Highlights of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 167th annual meeting, New York NY, May 3-7, 2014 – The following articles summarize some noteworthy studies presented at this year’s APA annual meeting. More topics will be covered in Part 2 which will be published July 9.
Psychiatry
Facebook: friend or foe of psychiatry?
May 14, 2014There have been numerous studies examining the effectiveness of long-distance psychotherapy as an alternative means of accessing and improving clinical outcomes for patients with depressive or anxiety disorders (Choi et al. Depress Anxiety 2014; epublished February 5, 2014; Lam et al. Br J Psychiatry 2013;203:358-365).
In recent years, the Internet has been used to deliver cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic psychotherapy and guided self-help programs (Johansson et al. BMC Psychiatry 2013;13:268, free full text at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3852703/pdf/1471-244X-13-268.pdf). Reins et al. BMC Psychiatry 2013;13:318, free full text at www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-244X-13-318.pdf). Read More
The high impact of neurological and psychiatric disorders: the Global Burden of Disease Study
May 14, 2014The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2010) is a large epidemiological study by the World Health Organization that has resulted in dozens of papers over the past decade.
As a result of improvements in some areas of population health (e.g. maternal and child health, sanitation, infection control) and the aging of the population, the health priorities are now shifting from mortality to morbidity – underscoring the significant impact of neurological and psychiatric disorders on burden of disease. Read More
Depression and discrimination: the ASPEN/INDIGO study
February 19, 2014A large multinational study has found that a majority of individuals with major depressive disorder have experienced some form of discrimination (Lasalvia et al. Lancet 2013; 381: 55–62). The study was a collaborative effort by 18 countries participating in the Anti Stigma Programme European Network (ASPEN), and 17 countries involved in the International Study of Discrimination and Stigma for Depression (INDIGO). Read More
Recurrent depression in the community: NEMESIS results
October 23, 2013Data obtained from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS) indicate a high risk of recurrence among patients treated for major depression (Hardeveld et al. Psychol Med 2013;43:39-48). The study included 687 subjects with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R) in remission for at least six months and prospectively followed-up for three years.