Evidence-Based Mental Health articles from May 2003

Evidence-Based Mental Health archives from May 2003

What are the effects of drug treatments for panic disorder? (EBMH Notebook).
May 1, 2003... This article is part of a new initiative in Evidence-based Mental Health, namely the serialisation of chapters of Clinical Evidence (a summary of the best available evidence on common clinical interventions updated regularly by the BMJ...

Difficulties developing evidence-based approaches in learning disabilities.
May 1, 2003... Around 2% of the population have a learning disability, categorised as 'mental retardation' in the ICD / DSM classification systems. Mental disorders are at least two to four times more prevalent in people with learning disability compared to...

Anxiety Disorders in Adults. An evidenced-based approach to psychological treatment. (Resource Corner).(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... McLean, PD, Woody, SR. Anxiety Disorders in Adults. An evidenced-based apparoach to psychological treatment. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. According to McLean and Woody, evidence-based practice involves "knowledge of the...

Vitamin and fatty acid supplements may reduce antisocial behaviour in incarcerated young adults. (Therapeutics).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Do vitamin, mineral and fatty acid supplements reduce antisocial behaviour among young adults in prison? Design Randomised controlled trial. Clinicians, participants and outcome assessors were blind to treatment allocation....

Once-daily atomoxetine may reduce attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children and adolescents.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective is once-daily atomoxetine for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Design Randomised controlled trial. Participants, clinicians and outcome assessors were blind to...

Adderall may have a small advantage over methylphenidate in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective is adderall compared with methylphenidate in attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder? Design Review with meta-analysis. Data sources Studies were identified using Pubmed. The authors do not...

20mg transdermal selegiline daily may be effective and well tolerated in adults with major depression.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Is transdermal selegiline safe and effective for adult outpatients with major depressive disorder? Design Randomised controlled trial. Participants and assessors were blind to treatment allocation. Setting 6 sites...

Antidepressants and psychotherapy may be equally effective for promoting remission in major depressive disorder. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How do anti-depressants and psychotherapy compare in generating full remission in major depressive disorder? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Studies were identified using Medline and...

Low dose tricyclic antidepressants may be effective for adults with acute depressive disorder. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What are the beneficial and adverse effects of low dose tricyclic antidepressants for adults with acute phase depression? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Studies were identified using the...

Enhanced primary care may encourage remission in depression.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What effect does enhanced primary care, including ongoing telephone contact with nurses, have on depression? Design Randomised controlled trial. It was not possible to blind participants or clinicians to treatment allocation....

There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of interventions for treatment-refractory depression. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective are different pharmacological and psychological interventions for treatment-refractory depression? Design Systematic review with narrative synthesis. Data sources Studies were identified using the...

18-month maintenance treatment with sertraline may have sustained psychosocial benefits in chronic depression.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What are the effects of long term sertraline or placebo maintenance treatment on measures of psychosocial function in chronic depression? Design Randomised controlled trial. Participants, clinicians and outcome assessors...

Skills training plus exposure therapy may reduce post traumatic stress in women who experienced childhood abuse.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Does skills training followed by exposure therapy affect symptoms in women suffering post traumatic stress disorder related to childhood abuse? Design Randomised trial with no allocation concealment. Setting New...

Fluoxetine may prevent relapse in post traumatic stress disorder.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Is fluoxetine effective and tolerable for preventing relapse in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for up to 6 months? Design Randomised controlled trial. Participants, clinicians and outcome assessors were blind to...

Stress management programme may reduce hospital admissions among people with schizophrenia.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Does improving stress management skills enhance outcomes for people with schizophrenia? Design Randomised trial. Assessors were blind to treatment allocation. Setting One treatment centre in Canada; timeframe not...

There is no strong evidence to support antipsychotic combination therapy in schizophrenia. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What are the benefits and risks of combining atypical antipsychotics with atypical or conventional antipsychcotics in schizophrenia? Design Systematic review with narrative synthesis. Data sources Studies were...

Cognitive training may improve targeted cognitive functions in older adults.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Do interventions targeting memory, reasoning and cognitive speed affec the mental abilities and everyday activities of older adults? Design Randomised controlled trial. Analysts were blind to treatment allocation. ...

Cognitive behavioural interventions may be effective for chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic back pain. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Are mental health interventions for people with common somatic conditions effective? Can results from secondary care be extrapolated to primary care? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Studies...

Group interpersonal psychotherapy may be as effective as group cognitive behavioural therapy for overweight people with binge eating disorder.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective is group cognitive behavioural therapy compared to group interpersonal psychotherapy for reducing binge eating in overweight people? Design Randomised trial with centralised allocation. Outcome assessors were...

There is insufficient evidence for naltrexone maintenance treatment in opioid dependence. (Review).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective is naltrexone maintenance treatment for preventing relapse in people addicted to opoids? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Studies were identified using Medline (1973-July 2000),...

Skills training programmes for significant others may encourage unmotivated drug users to seek treatment.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Can community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT) for concerned significant others encourage drug users to seek treatment? Design Randomised trial with allocation concealment, but no blinding. Setting ...

Almost half of people suffering traumatic brain injury may later be diagnosed with axis I disorders. (Prevalence).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What is the prevalence of axis I and II psychiatric disorders following traumatic brain injury? Design Retrospective analysis. Setting One university hospital in Finland. Participants 60 people who suffered...

Depressive symptoms in adolescence may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in early adulthood. (Aetiology).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Do self-reported depressive symptoms in adolescence predict depressive and other psychiatric disorders in early adulthood? Design High school cohort followed for 5 years (1990-1995). Setting Two cities in Finland....

Individual and familial mental illness is associated with an increased risk of suicide in young people.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What family, individual and socioeconomic factors are associated with youth suicide? Design and setting Case-control study using Danish population registers. Participants All recorded youth suicides between 1981 and...

There is little evidence that combined vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella is associated with autism.
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: Is the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination associated with autism? Design and setting Retrospective population study of all children born in Denmark between January 1991 and December 1998. Participants...

Case-finding instruments may help identify depression in primary care. (Diagnosis).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: How effective are case-finding instruments for identifying depression in primary care? Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources Comparative studies were identified from Medline, a specialised trials...

Many factors make family members caring for an elderly relative with dementia reluctant to use support services. (Qualitative).
May 1, 2003... QUESTION: What are the barriers to formal support service use among the family carers of elderly people with dementia? Design and participants Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview schedule with 13 family...