Archive

Mehlum, L. , Ramleth, R. , Tørmoen, A. J., Haga, E. , Diep, L. M., Stanley, B. H., Miller, A. L., Larsson, B. , Sund, A. M. and Grøholt, B. (2019)  J Child Psychol Psychiatr. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13077 This long-term follow-up study found that adolescents who received dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) engaged in less self-harm at 3 years than those who received treatment as usual.  Other outcomes such as suicidal ideation, hopelessness, depression and borderline traits did not di...

Fisher CA, Skocic S, Rutherford KA, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 May 1;5:CD004780. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004780.pub4. (Systematic review) Mainly due to criticism of methodological limitations of included studies, this Cochrane review offers greater caution and less optimism than previous systematic reviews about the benefits of family therapy approaches for anorexia nervosa.  Included were 16 adolescent and 8 adult studies.  No influence of participant age was found upo...

Ransley, R, Sleed, M, Baradon, T, Fonagy, P.  Infant Ment Health J. 2019; 1‐ 14. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21787 The aim of many psychodynamically-oriented infant therapies such as Parent Infant Psychotherapy (PIP) is to help improve parental reflective functioning and thereby improve parental capacity to sensitively respond to their children’s needs.  This study analysed whether parental expectation of treatment modulated outcome and found that it did not.  Instead, mar...

Karam, E., Fayyad, J., Farhat, C., Pluess, M., Haddad, Y., Tabet, C., . . . Kessler, R. (2019). The British Journal of Psychiatry, 214(6), 354-360. doi:10.1192/bjp.2018.272 This study of 549 Syrian refugees demonstrated that early childhood adversity was more important in determining the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the type or extent of experienced trauma. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/role-of-childhood-adver...

Ruch DA, Sheftall AH, Schlagbaum P, Rausch J, Campo JV, Bridge JA. JAMA Netw Open. Published online May 17, 20192(5):e193886. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.3886 This cross-sectional study of suicide trends in the USA found that the traditionally greater risk of completed suicide in male youth aged 10-19 years (as opposed to less lethal self-harm which remains more common in females of these ages) has changed.  Females rates of suicide primarily lethal methods (hanging/suffocation) are...

Holmes, J., & Slade, A. (2019). The British Journal of Psychiatry, 214(6), 318-319. doi:10.1192/bjp.2019.7 This editorial by two of psychiatry’s greatest psychodynamic authors, Jeremy Holmes and Arietta Slade, outlines the progress that has been made toward understanding the biological basis of attachment theory and its implications for clinical practice. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/neuroscience-of-attachment-implications-for-psyc...

Omer, S. , Jijon, A. M. and Leonard, H. C. (2019). J Child Psychol Psychiatr, 60: 606-621. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13001 This systematic review found that children with developmental coordination disorder (previously termed dyspraxia) are at greater risk of internalising symptoms such as those associated with anxiety and depression.  The authors recommend routine screening of such children for internalising disorders. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.13001

Meier SM, Trontti K, Purves KL, et al.  JAMA Psychiatry. Published online May 22, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.1119 Moving us another step closer to understanding the genetic basis of anxiety and stress-related disorders, this study of genome-wide association data found that the presence of PDE4B variants in a sample of over 12000 individuals.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2733149?guestAccessKey=da205271-f85f-484e-acd8-7c2157d6bacf&am...

O'Donovan, A, Nixon, E. Infant Ment Health J. 2019; 1‐ 14. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21788 This qualitative study showed that preterm birth was a traumatic event for both mothers and fathers.  Key themes were: (a) An unnatural disaster: The traumatic nature of preterm birth, (b) The immediate aftermath: Disconnected and displaced, (c) Breaking the ice: Moving from frozen to melted, and (d) Aftershocks: Transitioning home. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/imhj.21788

Voss C, Schwartz J, Daniels J, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(5):446–454. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0285 This study describes how Superpower Glass, a wearable digital intervention, can help children with autism better respond to social cues and improve facial engagement.  Such technology could be used to augment existing therapies and improve overall functioning in this population. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2728462