View clinical trials related to Psychotic Disorders.
Filter by:Mental health problems affect 10-20% of children and adolescents worldwide, with half of affected youth experiencing problems by the age of 14. Despite the early onset of mental health problems, evidence-based prevention and early intervention programs remain scarce. If left untreated, early-onset mental health problems can progress to become severe or chronic conditions, and incur significant medical and societal costs. The current project proposes an integrated screening and intervention model that was developed involving active youth, family and community engagement. This project, known as Inter-Venture, focuses on reducing barriers to youth mental health care and promoting early screening and intervention by fostering collaboration between school and community-based services providers. The Inter-Venture project is being conducted in the Montreal area (Canada), and consists of three intervention modalities. Namely, 1) systematic school-based screening and personality-targeted interventions for students most at risk of mental health problems and substance misuse (the Preventure program); 2) a parent program designed to strengthen parenting skills and to improve the management of child behavior problems (Cope/EQUIPE program); 3) integrated services provided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals (referred to as Inter-Action) for youth with significant symptoms of mental health problems, substance misuse and/or psychosocial difficulties. The intervention model involves knowledge transfer to boost capacity-building and improve the provision and sustainability of evidence-based interventions in community settings. The primary goal of the Inter-Venture trial is to assess the potential effect of the school-based targeted interventions and collaborative care in the prevention, early detection and reduction of mental health problems, substance misuse and psychosocial difficulties among young people. The secondary goal is to assess the effect of interventions on school performance and whether the interventions can protect cognitive functions that may be negatively affected by early-onset substance use and mental health problems, and promote cognitive development through the prevention of these difficulties.
Background: Cognitive deficits are a core symptom of schizophrenia even at the early stages of psychosis. To date, there has been reliable evidence that cognitive deficits are associated with outcomes in schizophrenia and early treatment could help to reduce the prominent disabling cognitive symptomatology which most schizophrenia patients still experience persistently. Outcomes in studies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenia patients suggest the possibility that application of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) with inhibitory stimulation over the left temporo-parietal cortex and excitatory stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex could affect positive and negative symptoms, respectively. Positive effects of tDCS have also been reported on cognitive symptoms. The present study protocol hypothesis is that the development and utilization of potentially effective neuroenhancement tools such as a non-invasive brain stimulation technique like tDCS for the treatment and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment in early stages of Schizophrenia may contribute to the elucidation of the nature of the complex and dynamic processes in the brain during the early stages of the disease, and may lead to a better outcome. Objectives: The aim of the present study protocol is to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS in the treatment of cognitive symptomatology in the early stages of psychosis. Methods: Sixty patients in the early stages of psychosis will be randomly allocated to receive 20 minutes of active 2-mA tDCS or sham stimulation once a day on 10 consecutive weekdays. The anode will be placed over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathode over the left temporo-parietal cortex. Neuropsychological and psychiatric assessments will be performed at the time of consent (baseline), at 1 and 3 months following the end of the intervention (maintenance effect).
The purpose of this study is to determine if using a tablet computer, which is a very small, easy-to-carry computer, to practice thinking exercises at home will help improve your attention, memory, and problem solving abilities. All the participants will receive training in the thinking skills for work program. But in order to determine the effect of tablet use for home practice, half of the participants will be given a tablet to practice the thinking exercises at home. All participants will be receiving vocational rehabilitation and have a goal of getting a job.
Background: Antipsychotics can induce metabolic disorders such as obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia or metabolic syndrome. It has been observed that treatment with antipsychotic could be accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of serum magnesium. Low serum concentrations of magnesium are potentially a risk factor of cardiac sudden death (Peacock, 2010). Hypotheses linking magnesium and pathogenesis of cardiovacuscular diseases are multiple. Also, it seems to exist a close relationship between magnesium and carbohydrate metabolism. Most studies on the subject have generally studied plasmatic magnesium. Objective : Describe the relationship between changes in serum and intra-erythrocyte magnesium and cardiometabolic risk in patients innitiating an antipsychotic treatment. A secondary objective is to specify the frequency, magnitude and time to onset of changes in plasma of magnesium levels under antipsychotic treatment. Methods : This is a pilot single-center prospective cohort. After inclusion, patients status (including magnesium levels) will be evaluated (1 and 3 months of treatment) and that status will define the exposure criterion. Included patients will be followed for 1 year during which cardiometabolic markers will be measured. Population : patients who are more than 18 years old with schizophrenia schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder, naive to antipsychotic treatment or off for more than 3 months and requiring the introduction of antipsychotic drug therapy. Patients will be recruited during consultations and stays in care units of Adult Psychiatry Unit of Montpellier University Hospital. Factor studied: serum and intra-erythrocytic magnesium levels at beginning and during the antipsychotic treatment measured by a unique analyzer center. Changes in levels of hypomagnesemia expected during the treatment will determine exposure groups. Outcome: cardiometabolic risk markers measured at the beginning and during the treatment will be fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin, HOMA-IR [Ins (uU / mL) x Gly (mmol / L) / 22.5], lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL), BMI, waist circumference and ECG (QTc). Cofactors: age, sex, personal and family medical history, blood pressure, smoking, diet, physical activity, psychiatric disease, Global Impressions, anti-psychotic treatment and comedications. Perspectives : to show that decreased in magnesium levels observed among patients starting antipsychotic treatment is associated with deterioration of cardiometabolic risk markers. The demonstration of this association could explain at least part the increased cardiovascular risk observed in this population. In the longer term, the results of this study would argue the implementation of an intervention research project studying magnesium supplementation to minimize the metabolic effects of antipsychotic medications.
Negative symptoms, which include the loss of motivation, social withdrawal and reduced emotional expression are prominent in youth at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. These negative symptoms lead to significant functional impairment and enduring disability in these youth. At present, there are no established treatments for negative symptoms. Recent evidence from independent studies, however, suggests two promising novel treatment approaches for negative symptoms, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and computerized remediation strategies. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate if tDCS combined with a virtual reality-based computerized remediation (VR) is effective for treating negative symptoms in CHR youth, thereby mitigating the enduring functional disability these symptoms cause.
This study is a Phase 1 clinical trial to determine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Tocilizumab (Actemra) as an adjunct to antipsychotic medications in stable outpatients with schizophrenia. Tocilizumab (structural formula C6428H9976N1720O2018S42) is a recombinant humanized anti-human interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor monoclonal antibody of the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) subclass. Tocilizumab is formulated as a concentrate for solution for infusion, and will be administered by intravenous infusion. The investigators propose a 12-week randomized controlled trial of tocilizumab, given in adjunct to antipsychotics, in N=20 stable outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and evidence of increased inflammation in the peripheral blood (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP]>0.5 mg/dL). The investigators hypothesize that adjunctive treatment with tocilizumab will be associated with significant improvement in cognition compared to placebo in patients with schizophrenia, and baseline IL-6 levels are higher in tocilizumab-treated responders versus non-responders, and there will be greater decreases in hsCRP from baseline to week 12 in tocilizumab-versus placebo-treated responders, with response defined as ≥0.5 standard deviation (SD) improvement in cognition. Tocilizumab is administered as an intravenous infusion every 4 weeks. Following a screening evaluation, participants will receive three infusions of siltuximab, one at baseline, another at week 4 of the study, and another at week 8. The investigators will measure changes in cognitive function and symptoms over a 12-week period. Complementing previous positive clinical trials of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, this would be a "proof-of-concept" study that targeting specific cytokines is a viable treatment for schizophrenia. Interleukin 6 and its receptor were discovered and cloned at Osaka University, Japan, by Tadamitsu Kishimoto in the 1980s. In 1997, Chugai Pharmaceuticals began the clinical development of tocilizumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical studies for Castleman's disease and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis started in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Hoffmann-La Roche co-developed the drug due to a license agreement in 2003. On 11 January 2010, Tocilizumab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) as Actemra for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The FDA approved tocilizumab for the treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis for children from two years of age in April 2011.
The first aim of this study is to test the effect of the case management on the evolution of therapeutic alliance in patients with first episode psychosis in comparison with traditional nursing. The second aim is to test the effect of case management on nurses' well-being in comparison with traditional nursing. The third objective aims to show if therapeutic alliance is associated with insight in patients and with clinical and demographic data.
This study aims to develop a program of systematic physical exercise maintained for at least 12 weeks to normalize biomarkers of metabolic syndrome; improve neurocognition and social functioning; increase empowerment, self-esteem and self-efficacy and reduce self-stigma in individuals with severe mental disorder with metabolic syndrome.
The Irish Omega-3 study is a clinical trial designed to investigate the potential of Omega-3 fatty acids in the reduction of risk of psychosis. The study is being coordinated by the HRB Clinical Research Facility at University College Cork. The Principal Investigator is Dr Maeve Rooney, Consultant Psychiatrist in the Mercy University Hospital, Cork. The study will be carried out in collaboration with the HRB Clinical Research Facility in Dublin in prior to rolling out to other centres around Ireland. The Study is funded by Stanley Medical Research Institute, a non-profit organization supporting research on the causes of, and treatments for, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is the largest provider of funding for research in serious mental illness outside of the U.S. government.
Clozapine is the sole AP agent with superiority in treatment refractory schizophrenia, but it also is associated with the greatest risk of weight gain and other metabolic abnormalities. Topiramate, an anticonvulsant agent, possesses a weight-reducing effect. Furthermore, some studies have suggested that Topiramate may be associated with improvements in psychopathology in treatment refractory schizophrenia. Here the investigators propose to determine the role of topiramate for augmentation purposes (psychopathology) and as an adjunctive pharmacological intervention for weight loss in overweight/obese individuals with Ultra-Treatment Resistant Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective disorder taking clozapine.