ABSTRACT
The impact of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in the United States is unprecedented, with unknown implications for the autism community. We surveyed 3502 parents/caregivers of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enrolled in Simons Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK) and found that most individuals with ASD experienced significant, ongoing disruptions to therapies. While some services were adapted to telehealth format, most participants were not receiving such services at follow-up, and those who were reported minimal benefit. Children under age five had the most severely disrupted services and lowest reported benefit of telehealth adaptation. Caregivers also reported worsening ASD symptoms and moderate family distress. Strategies to support the ASD community should be immediately developed and implemented.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic Disorder , COVID-19 , Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy , Caregivers , Child , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesABSTRACT
The assessment of adverse effects of psychiatric medications is important in clinical and research settings because they are often associated with medication discontinuation, symptom exacerbation, and reduced quality of life. Currently available assessment tools are either limited with regard to the number and variety of included adverse effects or are not practical for use in most clinical or research settings owing to specialized rater training required and administration length. This report describes a modification of the Monitoring of Side Effects Scale (MOSES), an established adverse effect rating scale, by adding severity anchors to improve its reliability and ease of use. Interrater reliability was good for 7 of the 8 bodily adverse effects assessed, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.91 in a sample of patients with severe mental illness. This modified version of the Monitoring of Side Effects Scale holds promise as a useful tool for assessing medication adverse effects in clinical and research settings.
Subject(s)
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/diagnosis , Observer Variation , Psychotropic Drugs/adverse effects , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/drug therapy , Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The study compared delays in seeking general medical care among adults with serious mental illness and a general population sample. Associations of delays with health status and use of emergency department services among individuals with serious mental illness were also assessed. METHODS: Data for 271 persons with serious mental illness (clinic sample) and 40,016 participants in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS sample) were compared. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of the clinic sample and 13% of the NHIS sample reported delays, most because of difficulties accessing services. In the clinic sample, delays were associated with receipt of routine care at a public clinic, rather than a physician's office; more severe depressive symptoms; and functional difficulties. Delays were also associated with poorer health status and use of emergency department services. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of services as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act and targeted case management may reduce delays among individuals with serious mental illness.