Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (Aust New Zeal J Psychiatr)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Antipsychotic polypharmacy and high-dose prescription in schizophrenia: a 5-year comparison.

  Daeyoung Roh, Jhin-Goo Chang, Chan-Hyung Kim, Hyun-Sang Cho, Suk Kyoon An, Young-Chul Jung
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  ABSTRACT: Objective:The co-prescription of multiple antipsychotic drugs continues to increase despite a lack of evidence supporting this practice. The purpose of this study was to quantify and describe recent trends of antipsychotic polypharmacy in Korean schizophrenic inpatients by comparing prescribed medications between the years of 2005 and 2010.Methods:We reviewed comprehensive medication profiles of schizophrenic patients discharged from a university psychiatric hospital in 2005 (n=194) or 2010 (n=201). Antipsychotic polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent receipt of two or more chemically distinct antipsychotics for at least 14 days. High antipsychotic dose was defined as a prescribed daily dose to defined daily dose ratio of greater than 1.5.Results:Antipsychotic polypharmacy increased between 2005 (37.1%) and 2010 (48.3%, p=0.025). The most frequently used drug within combinations of antipsychotics was haloperidol in 2005 (51.4%) and quetiapine in 2010 (48.5%). Overall, no changes were observed between 2005 and 2010 in the rate of prescribing high-dose antipsychotics. High-dose antipsychotic monotherapy decreased across years (from 30.4 to 18.4%), but high-dose antipsychotic polypharmacy increased (from 34.0 to 45.3%). Regression analysis revealed that antipsychotic polypharmacy was strongly associated with high doses of prescribed antipsychotics (odds ratio=18.60, p<0.001).Conclusions:The practice of prescribing multiple antipsychotics to patients with schizophrenia is increasing, and high-dose antipsychotic drugs are more likely to be prescribed in combination than in isolation. The reasons for this pattern of prescription and its impact warrants further study.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: Brevity takes time.

  Edwin Harari
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: The relationship between psychosocial functioning and resilience and negative symptoms in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis.

  Kyung Ran Kim, Yun Young Song, Jin Young Park, Eun Hye Lee, Mikyung Lee, Su Young Lee, Jee In Kang, Eun Lee, Sang Woo Yoo, Suk Kyoon An, Jun Soo Kwon
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  ABSTRACT: Objective:Decline in psychosocial functioning seems to be a core feature in schizophrenia across various phases of the disorder. Little is known about the relationship between psychosocial functioning and protective factors or psychopathologies in individuals in the prodrome phase of psychosis. We aimed to investigate whether psychosocial functioning is impaired in individuals in the putative prodromal phase of schizophrenia, and, if so, to identify factors associated with compromised psychosocial functioning.Method:Sixty participants at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and 47 healthy controls were recruited. All subjects were assessed in terms of psychosocial functioning using the Quality of Life Scale. A clinical assessment of psychopathology and protective factors, including resilience and coping style, was also conducted.Results:Psychosocial functioning in UHR participants was found to be compromised; this dysfunction was associated with negative symptoms, adaptive coping, and resilience. In addition, baseline resilience was lower among those in the UHR group who converted to frank psychosis than among those who did not.Conclusions:These findings imply that treatment strategies for individuals at UHR for psychosis should be comprehensive, promoting resilience as well as targeting the reduction of positive and negative symptoms to foster social reintegration and recovery.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: Risk assessment for violence and self-harm in first episode psychosis and the need for early psychosis intervention services.

  Matthew M Large, Basem Dall, Olav B Nielssen
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: Idiosyncratic intermittent nocturnal priapism occurring after quetiapine dose reduction.

  Joseph E Maakaron, Bassem N Matta, Jean Rebeiz, Ali T Taher
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: Ketamine as a new treatment for depression: A review of its efficacy and adverse effects.

  Natalie Katalinic, Rosalyn Lai, Andrew Somogyi, Philip B Mitchell, Paul Glue, Colleen K Loo
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  ABSTRACT: Objective:Narrative review of the literature on the efficacy and safety of subanaesthetic doses of ketamine for the treatment of depression.Method:Medline and PubMed databases were searched up to October 2012 using appropriate keywords.Results:The studies consistently report substantial efficacy with high response and remission rates from 4 to 72 hours (averages 77% and 43%, respectively) from single doses, though not all patients respond to ketamine. Early relapse is common. While the usual procedure involves the administration of intravenous ketamine at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg over 40 minutes, some preliminary evidence suggests other dosing regimens and routes of administration may be useful or even better. Repeated doses and maintenance pharmacological treatments have been investigated in order to prolong the antidepressant effects, with only modest success.Conclusions:Current research on the antidepressant effects of ketamine has consistently shown rapid and substantial improvement in mood in the majority of patients. However, these effects have often been found to be short-lived. Future research should focus on identifying predictors of response (e.g. clinical, genetic, pharmacokinetic, environmental), examining different dosing regimens and routes of administration, and strategies to maintain the antidepressant response.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: Fatigue and occupational functioning in major depressive disorder.

  Raymond W Lam, Gin S Malhi, Roger S McIntyre, Koen Demyttenaere, Philip Gorwood, Erin E Michalak, Ulrich Hegerl
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: The role of inflammatory cytokines on the aetiopathogenesis of depression.

  Karan Makhija, Satish Karunakaran
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  ABSTRACT: Objective:The primary focus of this review is to provide an overview of the role of inflammation in the development of depression. The article will describe how inflammatory cytokines contribute to depression via action on three major pathways in the brain: the neuroendocrine; neurotransmitter depletion; and neuroprogression pathways.Methods:An online literature search was carried out in July 2012. Original articles and reviews were selected if they discussed the role of inflammation on the development of depression.Results:There is a large body of current research on the role of inflammatory cytokines on the development of depression. Cytokines have been found to interact with different pathways in the brain, and may contribute to the development of depression. Cytokines cause hypercortisolaemia by dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis directly by activating it and indirectly by modifying glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity to cortisol leading to cortisol hypersecretion. Cytokines deplete central synaptic serotonin levels by reducing its synthesis and increasing its reuptake. They may also deplete neurotrophic factors which are believed to play a neuroprotective role against depression. Cytokines activate cellular cascades that cause excitotoxicity and apoptosis and inhibit neurogenesis in the hippocampus.Conclusion:There is a growing body of correlative studies that suggest inflammatory cytokines may be a central factor that can affect multiple neuronal pathways and have an additive effect on the development of depression. However, the fact that not all people with inflammatory conditions suffer from depression suggests that depression is not purely a result of elevated inflammatory cytokines. Depression may be a result of a complex pathology that remains an area of growing interest and importance.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: A retrospective of publications addressing suicidal behaviour in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1967-2012.

  Robert D Goldney
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  ABSTRACT: Objective: To review publications addressing suicidal behaviour in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1967-2012. Method: A PubMed/MEDLINE search using the words suicide, attempted suicide (and their synonyms) and Aust NZ J Psychiatr was carried out, and an examination of all tables of contents of the journal for the years 1967-2012 was performed. Results: In 342 (7.4%) of 4599 articles there was reference to suicidal behaviour. This ratio was consistent over time, although the nature of their content changed from broader epidemiological and clinical review studies to more focused reports. Conclusions: Papers addressing suicidal behaviour have been published consistently in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry since its inception in 1967. Early clinical reviews remain pertinent to the present time.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):431-4.
• Article: Strategies for improving employment outcomes for people with psychosis. Commentary on: Severe mental illness and work - What can we do to maximise employment opportunities for individuals with psychosis?

  Vera A Morgan
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):486-7.
• Article: Liver toxicity with clozapine.

  Peter Tucker
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013;
• Article: DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder mislabels medical illness as mental disorder.

  Allen Frances, Suzy Chapman
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):483-4.
• Article: Employment as a health intervention - the role of psychiatry in bridging the evidence to practice gap.

  Helen Lockett, Clive Bensemann
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):417-20.
• Article: 'Open for business': Do open-access psychiatry journals provide value for money?

  Glenn E Hunt, Garry Walter, Gin S Malhi
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):407-11.
• Article: Buds of may.

  Gin S Malhi
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):405-6.
• Article: Catatonia from Kahlbaum to DSM-5.

  David Healy
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):412-6.
• Article: Severe mental illness and work.

  Geoffrey Waghorn
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 05/2013; 47(5):488-9.
• Article: Olanzapine-induced neuroleptic malignant syndrome after 10 years of treatment.

  Ewa Oglodek, Anna Szota, Aleksander Araszkiewicz
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 04/2013;
• Article: Dermatitis artefacta in an intellectually disabled man with monosymptomatic hypochondriacal delusion of HIV infection.

  Marsus Icaro Pumar, Rajeev Kumar
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 04/2013;
• Article: Beyond DSM: Early stages of disorder pose predictable and modifiable risk for persistent disorder.

  Patrick McGorry
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 04/2013;