Latest Research

Handen B, Anagnostou E, Aman MG, et al. JAACAP. 2017. Available online: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.07.790 Low dose antipsychotic medications are often used to manage severe behavioural disturbance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  However, weight gain and metabolic side-effects remain a significant concern to prescribers.  This follow-up study shows that metformin (a medicine that helps to control blood sugar levels) can be useful in preventing and maintaini...

F Serpeloni et al. Transl Psychiatry 7 (8), e1202. 2017 Aug 15. Changes in DNA methylation are postulated to underlie the transmission of stress-related effects from one generation to another. This Brazilian study of 121 families found that infants whose grandmothers had experienced significant stress during pregnancy also had evidence of DNA methylation changes.  These results prove that the effects of adversity can persist across as many as three generations.  Taking an intergenerational...

Plant DT, Jones FW, Pariante CM, Pawlby S. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2012; 211(3): 144-15. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.117.198721 This sample of almost 10,000 mothers and infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study in the UK showed that mothers who had been maltreated during childhood were at greater risk of having children with mental health problems, particularly if they had experienced antenatal or postnatal depression. Treatment of these mediating factors may a useful way to prevent future...

Merry SN, Hetrick SE, Stasiak K.  JAMA Psychiatry. Published online August 30, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.2410 This editorial by a seasoned group of Cochrane reviewers compares recent findings of a review of SSRI and SNRI medication for treating childhood and adolescent anxiety and depression (Locher, JCPP 2017) with previous findings regarding the effectiveness of psychotherapies for treating the same conditions.  Overall, both types of therapy work better for anxiety than depr...

Humayan S, Herlitz L, Chesnokov M. JCPP. 2017; 58(9): 1023-1032. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12743 Most of the studies proving the effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) for conduct disorder in adolescence have originated from the United States.  This randomized controlled study from the UK did not achieve similarly positive results and the authors hypothesize that this may be due to the greater rigour with which the study was conducted. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12...

Cidav Z, Munson J, Estes A, et al. JAACAP 2017; 56(9): 777-783 This study from the developers of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) show that it may be a cost-effective alternative to the traditional gold standard treatment for Autism, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).  Children who received ESDM had higher health costs during the period of the intervention, but around $19,000 less health costs per year following treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.06.007

Asarnow JR, Rozenman MS, Carlson GA.  JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 31, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.3017 This editorial linked to the systematic review of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for childhood anxiety disorders (Wang et al, JCPP 2017) supports the need for better types of treatment, and in the meantime, encourages clinicians and researchers to find ways of ensuring that evidence-based treatments are delivered as well as possible to people who need them. http:/...

Thabrew H and Eggleston M. Australasian Psychiatry. Published online 11 July 2017 This survey of current assessment and intervention for ASD within New Zealand district health boards (DHBs) shows that 10 years after the launch of national ASD guidelines, there is still work to do.  ASD coordinators were available in 85% of DHBs, clear pathways for management were offered by 73% of DHBs and there was good communication between paediatric, psychiatric and educational teams.  Areas for improve...

Thienemann M, Murphy T, Leckman J, et al. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. July 2017, ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2016.0145 This useful review of Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS) and its broader variant Paediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) describes the complex variety of neuropsychiatric issues that may be associated with streptococcal infections.  These include well-known ...

Dray J et al.  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Online: DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.07.780 This systematic review of 57 studies shows that universal school-based resilience-focused interventions can lead to short-term reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents, especially if a cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT)-based approach is utilised.  Due to the heterogeneity of included studies, meta-analysis was lim...