Tobacco smoking and nicotine vaping in persons with first episode psychosis.

Tobacco smoking is highly prevalent in persons with psychosis and is the leading cause of preventable mortality in this population. Less is known about tobacco smoking in persons with first episode psychosis (FEP) and there have been no estimates about the prevalence of nicotine vaping in FEP. This study reports rates of tobacco smoking and nicotine vaping in young people with FEP enrolled in Coordinated Specialty Care programs in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Using data collected from 2021 to 2023, we examined lifetime and recent smoking and vaping and compared smokers and vapers to nonusers on symptoms, functioning, and substance use. The sample included 445 participants aged 13-35 with recent psychosis onset. Assessments were collected by program staff. Overall, 28 % of participants engaged in either smoking or vaping within 30 days of the admission assessment. Smokers and vapers were disproportionately male, cannabis users, and had lower negative symptom severity than non-smokers. Vapers had higher role and social functioning. Both smoking and vaping were related to a longer time from psychosis onset to program enrollment. We compare these findings to previous studies and suggest steps for addressing smoking and vaping in this vulnerable population.

Effect of Pharmacogenomic Testing for Drug-Gene Interactions on Medication Selection and Remission of Symptoms in Major Depressive Disorder: The PRIME Care Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Selecting effective antidepressants for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is an imprecise practice, with remission rates of about 30% at the initial treatment. Objective: To determine whether pharmacogenomic testing affects antidepressant medication selection and whether such testing leads to better clinical outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: A pragmatic, randomized clinical trial that compared treatment guided by pharmacogenomic testing vs usual care. Participants included 676 clinicians and 1944 patients. Participants were enrolled from 22 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers from July 2017 through February 2021, with follow-up ending November 2021. Eligible patients were those with MDD who were initiating or switching treatment with a single antidepressant. Exclusion criteria included an active substance use disorder, mania, psychosis, or concurrent treatment with a specified list of medications. Interventions: Results from a commercial pharmacogenomic test were given to clinicians in the pharmacogenomic-guided group (n = 966). The comparison group received usual care and access to pharmacogenomic results after 24 weeks (n = 978). Main Outcomes and Measures: The co-primary outcomes were the proportion of prescriptions with a predicted drug-gene interaction written in the 30 days after randomization and remission of depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) (remission was defined as PHQ-9 ≤ 5). Remission was analyzed as a repeated measure across 24 weeks by blinded raters. Results: Among 1944 patients who were randomized (mean age, 48 years; 491 women [25%]), 1541 (79%) completed the 24-week assessment. The estimated risks for receiving an antidepressant with none, moderate, and substantial drug-gene interactions for the pharmacogenomic-guided group were 59.3%, 30.0%, and 10.7% compared with 25.7%, 54.6%, and 19.7% in the usual care group. The pharmacogenomic-guided group was more likely to receive a medication with a lower potential drug-gene interaction for no drug-gene vs moderate/substantial interaction (odds ratio [OR], 4.32 [95% CI, 3.47 to 5.39]; P < .001) and no/moderate vs substantial interaction (OR, 2.08 [95% CI, 1.52 to 2.84]; P = .005) (P < .001 for overall comparison). Remission rates over 24 weeks were higher among patients whose care was guided by pharmacogenomic testing than those in usual care (OR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.05 to 1.57]; P = .02; risk difference, 2.8% [95% CI, 0.6% to 5.1%]) but were not significantly higher at week 24 when 130 patients in the pharmacogenomic-guided group and 126 patients in the usual care group were in remission (estimated risk difference, 1.5% [95% CI, -2.4% to 5.3%]; P = .45). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with MDD, provision of pharmacogenomic testing for drug-gene interactions reduced prescription of medications with predicted drug-gene interactions compared with usual care. Provision of test results had small nonpersistent effects on symptom remission. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03170362.

Lipophilic vs. hydrophilic statins and psychiatric hospitalizations and emergency room visits in US Veterans with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE ­: Psychiatric hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits are costly, stigmatizing, and often ineffective. Given the immune and kynurenine activation in bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia, as well as the immune-modulatory effects of statins, we aimed to compare the relative risk (RRs) of psychiatric hospitalizations and ED visits between individuals prescribed lipophilic vs. hydrophilic statins vs. no statins. We hypothesized (a) reduced rates of hospitalization and ER utilization with statins versus no statins and (b) differences in outcomes between statins, as lipophilia increases the capability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier with potentially beneficial neuroimmune, antioxidant, neuroprotective, neurotrophic, and endothelial stabilizing effects, and, in contrast, potentially detrimental decreases in brain cholesterol concentrations leading to serotoninergic dysfunction, changes in membrane lipid composition, thus affecting ion channels and receptors. METHODS ­: We used VA service utilization data from October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2015. The RRs for psychiatric hospitalization and ED visits, were estimated using robust Poisson regression analyses. The number of individuals analyzed was 683,129. RESULTS ­: Individuals with schizophrenia and BD who received prescriptions for either lipophilic or hydrophilic statins had a lower RR of psychiatric hospitalization or ED visits relative to nonstatin controls. Hydrophilic statins were significantly associated with lower RRs of psychiatric hospitalization but not of ED visits, compared to lipophilic statins. CONCLUSION ­: The reduction in psychiatric hospitalizations in statin users (vs. nonusers) should be interpreted cautiously, as it carries a high risk of confounding by indication. While the lower RR of psychiatric hospitalizations in hydrophilic statins relative to the lipophilic statins is relatively bias free, the finding bears replication in a specifically designed study. If replicated, important clinical implications for personalizing statin treatment in patients with mental illness, investigating add-on statins for improved therapeutic control, and mechanistic exploration for identifying new treatment targets are natural next steps.

Differences in Antipsychotic Treatment Discontinuation Among Veterans With Schizophrenia in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

OBJECTIVE: Effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs is inferred from relatively small randomized clinical trials conducted with carefully selected and monitored participants. This evidence is not necessarily generalizable to individuals treated in daily clinical practice. The authors compared the clinical effectiveness between all oral and long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications used in the treatment of schizophrenia in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. METHODS: This was an observational study utilizing VA pharmacy data from 37,368 outpatient veterans with schizophrenia. Outcome measures were all-cause antipsychotic discontinuation and psychiatric hospitalizations. Oral olanzapine was used as the reference group. RESULTS: In multivariable analysis, clozapine (hazard ratio=0.43), aripiprazole long-acting injectable (LAI) (hazard ratio=0.71), paliperidone LAI (hazard ratio=0.76), antipsychotic polypharmacy (hazard ratio=0.77), and risperidone LAI (hazard ratio=0.91) were associated with reduced hazard of discontinuation compared with oral olanzapine. Oral first-generation antipsychotics (hazard ratio=1.16), oral risperidone (hazard ratio=1.15), oral aripiprazole (hazard ratio=1.14), oral ziprasidone (hazard ratio=1.13), and oral quetiapine (hazard ratio=1.11) were significantly associated with an increased risk of discontinuation compared with oral olanzapine. No treatment showed reduced risk of psychiatric hospitalization compared with oral olanzapine; quetiapine was associated with a 36% worse outcome in terms of hospitalizations compared with olanzapine. CONCLUSIONS: In a national sample of veterans with schizophrenia, those treated with clozapine, two of the LAI second-generation antipsychotics, and antipsychotic polypharmacy continued the same antipsychotic therapy for a longer period of time compared with the reference drug. This may reflect greater overall acceptability of these medications in clinical practice.

Using Administrative Data to Predict Suicide After Psychiatric Hospitalization in the Veterans Health Administration System.

There is a very high suicide rate in the year after psychiatric hospital discharge. Intensive postdischarge case management programs can address this problem but are not cost-effective for all patients. This issue can be addressed by developing a risk model to predict which inpatients might need such a program. We developed such a model for the 391,018 short-term psychiatric hospital admissions of US veterans in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals 2010-2013. Records were linked with the National Death Index to determine suicide within 12 months of hospital discharge (n=771). The Super Learner ensemble machine learning method was used to predict these suicides for time horizon between 1 week and 12 months after discharge in a 70% training sample. Accuracy was validated in the remaining 30% holdout sample. Predictors included VHA administrative variables and small area geocode data linked to patient home addresses. The models had AUC=.79-.82 for time horizons between 1 week and 6 months and AUC=.74 for 12 months. An analysis of operating characteristics showed that 22.4%-32.2% of patients who died by suicide would have been reached if intensive case management was provided to the 5% of patients with highest predicted suicide risk. Positive predictive value (PPV) at this higher threshold ranged from 1.2% over 12 months to 3.8% per case manager year over 1 week. Focusing on the low end of the risk spectrum, the 40% of patients classified as having lowest risk account for 0%-9.7% of suicides across time horizons. Variable importance analysis shows that 51.1% of model performance is due to psychopathological risk factors accounted, 26.2% to social determinants of health, 14.8% to prior history of suicidal behaviors, and 6.6% to physical disorders. The paper closes with a discussion of next steps in refining the model and prospects for developing a parallel precision treatment model.

Access to Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Hepatitis C Virus Among Veterans With Serious Mental Illness.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether serious mental illness is associated with initiating and with completing sofosbuvir-based treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) among veterans who started treatment after the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) received expanded funding for HCV care. METHODS: Administrative health care data from fiscal years 2016-2017 revealed 4,288 treatment-naïve patients with HCV, of whom 1,311 had initiated sofosbuvir-based treatment. Dependent variables were initiation and completion of ≥8 weeks of sofosbuvir treatment. Associations with serious mental illness were estimated with adjusted odds ratios from multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of veterans with and veterans without serious mental illness who initiated (p=0.628) or completed ≥8 weeks (p=0.301) of sofosbuvir treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with and without serious mental illness initiated and completed sofosbuvir treatment at similar rates. The VA should continue to provide equitable access to HCV treatments and support medication adherence.

Quality of life outcomes of web-based and in-person weight management for adults with serious mental illness.

Adults with serious mental illness have high rates of obesity, with associated negative impacts on health-related quality of life. The present study utilized data from a randomized controlled trial (N = 276) to examine the effectiveness of in-person and online-delivered weight management interventions, compared to usual care, for improving health-related quality of life in this population. Participants completed quality of life assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Mixed effects models examined group by time interactions. Compared to usual care, in-person MOVE was associated with improvements in loneliness (t = - 2.76, p = .006) and mental health related quality of life (t = 1.99, p = 0.048) at 6 months, and webMOVE was associated with improvements in weight-related self-esteem at 6 months (t = 2.23, p = .026) and mental health-related quality of life at 3 months (t = 2.17, p = 0.031) and 6 months (t = 2.38, p = .018). Web-based and in-person weight management led to improvements in health-related quality of life for adults with serious mental illness.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00983476.

Understanding women veterans' experiences with and management of weight gain from medications for serious mental illness: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: More women veterans than men use Veterans Health Administration (VHA) mental health services. Some psychiatric medications are associated with weight gain and other metabolic side effects, with women more susceptible and reporting more distress than men. We sought to explore how women experience and manage medication-induced weight gain to identify strategies for improving its prevention and management in women. METHOD: We completed semistructured, qualitative interviews with 30 female veterans with serious mental illnesses prescribed antipsychotic or mood stabilizer medications and 18 mental health prescribers. Interview transcripts were summarized and coded via principles of phenomenological inquiry to develop themes reflecting the study purpose. RESULTS: We identified 5 themes related to females' experiences with medication-induced weight gain. Female veterans described considerable psychological and physical distress associated with weight gain. However, many expressed a willingness to accept weight gain as a trade-off for medications' therapeutic effects, a theme echoed by prescribers. Both described primarily using reactive rather than proactive or preventative weight management approaches and described the limited effectiveness of reactive approaches. Other contributing factors, including the multiple and uncertain causes of weight gain, uneven quality and quantity of weight loss information, lack of social support, and environmental barriers, add to the difficulty and complexity of their struggles. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: These findings improve our understanding of numerous veteran-, prescriber-, and environmental-level factors in the management of medication-associated weight gain in women that may be useful in designing gender-specific interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and Feasibility Testing of a Smartphone Intervention to Improve Adherence to Antipsychotic Medications.

Approximately 60% of individuals with schizophrenia do not take their antipsychotic medications as prescribed, and nonadherence is associated with exacerbation of psychotic symptoms, increased hospital and emergency room use, and increased healthcare costs. Behavioral-tailoring strategies that incorporate medication taking into the daily routine and use environmental supports have shown promise as adherence-enhancing interventions. Informed by the Information-Motivation-Behavioral (IMB) Skills Model and using the iterative process of user-centered design, we collaborated with individuals with schizophrenia and psychiatrists to develop an interactive smartphone application and web-based clinician interface, MedActive, for improving adherence to oral antipsychotic treatment. MedActive facilitates the active involvement of individuals with schizophrenia in managing their antipsychotic medication regimen by providing automated reminders for medication administration and tailored motivational feedback to encourage adherence, and by displaying user-friendly results of daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) of medication adherence, positive psychotic symptoms, and medication side effects for individuals and their psychiatrists. In a 2-week open trial completed by 7 individuals with schizophrenia and their psychiatrists, MedActive was determined to be both feasible and acceptable, with patient participants responding to 80% of all scheduled EMAs and providing positive evaluations of their use of the application. Psychiatrist participants were interested in viewing the information provided on the MedActive clinician interface, but cited practical barriers to regularly accessing it and integrating into their daily practice.

Impact of Online Weight Management With Peer Coaching on Physical Activity Levels of Adults With Serious Mental Illness.

OBJECTIVE: Many adults with serious mental illness are sedentary and experience significant medical illness burden. This study examined the effectiveness of online weight management with peer coaching (WebMOVE) for increasing general physical activity among adults with serious mental illness. METHODS: Using quantitative and qualitative data from a randomized controlled trial (N=276), this study compared WebMOVE, in-person weight management for adults with serious mental illness (MOVE SMI), and usual care. Participants completed assessments of general physical activity (baseline, three months, and six months) and a qualitative assessment (six months). Mixed-effects models examined group × time interactions on general physical activity. RESULTS: There were significant differences between MOVE SMI and usual care for total physical activity at three (t=3.06, p=.002) and six (t=3.12, p=.002) months, walking at six months (t=1.99, p=.048), and moderate (t=2.12, p=.035) and vigorous (t=2.34, p=.020) physical activity at six months. There was a significant difference between WebMOVE and usual care for total physical activity at six months (t=2.02, p=.044) and a trend for a group difference in walking at six months (t=1.78, p=.076). These findings reflected a decline in physical activity among participants in usual care and an increase in physical activity among participants in MOVE SMI or WebMOVE. CONCLUSIONS: In-person weight management counseling increased total physical activity and led to initiation of moderate and vigorous physical activity among adults with serious mental illness. Computerized weight management counseling with peer support led to more gradual increases in total physical activity.

Continue, adjust, or stop antipsychotic medication: developing and user testing an encounter decision aid for people with first-episode and long-term psychosis.

BACKGROUND: People with psychosis struggle with decisions about their use of antipsychotics. They often want to reduce the dose or stop, while facing uncertainty regarding the effects these decisions will have on their treatment and recovery. They may also fear raising this issue with clinicians. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a shared decision making (SDM) tool to support patients and clinicians in making decisions about antipsychotics. METHODS: A diverse editorial research team developed an Encounter Decision Aid (EDA) for patients and clinicians to use as part of the psychiatric consultation. The EDA was tested using 24 semistructured interviews with participants representing six stakeholder groups: patients with first-episode psychosis, patients with long-term psychosis, family members, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, and administrators. We used inductive and deductive coding of interview transcripts to identify points to revise within three domains: general impression and purpose of the EDA; suggested changes to the content, wording, and appearance; and usability and potential contribution to the psychiatric consultation. RESULTS: An EDA was developed in an iterative process that yielded evidence-based answers to five frequently asked questions about antipsychotic medications. Patients with long-term psychosis and mental health counselors suggested more changes and revisions than patients with first-episode psychosis and psychiatrists. Family members suggested more revisions to the answers about potential risks of stopping or adjusting antipsychotics than other respondents. CONCLUSIONS: The EDA was perceived as potentially useful and feasible in psychiatric routine care, especially if presented during the consultation.

Racial Differences in Mental Health Recovery among Veterans with Serious Mental Illness.

Black consumers with serious mental illness (SMI) face significant challenges in obtaining quality mental health care and are at risk for experiencing significant disparities in mental health care outcomes, including recovery from mental illness. Patient-provider interactions may partly contribute to this disparity. The purpose of the current study was to understand the effects of race, psychosis, and therapeutic alliance on mental health recovery orientation among Veterans with SMI. Participants were Veterans who had an SMI being treated at two Veteran Affairs outpatient mental health clinics by a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner. Participants completed the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-24), Mental Health Recovery Measure, and patient-report Scale to Assess the Therapeutic Relationship (STAR-P) which includes three subscales: positive collaboration, positive clinician input, and non-supportive clinician input. Regression analyses were used to determine interactive effects of race, psychosis severity, and therapeutic alliance variables. The sample was 226 Veterans (50% black, 50% white). Black participants were slightly older (p < .05), had higher baseline psychosis (p < .05), higher mental health recovery (p < .05), and perceived less non-supportive clinician input (p < .01) than white participants. Regression analyses indicated a significant three-way interaction among race, psychosis, and positive collaboration (p < .01). Greater positive collaboration attenuated the negative effect of higher levels of psychosis on mental health recovery orientation for black participants. Conversely, for white participants, positive collaboration had little effect on the negative relationship between psychosis severity and mental health recovery orientation. Increased levels of psychosis may inhibit patients' perceptions of their ability to recover from SMI. However, for black participants, positive collaboration with mental health providers may moderate the effects of psychotic symptomatology.

Consumer satisfaction with antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments: the role of consumer-prescriber communication patterns.

OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as they relate to consumer satisfaction among a serious mental illness sample. METHODS: Recordings from 175 antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments between veterans with psychiatric disorders and their prescribers were coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for communication behavioral patterns. RESULTS: The frequency of prescriber communication behaviors (i.e., facilitation, rapport, procedural, psychosocial, biomedical, and total utterances) did not reliably predict consumer satisfaction. The ratio of prescriber to consumer utterances did predict consumer satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with client-centered care theory, antipsychotic medication consumers were more satisfied with their encounters when their prescriber did not dominate the conversation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Therefore, one potential recommendation from these findings could be for medication prescribers to spend more of their time listening to, rather than speaking with, their SMI consumers.

Improving Weight in People with Serious Mental Illness: The Effectiveness of Computerized Services with Peer Coaches.

BACKGROUND: People with serious mental illness have high rates of obesity and related medical problems, and die years prematurely, most commonly from cardiovascular disease. Specialized, in-person weight management interventions result in weight loss in efficacy trials with highly motivated patients. In usual care, patient enrollment and retention are low with these interventions, and effectiveness has been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether computerized provision of weight management with peer coaching is feasible to deliver, is acceptable to patients, and is more effective than in-person delivery or usual care. DESIGN: Mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred seventy-six overweight patients with serious mental illness receiving care at a Veterans Administration medical center. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to 1) computerized weight management with peer coaching (WebMOVE), 2) in-person clinician-led weight services, or 3) usual care. Both active interventions offered the same educational content. MAIN MEASURES: Body mass index; and feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. KEY RESULTS: At 6 months, in obese patients (n = 200), there was a significant condition by visit effect (F = 4.02, p = 0.02). The WebMOVE group had an average estimated BMI change from baseline to 6 months of 34.9 ± 0.4 to 34.1 ± 0.4. This corresponds to 2.8 kg (6.2 lbs) weight loss (t = 3.2, p = 0.001). No significant change in BMI was seen with either in-person services (t = 0.10, p = 0.92), or usual care (t = -0.25, p = 0.80). The average percentage of modules completed in the WebMOVE group was 49% and in the in-person group was 41% (t = 1.4, p = 0.17). When non-obese patients were included in the analyses, there was a trend towards a condition by visit effect (F = 2.8, p = 0.06). WebMOVE was well received, while the acceptability of in-person services was mixed. CONCLUSIONS: Computerized weight management with peer support results in lower weight, and can have greater effectiveness than clinician-led in-person services. This intervention is well received, and could be feasible to disseminate.

Pilot feasibility study of Heart2HAART: a smartphone application to assist with adherence among substance users living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Smartphones with programmable apps may offer innovative interactive interventions for improving adherence among people living with HIV with substance use problems. METHODS: This pilot randomized controlled trial sought to primarily determine the usability and feasibility of using a smartphone-based intervention called Heart2HAART as an adjunct to directly observed treatment with adherence counseling compared to directly observed treatment with adherence counseling alone among those with HIV and a history of substance use over a three-month time frame. Participants in the Heart2HAART condition completed an additional survey on usability and acceptability. Adherence was measured using unannounced pill counts assessed via a phone call. RESULTS: Twenty-eight participants were randomized to receive Heart2HAART (n = 19) or control (n = 9). All were receiving either weekly (n = 9) or daily (n = 19) observed treatment. Among those randomized to Heart2HAART, 63.2% reported no difficulty using the Heart2HAART smartphone application and 94.7% responded that the medication reminders did not interfere negatively with their activities. On average participants used Heart2HAART application 56.8 times over the three-month trial. In analyses adjusting for age, there was no difference in adherence to HAART medication between the Heart2HAART and control group as evaluated by the random pill count assessment (P = .29). CONCLUSIONS: Heart2HAART was feasible to use during a three-month pilot trial. Future studies may evaluate a more tailored approach, with more robust contingency management.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Patient-Centered Approach to Improve Screening for the Metabolic Side Effects of Antipsychotic Medications.

Adherence to recommendations for monitoring of metabolic side effects of antipsychotic medications has been historically low. This randomized controlled trial tested whether a computerized, patient-centered intervention that educated Veterans with serious mental illness about these side effects and encouraged them to advocate for receipt of monitoring would increase rates of monitoring compared to enhanced treatment as usual. The mean proportion of days adherent to monitoring guidelines over the 1-year study was similarly high and did not differ between the intervention (range 0.81-0.98) and comparison (range 0.76-0.96) groups. Many individuals in both groups had persistent abnormal metabolic parameter values despite high rates of monitoring, contact with medical providers, and receipt of cardiometabolic medications. Participants exposed to the intervention were interested in receiving personalized information about their cardiometabolic status, demonstrating the preliminary feasibility of brief interventions for enhancing involvement of individuals with serious mental illness in health care decision making.

Trends in Prevalence of Diagnosed Ocular Disease and Utilization of Eye Care Services in American Veterans.

PURPOSE: To assess trends in prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease and use of eye care services in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. DESIGN: Prevalence study. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of all eligible veterans in the VA Capitol Health Care Network from 2007 to 2011. The VA database was used to abstract demographic and socioeconomic variables, including age, race, sex, marital status, service connection, prescription copay, homelessness, and VA facility. Primary outcome measures were the prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease and use of eye care. Ocular diagnoses were determined by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes and use by prescription medication fills, visits to eye care clinics, and cataract surgery frequency. RESULTS: The average age of veterans ranged from 59.8-60.9, most veterans were male (88.1-89.8%), and there was a high proportion of African Americans (29.5-30%). The prevalence of all ocular diagnoses increased from 20.5% in 2007 to 23.3% in 2011 (P < .01), a 13.7% increase. Similarly, the prevalence of diagnosed cataract increased by 35.7% (P = .02) from 7.1% in 2007 to 9.6% in 2011. Diagnosed glaucoma prevalence increased by 9.4% (P = .03) from 6.7 to 7.4%. The percent of patients seen in eye clinics increased 11.6%% in the 5-year study period to 24.0% in fiscal year 2011 (P = .05). The use of ophthalmic medications increased 20% (P < .01). The rate of cataract surgery did not change significantly during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diagnosed eye conditions among American Veterans is increasing, as is the use of eye care services. Cataract surgery rates did not increase, which may indicate a need to increase availability of these services.

Prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease in veterans with serious mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease and eye disease treatment between Veteran's Administration (VA) patients with and without serious mental illness (SMI). METHODS: Retrospective comparison of diagnosed ocular disease and treatment prevalence among patients with and without diagnosed SMI in fiscal year 2011 in the VA Capitol Health Care System (VISN 5). RESULTS: We identified 6462 VA patients with SMI and 137,933 without SMI. The prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease was 22.7% in SMI patients and 35.4% in non-SMI patients (P<.001). Those with SMI had a higher prevalence of glaucoma (10.2% vs. 7.1%, P<.0001), cataract (12.6% vs. 9.2%, P<.0001) and dry eye (4.0% vs. 2.7%, P<.0001). Less than half (34.3%) of SMI subjects had been seen in ophthalmology or optometry vs. 23.0% of controls (P<.0001). CONCLUSION: VA patients with SMI have a greater prevalence of diagnosed ocular disease, particularly cataract, glaucoma and dry eye. While SMI patients utilize eye care services at a higher rate than the general VA population, the majority of subjects with SMI do not get recommended annual eye examinations. More consistent annual ocular screening among VA patients with SMI may be indicated.

A review of behavioral tailoring strategies for improving medication adherence in serious mental illness.

Nonadherence to psychopharmacological treatments poses a significant challenge to treatment success in individuals with serious mental illness, with upwards of 60% of people not taking their psychiatric medications as prescribed. Nonadherence is associated with adverse outcomes, including exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, impaired functioning, increased hospitalizations and emergency room use, and increased health care costs. Whereas interventions using psychoeducation or cognitive approaches, such as motivational interviewing, have largely proven ineffective in improving adherence, approaches employing behavioral tailoring that incorporate medication taking into the daily routine and/or use environmental supports have shown promise. Recently, adherence-enhancing behavioral tailoring interventions that utilize novel technologies, such as electronic monitors and mobile phones, have been developed. Although interventions utilizing these platforms have the potential for widespread dissemination to a broad range of individuals, most require further empirical testing. This paper reviews selected behavioral tailoring strategies that aim to improve medication adherence and other functional outcomes among individuals with serious mental illness.

La falta de adherencia a los tratamientos psicofarmacológicos constituye un desafío significativo para el éxito terapéutico de sujetos con enfermedad mental grave, dado que hay más del 60% de personas que no toma sus medicamentos psiquiátricos como son prescritos. La falta de adherencia está asociada con resultados adversos, incluyendo la exacerbación de los síntomas psiquiátricos, el deterioro funcional, el aumento de las hospitalizaciones y de la consulta en servicios de urgencia, como el aumento de los costos de salud. Mientras que las intervenciones que utilizan aproximaciones de psicoeducación o cognitivas, tales como la entrevista motivacional, han demostrado ampliamente la ineficacia para mejorar la adherencia, las aproximaciones que emplean ajustes conductuales incorporando la ingesta de medicamentos dentro de la rutina diaria ylo el empleo de soportes ambientales han mostrado ser prometedoras. Recientemente se han desarrollado intervenciones conductuales que refuerzan la adherencia mediante el empleo de nuevas tecnologías como son los monitores electrónicos y los teléfonos móviles. Aunque las intervenciones que utilizan estas plataformas tienen el potencial de una amplia diseminación a una gran cantidad de individuos, la mayoría require de más pruebas empíricas. Este artículo revisa estrategias conductuales que tienen como objetivo mejorar la adherencia a la medicación y otros resultados funcionales entre individuos con enfermedad mental grave.

La non-observance des traitements psychopharmacologiques pose un problème important pour la réussite du traitement chez les personnes atteintes de maladie mentale grave, plus de 60 % des individus ne prenant pas les médicaments psychotropes tels qu'ils leur ont été présents. La non-observance est associée à des événements indésirables, y compris l'exacerbation des symptômes psychiatriques, la détérioration fonctionnelle, l'augmentation des hospitalisations et des passages aux urgences et l'augmentation des coûts des soins de santé. Les procédures utilisant des approches cognitives ou psychoéducatives, comme l'entretien motivationnel, se sont montrées largement inefficaces pour améliorer l'observance. Au contraire, les stratégies d'adaptation comportementale qui intègrent la prise de médicaments aux activités quotidiennes et/ou l'utilisation de différents supports facilitant l'observance, sont prometteuses. Récemment, des stratégies d'adaptation comportementale favorisant l'observance qui utilisent les nouvelles technologies, comme les moniteurs électroniques et les téléphones mobiles, se sont développées. Les procédures utilisant ces plateformes pourraient être diffusées de façon généralisée à un large éventail d'individus, mais la plupart d'entre elles ont besoin d'une vérification empirique complémentaire. Cet article analyse quelques stratégies d'adaptation comportementale dont le but est d'améliorer l'observance médicamenteuse et d'autres résultats fonctionnels chez les individus atteints de maladie mentale grave.