ICNS_NovDec_2014_CoverDear Colleagues:

Welcome to the November–December 2014 issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. We start this issue with the first of what we hope to be a series of drug development guidance papers created by the collaborative efforts of the clinicians, investigators, industry scientists, and other entities involved in drug development who participate in the CNS Summit meeting, which is held annually in Boca Raton, Florida. This first guidance paper was prepared by the CNS Summit Rater Training and Certification Committee and offers guidelines on the selection, training, and evaluation of the raters who administer rating scales to study subjects in clinical neuroscience drug trials.

Next, in the article, “Antidepressant Use and Body Mass Index Change in Overweight Adolescents: A Historical Cohort Study,” Cockerill et al reviewed electronic medical records from a tertiary academic medical center to determine if there is a link between antidepressant use and weight gain in already overweight adolescents (age 13–18 years). The authors found that age- and sex-standardized body mass index (zBMI) significantly increased only for adolescents treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. For patients receiving other medications or no medication, zBMI did not change significantly.

Following this, in the article, “Toward Impacting Medical and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Persons with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities: An Initial Prospective Analysis,” Gentile et al examined the effectiveness of psychiatric medical services, counseling, and behavioral treatments for adult patients with mild, moderate, or severe intellectual disabilities (ID) plus behavioral disorders and/or emotional distress. The authors found that most improvement in behavioral problem severity occurred at six months of treatment, then plateaued. In a follow-up study, the authors will follow similar individuals with moderate ID to determine the relative benefits of supportive psychotherapy, behavior support, or a combination, and for what duration of time the treatment should be continued.

Next, Lee et al present a case report titled, “ECT-induced Mania,” in which a patient developed manic symptoms following the administration of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and suicidal behavior. The authors provide a brief review of the literature and describe how these manic symptoms along with the patient’s depression were treated.

Following this, in his ongoing Research to Practice column, Dr. Steve Targum shares a discussion he recently had regarding the current status of adult ADHD assessment and treatment with Lenard A. Adler, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and Director of the adult ADHD program at New York University Medical Center in New York City.

Next, in this month’s The Interface, Sansone and Sansone provide us with the results of their examination of the literature on patient aggression toward healthcare professionals. In this mini-review, “Patient Aggression: Is the Clinical Practice Setting Safe?” the authors found that studies done in the United States, other English-speaking countries, and elsewhere report surprisingly high rates of patient aggression toward healthcare professionals. While the examined literature did not allow the authors to determine if patient aggression is on the increase, the authors concluded that these behaviors are rampant.

And finally, we close the issue with this month’s installment of our Risk Management column. Here, Vanderpool, in her article “Requests for Disclosure of Psychological Testing Information” sheds some much needed light on the conundrum of whether to disclose testing data to patients who request it.

We hope you enjoy the issue. As always, we welcome your feedback and submissions. And, as we bring 2014 to a close and look forward to the new year, we would like to wish all of our readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2015!

Sincerely,

Amir Kalali, MD

Editor, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience