A transdiagnostic group exercise intervention for mental health outpatients in Germany (ImPuls): results of a pragmatic, multisite, block-randomised, phase 3 controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Globally, mental health conditions pose a substantial burden of disease. Despite the availability of evidence-based pharmacological and psychological treatments, the symptoms of a substantial subgroup of patients do not respond to these interventions, and only a minority of patients have access to them. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of ImPuls, a 6-month transdiagnostic group exercise intervention, plus treatment-as-usual, compared with treatment-as-usual alone in outpatients with various mental disorders. METHODS: In this pragmatic, two-arm, multisite, randomised controlled trial in Germany, ten outpatient rehabilitative and medical care facilities were involved as study sites. Participants were outpatients diagnosed according to ICD-10 with one or more of the following disorders based on structured clinical interviews: moderate or severe depression, primary insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, or agoraphobia. Participants were required to be aged between 18 years and 65 years, insured by the health insurers Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse Baden-Württemberg or Techniker Krankenkasse, fluent in German, and without medical contraindications for exercise. Blocks of six participants were randomly allocated to ImPuls plus treatment-as-usual or treatment-as-usual alone (allocation ratio: 1:1), stratified by study site. The randomisation sequence was generated by an external data manager. The team responsible for data collection and management was masked to the randomisation sequence. The ImPuls intervention comprised evidence-based outdoor exercises lasting 30 min, and aimed at achieving at least moderate intensity. It also incorporated behavioural change techniques targeting motivational and volitional determinants of exercise behaviour. Treatment-as-usual was representative of typical outpatient health care in Germany, allowing patients access to any standard treatments. The primary outcome was global symptom severity at 6 months after randomisation, measured using self-report on the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) and analysed in the intention-to-treat sample. No individuals with lived experience of mental illness were involved in conducting the study or writing the final publication. Safety was assessed in all participants. The trial was registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00024152) with a completion date of June 30, 2024. FINDINGS: 600 patients provided informed consent, were recruited to the study, and underwent a diagnostic interview between Jan 1, 2021, and May 31, 2022. Following this, 199 were excluded on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria and one withdrew consent during the baseline assessment. Of the 400 eligible participants, 284 (71%) self-identified as female, 106 (27%) self-identified as male, and nine (2%) self-identified as other. The mean age was 42·20 years (SD 13·23; range 19-65). Ethnicity data were not assessed. 287 (72%) participants met the criteria for moderate or severe depression, 81 (20%) for primary insomnia, 37 (9%) for agoraphobia, 46 (12%) for panic disorder, and 72 (18%) for PTSD. 199 participants were allocated to the intervention group of ImPuls plus treatment-as-usual and 201 to the control group of treatment-as-usual alone. 38 (19%) participants did not receive the minimum ImPuls intervention dose. ImPuls plus treatment-as-usual demonstrated superior efficacy to treatment-as-usual alone in reducing global symptom severity, with an adjusted difference on BSI-18 of 4·11 (95% CI 1·74-6·48; d=0·35 [95% CI 0·14-0·56]; p=0·0007) at 6 months. There were no significant differences in the total number of adverse events or serious adverse events between the two groups. There was one serious adverse event (male, torn ligament) related to the intervention. INTERPRETATION: ImPuls is an efficacious transdiagnostic adjunctive treatment in outpatient mental health care. Our findings suggest that exercise therapy should be implemented in outpatient mental health care as an adjunctive transdiagnostic treatment for mental disorders such as depression, insomnia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and PTSD. Transdiagnostic group exercise interventions might ameliorate the existing disparity in care provision between the many individuals in need of evidence-based treatment and the few who are receiving it. FUNDING: The German Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee of Germany.

Using network models to explore the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and subjective cognitive functioning.

Several studies have identified relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cognitive functioning. Here, we aimed to elucidate the nature of this relationship by investigating cross-sectional associations between subjective cognitive functioning (SCF) and 1) the PTSD sum score, 2) symptom domains, and 3) individual symptoms. We also investigated temporal stability by testing whether results replicated over a 3-year period. We estimated partial correlation networks of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms (at baseline) and SCF (at baseline and follow-up, respectively), using data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS; N = 1484; Mdn = 65 years). The PTSD sum score was negatively associated with SCF. SCF was consistently negatively associated with the PTSD symptom domains 'marked alterations in arousal and reactivity' and 'negative alterations in cognitions and mood', and showed robust relations with the specific symptoms 'having difficulty concentrating' and 'trouble experiencing positive feelings'. Results largely replicated at the 3-year follow-up, suggesting that some PTSD symptoms both temporally precede and are statistically associated with the development or maintenance of reduced SCF. We discuss the importance of examining links between specific PTSD domains and symptoms with SCF-relations obfuscated by focusing on PTSD diagnoses or sum scores-as well as investigating mechanisms underlying these relations. Registration Number: 37069 (https://aspredicted.org/n5sw7.pdf).

Current state of the evidence on community treatments for people with complex emotional needs: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of care in community settings for people with 'Complex Emotional Needs' (CEN-our preferred working term for services for people with a "personality disorder" diagnosis or comparable needs) is recognised internationally as a priority. Plans to improve care should be rooted as far as possible in evidence. We aimed to take stock of the current state of such evidence, and identify significant gaps through a scoping review of published investigations of outcomes of community-based psychosocial interventions designed for CEN. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review with systematic searches. We searched six bibliographic databases, including forward and backward citation searching, and reference searching of relevant systematic reviews. We included studies using quantitative methods to test for effects on any clinical, social, and functioning outcomes from community-based interventions for people with CEN. The final search was conducted in November 2020. RESULTS: We included 226 papers in all (210 studies). Little relevant literature was published before 2000. Since then, publications per year and sample sizes have gradually increased, but most studies are relatively small, including many pilot or uncontrolled studies. Most studies focus on symptom and self-harm outcomes of various forms of specialist psychotherapy: most result in outcomes better than from inactive controls and similar to other specialist psychotherapies. We found large evidence gaps. Adaptation and testing of therapies for significant groups (e.g. people with comorbid psychosis, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance misuse; older and younger groups; parents) have for the most part only reached a feasibility testing stage. We found little evidence regarding interventions to improve social aspects of people's lives, peer support, or ways of designing effective services. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other longer term mental health problems that significantly impair functioning, the evidence base on how to provide high quality care for people with CEN is very limited. There is good evidence that people with CEN can be helped when specialist therapies are available and when they are able to engage with them. However, a much more methodologically robust and substantial literature addressing a much wider range of research questions is urgently needed to optimise treatment and support across this group.

Risk of Suicide Attempt in Patients With Recent Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia.

Importance: Little is known about the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and suicide. Most studies have focused on dementia and suicidal behavior, with inconsistent results. Objectives: To examine the association between diagnoses of MCI and dementia and suicide attempt and explore potential psychiatric moderators and to assess whether the association differs based on recency of diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This nationwide cohort study integrated 5 national databases from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and included all VA medical centers in the US. US veterans 50 years or older with MCI diagnoses at baseline (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2013) or earlier (October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2011) were propensity matched 1:3 with (1) patients with dementia diagnoses and (2) patients without either diagnosis based on demographic characteristics and the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Diagnoses of MCI or dementia were defined as recent if there were no diagnosis codes before baseline. Data were analyzed from March 16, 2020, to January 15, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: Information on suicide attempts through December 31, 2016, provided by the National Suicide Prevention Applications Network (nonfatal) and Mortality Data Repository (fatal). Results: The study population of 147 595 participants included 21 085 patients with MCI, 63 255 with dementia, and 63 255 in the propensity-matched comparison group. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 74.7 (10.3) years, 143 353 (97.1%) were men, 4242 (2.9%) were women, and 127 065 (86.1%) were non-Hispanic White. A total of 138 patients with MCI (0.7%) and 400 patients with dementia (0.6%) attempted suicide during follow-up, compared with 253 patients without MCI or dementia (0.4%). Exploratory analyses revealed that no psychiatric comorbidity moderated the association between MCI or dementia and suicide attempt. After adjustment for demographic details and medical and psychiatric comorbidities, risk of suicide attempt was consistently highest for patients with a recent MCI or dementia diagnosis, with adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.73 (95% CI, 1.34-2.22; P < .001) for recent MCI and 1.44 (95% CI, 1.17-1.77; P = .001) for recent dementia. Risk associated with prior diagnosis was not significant (HR for prior MCI, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.78-1.36; P = .84]; HR for prior dementia, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.95-1.36; P = .15]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that older adults with recent MCI or dementia diagnoses were at increased risk of attempting suicide. These findings suggest that involvement of supportive services at the time of or soon after diagnoses of MCI or dementia may help mitigate risk of suicide attempts.

Post-traumatic stress disorder as a risk factor for dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified as a potential risk factor for developing dementia. There are currently, however, no meta-analyses quantifying this risk. AIMS: To systematically review and quantify the risk of future dementia associated with PTSD across populations. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019130392. METHOD: We searched nine electronic databases up to 25 October 2019 for longitudinal studies assessing PTSD and risk of dementia. We used random- and fixed-effects meta-analyses to pool estimates across studies. RESULTS: PTSD was associated with a significant risk for all-cause dementia: pooled hazard ratio HR = 1.61 (95% CI 1.43-1.81, I2= 85.8%, P < 0.001; n = 1 693 678; 8 studies). Pooled HR was 1.61 (95% CI 1.46-1.78; I2= 80.9%, P < 0.001; n = 905 896; 5 studies) in veterans, and 2.11 (95% CI 1.03-4.33, I2= 91.2%, P < 0.001; n = 787 782; 3 studies) in the general population. The association between PTSD and dementia remained significant after excluding studies with high risk of bias (HR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.39-1.73, I2= 83.9%, P < 0.001; n = 1 684 928; 7 studies). Most studies included were retrospective and there was evidence of high heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first meta-analysis quantifying the association of PTSD and risk of dementia showing that PTSD is a strong and potentially modifiable risk factor for all-cause dementia. Future studies investigating potential causal mechanisms, and the protective value of treating PTSD are needed.

Disrupted joint action accounts for reduced likability of socially anxious individuals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Motivated by their fear of disapproval, individuals with social anxiety continually monitor their own behaviour during social interactions hoping to prevent dreaded negative outcomes. Ironically, they do evoke less positive reactions from others. This study investigated whether lower engagement in the interpersonal process of joint action by socially anxious individuals leads them to attract less positive ratings by their conversation partners. METHOD: High socially anxious (HSA; N = 36) and low socially anxious individuals (LSA; N = 36) had separate conversations with a naïve conversation partner (N = 36). Conversations were filmed and analysed for joint action using the conventional manual way and a more exploratory automated way. Conversation partners rated the quality of the interaction and the person they talked to. RESULTS: Conversation partners rated HSA participants less positively than LSA participants. The conventional manual method showed less joint action in conversations with LSA participants and crucially, joint action served as mediator between social anxiety status and general impression, quality of interaction and desire to meet again. These results were not replicated with the automated method. LIMITATIONS: The study used an analogue sample and future research should investigate whether these findings also apply to a clinical sample. Future studies should further explore the utility of automated techniques to measure joint action. CONCLUSION: Reduced joint action may explain why socially anxious individuals tend to be perceived less positively by others. The findings emphasise the importance of taking an interpersonal and holistic approach to understanding aspects of social anxiety disorder.