Olfactory reference plus Truman symptoms in one patient with Gilbert syndrome and antiphospholipid antibodies (Hughes disease) secondary to probable chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis

After reading an article in the journal, regarding affective disorders in patients with rare illnesses, the authors would like to discuss a case of non-affective psychosis, presenting with olfactory reference and Truman symptoms, in a patient with three unusual conditions: Gilbert disease, Hughes syndrome and Lyme neuroborreliosis.

Psychometric properties of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) in a longitudinal sample of people experiencing non-affective psychosis

Background Suicidal ideation is a key precursor for suicide attempts and suicide deaths. Performing routine screening of suicide precursors can help identify people who are at high risk of death by suicide. This is, arguably, an important suicide prevention effort. The aim of this study was to assess the validity, reliability, and factor structure of the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) in a three-month longitudinal study with people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or non-affective psychosis and experiences of suicidal ideation and/or behaviours. It was predicted that the SIDAS would have high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent, discriminant and construct validity. Methods Ninety-nine participants experiencing psychosis completed the SIDAS at baseline and 89 participants completed it 3 months later. Additionally, participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Defeat and Entrapment Scales. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the SIDAS were investigated in comparison to other constructs. Factor analysis was performed to examine the factor structure of the scale. Results Principal component analysis yielded a theoretically coherent one-dimensional factor structure of SIDAS, suggesting good construct validity (PCA = .71). The SIDAS had high internal consistency (α = .89) and good test-retest reliability (α = .73). It was highly correlated with other self-report measures, including the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Defeat and Entrapment scales, indicating excellent construct validity. Conclusion The SIDAS is a valid and reliable self-report instrument for assessing the severity of suicidal ideation in a population of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or non-affective psychosis. Further research should test the psychometric properties of the scale in individuals experiencing different mental health problems in cross-cultural settings, in order to establish its broader validity, reliability, and clinical utility.

The Relationship between the Therapeutic Alliance and Suicidal Experiences in People with Psychosis Receiving Therapy

Few studies have examined the relationship between the therapeutic alliance in therapy and suicidal experiences. No studies have examined this relationship with people with non-affective psychosis. The present study sought to redress this gap in the literature. Sixty-four participants with non-affective psychosis and suicidal experiences who were receiving a suicide-focused cognitive therapy were recruited. Self-reported suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide attempts, depression, and hopelessness were collected from participants prior to starting therapy. Suicidal experience measures were collected again post-therapy at 6 months. Therapeutic alliance ratings were completed by clients and therapists at session 4 of therapy. Dose of therapy was documented in number of minutes of therapy. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficients, independent samples t-tests, a multiple hierarchical regression, and a moderated linear regression. There was no significant relationship found between suicidal ideation prior to therapy and the therapeutic alliance at session 4, rated by both client and therapist. However, there was a significant negative relationship between the client-rated therapeutic alliance at session 4 and suicidal ideation at 6 months, after controlling for pre-therapy suicidal ideation, depression, and hopelessness. Furthermore, the negative relationship between the client-rated alliance and suicidal ideation was the strongest when number of minutes of therapy was 15 h or below. A stronger therapeutic alliance developed in the first few sessions of therapy is important in ameliorating suicidal thoughts in people with psychosis. Nevertheless, it is not necessarily the case that more hours in therapy equates to a cumulative decrease in suicidal ideation of which therapists could be mindful. A limitation of the current study was that the alliance was analyzed only at session 4 of therapy, which future studies could seek to redress.

Doxycycline exposure during adolescence and future risk of non-affective psychosis and bipolar disorder: a total population cohort study

Doxycycline has been hypothesized to prevent development of severe mental illness (SMI) through the suppression of microglia, especially if administered during the intense synaptic pruning period of adolescence. However, results from register studies on potential benefits differ considerably. The aim of the present study was to determine whether doxycycline exposure during adolescence is associated with reduced SMI risk, and to investigate if a direct and specific causality is plausible. This is a Swedish national population register-based cohort study of all individuals born from 1993 to 1997, followed from the age of 13 until end of study at the end of 2016. The primary exposure was cumulative doxycycline prescription ≥3000 mg and outcomes were first diagnosis of non-affective psychosis (F20–F29) and first diagnosis of bipolar disorder (F30–F31). Causal effects were explored through Cox regressions with relevant covariates and secondary analyses of multilevel exposure and comparison to other antibiotics. We found no association between doxycycline exposure and risk of subsequent non-affective psychosis (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.15, 95% CI 0.73–1.81, p = 0.541) and an increased risk of subsequent bipolar disorder (adjusted HR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49–2.55, p < 0.001). We do not believe the association between doxycycline and bipolar disorder is causal as similar associations were observed for other common antibiotics.

Clinical Risk Constellations for the Development of Bipolar Disorders

The early recognition of psychiatric disorders has been a focus of research in the last decades and has led to improvements in clinical care, especially in the area of early psychosis. Like non-affective psychosis, bipolar disorders are often diagnosed with a delay that can lead to long periods of untreated illness and impact long-term outcomes. This article presents the rationale for early recognition in bipolar disorder and presents the current evidence for the identification of risk factors, their assessment and validity in predicting the onset of bipolar disorder.