Primary care and suicidality among psychiatric outpatients: The patient-doctor relationship matters.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between the quality of the Patient-Doctor Relationship and suicidality among patients seeking mental health care; specifically, whether patients who perceive having a more positive relationship with primary care physician will have lower levels of suicidality. METHOD: Cross-sectional population-based study in Greater Vancouver, Canada. One-hundred ninety-seven participants were recruited from three Mental Health Clinics who reported having a primary care physician. Participants completed a survey containing questions regarding items assessing quality of Patient-Doctor Relationship, general psychiatric distress (K10), borderline personality disorder, and suicidality (Suicidal Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised-SBQ-R). Zero-order correlations were computed to evaluate relationships between study variables. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to control for confounding variables. RESULTS: The quality of the patient doctor relationship was significantly negatively associated with suicidality. The association between the quality of the patient-doctor relationship and suicidality remained significant even after controlling for the effects of psychiatric symptom distress and borderline personality disorder features. CONCLUSIONS: The degree to which patients' perceive their primary care physician as understanding, reliable, and dedicated, is associated with a reduction in suicidal behaviors. Further research is needed to better explicate the mechanisms of this relationship over time.

The Hotel Study-Clinical and Health Service Effectiveness in a Cohort of Homeless or Marginally Housed Persons.

OBJECTIVE: The Hotel Study was initiated in Vancouver's Downtown East Side (DTES) neighborhood to investigate multimorbidity in homeless or marginally housed people. We evaluated the clinical effectiveness of existing, illness-specific treatment strategies and assessed the effectiveness of health care delivery for multimorbid illnesses. METHOD: For context, we mapped the housing locations of patients presenting for 552,062 visits to the catchment hospital emergency department (2005-2013). Aggregate data on 22,519 apprehensions of mentally ill people were provided by the Vancouver Police Department (2009-2015). The primary strategy was a longitudinal cohort study of 375 people living in the DTES (2008-2015). We analysed mortality and evaluated the clinical and health service delivery effectiveness for infection with human immunodeficiency virus or hepatitis C virus, opioid dependence, and psychosis. RESULTS: Mapping confirmed the association between poverty and greater number of emergency visits related to substance use and mental illness. The annual change in police apprehensions did not differ between the DTES and other policing districts. During 1581 person-years of cohort observation, the standardized mortality ratio was 8.43 (95% confidence interval, 6.19 to 11.50). Physician visits were common (84.3% of participants over 6 months). Clinical treatment effectiveness was highest for HIV/AIDS, intermediate for opioid dependence, and lowest for psychosis. Health service delivery mechanisms provided examples of poor access, poor treatment adherence, and little effect on multimorbid illnesses. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical effectiveness was variable, and illness-specific service delivery appeared to have little effect on multimorbidity. New models of care may need to be implemented.

A case of pseudo-Stauffer's syndrome related to asenapine use.

The authors present a case of suspected pseudo-Stauffer's syndrome in a male with treatment refractory schizoaffective disorder following asenapine use. We discuss our management of this case, and believe knowing about this potential adverse effect and it's management could be useful for clinicians.

Mortality from treatable illnesses in marginally housed adults: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Socially disadvantaged people experience greater risk for illnesses that may contribute to premature death. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of treatable illnesses on mortality among adults living in precarious housing. DESIGN: A prospective cohort based in a community sample. SETTING: A socially disadvantaged neighbourhood in Vancouver, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Adults (N=371) living in single room occupancy hotels or recruited from the Downtown Community Court and followed for median 3.8 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were assessed for physical and mental illnesses for which treatment is currently available. We compared cohort mortality rates with 2009 Canadian rates. Left-truncated Cox proportional hazards modelling with age as the time scale was used to assess risk factors for earlier mortality. RESULTS: During 1269 person-years of observation, 31/371 (8%) of participants died. Compared with age-matched and sex-matched Canadians, the standardised mortality ratio was 8.29 (95% CI 5.83 to 11.79). Compared with those that had cleared the virus, active hepatitis C infection was a significant predictor for hepatic fibrosis adjusting for alcohol dependence and age (OR=2.96, CI 1.37 to 7.08). Among participants <55 years of age, psychosis (HR=8.12, CI 1.55 to 42.47) and hepatic fibrosis (HR=13.01, CI 3.56 to 47.57) were associated with earlier mortality. Treatment rates for these illnesses were low (psychosis: 32%, hepatitis C virus: 0%) compared with other common disorders (HIV: 57%, opioid dependence: 61%) in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic fibrosis and psychosis are associated with increased mortality in people living in marginal conditions. Timely diagnosis and intervention could reduce the high mortality in marginalised inner city populations.

Occurrence of Postictal α/ß Activity During Maintenance Course of Electroconvulsive Therapy.

We are aware of a report of postictal α activity after seizures in Epilepsy and Behavior. We would like to report another case of a similar phenomenon in a woman receiving maintenance electroconvulsive therapy.