Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is often challenging to treat and resistant to psychological interventions and prescribed medications. The adjunctive use of nutraceuticals with potential neuromodulatory effects on underpinning pathways such as the glutamatergic and serotonergic systems is one novel approach.

To assess the effectiveness and safety of a purpose-formulated combination of nutraceuticals in treating OCD: N-acetyl cysteine, L-theanine, zinc, magnesium, pyridoxal-5′ phosphate, and selenium.

A 20-week open label proof-of-concept study was undertaken involving 28 participants with treatment-resistant DSM-5-diagnosed OCD, during 2017 to 2020. The primary outcome measure was the Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), administered every 4 weeks.

An intention-to-treat analysis revealed an estimated mean reduction across time (baseline to week-20) on the YBOCS total score of −7.13 (95% confidence interval = −9.24, −5.01), with a mean reduction of −1.21 points per post-baseline visit (P ≤ .001). At 20-weeks, 23% of the participants were considered “responders” (YBOCS ≥35% reduction and “very much” or “much improved” on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale). Statistically significant improvements were also revealed on all secondary outcomes (eg, mood, anxiety, and quality of life). Notably, treatment response on OCD outcome scales (eg, YBOCS) was greatest in those with lower baseline symptom levels, while response was limited in those with relatively more severe OCD.

While this pilot study lacks placebo-control, the significant time effect in this treatment-resistant OCD population is encouraging and suggests potential utility especially for those with lower symptom levels. Our findings need to be confirmed or refuted via a follow-up placebo-controlled study.

Skin picking disorder and trichotillomania, also characterized as body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), often lead to functional impairment. Some people with BFRBs, however, report little if any psychosocial dysfunction. There has been limited research as to which clinical aspects of BFRBs are associated with varying degrees of functional impairment.

Adults (n = 98), ages 18 to 65 with a current diagnosis of trichotillomania (n = 37), skin picking disorder (n = 32), trichotillomania plus skin picking disorder (n = 10), and controls (n = 19) were enrolled. Partial least squares regression (PLS) was used to identify variables associated with impairment on the Sheehan Disability Scale.

PLS identified an optimal model accounting for 45.8% of variation in disability. Disability was significantly related to (in order of descending coefficient size): severity of picking, perceived stress, comorbid disorders (specifically, anxiety disorders / obsessive–compulsive disorder), trait impulsivity, family history of alcohol use disorder, atypical pulling/picking sites, and older age.

At present mental disorders are viewed as unitary entities; however, the extent of impairment varies markedly across patients with BFRBs. These data suggest that whereas symptom nature/severity is important in determining impairment, so too are other variables commonly unmeasured in clinical practice. Outcomes for patients may thus be maximized by rigorously addressing comorbid disorders; as well as integrating components designed to enhance top-down control and stress management. Interestingly, focused picking and emotional pulling were linked to worse disability, hinting at some differences between the two types of BFRBs, in terms of determinants of impairment.

Among patients with depressive disorders, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is estimated to range from 35-40% and has been associated with increased mortality rates. The aim of this post-hoc analysis was to assess the effect of treatment with lurasidone on the prevalence of MetS in patients with bipolar depression.

Lurasidone data (dose range, 20-120 mg/d) used in the current analyses consisted of 3 double-blind (DB), placebo-controlled, 6-week studies in adults with bipolar I depression (total N=1,192), consisting of 1 monotherapy, and 2 adjunctive therapy trials with lithium or valproate. Patients who completed the short-term trials continued into a 6-month open-label (OL) extension study, with 6-month (LOCF-endpoint) data available on 274 patients treated with lurasidone monotherapy, and 436 patients treated with lurasidone adjunctive therapy. Also analyzed was a recurrence prevention study in stabilized bipolar patients who completed up to 20 weeks of OL adjunctive treatment with lurasidone, and then were randomized to 28 weeks of DB adjunctive therapy with lurasidone or placebo (N=497). MetS was defined based on NCEP ATP III criteria (2005 revision).

In the short-term monotherapy and adjunctive therapy studies, the proportion of patients at baseline meeting NCEP III criteria for MetS were 27.6% and 23.6%, respectively, for lurasidone, and 23.8% and 25.1%, respectively, for placebo; and at week 6 (LOCF) the proportion with MetS was 27.5% and 26.6%, respectively, for lurasidone and 29.9% and 20.2%, respectively, for placebo. The proportion of patients who did not meet MetS criteria at baseline but developed MetS at week 6 (LOCF) was similar for lurasidone vs. placebo in the monotherapy study (9.9% vs. 11.6%); and in the two adjunctive therapy studies (10.3% vs. 8.3%). During the 6-month OL extension study, the proportion of patients treated with lurasidone monotherapy and adjunctive therapy who did not meet MetS criteria at OL baseline but developed MetS at month 6 (LOCF) was 11.7% and 11.9%, respectively. Conversely, the proportion of patients who met MetS criteria at OL baseline, but no longer met criteria at month 6 (LOCF) was 9.5% and 7.7%, respectively. In the 20-week, OL phase of the recurrence prevention study, the proportion of patients treated with adjunctive lurasidone who did not meet MetS criteria at OL baseline but developed MetS at endpoint was 11.5% (LOCF). After up to 28 weeks of DB treatment, the proportion of patients who did not meet MetS criteria at DB baseline but developed MetS at endpoint was 9.0% in the adjunctive lurasidone group, and 10.5% in the adjunctive placebo group (LOCF).

This post-hoc analysis found that short- and long-term treatment with lurasidone was associated with a relatively low risk for the development of metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar I disorder. These findings are consistent with similar analyses in patients with schizophrenia.

Supported by funding from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

This post-hoc pooled analysis evaluated categorical change in functional impairment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with desvenlafaxine versus placebo and examined whether early improvement in functioning predicted functional outcomes at study endpoint.

Data were pooled from eight randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of desvenlafaxine for the treatment of MDD, including adults who were randomly assigned to receive desvenlafaxine 50 or 100 mg/d or placebo (N=3,384). Shift tables were generated for categorical changes in functional impairment from baseline based on Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) subscale scores. The categories were none/mild (0–3), moderate (4–6), and marked/extreme (7–10). Treatment comparisons for prespecified shifts of interest and predictive value of week 2 or 4 improvement in SDS subscale scores for functional outcome at week 8 were assessed using logistic regression.

Greater proportions of patients receiving desvenlafaxine 50 and 100 mg achieved improvement from baseline to week 8 for each prespecified shift endpoint versus placebo (all p ≤ 0.02). Early improvement in SDS subscale scores was a statistically significant predictor of functional outcome at week 8, both overall and for each treatment group (all p<0.0001).

Treatment with desvenlafaxine 50 or 100 mg/d led to significantly greater categorical improvement in functional impairment versus placebo, and improvement in SDS subscale scores significantly predicted functional outcome. Monitoring patient progress early in the course of antidepressant treatment using a functional assessment such as the SDS may help clinicians determine whether or not treatment adjustments are needed.

Resistance to antipsychotic treatment affects up to 30% of patients with schizophrenia. Although the time course of development of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) varies from patient to patient, the reasons for these variations remain unknown. Growing evidence suggests brain dysconnectivity as a significant feature of schizophrenia. In this study, we compared fractional anisotropy (FA) of brain white matter between TRS and non–treatment-resistant schizophrenia (non-TRS) patients. Our central hypothesis was that TRS is associated with reduced FA values.

TRS was defined as the persistence of moderate to severe symptoms after adequate treatment with at least two antipsychotics from different classes. Diffusion-tensor brain MRI obtained images from 34 TRS participants and 51 non-TRS. Whole-brain analysis of FA and axial, radial, and mean diffusivity were performed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and FMRIB’s Software Library (FSL), yielding a contrast between TRS and non-TRS patients, corrected for multiple comparisons using family-wise error (FWE) < 0.05.

We found a significant reduction in FA in the splenium of corpus callosum (CC) in TRS when compared to non-TRS. The antipsychotic dose did not relate to the splenium CC.

Our results suggest that the focal abnormality of CC may be a potential biomarker of TRS.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) are frequently co-occurring disorders in children and adolescents. However, their clinical status among adults is still under discussion. This study analyzes how the current clinical presentation of adult ADHD might be influenced by a lifetime history of CD and ODD.

We compared three groups of patients: ADHD without history of CD/ODD (n = 178), ADHD + history of ODD (n = 184), and ADHD + history of CD (n = 96).

A history of CD (and to a lower extent ODD) is associated with a more severe and externalizing profile.

Past CD and ODD entail a significant negative mental health impact on persistent ADHD, reinforcing the importance of actively assessing the developmental history of adult ADHD patients.

Compulsive buying behavior or pathological buying is increasingly being recognized as a psychiatric disorder, and various psychosocial factors have been proposed to contribute to this problem. This study aimed to identify the association between compulsive buying behavior, stress, anxiety, depression, and impulsivity.

This cross-sectional, online survey used Google Forms to collect sociodemographic and clinical details of the participants between June 2021 and August 2021. In addition, they were evaluated on Pathological Buying Screener, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 (DASS-21), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale – Brief (BIS-Brief).

Out of 426 participants with valid responses, 169 (39.7%) qualified for pathological buying. The participant groups “with” and “without” pathological buying were comparable on sociodemographic characteristics, the preferred mode of shopping, and daily Internet use duration. Those “with” pathological buying scored significantly higher on DASS-21 and BIS-Brief. Both DASS-21 and BIS-Brief scores were predictors of pathological buying scores.

There is a significant association between pathological buying, psychological distress, and impulsivity.