In higher education institutions, logistics workers often face high-pressure and multitasking work environments, which may lead to acute stress disorder. This study explores the effectiveness of reforming logistics management methods in universities in alleviating acute stress disorder among employees from the perspective of management psychology.

Four higher education institutions were selected, with 50 logistics staff randomly selected from each school, totaling 200. Using a randomized controlled trial method, the employees were evenly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group adopted a new logistics management method based on management psychology for one year. The control group maintained its original management mode. The psychological status of all employees was evaluated before and after the reform using the Acute Stress Disorder Self-Rating Scale (ASDS).

After implementing the new management method, the ASDS score of the experimental group significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the difference was significant compared to the control group. In addition, the employees in the experimental group also scored higher in terms of job satisfaction, teamwork, and work efficiency.

Under the guidance of management psychology, the reform of logistics management methods in universities significantly alleviates the acute stress disorder of logistics workers. It is recommended that more higher education institutions adopt this new management approach to improve employees’ mental health and work efficiency.

Psychosis is a common feature of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), affecting approximately 50% of PD patients during their disease course. The INSYTE study was the first prospective, real-world, observational study examining the outcomes of both treated and untreated patients with PD Psychosis (PDP).

PDP patients were enrolled from 76 US academic centers and community sites from 03/21/2017 to 03/08/2021. Patients were included in the final analytical cohort if they had a baseline visit and at least 1 follow-up visit within 3 years; due to the variability of follow-up for each patient within the 3-year period, all study outcomes were assessed in patients with at least one baseline and two follow-up visits within 1 year. No specific visit schedule was imposed; all interactions were established by the investigators. Questionnaires were completed at follow-up visits and assessments focused on PDP treatment utilization, treatment patterns, clinical outcomes, caregiver burden, quality of life, and resource utilization.

760 patients were initially enrolled; 635 patients (84%) were included in the final study group, and 441 patients (69%) were included in the analysis. 281 patients (64%) had no antipsychotic treatment at enrollment (untreated group) vs 160 (36%) who had received an antipsychotic at enrollment (treated group). At enrollment, patients in the untreated vs treated group, respectively, had a mean PD duration of 8.05 vs 10.23 years, mean duration of PDP features of 2.20 vs 3.10 yrs, and had a PDP diagnosis for a mean of 1.42 vs 2.16 yrs. Most patients in the untreated group (n=221, 77%) received no antipsychotics through follow-up. The groups were balanced in terms of age (mean 73.9 vs 73.4 yrs) and sex (65.1% vs 63.1% male). The untreated group had higher rates of hypertension (44.5% vs 36.8%) and diabetes (12.8% vs 8.8%); however, the treated group had higher rates of depression (25.6% vs 41.3%) and anxiety (22.8% vs 26.9%). The percent change from baseline at 12 months in total psychosis, hallucination, and delusion scores for the untreated group showed greater worsening than the treated group: 32.3% vs 29.3%; 29.3 % vs 25.0%; and 29.3 % vs 25.0%, respectively, as did daytime sleepiness scores (51.6% vs 40.8%). Measures of PD severity (non-motor and motor MDS-UPDRS scores) and health-related quality of life showed less worsening for the untreated group vs treated group at 12 months. Caregiver burden (per the ZBI) was lower in the untreated group vs the treated group (81.5% vs 90.0%).

In this descriptive analysis, untreated patients had shorter duration of PD, fewer PDP symptoms at baseline, and lower rates of mental health comorbidities vs treated patients. The untreated PDP patients had greater worsening in their psychosis and sleepiness scores at 12 months versus the treated group, yet remained untreated. Future studies are needed to better understand clinicians’ rationale for withholding PDP treatment.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Psychosis is a common feature of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), with an estimated 50% of PD patients experiencing psychosis (i.e., hallucinations [H] or delusions [D]) at some time during the course of their illness. Pimavanserin (PIM) is the only medication approved in the US for the treatment of H&D associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP); however, off-label atypical antipsychotics (AAP) are continuously used. Currently, there are very few real-world studies which evaluate the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes among PD patients residing in the long-term care (LTC) setting within the US, newly initiated on PIM or other AAPs to treat psychosis.

A national LTC database consisting of diagnoses (DX), pharmacy orders (RX), and EHR data linked with the Minimum Data Set (MDS) was used to identify PD patients with a PD DX and 1 PD RX from 01/01/2017 to 09/30/2021 retrospectively. Patient groups were created: PIM group (patients with a PIM RX); AAP group (patients with an AAP RX [and no PIM RX]); and no treatment (No Tx) group (no PIM or AAP RX). All patients were required to have at least 100 days in LTC to be labelled as a resident (≤7 days between discharge and admission were included as LTC stay). Psychosis diagnosis was required at any time for the AAP and No Tx groups. Other medical causes of psychosis beyond PD were not excluded. The index dates were the first RX identified during the study time period for the PIM and AAP groups; and the psychosis DX date for the No Tx group. Incident treatment patients were defined as having no history of PIM or AAP in the 6 months prior to the index date. Patient/clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and study outcomes were reported using means (SD) and frequencies during the post index period.

There were: PIM group (N=3,120; N=870 incident), AAP group (N=5,880; N=2,396 incident), and No Tx group (N=1,802). The PIM and AAP groups had an average of 415 days and 383 days between the admitting date and the date of RX. The mean age among all groups was 76–77 years and 48–50% were female. PIM group patients were observed to be sicker with higher rates of concomitant dementia, depression, diabetes, and hypertension versus the AAP group or No Tx group. Initial treatments in the AAP group were mostly quetiapine (49%), risperidone (21%), or olanzapine (12%). The descriptive analysis during the 6 months post index showed the outcomes for the incident AAP group to have: higher proportion of falls and aggression events; higher incidence of new DX (physical changes, anxiety disorders, cognitive decline, insomnia, depression, and anticholinergic effects); and higher proportion of new medication orders (anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines) compared with the incident PIM group.

In this descriptive LTC retrospective analysis, incident PIM patients were shown to have better outcomes versus the AAP group. These findings are subject to study limitations.

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Vocational English classrooms, due to their professionalism and practicality, create certain learning pressure on students, and some students may experience sophophobi, the fear of learning. Combining cognitive psychology theory, this study aims to explore whether incorporating ideological and political education in vocational English classrooms can alleviate students’ learning anxiety.

Two vocational colleges were selected for the experiment, each with two classes, with approximately 200 student participants. The experimental class incorporates ideological and political education in English classroom, while the control class performs routine teaching. The research lasted one semester. Pre- and post-evaluations were conducted using a learning anxiety questionnaire and cognitive psychology assessment tools. The experimental data was statistically analyzed using Excel.

The results showed that compared with the control class, the symptoms of sophophobi in the experimental class were significantly alleviated at the end of the semester (P<0.05). In cognitive evaluation, the students in the experimental class had a more positive cognitive evaluation of English learning, demonstrating a stronger learning motive and confidence.

Based on the analysis of cognitive psychology, integrating ideological and political education into vocational English teaching can help students reshape their cognitive evaluation of English learning, thereby reducing the symptoms of sophophobi. It is recommended that the integration with ideological and political education can be promoted in vocational English teaching when colleges design teaching programs.

To treat consumer mood disorders, optimization design is carried out in cultural products and color visual communication is used to alleviate patient symptoms. This will provide important opinions and references for the treatment of mood disorder patients.

120 patients with Consumer mood disorders were selected as the experimental subjects and were divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 60 patients in each group. The experimental group presented cultural products with color visual design, while the control group presented ordinary cultural products. SPSS23.0 software was used to record the patient’s mental state data during a half month trip, and the depression disorder scale was used for evaluation.

It was found that there was a significant difference in the mental state between the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group performed well in terms of mental state, comfort, and other aspects. From this, the color visual design of cultural goods has a regulatory effect on the mental state of consumers, which is beneficial for improving their mood disorders.

In recent years, product visual communication design has not only attracted many consumers’ favor, but also played a positive role in consumer psychology and spirit. By optimizing the visual design of products, Consumer Mood Disorders can be improved, providing important reference opinions for the treatment of Consumer Mood Disorders.

The purpose of this case study is to review the clinical presentation and medical work of an adult male who experienced symptomatic hyperammonemia and first-degree atrio-ventricular block in the setting of valproic acid toxicity.

This case involves a 28-year-old African American male with a past psychiatric history of bipolar 1 disorder with psychotic features, antisocial personality disorder, PTSD, and ASD, who was psychiatrically hospitalized for mania and psychosis at a large midwestern university hospital. At the time of evaluation in the emergency department, the patient endorsed suicidal ideation, religious/persecutory delusions, and auditory hallucinations of demons. Zyprexa Zydis was started and titrated to 20 mg every 12 hours, which did not sufficiently improve symptoms. Depakote EC/DR 1000 mg every 12 hours was then added for treatment of mania. Approximately 1 week later, the patient was observed to be somnolent and complained of malaise, nausea, and vomiting.

Labs were collected which showed an elevated ammonia level of 336 umol/L and free valproic acid level of 13.3 mcg/ml. An EKG was performed which showed first-degree atrio-ventricular block with fusion complexes. The patient’s baseline EKG displayed sinus bradycardia with no evidence of atrio-ventricular block. The patient’s CMP was unremarkable except total bilirubin of 1.5 mg/dL and glucose of 104 mg/dL. His lactate was elevated at 1.95 mmol/L. The patient’s troponin and CRP were unremarkable. The patient was medically transferred for management of hyperammonemia and EKG changes. Depakote was discontinued and lactulose 20 g TID was initiated. Patient was placed on telemetry and the first-degree atrio-ventricular block resolved within 24 hours after discontinuation of Depakote. Daily ammonia level, chem 7, and magnesium were collected. Ammonia decreased to 79 and 59 umol/L on consecutive days. Sodium was mildly elevated at 144 on day 2 of medical admission. Poison control was contacted and L-carnitine 990 TID was started for suspected carnitine deficiency. The patient medically recovered after several days and was readmitted to the psychiatric hospital for further psychiatric management.

The patient’s presentation of hyperammonemia and first-degree atrio-ventricular block were likely due to valproic acid toxicity. We suspect that carnitine deficiency contributed to the patient’s valproic acid toxicity at lower-than-expected blood levels. Although antipsychotics can cause prolonged QTc interval, conduction disorders are not typical abnormalities. Caution should be taken when prescribing Depakote to individuals at higher risk of developing toxicity, including those with potential nutritional deficiencies as well as those with limited self-advocacy abilities secondary to psychiatric illness. Rapid identification of side effects, such as valproic acid toxicity, remain crucial for favorable patient outcomes.

No Funding

Methylphenidate is a central nervous system stimulant used as first-line treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). CNS stimulant use is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events such as increased resting heart rate and blood pressure, sudden cardiac death, arrhythmia, and stroke. Its safety profile in recipients of cardiovascular transplants is unknown, and more research is warranted to determine the risk of adverse cardiac events due to stimulant medication in this population.

Clinical case report, n=1

A 19-year-old female with a history of restrictive cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrest, and orthotopic cardiac transplant has been treated with methylphenidate for ADHD for approximately 2 years without incident. The patient was diagnosed with ADHD between the ages of 8 and 10 and historically was treated with stimulant medication. At age 13, she experienced a cardiac arrest after a volleyball game with 4–6 minutes of pulselessness. She was successfully resuscitated and underwent defibrillator placement. It was concluded that the patient had restrictive cardiomyopathy undetected at birth, leading to the need for orthotopic cardiac transplantation at age 16. After her cardiac arrest, the patient’s memory and cognition worsened, and approximately 1 year after her transplant, she was prescribed amantadine. The patient remained untreated for her ADHD until approximately 1.5 years after her cardiac transplant, at which time she underwent neuropsychological testing that showed findings consistent with attention deficit disorder, and was restarted on stimulant medication. Her transplant cardiologist and psychiatrist have collaborated in her ongoing treatment with methylphenidate 40 mg daily and monitoring symptom response and cardiac stability. Because the patient had previously been stable on stimulant medication for many years, it is reasonable to conclude that stimulant medication did not lead to her cardiac arrest. The patient reports that methylphenidate has been helpful in improving her functioning as a college student, through reduction of her ADHD symptoms. The patient’s blood pressure and heart rate remain within an acceptable range and she has not experienced any adverse cardiac events to date while taking methylphenidate.

This case sheds light on the potential to treat cardiac transplant recipients with stimulant medication for ADHD. Although a careful evaluation of risk factors must be undertaken in cooperation with cardiology and other specialists, a role exists for the safe use of stimulant medications in the cardiac transplant population.

No Funding

Mood disorders encompass a category of mental illnesses characterized by fluctuating emotional states, including periods of elevated and diminished emotions. These conditions have the potential to profoundly influence an individual’s behavior and cognitive functions. To effectively intervene in mood disorders, innovation is made in the circulation mode of agricultural products based on the patient’s lifestyle habits, and consumer mental changes are recorded, providing reference opinions for the treatment of mood disorders.

A cohort of 140 individuals, who were enthusiastic about agricultural products and exhibited symptoms of mood disorders, was recruited from the general population. All participants displayed clear indications of mood disorders. The circulation mode of agricultural products was reconfigured under the participants’ lifestyle habits. A comprehensive set of measures was implemented as part of the intervention. Over a span of 4 months, the mental symptoms of the 140 participants were meticulously documented. These records formed the basis for subsequent analysis. All collected data were subjected to rigorous statistical examination using SPSS23.0. To gauge changes in participants’ mental states, the Self-Rating Depression Scale was employed. This assessment tool was administered both before and after the intervention period.

The transformation of the agricultural product circulation mode led to significant improvements in emotional well-being and mental state among patients over the 4-month intervention period. The psychological impact varied based on the specific agricultural product transformation strategy employed. Nonetheless, all strategies demonstrated a capacity to alleviate negative emotions and foster overall patient well-being.

Adapting the agricultural product circulation mode in line with individual patient characteristics emerges as a promising strategy for mitigating mental stress and enhancing the well-being of those affected by mood disorders. This innovative approach offers potential avenues for symptom relief and presents actionable recommendations for mood disorder treatment.

Recognizing cognitive impairments is crucial for understanding their impact on students’ language, memory, judgment, and cognitive functions, which significantly influence their overall development. To address cognitive disorders among students, an experimental approach involving news dissemination affinity teaching combined with targeted cognitive counseling was implemented.

A cohort of 120 students exhibiting signs of functional cognitive impairment from three different universities participated in the study. The students were divided into an experimental group and a control group, each consisting of 60 students. The experimental group underwent a teaching intervention that incorporated both news dissemination and psychological counseling, while the control group received only psychological counseling. The intervention lasted for three months, and data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. A mental state evaluation scale was employed to assess the students’ well-being.

Following the three-month intervention, a significant divergence in mental states was observed between the two groups of students. Specifically, students in the experimental group exhibited noteworthy enhancements in sleep patterns, dietary habits, and overall mental well-being compared to their counterparts in the control group.

Affinity-based news dissemination teaching, coupled with psychological intervention, focuses on promoting students’ cognitive development and overall well-being. The amalgamation of these two teaching approaches offers a more comprehensive and professional framework for addressing students’ cognitive impairments. Notably, this combined approach proves to be more aligned with the actual developmental needs of students and effectively mitigates cognitive impairments compared to singularly relying on psychological education.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) often do not respond to antidepressant (ADT) monotherapy; adjunctive treatment is often used to address this unmet need. Cariprazine (CAR), a dopamine D3-preferring D3/D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist approved to treat adults with manic, mixed, or depressive episodes of bipolar I disorder, is under investigation as adjunctive therapy for patients with MDD.

This randomized, double-blind, phase 3 placebo (PBO)-controlled study assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of CAR 1.5 and 3 mg/d as an adjunct to ADT in adult patients with MDD (18–65 years) and inadequate response to ADT alone (NCT03738215). The primary endpoint was change from baseline to week 6 in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) were also assessed. Treatment response was defined as at least 50% decrease in MADRS total score at week 6.

Patients (n=751) in the modified intent-to-treat population were randomly assigned to CAR 1.5 mg/d+ADT (n=250), CAR 3 mg/d+ADT (n=252), or PBO+ADT (n=249). Mean age was 44.8 years and 73.4% were female; mean baseline total scores were: MADRS=32.5, HAMD-17=25.9, HAM-A= 21.4. Overall, 89.7% of patients completed the study; rates of discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) and lack of efficacy were 3.6% and 0.5%, respectively. The difference in MADRS total score change from baseline to week 6 was statistically significant after multiplicity adjustment for CAR 1.5 mg/d vs PBO (-14.1 vs -11.5; adjusted P=.0050), but not for CAR 3 mg/d (-13.1; P=.0727). Differences for CAR 1.5 mg/d vs PBO were observed by week 2 (nominal P=.0453) and maintained at weeks 4 (nominal P<.0001) and 6 (nominal P=.0025). At week 6, more CAR 1.5 mg/d patients (44%) than PBO patients (34.9%) responded to treatment (nominal P=.0446). Greater improvement in the CGI-I scores was observed for CAR 1.5 (nominal P=.0026) and 3 mg/d (nominal P=.0076) vs PBO. At week 6, improvement in HAMD-17 total score reached nominal significance for CAR 1.5 mg/d vs PBO (-13.1 vs -11.1; nominal P=.0017), but not for CAR 3 mg/day (-12.2; P=.0783). HAM-A improvement was greater for CAR 1.5 mg/d vs PBO (nominal P=.0370). There were no deaths; 2 serious AEs occurred in each group (CAR: kidney infection, social stay hospitalization; PBO: depression, multiple sclerosis). The most common CAR AEs (≥5% and twice PBO) were akathisia and nausea.

Cariprazine 1.5 mg/d was effective as adjunctive treatment in adults with MDD and inadequate response to ADT. Cariprazine was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile that was consistent with other indications. Together with results from a prior flex-dose study, these results suggest that adjunctive cariprazine may be an effective option for patients with inadequate response to ADT alone.

AbbVie

Learning anxiety disorder detrimentally impacts both academic performance and the mental well-being of university students. This study aims to investigate whether the integration of electronic communication technology into teaching methods within universities can alleviate students’ learning anxiety and assess the efficacy of this approach.

Participants were selected from a university and divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group underwent classroom teaching using electronic communication technology, encompassing online teaching platforms, virtual laboratories, and other relevant tools. In contrast, the control group received traditional face-to-face teaching. Anxiety questionnaires and academic performance metrics were employed as data collection instruments. Data were analyzed using Stata 8.0 statistical software.

The learning anxiety scores of students in the experimental group were notably lower compared to those in the control group. Specifically, the average anxiety score for the experimental group was 3.82, while the control group had an average anxiety score of 4.96. Statistical analysis utilizing appropriate methods confirmed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).

Empirical evidence from this study substantiates that the integration of electronic communication technology effectively mitigates symptoms of learning anxiety among students and enhances their learning outcomes. Utilizing online teaching platforms, virtual laboratories, and similar tools empowers students to engage in more self-directed and proactive learning, consequently reducing anxiety that may arise from face-to-face teaching scenarios.

The Philosophy and Social Science Research Project of Higher Education of Jiangsu Province (No. 2021SJA2140).

Cariprazine has been shown to be efficacious in placebo-controlled clinical trials. In this pooled analysis, the safety of cariprazine in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) with inadequate response to antidepressants was evaluated using data from placebo-controlled studies of up to 8 weeks’ duration and a long-term open-label safety study.

The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of cariprazine as an adjunctive treatment for patients with MDD with inadequate response to antidepressant alone was assessed in five placebo-controlled studies (two 6-week fixed-dose studies [NCT03738215; NCT03739203] and three 8-week flexible-dose studies [NCT00854100; NCT01715805; NCT01469377]) and one 26-week open-label flexible-dose study (NCT01838876). Fixed doses of cariprazine 1.5 and 3 mg/d and flexible doses of 0.1-4.5 mg/d were evaluated. Safety assessments included adverse event (AE) reporting, clinical laboratory tests, weight and other vital signs, and suicide evaluation with Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Pooled analyses of the incidence of safety endpoints overall and within each treatment arm were performed using the most frequent (modal) daily dose taken by patients during the study.

A total of 2,222 MDD patients with an ongoing antidepressant received treatment with cariprazine, representing 370 patient-years of exposure in placebo-controlled and open-label studies. In the placebo-controlled studies, 1,969 patients were randomized to cariprazine (dose range, 0.1–4.5 mg/d) and 1,108 patients were randomized to placebo. Overall, treatment-emergent AEs occurred in 61% of cariprazine- and 48% of placebo-treated patients; discontinuation due to an AE occurred with 6% of cariprazine- and 2% of placebo-treated patients. The 2 AEs that occurred in at least 5% of cariprazine-treated patients and at a rate at least twice the rate in placebo-treated patients were akathisia (cariprazine=11%; placebo=2%) and restlessness (cariprazine=6%; placebo=2%). Changes in metabolic parameters, including shifts in fasting glucose and lipid parameters, were similar in cariprazine- and placebo-treated patients. In the long-term safety study, mean weight change was 1.6 kg over 6 months. In the placebo-controlled and long-term studies, other safety endpoints including laboratory and C-SSRS assessments of suicidality were generally consistent with the safety profile of cariprazine in approved indications of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Cariprazine is generally safe and well-tolerated in MDD patients with inadequate response to antidepressant monotherapy. Safety analysis of 2,222 cariprazine-treated patients with MDD revealed no new safety signals, and the data is consistent with the currently approved prescribing information.

AbbVie

Aripiprazole 2-month ready-to-use 960 mg (Ari 2MRTU 960) is a new long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic formulation for gluteal administration every 2 months, intended for the treatment of schizophrenia and maintenance monotherapy treatment of bipolar I disorder (BP-I). This 32-week trial evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profile of multiple-dose administration of Ari 2MRTU 960 in clinically stable adult patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or BP-I, versus that of aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400; an LAI indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia and maintenance monotherapy treatment of BP-I).

This was an open-label, multiple-dose, randomized, parallel-arm trial conducted at 16 sites in the US. Patients were randomized to receive Ari 2MRTU 960 every 56±2 days (n=132) or AOM 400 every 28±2 days (n=134). The primary objective was to establish the similarity of aripiprazole concentrations on the last day of the dosing interval, as well as exposure during the dosing interval (area under the concentration-time curve [AUC]), between Ari 2MRTU 960 and AOM 400 following multiple doses. It was pre-specified that the lower bound of the 90% confidence interval (CI) of the geometric means ratio (GMR) for these parameters must be >0.8.

In the Ari 2MRTU 960 group, 102 patients (77.3%) completed the study; in the AOM 400 group, 92 patients (68.7%) completed the study. The GMR of C56 for Ari 2MRTU 960 to C28 for AOM 400 was 1.011 (90% CI: 0.893, 1.145). The GMR (90% CI) of AUC0–56 for Ari 2MRTU 960 to AUC0–28 for AOM 400 was 1.006 (90% CI: 0.851, 1.190). Mean (standard deviation) maximum aripiprazole plasma concentration was 342 (157) ng/ml after the fourth Ari 2MRTU 960 dose and 344 (212) ng/ml after the eighth AOM 400 dose.

Pharmacokinetic parameters were similar between Ari 2MRTU 960 and AOM 400.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (Princeton, NJ, USA) and H. Lundbeck A/S (Valby, Denmark).

Hyperactivity disorder significantly affects their academic and mental health. The research aims to explore whether the design of physical education classrooms using blended learning can have a positive effect on students’ ADHD psychology.

Participants were selected from a school and divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group experienced a blended teaching approach within the physical education classroom, combining conventional sports activities with interactive e-learning resources. In contrast, the control group followed a traditional physical education classroom design. Data collection tools comprised a hyperactivity disorder questionnaire and psychological assessment tools, with Epidata 2.0 employed for data processing.

The scores of hyperactivity disorder in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The average ADHD score of the experimental group students decreased from the initial 6.78 to 3.92, while the average ADHD score of the control group students decreased from the initial 7.12 to 6.28. The difference between the experimental group and the control group was verified to be statistically significant using appropriate statistical methods.

The incorporation of blended learning within the physical education classroom design yields a positive impact on students’ hyperactivity disorder psychology. The integration of traditional sports activities with interactive e-learning resources establishes a more diverse and adaptable learning environment. This approach enables students to channel excess energy effectively, thereby enhancing their focus and self-regulation capabilities.

Antipsychotic treatment can help improve outcomes in schizophrenia by reducing the risk of relapse and psychiatric hospitalization, and increasing rates of remission and recovery, particularly when used early in the disease course. However, adherence to oral antipsychotics is often poor. Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic formulations are associated with significant improvements in treatment adherence compared with oral medications, but LAIs are not widely used in early-phase schizophrenia.

An educational training program, called “Prevention in Practice,” was developed to offer clinicians a range of innovative, web-based, patient-centered resources, including virtual role-play and educational films, that aim to improve communication between clinicians and patients and help progress care for patients with early-phase schizophrenia. The program was based on findings from the PRELAPSE study, in which clinicians received training to improve communication with patients. The PRELAPSE trial was a cluster randomized study conducted in 39 mental health centers across 19 US states. Sites were randomized to encourage treatment with the LAI aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400) or to provide treatment as usual. Eligible patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, <5 years of lifetime antipsychotic use, and were aged 18–35 years. The objective was to evaluate whether use of the LAI delayed time to first hospitalization in early-phase schizophrenia, compared with usual care. Clinicians received training on the rationale for LAI use in early psychosis, transitioning to LAIs, and discussing LAIs with patients and families. Communication training included the principles of shared decision-making, suggested responses to frequently asked questions, and role-playing.

In PRELAPSE, the sites randomized to encourage LAI treatment enrolled 234 patients and the sites randomized to usual care enrolled 255 patients. Training clinicians to improve their communication with patients made a difference—91% of patients with early-phase schizophrenia were willing to use LAI treatment at least once in the first 3 months of the study. Furthermore, the results showed that AOM 400 significantly prolonged time to first psychiatric hospitalization compared with usual care (hazard ratio: 0.56 [95% confidence interval: 0.34, 0.92]; p=0.02).

Offering clinicians training to improve their communication with patients, through techniques such as shared decision-making and motivational interviewing, may increase LAI use in early-phase schizophrenia. ”Prevention in Practice” is now available in in different countries and languages.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (Princeton, NJ, USA) and H. Lundbeck A/S (Valby, Denmark).

Autism patients often encounter challenges in social interaction and emotional expression. This research investigates the potential positive effects of utilizing a design psychology perspective in the creation of children’s products for individuals with autism.

A group of autistic patients were selected as the research subjects and divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group used children’s products guided by design psychology theory for daily games and learning activities, to improve the communication and emotional expression abilities of patients with autism. The control group used traditional children’s products. The study collected autism scale scores and communication observation data as the main research indicators and used Epidata2.0 for data processing.

The autism scale scores of the experimental group of patients with autism significantly decreased. The experimental results showed that the autism scale score of the experimental group patients decreased from the initial 28.6 to 15.2, while the autism scale score of the control group patients decreased from the initial 29.1 to 24.7. The Epidata2.0 method was used to verify the statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group.

Designing children’s products through the lens of research and design psychology can yield positive outcomes for patients with autism. This approach contributes to the enhancement of their social communication and emotional expression capabilities, thereby fostering their overall development.

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that affects patient’s function and quality of life. Estimates indicate a lifetime prevalence of 0.48%, causing up to 13.4 million years of life burdened by disability. 30% of these patients are deemed as having treatment-resident schizophrenia (TRS), a subset of which do not respond to clozapine, the medication designated for TRS. Those that do not respond to clozapine are deemed to have clozapine-resistant schizophrenia (CRS), requiring further augmentation or multiple antipsychotics.

Clozapine only has limited formulations available (oral [PO] and dissolving [ODT]) and has a substantial side effect burden. Most serious among these side effects includes agranulocytosis, which in some cases can cause severe infections such as septicemia. Regular blood draws monitoring for this are vital to prevent this dangerous consequence, but place further burden on patients, requiring weekly to monthly lab work and visits. Other common and burdensome side effects include tachycardia, hypotension, sialorrhea, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome, to name a few. However, treatment for TRS is still needed, and further alternatives must be explored.

Among studies done on clozapine, few compare second-generation antipsychotics head-to-head, and those that do find similar improvement in overall symptom burden among multiple antipsychotics, especially olanzapine and paliperidone (in particular, paliperidone palmitate). Due in part to the improved receptor profile of these medications (especially 5-HT2A, 6, and 7) compared to clozapine, they can have similar or superior effect in patients with TRS without substantial patient side effect and functional burden. Paliperidone palmitate formulations are developing that can be spaced further and further apart, allowing for minimal impact on patient’s livelihood, while demonstrating similar overall effect with improved side effect profile. However, onset of action is slow, and an effective adjunct strategy may be to initially administer olanzapine for the first 6 months until peak effect is expected from paliperidone palmitate, at which point monotherapy with paliperidone is preferred.

Alternative therapies for patients with TRS may be more functional with fewer side effects, and this work indicates a particularly effective strategy may be to pursue paliperidone palmitate monotherapy long-term while utilizing the unique combination of paliperidone and olanzapine in the short-term (first 6 months) while awaiting peak efficacy.

No Funding

The study attempts to optimize the impact of current Civic Education by incorporating the psychological aspects of interpersonal communication. The goal is to assess the comparative effectiveness of different educational approaches in alleviating anxiety levels among college students and to gain insights into the underlying causes of anxiety disorders in this demographic.

The study chose 200 university students with severe anxiety problems for a comparative investigation. Participants were matched on basic demographic variables. Over a three-month period, the 200 participants were randomly and evenly divided into a combined treatment group and a single therapy group. The combined group received Civic Education along with interpersonal communication psychological intervention, while the single group received traditional Civic Education. Data were statistically processed and analyzed using SPSS 23.0.

After the three-month treatment, the number of severely anxious students in the combined group decreased from 100 to 24, while the number of severely anxious students in the single group decreased from 100 to 95. In addition, the mean anxiety score of the students in the combined group before and after the experiment decreased from 28.32 ± 1.84 to 9.24 ± 1.12, and the mean anxiety score of the students in the single group before and after the experiment did not change much.

Integrating the psychological dynamics of interpersonal communication into Civic Education yields a notable enhancement in alleviating students’ anxiety levels.

Delusions are defined as fixed false beliefs that are not within normal parameters of society, culture, or religion that can be part of psychotic or mood disorders. They can be difficult to treat and, for some inpatient individuals, persistent delusions can make safe discharge impossible. Ketamine is a dissociative agent that has shown promise in treating mood disorders. Despite this, clinicians hesitate to prescribe this when a patient presents with any type of psychotic symptom. There is proof that ketamine is safe to use with psychotic symptoms, and there is growing evidence that it may be a suitable treatment alternative for delusions resistant to other psychopharmacology.

A literature review using articles from multiple databases was conducted to gather supporting evidence on the use of ketamine in the context of psychosis. Since there has not been a reported conducted study specifically for ketamine and delusions, a look into its use for psychosis was done to find links between the neurobiology of delusions and the mechanism of action of ketamine.

Current literature does not demonstrate that ketamine within a therapeutic setting exacerbates psychotic symptoms in those with depression or bipolar disorder, regardless of the presence of psychotic features, nor does it reveal that predisposed patients experience lasting psychotic effects. Furthermore, although ketamine is often used to model schizophrenia, brain connectivity seen during ketamine-induced delusions is opposite to the connectivity seen in delusions in the context of chronic schizophrenia. Regardless of connectivity patterns, ketamine appears to act upon many of the same mechanisms that underlie delusions. There is evidence delusions are characterized by low belief flexibility, high prediction error, and high aberrant salience. An animal model of stress-induced cognitive dysfunction found that ketamine corrected the cognitive flexibility deficits. Ketamine has been shown to alter prediction error in those suffering from major depressive disorder, resulting in greater optimism bias when patients update maladaptive beliefs post-ketamine administration. In respect to aberrant salience, neural networks affecting this include midbrain dopaminergic neurons and their projections to striatal and frontal cortical regions. Studies have shown this effect was reduced by ketamine-induced plasticity in the orbitofrontal cortex.

Psychotic symptoms may not be an absolute contraindication for ketamine treatment. In fact, ketamine could be beneficial in the treatment of various mental illnesses with psychotic features that are not amenable to classical treatment. The dissociative properties may jump-start treatment while waiting for antipsychotics to work. This could significantly reduce hospital stays, especially for patients in long-term facilities.

No Funding

Addressing the limitations of conventional Civics instruction, this study integrates educational psychology principles to optimize the teaching approach. The research aims to investigate the impact of this intervention on alleviating students’ anxiety disorders.

A questionnaire-based approach randomly selected 100 university students grappling with learning anxiety disorders. These participants were equally divided into two groups: the joint teaching group and the traditional teaching group. The joint teaching group received anxiety intervention through an educational psychology-enhanced Civics teaching method, while the traditional teaching group was exposed to standard Civics instruction. The teaching intervention spanned one semester, and variations in anxiety scores were documented using a self-administered anxiety scale and analyzed using SPSS 23.0.

After one semester of instruction, the number of students with anxiety disorders decreased in both the joint teaching group and the traditional teaching group. The number of students with anxiety disorders in the joint teaching group decreased from 100 to 15, while the number of students with anxiety disorders in the traditional teaching group decreased from 100 to 88.

A comparative analysis of the two teaching methods reveals that Civics instruction enhanced with the insights of educational psychology theory is more effective in mitigating students’ anxiety disorders.