmacology clinic orientation and then again 12 months later. The Emory Healthcare electronic medical record was used to identify all medications prescribed by each resident during their 12-month rotation and the frequency of these prescriptions. RESULTS: Confidence in initiating treatment with all medicines/medication classes increased over the 12-month period. For three of the medication classes for which residents indicated they were least confident at orientation, the number of prescriptions written during the year was significantly associated with an increase in confidence. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring resident confidence is a relevant and achievable outcome and provides data for educators regarding the amount of experience needed to increase confidence.

Assisting Undergraduate Physician Assistant Training in Psychiatry: The Role of Academic Psychiatry Departments.

Physician assistants (PAs) are medical professionals who practice medicine with the supervision of a physician through delegated autonomy. PA school accreditation standards provide limited guidance for training PAs in psychiatry. As a result, PA students may receive inconsistent and possibly inadequate exposure to psychiatry. Providing broad and in-depth exposure to the field of psychiatry is important to attract PA students to pursue careers in psychiatry and provide a possible solution to the shortage of psychiatrists nationwide. Additionally, this level of exposure will prepare PA students who pursue careers in other fields of medicine to recognize and address their patient's psychiatric symptoms in an appropriate manner. This training can be provided by an academic department of psychiatry invested in the education of PA students. We describe a training model implemented at our university that emphasizes psychiatrist involvement in the preclinical year of PA school and full integration of PA students into the medical student psychiatry clerkship during the clinical years. The benefits and challenges to implementing this model are discussed as well.

Review of nutritional supplements for the treatment of bipolar depression.

Many patients view psychotropics with skepticism and fear and view nutritional supplements as more consistent with their values and beliefs. The purpose of this review was to critically evaluate the evidence base for nutritional supplements in the treatment of bipolar depression (BD). A literature search for all randomized, controlled clinical trials using nutritional supplements in the treatment of BD was conducted via PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE computerized database. The studies were organized into essential nutrients/minerals, nonessential nutrients, and combinations of nutritional products. Among essential nutrients/minerals, omega-3-fatty acids (O3FAs) have the strongest evidence of efficacy for bipolar depression, although some studies failed to find positive effects from O3FAs. Weak evidence supports efficacy of vitamin C whereas no data support the usefulness of folic acid and choline. Among nonessential nutrients, cytidine is the least supported treatment. Studies of N-acetylcysteine have not resolved its efficacy in treating acute depressive episodes relative to placebo. However, one study demonstrates its potential to improve depressive symptoms over time and the other, though nonsignificant, suggests it has a prophylactic effect. Studies of inositol have been mostly negative, except for 1 study. Those that were negative were underpowered but demonstrated numerically positive effects for inositol. There is no evidence that citicholine is efficacious for uncomplicated BD depression, though it may have value for comorbid substance abuse among BD patients. Finally, combination O3FA-cytidine lacks evidence of efficacy. The findings of this review do not support the routine use of nutritional supplements in the treatment or prophylaxis of BD depression. Studies with more rigorous designs are required before definitive conclusions can be made. Despite the inadequacy of the existing data, clinicians should remain open to the value of nutritional supplements: after all, lithium is a mineral too.

All studies are not created equal: A systematic narrative review of bipolar depression clinical trial inclusion/exclusion rules and baseline severity scores.

BACKGROUND: Several bipolar depression treatment guidelines have been designed to assist clinicians with medication selection. When ranking medications, none explicitly considered the inclusion/exclusion criteria or baseline severity scores of the reviewed clinical trials. This article aimed to determine if sufficient differences exist in these variables to justify their consideration when designing treatment guidelines. METHODS: Using Ovid and PubMed databases in May and September 2022, all published, short-term cross-over or parallel-group design studies comparing second generation antipsychotics (SGAs), mood stabilizers, or antidepressants versus placebo in bipolar depressed patients were identified. Included studies must have enrolled adult bipolar I/II depressed patients, randomized patients into two or more treatment groups, utilized a double-blind, prospective design written in English, and had primary outcome results that were statistically significant in favor of the investigational treatment. RESULTS: Thirty studies met eligibility criteria, comprising a total of 8791 patients. Among those studies, there were seventeen antipsychotic trials, six lithium trials, one lamotrigine trial, three valproate trials, two carbamazepine trials, and two antidepressant trials. The analysis revealed substantial differences among the studies. Although this was seen among all the different drug classes, these differences are clearest when comparing the lithium trials to those of the SGAs. LIMITATIONS: Limitations included the selection of severity scores from the treatment arm with the most severe score and the exclusive focus on mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and SGAs. CONCLUSIONS: Severity of the enrolled patient sample and treatment-resistance should be considered in addition to other factors when ranking medications in bipolar depression treatment guidelines.

A preliminary descriptive report of the longevity of the effects of Swedish Massage therapy for subjects with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a prevalent and costly disorder, and many patients may prefer non-traditional treatment. A proof-of-concept study demonstrated the efficacy of Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) as a monotherapy for treatment of GAD. Subjects were followed-up 6-12 months after study completion to evaluate post-treatment outcome. METHODS: Subjects were enrolled into a randomized, single-masked clinical trial between March of 2012 and May of 2013. Forty-seven untreated subjects with DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of twice-a-week light touch (LT) followed by 6 weeks of twice-a-week SMT, or 12 weeks of twice-a-week SMT. The primary outcome measure was reduction in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) scores after six weeks of SMT versus LT. Qualifying participants received a follow-up survey to investigate whether the benefits of SMT for GAD were sustained. RESULTS: 28 of 40 subjects completed at least 12 sessions of SMT and were sent the follow-up survey. Of the 19 subjects with follow-up, nine (47%) reported no return of GAD symptoms up to 1 year after study completion. There were no differences between those randomized to 12 weeks SMT and those receiving 6 weeks LT followed by 6 weeks SMT. Of those reporting a return of some symptoms, 50% associated symptom return with a stressful life event. INTERPRETATION: In this first monotherapy trial of SMT for the treatment of GAD, follow-up results suggest that the beneficial effects of SMT may last up to 1 year after end of treatment.