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Journal of Biomedical Informatics Jul 2020Traditionally, the process of monitoring and evaluating social behavior related to mental health has based on self-reported information, which is limited by the... (Review)
Review
Traditionally, the process of monitoring and evaluating social behavior related to mental health has based on self-reported information, which is limited by the subjective character of responses and various cognitive biases. Today, however, there is a growing amount of studies that have provided methods to objectively monitor social behavior through ubiquitous devices and have used this information to support mental health services. In this paper, we present a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to identify, analyze and characterize the state of the art about the use of ubiquitous devices to monitor users' social behavior focused on mental health. For this purpose, we performed an exhaustive literature search on the six main digital libraries. A screening process was conducted on 160 peer-reviewed publications by applying suitable selection criteria to define the appropriate studies to the scope of this SLR. Next, 20 selected studies were forwarded to the data extraction phase. From an analysis of the selected studies, we recognized the types of social situations identified, the process of transforming contextual data into social situations, the use of social situation awareness to support mental health monitoring, and the methods used to evaluate proposed solutions. Additionally, we identified the main trends presented by this research area, as well as open questions and perspectives for future research. Results of this SLR showed that social situation-aware ubiquitous systems represent promising assistance tools for patients and mental health professionals. However, studies still present limitations in methodological rigor and restrictions in experiments, and solutions proposed by them have limitations to be overcome.
Topics: Awareness; Health Personnel; Humans; Mental Health; Mental Health Services; Social Behavior
PubMed: 32562895
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbi.2020.103454 -
Schizophrenia Research Feb 2023Visual illusions have long been used as tools to investigate sensory-perceptual deficits in schizophrenia. Recent conflicting accounts have called into question the... (Review)
Review
Visual illusions have long been used as tools to investigate sensory-perceptual deficits in schizophrenia. Recent conflicting accounts have called into question the assumption of abnormal illusion perception in patients and, therefore, the validity of this approach. Here, we present a systematic review of the current evidence regarding visual illusion perception abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. Relevant publications were identified by a systematic search of PubMed, Literatura LILACS, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), IBECS, BIOSIS, and Web of Science. Forty-five studies were selected which included illusions classified as 'Motion illusions', 'Geometric-optical illusions', 'Illusory contours', 'Depth inversion illusion', and 'Non-specific'. There is concordant evidence of abnormal processing of illusions in patients for most categories, especially in facial Depth Inversion and Müller-Lyer illusions. There were significant methodological disparities and shortcomings, but risk of bias was overall low for individual studies. The usefulness of visual illusions as tools in clinical settings as well as in basic research may be contingent on significant methodological refinements.
Topics: Humans; Illusions; Schizophrenia; Optical Illusions; Form Perception; Visual Perception
PubMed: 36610221
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.12.030 -
The Medical Journal of Australia Apr 2017To review the literature on the comparative efficacy of psychological, behavioural and medical therapies for acrophobia (fear of heights). (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
To review the literature on the comparative efficacy of psychological, behavioural and medical therapies for acrophobia (fear of heights).
DATA SOURCES
Multiple databases were searched through the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders review group on 1 December 2015.
DATA SYNTHESIS
The data were extracted independently and were pooled using RevMan version 5.3.5. The main outcome measures were changes from baseline on questionnaires for measurement of fear of heights, such as the Acrophobia Questionnaire (AQ), Attitude Towards Height Questionnaire (ATHQ), and behavioural avoidance tests. Individual and pooled analyses were conducted. Sixteen studies were included. Analysis of pooled outcomes showed that desensitisation (DS) measured by the post-test AQ anxiety score (standardised mean difference [SMD], -1.24; 95% CI, -1.88 to -0.60) and in vivo exposure (IVE) were effective in the short term compared with control (SMD, -0.74; 95% CI, -1.22 to -0.25). IVE was not effective in the long term (SMD, -0.34; 95%CI -0.76 to 0.08) and there were no follow-up data for DS. Virtual reality exposure (VRE) therapy was effective when assessed with the ATHQ but not the AQ. Augmentation of VRE with medication was promising. The number needed to treat (NNT) ranged from 1.4 (95% CI, 1.0 to 2.2) for IVE therapy with oppositional actions (a psychological process) versus waitlist control to an NNT of 6.0 (95% CI, 2.8 to 35.5) for the rapid phobia cure (a neurolinguistic programming technique) versus a mindfulness exercise as the control activity. It was often unclear if there were biases in the included studies.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
A range of therapies are effective for acrophobia in the short term but not in the long term. Many of the comparative studies showed equivalence between therapies, but this finding may be due to a type II statistical error. The quality of reporting was poor in most studies.
Topics: Altitude; Comparative Effectiveness Research; Humans; Patient Outcome Assessment; Phobic Disorders; Psychotherapy; Space Perception; Visual Perception
PubMed: 28359010
DOI: 10.5694/mja16.00540 -
Drug and Alcohol Review Feb 2021Over half of people presenting to alcohol/other drug (AOD) treatment services also have a mental health condition. Guidelines support numerous viable treatment options,...
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
Over half of people presenting to alcohol/other drug (AOD) treatment services also have a mental health condition. Guidelines support numerous viable treatment options, meaning that treatment decisions need to be evidence based and patients' preferences need to be considered. Shared decision-making (SDM) facilitates evidence- and preference-based decisions and is well researched in other health-care areas. Little is known, however, about people's attitudes towards and experience of SDM in co-occurring AOD and mental health conditions.
DESIGN AND METHODS
Systematic literature review via key database searches MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews (January 2000-July 2019). Two independent reviewers assessed study eligibility, extracted data and rated study quality using a validated tool.
RESULTS
Of 2393 articles identified, 10 studies were retained for final inclusion. The reviewed studies suggested that SDM is a well-accepted and preferred approach to treatment decision-making. SDM-based interventions are viewed as feasible, acceptable and useful; are associated with improvements in the quality of the decision-making process and the decision made; and have accrued less consistent evidence to support improvements in patient-related outcomes (e.g. symptoms, treatment adherence/engagement).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
This is the first rigorous synthesis of the empirical literature on SDM in co-occurring AOD and mental health conditions. SDM remains a nascent area of research in comorbidity treatment. Preliminary evidence supports SDM's acceptability, feasibility and utility in managing mental health and AOD comorbidities. Further research is needed to build the evidence base, especially with regard to the efficacy of SDM at improving patient-related outcomes.
Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholism; Decision Making; Humans; Mental Disorders; Patient Participation; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 32902078
DOI: 10.1111/dar.13149 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Oct 2022Naps are increasingly considered a means to boost cognitive performance. We quantified the cognitive effects of napping in 60 samples from 54 studies. 52 samples... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Naps are increasingly considered a means to boost cognitive performance. We quantified the cognitive effects of napping in 60 samples from 54 studies. 52 samples evaluated memory. We first evaluated effect sizes for all tests together, before separately assessing their effects on memory, vigilance, speed of processing and executive function. We next examined whether nap effects were moderated by study features of age, nap length, nap start time, habituality and prior sleep restriction. Naps showed significant benefits for the total aggregate of cognitive tests (Cohen's d = 0.379, CI = 0.296-0.462). Significant domain specific effects were present for declarative (Cohen's d = 0.376, CI = 0.269-0.482) and procedural memory (Cohen's d = 0.494, CI = 0.301-0.686), vigilance (Cohen's d = 0.610, CI = 0.291-0.929) and speed of processing (Cohen's d = 0.211, CI = 0.052-0.369). There were no significant moderation effects of any of the study features. Nap effects were of comparable magnitude across subgroups of each of the 5 moderators (Q values = 0.009 to 8.572, p values > 0.116). Afternoon naps have a small to medium benefit over multiple cognitive tests. These effects transcend age, nap duration and tentatively, habituality and prior nocturnal sleep.
Topics: Humans; Cognition; Executive Function; Sleep; Wakefulness
PubMed: 36041284
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101666 -
Neurological Sciences : Official... Jan 2022This study provides a systematic review of linguistically and culturally adapted versions of the original Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) full version. Adapted... (Review)
Review
This study provides a systematic review of linguistically and culturally adapted versions of the original Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) full version. Adapted versions were identified through a systematic review in 3 databases and on the MoCA website. Overall, 86 culturally different versions of MoCA are available: 74 versions on the MoCA website (25 of them have a corresponding paper concerning the translation process found with the systematic review) and 12 additional versions identified only with the search in biomedical databases. Culturally different adapted versions of the MoCA were unevenly distributed across different geographic areas. The quality of the process of cultural adaptation of MoCA differs considerably among different available versions as well as the number of items adapted in the various language versions. The potential availability of many culturally adapted and translated versions of the MoCA increases the chance of offering a linguistically and culturally sensitive screening for cognitive impairment to diverse populations; further studies are needed to identify if MoCA can be considered a truly cross-cultural fair test.
Topics: Cognition; Cognitive Dysfunction; Humans; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Translating; Translations
PubMed: 34750686
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05716-y -
BMC Geriatrics Dec 2020This systematic review aimed to explore the process of decision-making for nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia from the perspectives and experiences...
BACKGROUND
This systematic review aimed to explore the process of decision-making for nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia from the perspectives and experiences of all involved.
METHODS
We searched CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases. Search terms were related to dementia, decision-making, nutrition and hydration. Qualitative, quantitative and case studies that focused on decision-making about nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia were included. The CASP and Murad tools were used to appraise the quality of included studies. Data extraction was guided by the Interprofessional Shared Decision Making (IP-SDM) model. We conducted a narrative synthesis using thematic analysis. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019131497.
RESULTS
Forty-five studies were included (20 qualitative, 15 quantitative and 10 case studies), comprising data from 17 countries and 6020 patients, family caregivers and practitioners. The studies covered a range of decisions from managing oral feeding to the use of tube feeding. We found that decisions about nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia were generally too complex to be mapped onto the precise linear steps of the existing decision-making model. Decision-making processes around feeding for people living with dementia were largely influenced by medical evidence, personal values, cultures and organizational routine. Although the process involved multiple people, family caregivers and non-physician practitioners were often excluded in making a final decision. Upon disagreement, nutrition interventions were sometimes delivered with conflicting feelings concealed by family caregivers or practitioners. Most conflicts and negative feelings were resolved by good relationship, honest communication, multidisciplinary team meetings and renegotiation.
CONCLUSIONS
The decision-making process regarding nutrition and hydration for people living with dementia does not follow a linear process. It needs an informed, value-sensitive, and collaborative process. However, it often characterized by unclear procedures and with a lack of support. Decisional support is needed and should be approached in a shared and stepwise manner.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Australia; Caregivers; Communication; Decision Making; Dementia; Humans; Quality of Life
PubMed: 33267831
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-020-01931-y -
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences Oct 2019Mental disorders in children are a significant and growing cause of morbidity worldwide. Although interventions to help overcome barriers along the pathway to accessing... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIMS
Mental disorders in children are a significant and growing cause of morbidity worldwide. Although interventions to help overcome barriers along the pathway to accessing health care for children with mental disorders exist, there is no overview of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on these interventions as yet. This study aimed to systematically identify RCTs of interventions to improve access to mental health care for children and synthesise them using a conceptual framework of access to health care.
METHODS
This systematic review was performed following a predefined protocol registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42018081714). We searched the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CENTRAL for RCTs up to 15 May 2019 using terms related to the concepts 'young people,' 'mental disorders' and 'help-seeking interventions' and scanned reference lists from relevant studies. Two reviewers independently screened all identified articles in a two-stage process, extracted results on outcomes of interest (knowledge, attitudes, intentions, help-seeking, accessing care, mental health outcomes and satisfaction), assessed the risk of bias and conducted meta-analyses where deemed appropriate.
RESULTS
After screening 5641 identified articles, 34 RCTs were eligible for inclusion. Eighty per cent of universal school-based interventions measuring knowledge (n = 5) and 67% measuring attitudes (n = 6) reported significantly better results compared with controls on those outcomes, whereas 20% measuring access to care (n = 5) and none measuring mental health outcomes (n = 7) did. In contrast, 71% of interventions targeting at-risk individuals (n = 21) reported better access to care compared with controls, while just 33% (n = 6) did for mental health outcomes. For satisfaction with care, this proportion was 80% (n = 5). Meta-analyses of interventions measuring initial appointment attendance yielded combined odds ratios of 3.11 (2.07-4.67) for appointment reminder interventions and 3.51 (2.02-6.11) for treatment engagement interventions. The outcomes for universal school-based interventions were heterogeneous and could not be summarised quantitatively through meta-analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
To have a population-level effect on improving children's access to mental health care, two-stage interventions that identify those in need and then engage them in the health-care system may be necessary. We need more evidence on interventions to target contextual factors such as affordability and infrastructural barriers.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Services Accessibility; Help-Seeking Behavior; Humans; Intention; Internet-Based Intervention; Mental Disorders; Mental Health Services; School Health Services
PubMed: 31619313
DOI: 10.1017/S2045796019000544 -
Memory (Hove, England) Aug 2022Self-defining memories (SDMs) are important for identifying one's purpose in life, achieving goals, and overcoming challenging situations. Individual studies have...
BACKGROUND
Self-defining memories (SDMs) are important for identifying one's purpose in life, achieving goals, and overcoming challenging situations. Individual studies have demonstrated differences in the characteristics of SDMs between clinical and non-clinical populations. This systematic literature review aimed to summarise and compare SDM characteristics among those with mental, substance use, cognitive, neurodevelopmental, and physical health challenges.
METHODS
Peer-reviewed English-language studies were included if they evaluated SDMs in these groups.
RESULTS
Thirty-five studies (N = 3123) were included. SDM content across all clinical populations tended to focus on illness themes. SDMs were generally less specific and integrated in those with mental health or substance use disorders as compared to non-clinical populations. SDM specificity and integration findings were more mixed in those with cognitive, neurodevelopmental, and physical health challenges.
CONCLUSIONS
Specific differences emerged between groups of individuals which may be related to illness characteristics, recovery trajectory, and individual differences in the ability to understand and process difficult life events.
Topics: Cognition; Humans; Memory, Episodic; Mental Health; Mental Recall; Self Concept; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 35220886
DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2042565 -
Clinical Psychology Review Jul 2022Deficits in episodic future thinking (EFT) characteristics such as detail/vividness, specificity and the use of mental imagery are associated with psychopathology.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Deficits in episodic future thinking (EFT) characteristics such as detail/vividness, specificity and the use of mental imagery are associated with psychopathology. However, whether these characteristics are associated with anxiety is not well understood. This article reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of research examining associations between anxiety and these EFT characteristics. Peer-reviewed studies that are published in the English language and contain at least one measure of anxiety and one measure of EFT characteristics were screened for inclusion in APAPsychINFO, CINAHL Plus and MEDLINE. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Results indicated that anxiety was not significantly correlated with detail/vividness overall. However, this was qualified by a moderating effect of cue valence. This finding is consistent with the Attentional Control and Contrast Avoidance Theories of anxiety, whereby higher anxiety is related to high detail/vividness in future thinking in the context of negatively-valenced cues, and conversely lower detail/vividness for positively-valenced cues. Anxiety was not significantly associated with specificity or the use of mental imagery. While heterogeneity and the low number of studies examining particular associations limited the findings, the results provide insight into the current state of the field and have both theoretical and clinical implications.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Cues; Forecasting; Humans; Thinking
PubMed: 35660923
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102162