Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Affect, Interpersonal Behaviour And Interpersonal Perception During Open-Label, Uncontrolled Paroxetine Treatment Of People With Social Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study, Lance M. Rappaport, Jennifer J. Russell, Donald Hedeker, Gilbert Pinard, Pierre Bleau, Debbie S. Moskowitz

Psychiatry Publications

Background: Laboratory-based research with community samples has suggested changes in affective, behavioural and cognitive processes as possible explanations for the effects of serotonergic medications. Examining the effects of serotonergic medications using an ecological momentary measure (such as event-contingent recording) in the daily lives of people with social anxiety disorder would contribute to establishing the effects of these medications on affect, behaviour and one form of cognition: perception of others’ behaviour.

Methods: The present study assessed changes in affect, interpersonal behaviour and perception of others’ behaviour in adults with social anxiety disorder using ecological momentary assessment at baseline and over 4 …

Exploring Resilience Models In A Sample Of Combat-Exposed Military Service Members And Veterans: A Comparison And Commentary, Christina M. Sheerin, Kelcey J. Stratton, Ananda B. Amstadter, The Va Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, Clinical Center (Mirecc) Workgroup, Scott D. Mcdonald

Psychiatry Publications

Background: The term resilience is applied in numerous ways in the mental health field, leading to different perspectives of what constitutes a resilient response and disparate findings regarding its prevalence following trauma.

Objective: illustrate the impact of various definitions on our understanding and prevalence of resilience, we compared various resilience definitions (absence of PTSD, absence of current mental health diagnosis, absence of generalized psychological distress, and an alternative trauma load–resilience discrepancy model of the difference between actual and predicted distress given lifetime trauma exposure) within a combat-exposed military personnel and veteran sample.

Method: In this combat-trauma exposed …

Genetic And Environmental Influences Of Bullying Involvement: A Longitudinal Twin Study, Ellyn Dunbar

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction—Bullying involvement is associated with many long-term adverse outcomes. Bullied children are at risk for internalizing disorders including anxiety, depression and suicidal behavior in childhood and adulthood. Bullies are also at risk for psychiatric disorders, specifically externalizing disorders. Bully victims—children who are both bullied and bullies—have a particularly poor prognosis, with a higher risk for internalizing and externalizing disorders. The purpose of this study is to study the epidemiology, risk of psychiatric disorders, and genetic and environmental influences of being bullied, a bully, and a bully victim—in the sample and individually in males and females.

Methods—Twins (N=2,844, aged …

Aerobic Exercise Exposure Targeting Anxiety Sensitivity: Effects On Associated Health Behaviors In Young Adults, Autumn Lanoye

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is associated with health behaviors such as low rates of physical activity, overeating, alcohol use, and poor sleep; however, interventions targeting AS via exercise-based interoceptive exposure have not assessed these as outcomes. In addition, previous studies are limited by brief follow-up periods. This study aimed to replicate previous aerobic exercise interoceptive exposures with an extended (6-week) follow-up and measurement of health behaviors.

Participants were 44 sedentary young adults with elevated AS randomized to intervention (6 20-minute sessions of moderate-intensity treadmill walking) or assessment-only control. Assessments took place at baseline, week 2 (post-treatment), week 4, and week 8 …

Molecular Brain Adaptations To Ethanol: Role Of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Beta In The Transition To Excessive Consumption, Andrew D. Van Der Vaart

Theses and Dissertations

Alcoholism is a complex neuropsychiatric disease that is characterized by compulsive alcohol use and intensifying cravings and withdrawals, often culminating in physiologic dependency. Fundamental alterations in brain chemistry underlie the transition from initial ethanol exposure to repetitive excessive use. Key mediators of this adaptation include changes in gene expression and signal transduction. Here we investigated gene expression pathways in prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens following acute or chronic ethanol treatment, to identify genes with potentially conserved involvement in the long-term response of the corticolimbic system to repeated ethanol exposure. We investigated Gsk3b, which encodes glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta, as a …

Shared Genetic And Environmental Influences On Fear, Anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress, And Brain Morphometry, Chelsea Sawyers

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders (ADs) and stress-related disorders are some of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States. Like other c0mplex psychiatric illness, genetics and neuroimaging research has focused on understanding their underlying neurobiology. Areas within the fear-network play important roles in threat perception, fear conditioning/learning, cognitive processing, and modulation of fear responses including contextual modulation and extinction and have been implicated in ADs as well as stress disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The primary gap in the current search for underlying biological mechanisms is in whether biomarkers associated with disorders share genetic influences with the disorders they …

Using Mathematical Models Of Biological Processes In Genome-Wide Association Studies Of Psychiatric Disorders, Amy Cochran

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Association Between Childhood Adversities And Subsequent First Onset Of Psychotic Experiences: A Cross-National Analysis Of 23 998 Respondents From 17 Countries, J. J. Mcgrath, K. A. Mclaughlin, S. Saha, S. Aguilar-Gaxiola, A. Al-Hamzawi, J. Alonso, R. Bruffaerts, G. De Girolamo, P. De Jonge, O. Esan, S. Florescu, O. Gureje, J. M. Haro, C. Hu, E. G. Karam, V. Kovess-Masfety, S. Lee, J. P. Lepine, C. C. W. Lim, M. E. Medina-Mora, Z. Mneimneh, B. E. Pennell, M. Piazza, J. Posada-Villa, N. Sampson, M. C. Viana, M. Xavier, E. J. Bromet, K. S. Kendler, R. C. Kessler, Who World Mental Health Survey Collaborators

Psychiatry Publications

Although there is robust evidence linking childhood adversities (CAs) and an increased risk for psychotic experiences (PEs), little is known about whether these associations vary across the life-course and whether mental disorders that emerge prior to PEs explain these associations.

We assessed CAs, PEs and DSM-IV mental disorders in 23 998 adults in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to investigate the associations between CAs and PEs, and the influence of mental disorders on these associations using multivariate logistic models.

Exposure to CAs was common, and those who experienced any CAs had increased odds of …

Symptoms Of Major Depression: Their Stability, Familiality, And Prediction By Genetic, Temperamental, And Childhood Environmental Risk Factors, Kenneth S. Kendler, Steven H. Aggen

Psychiatry Publications

Background: Psychiatry has long sought to develop biological diagnostic subtypes based on symptomatic differences. This effort assumes that symptoms reflect, with good fidelity, underlying etiological processes. We address this question for major depression (MD).

Methods: We examine, in twins from a population-based registry, similarity in symptom endorsement in individuals meeting criteria for last-year MD at separate interview waves and in concordant twin pairs. Among individuals with MD, we explore the impact of genetic-temperamental and child adversity risk factors on individual reported symptoms. Aggregated criteria do not separate insomnia from hypersomnia, weight gain from loss, etc. while disaggregated criteria do.

Results: …

Genomewide Association Study Of Alcohol Dependence Identifies Risk Loci Altering Ethanol-Response Behaviors In Model Organisms, Amy E. Adkins, Laura M. Hack, Tim B. Bigdeli, Vernell S. Williamson, G. Omari Mcmichael, Mohammed Mamdani, Alexis C. Edwards, Fazil Aliev, Robin F. Chan, Poonam Bhandari, Richard C. Raabe, Joseph T. Alaimo, Ginamari G. Blackwell, Arden Moscati, Ryan S. Poland, Benjamin Rood, Diana G. Patterson, Dermot Walsh, Collaborative Study Of The Genetics Of Alcoholism Consortium, John B. Whitfield, Gu Zhu, Grant W. Montgomery, Anjali K. Henders, Nicholas G. Martin, Andrew C. Heath, Pamela A.F. Madden, Josef Frank, Monika Ridinger, Norbert Wodarz, Michael Soyka, Peter Zill, Marcus Ising, Markus M. Nöthen, Falk Kiefer, Marcella Rietschel, The German Study Of The Genetics Of Addiction Consortium, Joel Gelernter, Richard Sherva, Ryan Koesterer, Laura Almasy, Hongyu Zhao, Henry R. Kranzler, Lindsay A. Farrer, Brion S. Maher, Carol A. Prescott, Danielle M. Dick, Silviu A. Bacanu, Laura D. Mathies, Andrew G. Davies, Vladimir I. Vladimirov, Mike Grotewiel, M. Scott Bowers, Jill C. Bettinger, Bradley T. Webb, Michael F. Miles, Kenneth S. Kendler, Brien P. Riley

Psychiatry Publications

Background

Alcohol dependence (AD) shows evidence for genetic liability, but genes influencing risk remain largely unidentified.

Methods

We conducted a genomewide association study in 706 related AD cases and 1,748 unscreened population controls from Ireland. We sought replication in 15,496 samples of European descent. We used model organisms (MOs) to assess the role of orthologous genes in ethanol (EtOH)-response behaviors. We tested 1 primate-specific gene for expression differences in case/control postmortem brain tissue.

Results

We detected significant association in COL6A3 and suggestive association in 2 previously implicated loci, KLF12 and RYR3. None of these signals are significant in replication. …

The Genetic And Environmental Sources Of Resemblance Between Normative Personality And Personality Disorder Traits, K. S. Kendler, S. H. Aggen, Nathan Gillespie, M. C. Neale, G. P. Knudsen, R. F. Krueger, Nikolai Czajkowski, Eivind Ystrom, T. Reichborn-Kjennerud

Psychiatry Publications

Recent work has suggested a high level of congruence between normative personality, most typically represented by the "big five" factors, and abnormal personality traits. In 2,293 Norwegian adult twins ascertained from a population-based registry, the authors evaluated the degree of sharing of genetic and environmental influences on normative personality, assessed by the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and personality disorder traits (PDTs), assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-S-Norwegian Brief Form (PID-5NBF). For four of the five BFI dimensions, the strongest genetic correlation was observed with the expected PID-5-NBF dimension (e.g., neuroticism with negative affectivity [+], conscientiousness with disinhibition [-]). However, …

Genetic And Environmental Structure Of Dsm-Iv Criteria For Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Twin Study, Tom Rosenström, Eivind Ystrom, Fartein Ask Torvik, Nikolai Olavi Czajkowski, Nathan A. Gillespie, Steven H. Aggen, Robert F. Krueger, Kenneth S. Kendler, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud

Psychiatry Publications

Results from previous studies on DSM-IV and DSM-5 Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) have suggested that the construct is etiologically multidimensional. To our knowledge, however, the structure of genetic and environmental influences in ASPD has not been examined using an appropriate range of biometric models and diagnostic interviews. The 7 ASPD criteria (section A) were assessed in a population-based sample of 2794 Norwegian twins by a structured interview for DSM-IV personality disorders. Exploratory analyses were conducted at the phenotypic level. Multivariate biometric models, including both independent and common pathways, were compared. A single phenotypic factor was found, and the best-fitting biometric …

The Clinical Features Of Paranoia In The 20th Century And Their Representation In Diagnostic Criteria From Dsm-Iii Through Dsm-5, Kenneth S. Kendler

Psychiatry Publications

This review traces, through psychiatric textbooks, the history of the Kraepelinian concept of paranoia in the 20th century and then relates the common reported symptoms and signs to the diagnostic criteria for paranoia/delusional disorder in DSM-III through DSM-5. Clinical descriptions of paranoia appearing in 10 textbooks, published 1899 to 1970, revealed 11 prominent symptoms and signs reported by 5 or more authors. Three symptoms (systematized delusions, minimal hallucinations, and prominent ideas of reference) and 2 signs (chronic course and minimal affective deterioration) were reported by 8 or 9 of the authors. Four textbook authors rejected the Kraepelinian concept of paranoia. …

Sharing Extended Summary Data From Contemporary Genetics Studies Is Unlikely To Threaten Subject Privacy, Silviu-Alin Bacanu

Psychiatry Publications

Background

Starting from a forensic problem, Homer et al. showed that it was possible to detect if an individual contributes only 0.5% of the DNA in a pool. The finding was extended to prove the possibility of detecting whether a subject participated in a small homogeneous GWAS. We denote this as the detection of a subject belonging to a certain cohort (SBCC). Subsequently, Visscher and Hill showed that the power to detect SBCC signal for an ethnically homogeneous cohort depends roughly on the ratio of the number of independent markers and total sample size. However, it …

A Comparison Of Parameter Covariance Estimation Methods For Item Response Models In An Expectation-Maximization Framework, Joshua N. Pritikin

Psychiatry Publications

The Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm is a method for finding the maximum likelihood estimate of a model in the presence of missing data. Unfortunately, EM does not produce a parameter covariance matrix for standard errors. Both Oakes and Supplemented EM are methods for obtaining the parameter covariance matrix. SEM was discovered in 1991 and is implemented in both opensource and commercial item response model estimation software. Oakes, a more recent method discovered in 1999, had not been implemented in item response model software until now. Convergence properties, accuracy, and elapsed time of Oakes and Supplemental EM family algorithms are compared for …

Symptom Domain Groups Of The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Tools Independently Predict Hospitalizations And Re-Hospitalizations In Cirrhosis, Kavish R. Patidar, Leroy R. Thacker, James B. Wade, Melanie B. White, Edith A. Gavis, Andrew Fagan, Richard K. Sterling, Michael Fuchs, Mohammad S. Siddiqui, Scott Matherly, Richard T. Stravitz, Arun J. Sanyal, Puneet Puri, Velimir A. Luketic, Jasmohan S. Bajaj

Psychiatry Publications

Background

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) tools can identify health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains that could differentially affect disease progression. Cirrhotics are highly prone to hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations, but the current clinical prognostic models may be insufficient, and thus studying the contribution of individual HRQOL domains could improve prognostication.

Aim

Analyze the impact of individual HRQOL PROMIS domains in predicting time to all non-elective hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations in cirrhosis.

Methods

Outpatient cirrhotics were administered PROMIS computerized tools. The first non-elective hospitalization and subsequent re-hospitalizations after enrollment were recorded. Individual PROMIS domains significantly contributing toward these outcomes were generated …

A Power Calculator For The Classical Twin Design, Brad Verhulst

Psychiatry Publications

Power is a ubiquitous, though often overlooked, component of any statistical analyses. Almost every funding agency and institutional review board requires that some sort of power analysis is conducted prior to data collection. While there are several excellent on line power calculators for independent observations, twin studies pose unique challenges that are not incorporated into these algorithms. The goal of the current manuscript is to outline a general method for calculating power in twin studies, and to provide functions to allow researchers to easily conduct power analyses for a range of common twin models. Several scenarios are discussed to demonstrate …

Somatic Symptom Disorder In Dermatology, James L. Levenson, Aditi A. Sharma, Alex G. Ortega-Loayza

Psychiatry Publications

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is defined by the prominence of somatic symptoms associated with abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the symptoms, resulting in significant distress and impairment. Individuals with these disorders are more commonly encountered in primary care and other medical settings, including dermatology practice, than in psychiatric and other mental health settings. What defines the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as abnormal is that they are excessive, that is, out of proportion to other patients with similar somatic symptoms, and that they result in significant distress and impairment. SSD may occur with or without the presence of a …

Molecular Genetic Influences On Normative And Problematic Alcohol Use In A Population-Based Sample Of College Students, Bradley T. Webb, Alexis C. Edwards, Aaron R. Wolen, Jessica E. Salvatore, Fazil Aliev, Brien P. Riley, Cuie Sun, Vernell S. Williamson, James N. Kitchens, Kimberly Pedersen, Amy Adkins, Megan E. Cooke, Jeanne E. Savage, Zoe Neale, Seung B. Cho, Danielle M. Dick, Kenneth S. Kendler

Psychiatry Publications

Background: Genetic factors impact alcohol use behaviors and these factors may become increasingly evident during emerging adulthood. Examination of the effects of individual variants as well as aggregate genetic variation can clarify mechanisms underlying risk.

Methods: We conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in an ethnically diverse sample of college students for three quantitative outcomes including typical monthly alcohol consumption, alcohol problems, and maximum number of drinks in 24 h. Heritability based on common genetic variants (h2SNP) was assessed. We also evaluated whether risk variants in aggregate were associated with alcohol use outcomes in an independent sample of young …

Electroconvulsive Therapy In Geriatric Patients: A Literature Review And Program Report From Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, Usa, Andrew D. Snyder, Vasu Venkatachalam, Ananda Pandurangi

Psychiatry Publications

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective therapeutic intervention in the elderly patients with major depression, especially those with psychosis, suicidality, catatonia, nutritional compromise, and resistance to medications. Response rates can be as high as 80%. We present an extensive review of the relevant literature, provide a description of the ECT program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA, and present results of our experience with ECT in fifty elderly patients. The treatments were safe, well tolerated, and produced high response rates, variably between 68% and 84%. Patients in the long‑term maintenance ECT program continue to show sustained benefits from …

The Dual Faces Of Misery, Arden Moscati

Theses and Dissertations

Major Depression (MD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) are psychiatric disorders that arise from dysfunction of the core human capacities for emotion. Sapience is inextricably bound up with the potential for feelings of regret, worry and concern. When these emotions lead to clinically significant impairment or distress, they may result in one or both of the disorders of MD and GAD. The occurrence of MD and GAD in the same person, known as comorbidity, is remarkably high; substantially higher than would be expected by chance.

MD and GAD have been studied since the mid-20^th century, resulting in a substantial …

A Study Of Media Portrayal Of Schizophrenics To Understand How Stigma Associated With Schizophrenia May Be Reversed, Rainielle M. Cua

Undergraduate Research Posters

The news media are one of the most influential sources of information regarding mental illness. Media coverage on schizophrenia, one of the most stigmatized mental illnesses, tends to be negative, focusing on high risks of violence, failure, and unpredictability. Such perceptions may cause a detrimental impact on the mentally ill and cause them to internalize a stigmatizing stereotype and hinder the public’s understanding of mental illness. I studied how media portrayal in newspaper coverage of schizophrenics has evolved to discover how nonfiction media representation has affected people’s perceptions and attitudes towards schizophrenics and to propose an implementable solution to reduce …

Non-Medical Use Of Prescription Drugs, Stress, Cultural Orientation, Utilization Of Healthcare, And Protective Factors Among College Students In China, Cheuk Chi Tam

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) refers to the use of prescription drugs which are traditionally utilized to manage pain or treat psychiatric problems but without a doctor’s prescription. In 2010, an investigation by the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that 5.3% of young adults (18 to 25-year-olds) in the United States reported past-month NMUPD. NMUPD has become a growing concern owing to associations with consequences such as college dropout, poor academic achievement, and health jeopardizing behaviors. College students' NMUPD has been well documented in the United States. Limited studies, however, have been conducted among …

Recovery From Design, Cassandra J. Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

Through research, inquiry, and an evaluation of Recovery By Design, a ‘design therapy’ program that serves people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities, it is my assertion that the practice of design has therapeutic potential and can aid in the process of recovery. To the novice, the practices of conception, shaping form, and praxis have empowering benefit especially when guided by Conditional and Transformation Design methods together with an emphasis on materiality and vernacular form.

The Influence Of Genetic And Environmental Factors On Quit Attempt In Adolescent And Young Adult Twins, Gladys Langi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic and environmental influences on lifetime quit attempt in three US adolescent and young adult twin samples (N total = 6,322). The study utilized a common-contingent-causal (CCC) model to estimate these factors for lifetime quit attempts, after accounting for the factors for lifetime cigarette use and cigarettes per day. The study also examined age and sex differences, as well as the degree of relationship between these smoking phenotypes. The results demonstrated significant genetic influences for lifetime quit attempts in adolescents and young adults. No sex differences were observed for the contributions …

Sleep Disturbances And Depression: The Role Of Genes And Trauma, Mackenzie J. Lind

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep disturbances and insomnia are prevalent, with around 33% of adults indicating that they experience at least one main symptom of insomnia, and bidirectional relationships exist with common psychopathology, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD). However, genetic and environmental (e.g., traumatic event exposure) contributions to the etiology of these phenotypes are not yet well understood. A genetically informative sample of approximately 12,000 Han Chinese women aged 30-60 (50% with recurrent MDD) was used to address several gaps within the sleep literature. Sleep disturbances were assessed in all individuals using a general item addressing sleeplessness (GS). A sleep within depression sum score …

Drinking Motives Underlying Internalizing And Externalizing Pathways To Alcohol Misuse In College Students, Jeanne Savage

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol misuse, including heavy episodic use and negative consequences, is a major public health concern and a particular problem among college students. The etiology of alcohol misuse is not well resolved, with multiple and often contradictory factors implicated in its development. Genetic factors influence alcohol misuse but few specific genes have been identified. A potential reason for these challenges is that alcohol misuse is phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous; that is, there are multiple causal pathways underlying its development. Previous typologies have suggested that distinct internalizing and externalizing pathways are involved, with corresponding differences in profiles of personality, temperament, and comorbid …

Misophonia: An Investigation Of The Lesser-Known Decreased Sound Tolerance Condition, Shannon Cusack

Theses and Dissertations

Misophonia is a decreased sound tolerance condition (DST) that is not yet well-established in the literature. However, the existing research on misophonia shows that it is occurring at substantial levels in the population. The majority of the existing literature has focused on the clinical correlates of misophonia. Although the correlates have been investigated, there is no accepted mechanism behind misophonia etiology or maintenance. The present study examined three hypotheses in order to start to identify potential mechanisms behind misophonia: how emotional predilections are related to the emotional response, how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and misophonia are related, and the possibility …

Developmental Trajectories Of Alcohol Use And Alcohol Use Disorder, Elizabeth C. Long

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use (AU) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are leading causes of morbidity, premature death, and economic burden. They are also associated with high levels of disability and many other negative outcomes. Twin and family studies have consistently shown that AU and AUD are complex traits influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Although much has been learned about the genetic and environmental etiology of AU and AUD, significant gaps remain. These include the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the roles of risk and protective factors, and the nature of developmental trajectories underpinning the progression from AU to …

Major Depression As A Complex Dynamic System, Angélique O. J. Cramer, Claudia D. Van Borkulo, Erik J. Giltay, Han L. J. Van Der Maas, Kenneth S. Kendler, Marten Scheffer, Denny Borsboom

Psychiatry Publications

In this paper, we characterize major depression (MD) as a complex dynamic system in which symptoms (e.g., insomnia and fatigue) are directly connected to one another in a network structure. We hypothesize that individuals can be characterized by their own network with unique architecture and resulting dynamics. With respect to architecture, we show that individuals vulnerable to developing MD are those with strong connections between symptoms: e.g., only one night of poor sleep suffices to make a particular person feel tired. Such vulnerable networks, when pushed by forces external to the system such as stress, are more likely to end …