Evidence-Based Mental Health articles from November 2001

Evidence-Based Mental Health archives from November 2001

Manual-based treatment Part 2: the advantages of manual-based practice in psychotherapy. (EBMH notebook).
November 1, 2001... Although treatment manuals have existed for many years, controversy surrounds their use and dissemination. In a previous article, we addressed assets and liabilities of using empirically supported treatments (ESTs) in psychotherapy, as well as...

Do we under utilise actuarial judgement and decision analysis? (EBMH notebook).
November 1, 2001... Introduction Whereas in the clinical method we use whatever data we believe relevant, actuarial judgement exclusively uses empirically established statistical links between patient data and outcome, choosing the path the "numbers"...

Exercise was more effective in the long term than sertraline or exercise plus sertraline for major depression in older adults. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Does the therapeutic effect of exercise in older adults with major depression (MD) continue after the intervention period ends? Design Randomised {allocation concealed (*)} (+), blinded (outcome assessors (*)} (++) controlled...

Both multisensory stimulation and activity sessions improved mood and behaviour in dementia in the short term. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTIONS: In patients with dementia, is multisensory stimulation (MSS) more effective than activity sessions for improving behaviour and mood, and do the effects endure? Design Randomised {allocation concealed (*)} (+), unblinded (*),...

Written, personalised feedback in addition to a standard intervention increased smoking cessation. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In participants with a self-assessed desire to stop smoking, is a standard intervention (SI) plus written, personalised feedback more effective than the SI alone? Design 12 month randomised (unclear allocation concealment...

Psychosocial therapy reduced the risk of cardiovascular death at 2 years after "out of hospital" sudden cardiac arrest. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In patients who have survived "out of hospital" sudden cardiac arrest, does psychosocial therapy reduce cardiovascular mortality at 2 years? Design Randomised {allocation concealed (*)}(+) partially blinded (outcome...

Review: pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions improve outcomes in patients with dementia and in their caregivers. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTIONS: Do pharmacotherapy, educational, or other non-pharmacological interventions improve outcomes in patients with dementia or in their caregivers? Data sources Studies were identified by searching Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta...

Intensive case management decreased hospital resource use in psychotic patients with borderline intelligence quotient. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Do psychotic patients of borderline intelligence quotient (IQ) benefit more from intensive case management (ICM) than patients of normal IQ? Design Subgroup analysis of a randomised {allocation concealed (*)} (+) unblinded...

Continuation phase cognitive therapy reduced relapse or recurrence in recurrent DSM-IV major depressive disorder. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In patients with recurrent DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) who have responded to acute phase cognitive therapy, is continuation phase cognitive therapy effective for reducing relapse or recurrence? Design Randomised...

Review: haloperidol is effective for schizophrenia but increases parkinsonism, dystonia, and akathisia. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In patients with schizophrenia, what are the clinical effects of haloperidol compared with placebo? Data sources Studies were identified by searching databases including EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1980 to Feb 1998), Medline...

A depression relapse prevention programme improved adherence to medication and depressive symptoms but did not decrease relapses. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In primary care patients with major recurrent depression or chronic depression, does a relapse prevention programme improve adherence to medication and decrease symptoms and relapses? Design Randomised (allocation concealed...

Men and women with chronic major depression responded differently to sertraline and imipramine. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Do men and women with chronic depression have different treatment responses to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (eg, sertraline) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) (eg, imipramine)? Design Randomised...

Review: self help, media based behavioural therapy is effective for behaviour problems in children. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Is self help, media based behavioural therapy effective for managing difficult behaviour in children and adolescents? Data sources Studies were identified by searching electronic databases; scanning reference lists of...

Fluvoxamine reduced symptoms of social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, and generalised anxiety disorder in children. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In children with social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, or generalised anxiety disorder, how effective is fluvoxamine, compared with placebo, in reducing anxiety? Design 8 week randomised (allocation concealed (*)) (+)...

Nortriptyline plus lithium increased time to relapse in unipolar depressed patients who responded to electroconvulsive therapy. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In patients with unipolar major depression who respond to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is nortriptyline hydrochloride or nortriptyline plus lithium carbonate better for preventing relapse? Design Randomised (allocation...

Group oriented interpersonal therapy reduced postpartum depression in women at risk. (Therapeutics).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Does a weekly 4 session group intervention based on the principles of interpersonal psychotherapy given to at risk pregnant women reduce the occurrence of postpartum major depression? Design Randomised (unclear allocation...

Patients with early adolescent bipolar disorder had 37.1% recovery and 38.3% relapse rates. (Prognosis).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In children with a pre-pubertal and early adolescent bipolar disorder phenotype, what are the 1 year recovery and relapse rates? Design Cohort study with naturalistic follow up at 6 and 12 months. Setting (A...

Children with asperger's syndrome had higher socialisation scores and fewer autistic symptoms than children with autism. (Prognosis).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Do children with Asperger's syndrome have different socialisation and autistic outcomes at 2 years than children with autism? Design Inception cohort with mean follow up of 26 months. Setting (4 community clinics...

Review: prenatal exposure to cocaine does not independently affect physical growth, cognition, or language skills. (Aetiology).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Do children exposed to cocaine in utero have worse outcomes than unexposed children in the domains of physical growth; cognition; language skills; motor skills; and behaviour, attention, affect, and neurophysiology? Data sources...

Life dissatisfaction was associated with an increased risk of suicide but adjustment for confounding factors attenuated the association. (Aetiology).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Does life satisfaction influence the risk of suicide? Design Cohort study with 20 years of follow up. Setting Finland. Participants 29 137 people who were 18-64 years of age (mean age 34 y, 51% women) and...

Risk of schizophrenia increased with increasing paternal age. (Aetiology).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: Is advanced paternal age associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia in offspring? Design Birth cohort study with follow up of offspring to 21 years of age. Setting Jerusalem, Israel. Participants 87...

Group and individual academic detailing for clinicians influenced prescribing of antidepressants for the elderly. (Quality Improvement).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: In treating elderly people with depression, can academic detailing in group or individual educational visits increase prescriptions of less anticholinergic antidepressants and reduce prescriptions of highly anticholinergic...

Patients with schizophrenia found that clozapine improved their wellbeing without resulting in extrapyramidal motor side effects. (Qualitative).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: How do patients with schizophrenia experience treatment with clozapine? Design Semistructured, problem centred interviews. Setting 4 psychiatric hospitals in Germany. Patients 80 patients who were 18-60...

3 themes related to a critical incident were identified in the decision to place a relative with Alzheimer's disease in an assisted living facility. (Qualitative).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: What precipitates the decision of caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to place their relatives in an assisted living facility (ALF)? Design Secondary analysis of data collected in semistructured interviews. ...

Patients with traumatic brain injury relayed neutral or positive self narratives for coping with their changed lives. (Qualitative).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: How do patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) cope with their changed lives? Design Qualitative study using open ended interviewing and participant observation. Setting TBI support group in a city in the eastern...

Physically injured patients described several forms of post-traumatic concerns. (Qualitative).
November 1, 2001... QUESTION: What are the post-traumatic concerns of physically injured patients? Design Qualitative study. Setting University of California at Davis Medical Centre, USA. Patients 97 English speaking survivors (age...