Burning out physical and emotional fatigue: Evaluating the effects of a programme aimed at reducing burnout among mental health nurses.

Burnout is a common problem among mental health nurses. High levels of burnout result in job dissatisfaction, rapid turnover of staff, physical and psychological discomfort, and a reduction in the quality of patient care. While there is an abundance of research relating to burnout per se, research regarding the impact of burnout prevention programmes is lacking. This study aimed to measure the effects of a burnout prevention programme on mental health nurses working in Saudi Arabia (SA). A quasi-experimental design was used to test the effectiveness of a two-day burnout prevention workshop. The sample consisted of an intervention group (n = 154) and a control group (n = 142). Data collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) measured the effects of the workshop at 1-, 3-, and 6-month intervals after completion of the programme. Data were analysed using the latest version of SPSS. Means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages were used to describe the sample and levels of burnout. A t-test, ANOVA, multiple linear regression, and chi-squared were used to measure the effect of the workshop before and at the three time points after exposure. Findings indicate the programme was effective with a significant reduction being reported 1 month after the intervention. However, although not returning to baseline scores, burnout scores had increased at 6 months. In conclusion, while the overall efficacy of the burnout reduction programme is evident, mental health nurses would benefit from having opportunity to use some of the strategies on a regular basis.

Nexus aliquis: in pursuit of efficacy, resilience, and full potential.

This work examines the integral nexus of teacher and student, suggesting that efforts, resources, and human resource functions can and should intentionally focus on the relationship as paramount. Other aspects of learning potential are de minimus if teacher-student interaction is not efficient and affective. School leadership, learning paradigms, and hiring should focus on student-centered approaches that require collective efficacy, teachers becoming significant others in their student's lives, and development of resiliency in student intellectual attitudes. Reframing of the human resource function to recruit and retain life-enhancing educators who initiate rigorous and relevant learning, facilitate mastery, and incite intellectual curiosity for its own sake within students is called for. A suggested administrative interview and training examples are provided.

Drug-induced supersensitivity psychosis revisited: characteristics of relapse in treatment-compliant patients.

BACKGROUND: An association between abnormal involuntary movements and psychotic relapse was previously reported in a group of patients compliant with antipsychotic medication (Fallon and Dursun 2011). This was interpreted as the presence of an antipsychotic medication-induced supersensitivity psychosis. METHOD: From the results of that study and the Chouinard diagnostic criteria for supersensitivity psychosis an abbreviated diagnostic checklist was developed to identify the phenomenon. In the present study the checklist was used on a larger sample of medication-compliant individuals experiencing a psychotic relapse. RESULTS: The checklist demonstrated its utility by identifying a cause of relapse in 70% (29/41) of patients. Furthermore, it identified the presence of supersensitivity psychosis in 39% (16/41) of patients. This study also replicated a number of findings from the previous paper supporting the idea that supersensitivity psychosis is one cause of relapse in psychosis. DISCUSSION: These results suggested that clinicians should exercise caution in prescribing and may have to augment treatment with other agents or switch to low dopamine-affinity antipsychotics.

A naturalistic controlled study of relapsing schizophrenic patients with tardive dyskinesia and supersensitivity psychosis.

Despite advances in treatments, relapses in schizophrenia still occur. The causes of relapse are not always apparent, especially for patients that are compliant with medication. One possibility is that the brain adapts to long-term antipsychotic drug treatment, leading to tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. This has been described as supersensitivity psychosis. Tardive dyskinesia is also thought to occur as a consequence of dopamine supersensitivity caused by chronic treatment with antipsychotics. Another associated feature is sensitivity to life stress. This study investigated the relationship between abnormal movements, life events and drug treatment in patients relapsing on antipsychotics with high potency at the dopamine D2 receptor. Twenty-two patients from a cohort of 128 patients experiencing a psychotic relapse were assessed; of these, seven (32%) met criteria for the presence of abnormal involuntary movements. These subjects were found to be clinically distinct from the subjects without abnormal movements. They tended to be older with a greater duration of illness and higher dosage of antipsychotics but more symptoms of psychosis compared with the other subjects. Relapse was also associated with minor life events. The association between abnormal involuntary movements and high levels of psychotic symptoms suggests that dopamine sensitization/supersensitivity may underlie both phenomena. These results suggest that clinicians may have to consider alternative dosing strategies, novel agents or switching to one of the antipsychotics that have a lower affinity for the D2 receptor.

Mobilized peripheral blood SSCloALDHbr cells have the phenotypic and functional properties of primitive haematopoietic cells and their number correlates with engraftment following autologous transplantation.

We have developed an approach for identifying primitive mobilized peripheral blood cells (PBSC) that express high levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). PBSC were stained with a fluorescent ALDH substrate, termed BODIPY trade mark -aminoacetaldehyde (BAAA), and then analysed using flow cytometry. A population of cells with a low side scatter (SSC) and a high level of BAAA staining, termed the SSCloALDHbr population, was readily discriminated and comprised a mean of 3 +/- 5% of leukapheresis samples. A mean of 73 +/- 11% of the SSCloALDHbr population expressed CD34 and 56 +/- 25% of all the mobilized CD34+ cells resided within the SSCloALDHbr population. The SSCloALDHbr population was largely depleted of cells with mature phenotypes and enriched for cells with immature phenotypes. Sorted SSCloALDHbr and SSCloALDHbr CD34+ PBSC were enriched for progenitors with the ability to (1) generate colony-forming units (CFU) and long-term culture (LTC)-derived CFU, (2) expand in primary and secondary LTC, and (3) generate multiple cell lineages. In 21 cancer patients who had undergone autologous PBSC transplantation, the number of infused SSCloALDHbr cells/kg highly correlated with the time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment (P < 0.015 and P < 0.003 respectively). In summary, peripheral blood SSCloALDHbr cells have the phenotypic and functional properties of primitive haematopoietic cells and their number correlates with engraftment following autologous transplantation.