Saturday, May 14, 2016.
APA Meeting, Atlanta GA.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) convocation, which began today, highlighted initial findings in a number of key and unique mental diseases.

Adopting a Dog May Help Veterans with PTSD

Adopting a pet dog may prove a useful addition to treatment for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), helping to alleviate PTSD symptoms, depression and loneliness, according to a pilot trial, led by Stephen Stern, MD, adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and research investigator at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio. Stern compared a control group with a group of veterans with PTSD who adopted a dog as a supplement to usual care. The participants were veterans in active treatment for PTSD.

The participants were randomly placed into either immediate dog adoption group (dog group) or a three-month waitlist group (control group). There were nine veterans in the dog group and 10 in the control group. The veterans assigned to adopt a pet were each allowed to select a dog to adopt from the Humane Society from among several identified by a veterinarian. The dogs were pets, not service animals.

Over the three-month period the dog group showed significantly more improvement in PTSD symptoms than the control group. Researchers also looked at measures of depression and loneliness. Average scores on scales of both depression and loneliness improved for the dog group and declined for the control group.

In semi-structured interviews, most veterans in the dog group reported developing close bonds with their pets and becoming more physically and socially active. They also described improvements in their overall happiness, ability to cope with stress and relationships with others.

ECT Effective for Treatment of Schizophrenia

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) — long held as an effective therapy for combating depression in refractory patients — can be effective for the treatment of schizophrenia, according to a new study.

The study examined the effectiveness of ECT in a large clinical sample of patients with schizophrenia and looked at factors associated with treatment response and adverse effects. Many previous studies have looked at use of older equipment and medications that do not reflect current practice.

Researchers, led by Tyler Kaster, MD, with the University of Toronto, examined the clinical records of 144 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who received ECT and determined treatment response and adverse cognitive effects. The researchers looked at several factors associated with response, such as previous response to ECT and use of medication while undergoing ECT treatment.

More than three-quarters of the participants (77 percent) responded to the ECT treatment, demonstrating the clinical effectiveness of ECT for the treatment of schizophrenia. In addition the rate of adverse effects was lower than expected based on ECT use in patients with depression. While ECT appears to be an effective treatment option for schizophrenia with relatively minimal side effects, the authors urge further research to delineate its role in clinical practice.

Eating Disorders: Differences in Young Men and Women

While eating disorders are more common among women, men with eating disorders are more likely to experience concurrent depression and are less likely to access mental health services.

Eating disorders are the third most common diagnosis in adolescent females; they are far less prevalent in young males. Limited evidence has previously suggested some sex-specific differences in patient history and presentation. The study assessed differences in a sample of adolescents admitted for treatment of eating disorders.

Researcher Samuel Ridout, MD, with Brown University School of Medicine, reviewed charts of adolescent patients (127 women and 21 men) hospitalized for treatment of their eating disorders between October 2010 and April 2014. The individuals had anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or eating disorder not otherwise specified as primary or secondary diagnoses.

Significantly more males than females had depression along with the eating disorder (67 percent compared to 43 percent). The males had significantly lower likelihood of prior psychiatric hospitalizations (10 percent of males compared to 21 percent of females). Males and females did not differ in their history of suicidal ideation or attempts.

The researchers conclude that while depression is an important coexisting condition in male and female patients with eating disorders, it may be more prevalent in males than previously thought and males are less likely to engage with psychiatric resources. Nine percent of males also developed modest cognitive impairment.