Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Treatment Research (treatment + research)
Selected AbstractsPrinciples for psychosocial treatment of personality disorder: Summary of the APA Division 12 Task Force/NASPR reviewJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Kenneth L. Critchfield A wide variety of clinical problems and relational styles are collected under the diagnostic heading of personality disorder (PD). These disorders involve maladaptive, persistent ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are associated with both functional impairment and disturbed interpersonal relationships. Personality disorders are difficult to treat, and challenge a therapist's ability to intervene helpfully, in part because the maladaptive patterns can impact the therapy relationship itself. Therapeutic principles were derived by Task Force review from the small body of research conducted to date with this family of disorders and include characteristics of clients and therapists, their relationship together, and essential elements of technique. The importance of a collaborative relationship as well as a treatment that is comprehensive, empathic, patiently applied, and flexibly tailored to presenting problems are dominant themes across principles. Treatment research with PD is in its early stages and many important areas remain uncharted. The Task Force principles are here summarized in hopes of providing general guidance to clinicians working with PD, as well as to outline research needs for the area. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 661,674, 2006. [source] Reducing hoarding behavior with individualized reinforcement and item returnBEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 2 2006Cynthia L. Berry Treatment research on hoarding is generally limited to people without intellectual disabilities who have symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder and respond favorably to cognitive-based therapies. We evaluated the effects of individualized reinforcement and item return procedures on hoarding behavior in a multiple baseline across three persons with severe mental retardation. Systematic preference assessment procedures identified items used in the individualized reinforcement procedures. Reductions in hoarding behavior occurred for each person when individualized treatment and item return procedures were applied. These reductions were maintained when direct support staff were trained to provide treatment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Innovative child and adolescent treatment research for anxiety and depressive disordersDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 4 2009Hilary B. Vidair Ph.D. No abstract is available for this article. [source] Automation in an addiction treatment research clinic: Computerised contingency management, ecological momentary assessment and a protocol workflow systemDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2009MASSOUD VAHABZADEH Abstract Introduction and Aims. A challenge in treatment research is the necessity of adhering to protocol and regulatory strictures while maintaining flexibility to meet patients' treatment needs and to accommodate variations among protocols. Another challenge is the acquisition of large amounts of data in an occasionally hectic environment, along with the provision of seamless methods for exporting, mining and querying the data. Design and Methods. We have automated several major functions of our outpatient treatment research clinic for studies in drug abuse and dependence. Here we describe three such specialised applications: the Automated Contingency Management (ACM) system for the delivery of behavioural interventions, the transactional electronic diary (TED) system for the management of behavioural assessments and the Protocol Workflow System (PWS) for computerised workflow automation and guidance of each participant's daily clinic activities. These modules are integrated into our larger information system to enable data sharing in real time among authorised staff. Results. ACM and the TED have each permitted us to conduct research that was not previously possible. In addition, the time to data analysis at the end of each study is substantially shorter. With the implementation of the PWS, we have been able to manage a research clinic with an 80 patient capacity, having an annual average of 18 000 patient visits and 7300 urine collections with a research staff of five. Finally, automated data management has considerably enhanced our ability to monitor and summarise participant safety data for research oversight. Discussion and Conclusions. When developed in consultation with end users, automation in treatment research clinics can enable more efficient operations, better communication among staff and expansions in research methods. [Vahabzadeh M, Lin J-L, Mezghanni M, Epstein DH, Preston KL. Automation in an addiction treatment research clinic: Computerised contingency management, ecological momentary assessment and a protocol workflow system. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009;28:3,11] [source] Initial, habitual and compulsive alcohol use is characterized by a shift of cue processing from ventral to dorsal striatumADDICTION, Issue 10 2010Sabine Vollstädt-Klein ABSTRACT Aims During the development of drug addiction, initial hedonic effects decrease when substance use becomes habitual and ultimately compulsive. Animal research suggests that these changes are represented by a transition from prefrontal cortical control to subcortical striatal control and within the striatum from ventral to dorsal domains of the striatum, but only limited evidence exists in humans. In this study we address this hypothesis in the context of alcohol dependence. Design, setting and participants Non-abstinent heavy social drinkers (n = 21, 5.0 ± 1.5 drinks/day, 13 of them were alcohol-dependent according to DSM-IV) and light social drinkers (n = 10, 0.4 ± 0.4 drinks/day) were examined. Measurements We used a cue-reactivity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design during which pictures of alcoholic beverages and neutral control stimuli were presented. Findings In the dorsal striatum heavy drinkers showed significant higher activations compared to light drinkers, whereas light social drinkers showed higher cue-induced fMRI activations in the ventral striatum and in prefrontal areas compared to heavy social drinkers [region of interest analyses, P < 0.05 false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected]. Correspondingly, ventral striatal activation in heavy drinkers correlated negatively with obsessive-compulsive craving, and furthermore we found a positive association between cue-induced activation in the dorsal striatum and obsessive-compulsive craving in all participants. Conclusions In line with our hypothesis we found higher cue-induced activation of the ventral striatum in social compared to heavy drinkers, and higher dorsal striatal activation in heavy drinkers. Increased prefrontal activation may indicate that social drinkers activate cortical control when viewing alcohol cues, which may prevent the development of heavy drinking or alcohol dependence. Our results suggest differentiating treatment research depending on whether alcohol use is hedonic or compulsive. [source] Towards an ecology of eating disorders: Creating sustainability through the integration of scientific research and clinical practiceEUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW, Issue 1 2010David Clinton The field of eating disorders is currently at a crossroads and faces important challenges of sustainability. These challenges include problems with the current diagnostic classification of eating disorders and the divide between scientific research and clinical practice. If not addressed, there is a danger that the field will fail to evolve adaptively, risking increased stagnation and reduced relevance. To meet these challenges, researchers and clinicians must work toward a more holistic ecology of eating disorders based on the interaction of theory, research and practice. The present paper proposes six steps towards increased sustainability based on developing clinically relevant diagnosis, using systematic quality assurance, expanding the scope of treatment research and the definition of evidence, promoting therapist development, as well as stimulating diversity and discourse. If we rise to the occasion and face these challenges, then we will be better equipped to meet the evolving needs of clinicians, researchers, and most importantly patients. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [source] Policy interventions to reduce the harm from smokingADDICTION, Issue 1s1 2000Peter Anderson The other papers in this series on reduced smoking discuss interventions focused on individuals. This paper illustrates possible smoking reduction interventions focused on policies rather than individuals. Target 12 of the new WHO Health For All Policy aims to significantly reduce the harm from addictive substances, including tobacco, in all member states by 2015, and the WHO Third Action Plan for Tobacco-Free Europe focuses on reducing the harm from tobacco. These documents recommend five key policy strategies: market regulation, product liability, smoke-free environments, support for smoking cessation and education, public information and public opinion. Interventions such as price increases, restricting availability, advertising bans and product control could all be used to achieve harm reduction. Research on reducing the harm of smoking needs to include policy as well as treatment research. [source] Diffusion of treatment research: does open access matter?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2008David J. Hardisty Abstract Advocates of the Open Access movement claim that removing access barriers will substantially increase the diffusion of academic research. If successful, this movement could play a role in efforts to increase utilization of psychotherapy research by mental health practitioners. In a pair of studies, mental health professionals were given either no citation, a normal citation, a linked citation, or a free access citation and were asked to find and read the cited article. After 1 week, participants read a vignette on the same topic as the article and gave recommendations for an intervention. In both studies, those given the free access citation were more likely to read the article, yet only in one study did free access increase the likelihood of making intervention recommendations consistent with the article. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 64: 1,19, 2008. [source] University of Rhode Island Change Assessment,Trauma: Preliminary psychometric properties in an alcohol-dependent PTSD sampleJOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 6 2006Yvonne M. Hunt The co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder with substance use disorders (PTSD-SUD) is common and is associated with poorer treatment outcomes. Attrition represents an ongoing, but poorly understood challenge in PTSD-SUD treatment research. The current study examined the initial psychometric properties of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment,Trauma (URICA-T), a scale designed to assess attitudes and behaviors related to addressing trauma issues, in a sample of 42 individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD and alcohol dependence. Results suggest that the URICA-T may have acceptable psychometric properties as a continuous measure of motivational readiness in a PTSD-SUD sample. Preliminary data also suggests higher URICA-T scores are associated with retention of alcohol dependent-PTSD participants in a study utilizing trauma-focused exposure. [source] Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorders: A Review of the LiteratureTHE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON ADDICTIONS, Issue 5 2007Benjamin R. Nordstrom MD Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Despite the fact that there are large numbers of people with cannabis dependence, relatively little attention has been paid to the treatment of this condition. This article seeks to critically review the existing literature about the various psychosocial and pharmacologic treatments of cannabis dependence. We begin with a discussion of the early treatment literature which draws primarily from anecdotal experience and open, uncontrolled trials and proceed through two recent, large, randomized controlled trials of psychotherapies for the treatment of cannabis dependence. We conclude that while a number of psychotherapies have been found to be effective in treating this disorder, with the exception of adding vouchers to reinforce negative urine toxicology screens, no form of psychotherapy has been found to be more effective than any other. In addition, we review the only two clinical pharmacotherapy trials for cannabis dependence as well as the pre-clinical laboratory pharmacotherapy trials in cannabis dependent individuals. We also review pertinent dual-diagnosis pharmacotherapy trials and discuss potential future directions in treatment research for the pharmacotherapy of cannabis dependence. [source] Practitioner Review: The Assessment and Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and AdolescentsTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 3 2000Sean Perrin Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome defined by the intrusive re- experiencing of a trauma, avoidance of traumatic reminders, and persistent physiological arousal. PTSD is associated with high levels of comorbidity and may increase the risk for additional disorders over time. While controversies remain regarding the applicability of the PTSD criteria to very young children, it has proved to be a useful framework for guiding assessment and treatment research with older children and adolescents. This article presents an overview of the literature on the clinical characteristics, assessment, and treatment of PTSD in children and adolescents. [source] Making Efficient Use of Patients in Designing Phase III Trials Investigating Simultaneously a Set of Targeted Therapies with Different TargetsBIOMETRICAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2006Werner Vach Abstract Targeted therapies are a recent development in cancer treatment research. As these therapies can only be administered to patients with certain individual characteristics, it is a straightforward idea to investigate several of such therapies simultaneously in a given patient population in order to compare each targeted therapy with the current standard therapy. This raises the question how patients satisfying several characteristics should be handled. We consider in this paper several designs to allocate treatments in a random manner to these patients, such that the evaluation of each single targeted therapy can be based on a simple comparison of patients receiving the targeted therapies versus those receiving the standard therapy within a well defined subgroup of patients satisfying the corresponding characteristic. We show how one can ensure that patients with several characteristics can contribute simultaneously to the evaluation of several targeted therapies and that this is the key point for an efficient use of the patients available. We further discuss some ethical and practical issues in applying the new designs and outline strategies to evaluate the overall effect of all targeted therapies together. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The State of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy ResearchCHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2002Alan E. Kazdin Child and adolescent therapy has progressed considerably, as reflected in the number of controlled studies, their methodological quality, and identification of evidence-based treatments. The progress is qualified by several characteristics of the therapy research that depart from the characteristics of clinical practice. Key areas of research are being neglected and this neglect greatly limits progress and what we know about treatment. Prominent among these is the neglect of research on the mechanisms of change and the moderators of treatment outcome. This article highlights progress, characteristics, and limitations of current therapy research. In addition, a research plan is offered to advance research by: 1) understanding the mechanisms or processes through which therapeutic change occurs; 2) drawing on developmental psychopathology research to inform treatment; and 3) expanding the range of questions that guide treatment research and the range of outcome domains on which treatment conclusions are based. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||