Jorge A Sanchez-Ruiz, Jason Straub, Peter P Zandi, Olusola Ajilore, Brandon J Coombes, Stephen M Strakowski, Mark A Frye, Monica J Taylor-Desir
{"title":"Symptom Severity and Treatment Needs Among Racial Groups Seeking Treatment at a Mood Outcomes Program.","authors":"Jorge A Sanchez-Ruiz, Jason Straub, Peter P Zandi, Olusola Ajilore, Brandon J Coombes, Stephen M Strakowski, Mark A Frye, Monica J Taylor-Desir","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240051","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mood disorders are highly prevalent. Despite increased rates of treatment provision, treatment gaps are sustained by inadequate targeting of interventions and little emphasis on prevention. Here, the authors present an overview and analysis of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) Mood Outcomes Program, which is both a measurement-based care program, with a standardized set of mood \"vital signs\" assessed as part of routine clinical care, and a learning health system. The authors analyzed all data collected since the program's inception in 2015 to assess whether baseline symptom severity, prior suicidal ideation or attempts, length of care, and longitudinal symptom severity differed across sociodemographic groups. The results show important treatment needs that are not being fulfilled. Most notably, the groups with the greatest symptom severity were not the groups with the most visits. Efforts to address systemic barriers that prevent access to mental health care are required. Given that the NNDC Mood Outcomes Program is integrated with clinical care, academic programs, and research at each site, the authors anticipate that the program is well suited to support efforts to dismantle systemic barriers to care.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"156-162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995912/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adrienne Grzenda, Nina V Kraguljac, William M McDonald, Charles Nemeroff, John Torous, Jonathan E Alpert, Carolyn I Rodriguez, Alik S Widge
{"title":"Evaluating the Machine Learning Literature: A Primer and User's Guide for Psychiatrists.","authors":"Adrienne Grzenda, Nina V Kraguljac, William M McDonald, Charles Nemeroff, John Torous, Jonathan E Alpert, Carolyn I Rodriguez, Alik S Widge","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.25023011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.25023011","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"270-284"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995911/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marie E Gaine, Kathleen M Jagodnik, Ritika Baweja, William V Bobo, Erin C McGlade, Sandra J Weiss, Marissa L Beal, Sharon Dekel, Aysegul Ozerdem
{"title":"Targeted Research and Treatment Implications in Women With Depression.","authors":"Marie E Gaine, Kathleen M Jagodnik, Ritika Baweja, William V Bobo, Erin C McGlade, Sandra J Weiss, Marissa L Beal, Sharon Dekel, Aysegul Ozerdem","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240052","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Women with a history of traumatic experience, particularly adversity encountered during childhood, have an increased risk of developing depression. The authors review the biological mechanisms associating trauma with depression, including the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Additionally, the psychosocial and cultural considerations associating traumatic experience with depression are discussed, and current gaps in knowledge about biological mechanisms, psychosocial factors, and cultural aspects relating trauma to depression that remain to be addressed are described. Women with a history of trauma are also at increased risk for engaging in suicidal behaviors, including suicidal ideation and attempts. Increased suicidality in women with a history of trauma has been observed in various populations, including among victims of intimate partner violence, female veterans, refugees, and individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, or other. Although associations between trauma and suicidality have been well documented, limited research has examined the impact of age or reproductive stage, an important area for future research. A wide range of biological, psychosocial, and cultural factors that can increase the risk for suicidality across the lifespan in women are described, and how they may be included when completing clinical assessments for women is highlighted. Machine learning, and its use in risk and outcome prediction of depression in women across reproductive stages toward individualized psychiatric services, is introduced, with future directions reviewed.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"141-155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995897/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144031875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The NNDC Road Map for Depression Care and Focused Areas of Research.","authors":"","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.25023008","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.25023008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"217-218"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995906/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Co-Occurring Bipolar and Substance Use Disorders: A Review of Impacts, Biopsychosocial Mechanisms, Assessment, and Treatment.","authors":"Sarah H Sperry, Elizabeth T C Lippard","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240044","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individuals with bipolar disorder are at significant risk for having a co-occurring substance use disorder-particularly, alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Having a co-occurring substance use disorder is associated with a more pernicious clinical course, lower quality of life, and poorer treatment outcomes. Despite its increased morbidity, there is little research and clinical evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of individuals with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders. This review details current knowledge on the prevalence, clinical correlates, and biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders. The authors present recent research that highlights underlying mechanisms of comorbidity, including aberrant reward processing, stress sensitization, early childhood maltreatment, and gene-environment interactions. Next, the authors review current evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and treatment of co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorder, highlighting areas of needed future clinical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"173-182"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995909/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144044265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychedelics for Depression: Between Hopes and Uncertainties.","authors":"Trisha Suppes, Mathieu Fradet","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20250005","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20250005","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"206-207"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995904/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144013743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Majd Al-Soleiti, Jennifer L Vande Voort, Balwinder Singh
{"title":"Anhedonia as a Core Symptom of Depression and a Construct for Biological Research.","authors":"Majd Al-Soleiti, Jennifer L Vande Voort, Balwinder Singh","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240050","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20240050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anhedonia is a key psychiatric symptom that has seen significant advances in its understanding in both clinical practice and research over the past few decades. Once considered primarily a feature of depression, recent studies have shown that anhedonia is also a core element of other psychiatric disorders and contributes to considerable morbidity, mortality, and suicidality. Emerging models of psychopathology and illness emphasize the transdiagnostic relevance of anhedonia. At the same time, neuroimaging research has provided deeper insights into its underlying pathophysiology, and several assessment scales with strong psychometric properties have been developed. Various treatment strategies-including psychopharmacology, neuromodulation, and psychotherapy-have demonstrated varying degrees of effectiveness. This review discusses the evolving understanding of anhedonia, its significance as both a symptom and a diagnostic marker, its prevalence, and its pathophysiological underpinnings. Additionally, the authors provide an overview of key assessment tools and explore the range of treatment approaches studied to date.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"163-172"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144058037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Road Map to Better Depression Care: A Road No Longer Less Traveled.","authors":"Mark A Frye","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20250007","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.focus.20250007","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":"23 2","pages":"123-124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995914/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144065439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}