Digital psychiatry in low-and-middle-income countries: New developments and the way forward.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the greater share of the global mental health burden but are ill-equipped to deal with it because of severe resource constraints leading to a large treatment gap. The remote provision of mental health services by digital means can effectively augment conventional services in LMICs to reduce the treatment gap. Digital psychiatry in LMICs has always lagged behind high-income countries, but there have been encouraging developments in the last decade. There is increasing research on the efficacy of digital psychiatric interventions. However, the evidence is not adequate to conclude that digital psychiatric interventions are invariably effective in LMICs. A striking development has been the rise in mobile and smartphone ownership in LMICs, which has driven the increasing use of mobile technologies to deliver mental health services. An innovative use of mobile technologies has been to optimize task-shifting, which involves delivering mental healthcare services in community settings using non-specialist health professionals. Emerging evidence from LMICs shows that it is possible to use digital tools to train non-specialist workers effectively and ensure that the psychosocial interventions they deliver are efficacious. Despite these promising developments, many barriers such as service costs, underdeveloped infrastructure, lack of trained professionals, and significant disparities in access to digital services impede the progress of digital psychiatry in LMICs. To overcome these barriers, digital psychiatric services in LMICs should address contextual factors influencing the delivery of digital services, ensure collaboration between different stakeholders, and focus on reducing the digital divide.

Does the Etiology, Phenomenology and Motor Subtype of Delirium Differ When It Occurs in Patients With An Underlying Dementia?: A Multi-Site, International Study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the etiology, phenomenology and motor subtype of delirium in patients with and without an underlying dementia. METHODS: A combined dataset (n = 992) was collated from two databases of older adults (>65 years) from liaison psychiatry and palliative care populations in Ireland and India. Phenomenology and severity of delirium were analysed using the Delirium Symptom Rating Scale Revised (DRS-R98) and contributory etiologies for the delirium groups were ascertained using the Delirium Etiology Checklist (DEC). Delirium motor subtype was documented using the abbreviated version of the Delirium Motor Subtype Scale (DMSS4). RESULTS: Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) showed greater impairment in short term memory, long term memory and visuospatial ability than the delirium group but showed significantly less perceptual disturbance, temporal onset and fluctuation. Systemic infection, cerebrovascular and other Central nervous system etiology were associated with DSD while metabolic disturbance, organ insufficiency and intracranial neoplasm were associated with the delirium only group. CONCLUSION: The etiology and phenomenology of delirium differs when it occurs in the patient with an underlying dementia. We discuss the implications in terms of identification and management of this complex condition.

Clinician Reasons for Stopping Clozapine: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on clozapine discontinuation rates in developing country settings. AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the incidence and reasons clinicians stopped clozapinine in patients after initiating treatment with the same. In addition, the study also aimed to assess the rechallenge rate, that is, restarting clozapine after a decision to discontinue the same by the clinicians. METHODOLOGY: The treatment records of 859 patients started on clozapine were reviewed to identify the patients for whom the clinician stopped clozapine at least once because of any reason. The reasons for stopping clozapine were reviewed. In addition, the treatment records were also examined for rechallenge with clozapine at a later date. RESULTS: Clozapine was stopped by the clinicians in 44 of the 859 patients (5.12%). The most common reason for stopping clozapine was blood dyscrasias (n = 12), followed by poor adherence making the hematological monitoring difficult (n = 9), and intolerable sedation (n = 7). In half of the patients (n = 22), clozapine was restarted by the clinicians for further management of schizophrenia. Successful rechallenge was done in 58.33% of patients with blood dyscrasias, 44.44% with poor adherence, and 71.4% with intolerable sedation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests clinicians stop clozapine in only 5.14% of cases. The most common reasons for clozapine discontinuation by clinicians include blood dyscrasias, poor medication adherence making it challenging to monitor the hemogram, and sedation. However, in half of the patient's clozapine was rechallenged, and all the attempts of rechallenging were successful.

Role of adjunctive nonpharmacological strategies for treatment of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder.

Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder (RCBD) is a phase of bipolar disorder defined by the presence of ≥ 4 mood episodes in a year. It is a common phenomenon characterized by greater severity, a predominance of depression, higher levels of disability, and poorer overall outcomes. It is resistant to treatment by conventional pharmacotherapy. The existing literature underlines the scarcity of evi-dence and the gaps in knowledge about the optimal treatment strategies for RCBD. However, most reviews have considered only pharmacological treatment options for RCBD. Given the treatment-refractory nature of RCBD, nonpharmacological interventions could augment medications but have not been adequately examined. This review carried out an updated and comprehensive search for evidence regarding the role of nonpharmacological therapies as adjuncts to medications in RCBD. We identified 83 reviews and meta-analyses concerning the treatment of RCBD. Additionally, we found 42 reports on adjunctive nonpharmacological treatments in RCBD. Most of the evidence favoured concomitant electroconvulsive therapy as an acute and maintenance treatment. There was pre-liminary evidence to suggest that chronotherapeutic treatments can provide better outcomes when combined with medications. The research on adjunctive psychotherapy was particularly scarce but suggested that psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy, family interventions, and supportive psychotherapy may be helpful. The overall quality of evidence was poor and suffered from several methodological shortcomings. There is a need for more methodologically sound research in this area, although clinicians can use the existing evidence to select and individualize nonpharmacological treatment options for better management of RCBD. Patient summaries are included to highlight some of the issues concerning the implementation of adjunctive nonpharmacological treatments.

The clinical profile and outcome of patients receiving continuation electroconvulsive therapy (C-ECT): A retrospective study.

Background: There is a lack of data on the use of continuation electroconvulsive therapy (C-ECT) from India. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical profile and outcome of patients receiving C-ECT. Materials and Methods: The ECT register was used to identify patients receiving C-ECT (ECT after completion of an acute course, to maintain remission or prevent relapse) from 2011 to July 2022. Socio-demographic, clinical, and treatment outcome details were extracted from their treatment records. Results: A total of 72 C-ECT courses were identified that were used in 60 patients. Out of all the patients receiving ECT, only 3.25% of patients receive C-ECT. The majority of the patients were male (60%). The mean age of the patients at the time of starting ECT was around 39 years. The most common diagnosis was schizophrenia (73.3%), followed by recurrent depressive disorder (21.6%). The most common indication was persistent psychotic symptoms poorly responding to multiple antipsychotic trials of 3.09 (SD: 1.39), including clozapine. These patients received a mean of 22.58 (SD: 8.05; range: 10 to 46) ECTs, with 10.0 (SD: 4.83) ECTs for the management of the acute phase of illness and 12.57 (SD: 6.20) ECTs as part of continuation treatment. The majority (61.1%) of the patients received four (once weekly) C-ECTs in the first month, followed by three more in the next month. However, 16 patients received weekly ECTs during the second month too, as symptoms worsened with the lowering of frequencies. Twelve patients received more than one C-ECT course. The majority of the patients maintained the improvement gained during the acute phase or showed further improvement with C-ECT along with ongoing pharmacotherapy as rated on appropriate scales. The Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) difference before and after C-ECTs was 2.94 (SD: 0.88). Conclusions: C-ECT is considered in only in a small proportion of patients. However, when used, it is effective in maintaining the benefits gained during the acute course of ECT and preventing relapse.

Dropout rates and reasons for dropout among patients receiving clozapine.

Background and Aim: The present study aimed to assess the treatment dropout rates, reasons for treatment dropout, and clozapine discontinuation rate among patients attending a tertiary care center in North India. Materials and Methods: Clozapine data bank was used to identify patients on clozapine, and their treatment records were reviewed for the period Jan 2020-March 2020. Patients who did not follow-up at least once in the last 6 months were considered to have dropped out and were contacted telephonically to understand the reasons for dropout. Treatment records of those following up regularly were reviewed to check if clozapine was discontinued and if so, the reason for the same was evaluated. Results: Out of 671 patients on clozapine, 495 (73.8%) were still on regular follow-up and the remaining 176 (26.2%) had dropped out of treatment. Out of the 176 patients who had dropped out of treatment, 84 could be contacted. Common reasons for dropout were long distance from the hospital (n = 27), long waiting time for consultation (n = 8), no benefit with treatment (n = 17), side effects with medication (n = 10), moving away to another place (n = 6), refusal by the patient to follow-up (n = 7), patient improved and so did not feel the need to continue treatment (n = 7), and other reasons (n = 37). Conclusion: About one-fourth of patients who had started treatment with clozapine dropped out from the treatment. The most common reasons for dropout from treatment included long distance from the hospital and no benefit from treatment.

Development of a protocol for videoconferencing-based exposure and response prevention treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The existing literature indicates that psychotherapeutic treatment, especially exposure and response prevention (ERP) is efficacious in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic adversely impacted many patients with OCD and disrupted their usual treatment. Moreover, the pandemic forced a global switch to telemental health (TMH) services to maintain the standards and continuity of care. Consequently, clinicians are increasingly using TMH-based psychotherapeutic treatments to treat OCD. However, several challenges have made it difficult for them to implement these treatments in the changed circumstances imposed by the pandemic. AIM: To describe the formulation, implementation, feasibility, and usefulness of videoconferencing-based ERP (VC-ERP) treatment for OCD during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: This prospective, observational study was conducted in the psychiatric unit of a multi-specialty hospital in north India over 12 mo (July 2020-June 2021). All patients with OCD were assessed using the home-based TMH services of the department. The VC-ERP protocol for OCD was the outcome of weekly Zoom meetings with a group of clinicians involved in administering the treatment. After a systematic evaluation of the available treatment options, an initial protocol for delivering VC-ERP was developed. Guidelines for clinicians and educational materials for patients and their families were prepared. The protocol was implemented among patients with OCD attending the TMH services, and their progress was monitored. The weekly meetings were used to upgrade the protocol to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Feasibility and efficacy outcomes were examined. RESULTS: All patients were diagnosed with OCD as a primary or a comorbid condition according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th version criteria. Out of 115 patients who attended the services during the study period, 37 were excluded from the final analysis. Of the remaining 78 patients, VC-ERP was initiated in 43 patients. Six patients dropped out, and three were hospitalized for inpatient ERP. Eleven patients have completed the full VC-ERP treatment. One patient completed the psychoeducation part of the protocol. VC-ERP is ongoing in 22 patients. The protocol for VC-ERP treatment was developed and upgraded online. A large proportion of the eligible patients (n = 34/43; 79%) actively engaged in the VC-ERP treatment. Drop-out rates were low (n = 6/43; 14%). Satisfaction with the treatment was adequate among patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Apart from hospitalization in 3 patients, there were no other adverse events. Hybrid care and stepped care approaches could be incorporated into the VC-ERP protocol. Therefore, the feasibility of VC-ERP treatment in terms of operational viability, service utilization, service engagement, need for additional in-person services, frequency of adverse events, and user satisfaction was adequate. The VC-ERP treatment was found to be efficacious in the 11 patients who had completed the full treatment. Significant reductions in symptoms and maintenance of treatment gains on follow-up were observed. CONCLUSION: This study provided preliminary evidence for the feasibility and usefulness of VC-ERP in the treatment of OCD. The results suggest that VC-ERP can be a useful option in resource-constrained settings.

Detecting medication non-adherence in schizophrenia: A comparison of different methods among outpatients from a North Indian center.

Background: The rates of medication non-adherence among Indian patients with schizophrenia are high, and its detection poses problems. Comparisons of suitable measures to detect medication non-adherence in schizophrenia from Indian outpatient settings are scarce. Aim: This study compared simple and inexpensive methods of detecting medication non-adherence in schizophrenia among outpatients from a tertiary-care center in North India. Materials and Method: A longitudinal comparison of two self-reports, the Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire and the Drug Attitude Inventory-10, clinicians' ratings employing the Compliance Rating Scale, and clinic-based pill counts was conducted among 70 outpatients with schizophrenia. The rates and detection of medication non-adherence, associations with determinants of treatment non-adherence, and agreement between measures were examined at intake and after six months of follow-up (n = 53). Results: The self-reports had greater ability to detect medication adherence (specificity 41-65%; positive predictive values 25-51%; negative likelihood ratios 0.86-1.14) and moderate ability to detect medication non-adherence (sensitivity 27-65%; negative predictive values 49-69%; positive likelihood ratios 0.78-1.10). They yielded higher medication non-adherence rates, detected changes in medication non-adherence over time, and were associated with the other measures and the well-known correlates of medication non-adherence. Clinicians' ratings and pill counts had high sensitivity (56-90%) but low specificity (35-49%) to detect medication non-adherence. Conclusion: Self-reports are comparatively better screening options for detecting medication non-adherence among Indian outpatients with schizophrenia. However, the sequential use of different measures could lead to better recognition of medication non-adherence.

Experience with and attitude toward clozapine use among patients receiving clozapine on long term and their caregivers.

Background: Despite clozapine being the gold standard for treating patients suffering from treatment-resistant schizophrenia, the experience and attitude of patients receiving clozapine for a long duration and their caregivers have not been evaluated, especially in India and other low-middle-income countries. Also, no standardized scale has been validated for such assessment. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the perception regarding clozapine among patients and their caregivers. We also attempted to evaluate the factor structure of the scale for such assessment. Methods: A total of 172 consenting patients who have been receiving clozapine for ≥1 year and their caregivers were evaluated on self-designed questionnaires (patient and caregiver versions containing 44 and 47 items, respectively) to assess various aspects of their experiences about clozapine use. Results: A majority (70-80%) of patients and caregivers reported improvement in psychotic symptoms, mood symptoms, and overall functioning with starting of clozapine. However, about 40% of the patients reported cognitive side effects, and 20-25% reported disabling side effects like lethargy, forgetfulness and decreased attention, and distress related to blood testing after starting of clozapine. Factor analysis of the questionnaires yielded five- and seven-factor models for the experience and attitude of the patients and the caregivers, respectively. The positive experiences were associated clinical and functional improvement, lower disability, and improvement in functioning as well as the self-reported perceived improvement by the patient and caregiver. Conclusion: This study suggests that patients tend to have an overall positive experience and attitude about using clozapine. The caregivers also report the beneficial effect on the caregiving. A good level of agreement was seen between the experience of patients, caregivers, and clinician-rated improvement in the psychopathology and functioning.

Course and outcome of bipolar I disorder among Indian patients: A retrospective life-chart study.

Background: Indian studies on the course and outcome of bipolar disorder (BD) are scarce and their methodologies vary. Nevertheless, differences from Western ones have been noted. Methods: A systematic random sample of 200 patients with BD attending a general hospital psychiatric unit was chosen. They were assessed using the clinician and self-rated versions of the National Institute of Mental Health-Retrospective Life Charts, the lifetime version of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, the Medication Adherence Questionnaire, the Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale, and the Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale. Results: The mean age of onset of BD was 26 years. About 11%-13% of the illness was spent in acute episodes, mostly in depression (60%). Episode frequency was 0.4-0.6 annually. The first episode was more likely to be manic, and manic episodes outnumbered depressive episodes. The average duration of episodes was 3 months. Depressive episodes were longer and the time spent in depression was greater than mania. Psychotic symptoms (48%), a mania-depression-interval pattern (61%), and recurrent mania (19%) were common while rapid cycling and seasonal patterns were uncommon. Comorbidity (40%), functional impairment (77%), and lifetime nonadherence (58%) were high, whereas lifetime suicide attempts (16%) were low. Stressful life events were very common prior to episodes (80%), particularly early in the illness. Conclusion: This study suggests differences between Indian and Western patients in the demographic profile and the course and outcome of BD. A more benign presentation in the current study including Indian studies is indicated by their later age of presentation and illness onset, higher rates of marriage, education, and employment, a mania predominant course, lower rates of rapid cycling, comorbidity, and suicidal attempts. Factors associated with better outcomes such as longer time to recurrence, Manic Depressive pattern of illness, and low rates of hospitalizations also appear to be commoner in our study and also in other Indian studies.

Bipolar disorder in the International Classification of Diseases-Eleventh version: A review of the changes, their basis, and usefulness.

The World Health Organization's 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) including the chapter on mental disorders has come into effect this year. This review focuses on the "Bipolar or Related Disorders" section of the ICD-11 draft. It describes the benchmarks for the new version, particularly the foremost principle of clinical utility. The alterations made to the diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) are evaluated on their scientific basis and clinical utility. The change in the diagnostic requirements for manic and hypomanic episodes has been much debated. Whether the current criteria have achieved an optimum balance between sensitivity and specificity is still not clear. The ICD-11 definition of depressive episodes is substantially different, but the lack of empirical support for the changes has meant that the reliability and utility of bipolar depression are relatively low. Unlike the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), the ICD-11 has retained the category of mixed episodes. Although the concept of mixed episodes in the ICD-11 is not perfect, it appears to be more inclusive than the DSM-5 approach. Additionally, there are some uncertainties about the guidelines for the subtypes of BD and cyclothymic disorder. The initial results on the reliability and clinical utility of BD are promising, but the newly created diagnostic categories also appear to have some limitations. Although further improvement and research are needed, the focus should now be on facing the challenges of implementation, dissemination, and education and training in the use of these guidelines.

The Combination of Thought-Stopping And Exposure and Response Prevention in the Treatment of Predominant Obsessions: A Case Report.

The behavioral technique of thought-stopping is no longer used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) because of its ineffectiveness and concerns about the detrimental effects of thought suppression. However, it can be effective when used as a part of exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment in those with predominant obsessions without overt compulsions. We present the case of a female with long-standing medication-resistant obsessions without compulsions. The combination of thought-stopping, ERP, and simple techniques to address neutralization and dysfunctional cognitions was effective in reducing her symptoms. Treatment gains were maintained for two years. The successful treatment of this patient with a combination of thought-stopping with ERP suggests that it might be worthwhile to examine the effectiveness of this integrated treatment in properly controlled trials of patients with predominant obsessions.

Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder and their impact on the illness: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Lifetime psychotic symptoms are present in over half of the patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and can have an adverse effect on its course, outcome, and treatment. However, despite a considerable amount of research, the impact of psychotic symptoms on BD remains unclear, and there are very few systematic reviews on the subject. AIM: To examine the extent of psychotic symptoms in BD and their impact on several aspects of the illness. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines were followed. An electronic literature search of six English-language databases and a manual search was undertaken to identify published articles on psychotic symptoms in BD from January 1940 to December 2021. Combinations of the relevant Medical Subject Headings terms were used to search for these studies. Articles were selected after a screening phase, followed by a review of the full texts of the articles. Assessment of the methodological quality of the studies and the risk of bias was conducted using standard tools. RESULTS: This systematic review included 339 studies of patients with BD. Lifetime psychosis was found in more than a half to two-thirds of the patients, while current psychosis was found in a little less than half of them. Delusions were more common than hallucinations in all phases of BD. About a third of the patients reported first-rank symptoms or mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms, particularly during manic episodes. Psychotic symptoms were more frequent in bipolar type I compared to bipolar type II disorder and in mania or mixed episodes compared to bipolar depression. Although psychotic symptoms were not more severe in BD, the severity of the illness in psychotic BD was consistently greater. Psychosis was usually associated with poor insight and a higher frequency of agitation, anxiety, and hostility but not with psychiatric comorbidity. Psychosis was consistently linked with increased rates and the duration of hospitalizations, switching among patients with depression, and poorer outcomes with mood-incongruent symptoms. In contrast, psychosis was less likely to be accompanied by a rapid-cycling course, longer illness duration, and heightened suicidal risk. There was no significant impact of psychosis on the other parameters of course and outcome. CONCLUSION: Though psychotic symptoms are very common in BD, they are not always associated with an adverse impact on BD and its course and outcome.

Sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients receiving disability certificates for psychiatric disorders: An Indian Psychiatric Society Multicentric study.

Aim: To study the sociodemographic and clinical profile of subjects receiving disability certificates (DCs) issued for psychiatric disorders across multiple centres in India. Materials and Methods: Eleven centres, including ten government and one non-governmental organization spread across the country, participated in the study. Data on the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients who were issued DC in the calendar year 2019 were collected on a proforma designed for the study. Results: Overall, 2018 patients were issued DC for various psychiatric disorders across 11 centres in 2019. The number of certificates issued across different centres varied from 34 to 622. In terms of diagnostic profile, intellectual disability accounted for most of the certificates issued. In terms of psychiatric diagnosis, schizophrenia was the most common psychiatric diagnosis, followed by bipolar disorder, for which a DC was issued. When the diagnosis was considered, centre wise, intellectual disability (6 centres), mental illness (MI; 4 centres), and autism and specific learning disability (1 centre) accounted for the most DCs issued. Schizophrenia (9 centres), bipolar affective disorder (1 centre), and dementia (1 centre) were the most common MI for which DC was issued. Across centres, more than two-thirds of DC were issued to males. Conclusion: There is a wide variation in the number and clinical profile of DC issued across centres.

Home-based telemental health services for Indian patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparison with the pre-COVID phase.

Background: Many developed countries have switched from conventional outpatient psychiatric services to tele mental health-based alternatives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, similar transitions might be difficult for countries like India because of a shortage of necessary resources. Therefore, the feasibility and acceptability of converting to a home-based tele mental health (HB-TMH) service during the pandemic were examined in an Indian hospital. Materials and Methods: A new and expanded version of an HB-TMH service was operated for all outpatients following the onset of the pandemic. Feasibility outcomes included operational viability, service utilization, service engagement, the need for additional in-person services, and the frequency of adverse events. Patients' and clinicians' satisfaction with different aspects of the service were evaluated using Likert-style questionnaires to ascertain acceptability. The outcomes during the prepandemic and pandemic phases were also compared. Results: The switch to HB-TMH services took 6 weeks during the pandemic. Patient numbers increased greatly following this transition. Attendance improved, the requirement for in-person services was low, and no serious adverse events were reported. However, patients' satisfaction levels were relatively low during the pandemic. Clinicians were more satisfied than the patients with HB-TMH treatment during the pandemic. Differences between them were less marked but still present before the pandemic. Pre- and postpandemic comparisons revealed that both patients and clinicians were more satisfied with all aspects of HB-TMH care before the pandemic than during it. Conclusions: Though conversion to HB-TMH services was feasible during the pandemic, such services need to be improved to enhance patient acceptability.

Composition of treatment alliance in bipolar disorder: A cross-sectional study of patients' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Treatment alliance has an impact on several key patient outcomes in all psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder (BD). It has been suggested that the construct of treatment alliance is different among patients from routine psychiatric settings compared to psychotherapeutic settings. However, research on the composition of treatment alliance in psychiatric disorders, such as BD, is relatively limited. AIM: To determine whether a broader construct of treatment alliance was prevalent among outpatients with BD. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted in the psychiatric unit of a multi-specialty hospital in north India over 12 mo (September 2018 to September 2019). A consecutive sample of 160 remitted adult outpatients with BD on mood stabilizers for at least a year were selected. The principal instrument to assess treatment alliance was the Working Alliance Inventory-client version (WAI-Client). Other potential constituents of the alliance explored were perceived trust in clinicians assessed by the Trust in Physicians (TRIP) scale, perceived support from clinicians assessed by the Psychosocial Care by Physicians (PCP) scale, and perceived treatment satisfaction assessed by the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). Associations between scores on all scales were determined by correlational and multiple regression analyses. Exploratory factor analysis of combined items of all scales was conducted using a principal components analysis. RESULTS: Scores on all the three WAI-Client subscales were significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.66-0.81; P < 0.0001). The total TRIP scores were associated with the total WAI-Client scores (r = 0.28; P < 0.01). The total TRIP scores and the total PCP scores were also significantly associated with the WAI-Client scores on the Task subscale (r = 0.28-0.29; P < 0.01). The total TRIP scores were significantly associated with the total PSQ scores (r = 0.45; P < 0.0001). Factor analysis yielded two independent and coherent factors, which explained 69% of the variance in data. Factor-1 ("alliance and support"), which explained about 41% of the variance, was comprised of a combined WAI-Client goal-task-bond component as well as the PCP support items. Factor-2 ("trust and satisfaction"), which explained about 28% of the variance, consisted of all the TRIP trust and the PSQ treatment satisfaction items. CONCLUSION: A broader construct of treatment alliance in BD was found. Apart from collaborative components, this construct included patients' perceptions regarding trust in clinicians, support from clinicians, and treatment satisfaction.

Suicidal behavior in new patients presenting to the Telepsychiatry services in a Tertiary Care center: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to expansion of telepsychiatry services and formulation of telemedicine guidelines. However, the telemedicine guidelines are not very clear about psychiatric emergencies, such as suicidal behaviour, resulting in psychiatrists facing dilemma about handling such situations. AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of suicidal behaviour in new patients presenting to the Telepsychiatry services in a Tertiary Care centre. METHODS: 1065 new adult patients (aged > 18 years) registered with telepsychiatry services were assessed for suicidal behaviour, in the form of death wishes, suicidal ideations, plans, attempts (lifetime/recent) and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour (NSSI) (lifetime/recent). RESULTS: In terms of suicidal behaviour, in the last few weeks prior to assessment 14.4% of the patients had death wishes, 2.4% had thoughts of killing themselves, 0.9% had attempted suicide in the lifetime and 0.6% in the last few weeks, 1.1% had active suicidal ideations at the time of assessment, 0.6% had active suicidal plan, 1.3% had history of NSSI in the lifetime and 0.5% had NSSI behaviour in the last few weeks. Based on the current suicidal behaviour, 1.3% of the patients were asked to report to the emergency immediately, 0.5% were given an appointment within 72 h for follow-up, and 14.4% were explained high risk management. CONCLUSIONS: Overall prevalence of suicidal behavior is relatively low in new patients seeking psychiatric help through telepsychiatry services.

Factors Associated With Poor Response to Clozapine in Schizophrenia: A Study From Northern India.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Limited numbers of studies have assessed the predictors of clozapine nonresponse. This study aimed to assess the demographic and clinical factors associated with an inadequate response to clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). METHODS/PROCEDURES: Two hundred eighty-seven outpatients with TRS receiving clozapine for more than 1 year were divided into 2 groups based on the need for a second antipsychotic medication and/or electroconvulsive therapy after receiving clozapine in the maximum tolerable dose for at least 3 months. RESULTS/FINDINGS: One hundred two patients (35.4%) were considered to be clozapine nonresponders. Compared with responders, clozapine nonresponders were more often unemployed at the time of starting clozapine (P = 0.04), had a longer duration of untreated psychosis (P = 0.007), had received significantly higher number of adequate antipsychotic trials in the past (P = 0.02), had received antipsychotic polypharmacy in the past (P = 0.01), had experienced adverse effects with first- (P < 0.001) and second-generation antipsychotics (P = 0.01), and had more medical comorbidities (P = 0.03). The nonresponders more frequently had visual hallucinations (P = 0.001), and feelings/acts or impulses attributed to some external source (P = 0.03) in the lifetime, and had a significantly higher Clinical Global Impression severity score at the time of starting of clozapine (P < 0.001). While on clozapine, nonresponders received significantly higher dose of clozapine (P = 0.001) and higher proportion of them experienced constipation (P = 0.04), hypersalivation (P = 0.002), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (P = 0.05) as adverse effects of clozapine. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The present study shows that approximately one-third of patients with TRS do not respond to clozapine. However, clozapine nonresponders, although broadly similar in sociodemographic profile to clozapine responders, differ from clozapine responders on past treatment profile.

Identifying Poor Adherence in Outpatients with Bipolar Disorder: A Comparison of Different Measures.

Objective Unlike schizophrenia, comparisons of different methods of estimating inadequate adherence in bipolar disorder (BD) are scarce. This study compared four methods of identifying inadequate adherence among outpatients with BD. Materials and Methods Two self-reports, the Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ) and the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10), clinician ratings employing the Compliance Rating Scale (CRS), mood-stabilizer levels, and clinic-based pill counts were compared at intake in 106 outpatients with BD and after 6 months of follow-up ( n = 75). Statistical Analysis Rates of nonadherence were determined for each method. The ability to detect inadequate adherence was based on sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR positive and LR negative). Correlation coefficients and Cohen's kappa values were used to determine the agreement between measures. Correlation coefficients were also used to evaluate the determinants of inadequate adherence Results The MAQ and the DAI-10 (cut-off score of two) yielded higher rates of nonadherence (35-47%) than the other methods. They were better at detecting adherence (specificity, 34-42%; PPV, 40-44%; and LR negative, 0.70-0.96) than other measures and had moderate ability to identify nonadherence compared with them (sensitivity, 63-73%; NPV, 54-70%; and LR positive, 1.02-1.16). They were associated with several established predictors of nonadherence. The MAQ and DAI-10 scores and the MAQ and CRS scores were modestly correlated. Multivariate analysis showed that 20% of the variance in the DAI-10 scores was explained by the MAQ scores. Despite their low yield, serum levels had a high sensitivity (88%) and higher accuracy (55%) in identifying inadequate adherence. CRS ratings and pill counts had high sensitivity but low specificity to detect inadequate adherence. Conclusion Self-reports appeared to be the most efficient method of ascertaining inadequate adherence among outpatients with BD. However, since none of the measures were adequate by themselves, a combination of different measures is more likely to maximize the chances of identifying inadequate adherence among these patients.