Study Finds Improvement for Those Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder With Contingency Management Used

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that using contingency management (CM) at end-of-treatment improved outcomes on six common clinical problems during medication for OUD (MOUD): psychomotor stimulant use, polysubstance use, illicit-opioid use, cigarette smoking, therapy attendance, and medication adherence.

Preventing Nurse Suicides as New Study Finds Shift in Method

In a new study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health researchers report that the rate of firearm use by female nurses who die by suicide increased between 2014 to 2017. Published December 21, 2020 in the journal Nursing Forum, the study examined more than 2,000 nurse suicides that occurred in the United States from 2003 to 2017 and found a distinct shift from using pharmacological poisoning to firearms, beginning in 2014.

New paper proposes framework for eliminating defects in psychiatric care

A new paper from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center proposes a framework for eliminating defects in behavioral health treatment.
The authors cite that a large majority of defects are the result of system failures rather than due to the individual psychiatrist, and they propose that psychiatrists need to function as “systems engineers” to help eliminate these defects in healthcare organizations.

University of Miami Miller School Researcher Wins NIH Avenir Award to Pursue Innovative Opioid Addiction Research

Luis M. Tuesta, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been awarded the Avenir Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the epigenetic mechanisms of microglial activation and their role in shaping the behavioral course of opioid use disorder.

Unexpected Mental Illnesses Found in a Spectrum of a Rare Genetic Disorder

UC Davis MIND Institute researchers found an unexpected spectrum of mental illnesses in patients with a rare gene mutation. These patients had a “double hit” condition that combined features and symptoms of fragile X syndrome and premutation disorder, in addition to a range of psychiatric symptoms. The findings revealed the need for clinicians to consider the complexities of the co-existing conditions of patients with both psychological and fragile X associated disorders.

Depression symptoms linked to reduced cognitive control in people with autism

Adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those with typical development show similar proactive cognitive control. However, symptoms of depression in individuals with autism were linked to less proactive control, a UC Davis study found.