International Medical Graduate Resident Physicians in Psychiatry: Decreasing Numbers, Geographic Variation, Community Correlations, and Implications.

OBJECTIVES: The number of International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians matching into categorical psychiatry decreased steadily over the past decade. The authors sought to understand if this trend was occurring in other specialties, if US IMG physicians and non-US IMG physicians were equally affected, and if certain regions of the USA were more affected by this decrease than others. Finally, the authors compared the proportion of foreign-born individuals within a US census region to the proportion of non-US IMG physicians within that region. METHODS: The authors analyzed data from the National Resident Matching Program from the years 2014-2020. Statewide data was aggregated into nine geographic regions, as per the US Census Bureau. The number of foreign-born individuals within each US census region was calculated from the 2018 American Community Survey data. RESULTS: In comparison to eight other specialties, psychiatry saw the greatest decrease (46.3%) in IMG physicians matching into PGY-1 positions. Both US IMG physicians and non-US IMG physicians were equally affected. The percentage of IMG physicians decreased in each of the nine US census regions. In six out of nine geographic regions, non-US IMG physicians were under-represented when comparing their proportion to the number of foreign-born people that lived within that region. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing numbers of IMG physicians in psychiatry training may have long-term implications for cultural competency, serving underserved populations, and fellowship recruitment. We advocate for program directors to recognize IMG physicians as an important source of diversity and to recruit residents that reflect the communities they serve.

Scaling the great wall: The impact of communication barriers on quality of psychiatric care in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic minorities (such as Chinese-speaking (CS)) are known to have less equitable access to mental health services than Caucasians. These disparities have a powerful influence on minority groups that already endure a greater burden from mental health needs. AIM: The aim was to identify perceived provider barriers to care for CS patients. METHODS: The study involved an 11-item web-based survey to multidisciplinary health professionals in the department of psychiatry at a 75-bed teaching community mental health center. RESULTS: More than half the respondents agreed that there are disparities in the management of CS versus non-CS patients primarily due to the language barrier (46%). However, older participants and participants who worked fewer hours per week in patient care were less likely to agree (rho = -.27, p = .05 and rho = .33, p = .015, respectively) that these perceived difficulties prevented them from caring for these patients. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that certain modifiable factors like the limited availability of interpreters and culturally appropriate services, rendering psychoeducation and forming therapeutic alliances with CS patients, posed the greatest challenges on inpatient units. In light of these findings, we aim to make recommendations to remediate concerns of limited provider availability by proposing ways to efficiently utilize current resources and advocate for better staffing to improve the overall well-being of this challenging patient subset.

Trends of Tobacco Consumption Among Women Admitted to and Visiting the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit of a Tertiary Care Center in Mumbai: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the current prevalence of tobacco consumption in various forms among female psychiatric inpatients and their visiting female relatives in Mumbai, India. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, survey questionnaires were administered to 127 female inpatients and 110 of their visiting female relatives from July to October 2016. A total of 100 patients and 108 of their relatives completed responses. Additionally, a modified version of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence was incorporated into the survey to assess the level of nicotine dependence, with higher scores corresponding to higher levels of dependence. RESULTS: The rates of tobacco use were higher in the patients than in their relatives (χ² = 12.13, P = .0003). Patients had shorter periods of abstinence and lower World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study sheds light on certain data that may be utilized for future health programs and in the development of treatment plans for women with mental illness.​​.

Is the Concept of Pseudoneurotic Schizophrenia Still Valid? A Case Series and Revisiting the Topic.

We describe two cases to emphasize the importance of recognizing symptoms of psychosis underlying a constellation of neurotic symptoms, and to highlight the overlap and potential for misdiagnosis with personality and anxiety disorders. We also provide an overview of pseudoneurotic schizophrenia and familiarize readers about the challenges in making accurate diagnoses in light of this term used in the past. We refer to cases in the literature and point out the implications of this concept on diagnosis, management, and prognosis. Based on the management strategies deployed for the two cases described, we finally recommend that it is imperative to perform accurate and detailed assessments and take into consideration the evolution of the concept of pseudoneurotic schizophrenia to currently accepted DSM-V disorders, in order to effectively treat patients.

The Implementation of Marijuana Legalization in New York.

In 2018, Governor Cuomo tasked the Department of Health (DOH) with studying the anticipated impact of legalizing recreational marijuana use in New York State. DOH concluded that the positive effects of a regulated marijuana market outweighed the potential negative impact but that implementation required close monitoring of usage, education of specific populations, and regular and rigorous evaluation. In states where cannabis is legal, studies have shown associated decreases in crime rates and increases in financial resources. Conversely, accidental ingestion in children and accidents following ingestion had increased. The road ahead is fraught with challenges, especially because of the nonuniformity in federal and state laws.