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The article discusses the top papers published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. One of the best papers was the study submitted by Lucinda Smith and Richard Newton on case management concerning clinical interventions. Further top paper is the work of Gordon Parker and Joanna Crawford on the treatments for depression, and Nickolai Titov's review paper about computerized cognitive behaviour therapy. The editorial which explores the intervention in bipolar disorder was also included in the list.

Objective: Suicide is a growing public health concern with a global prevalence of approximately 800,000 deaths per year. The current process of evaluating suicide risk is highly subjective, which can limit the efficacy and accuracy of prediction efforts. Consequently, suicide detection strategies are shifting toward artificial intelligence platforms that can identify patterns within 'big data' to generate risk algorithms that can determine the effects of risk (and protective) factors on suicide outcomes, predict suicide outbreaks and identify at-risk individuals or populations. In this review, we summarize the role of artificial intelligence in optimizing suicide risk prediction and behavior management. Methods: This paper provides a general review of the literature. A literature search was conducted in OVID Medline, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases with coverage from January 1990 to June 2019. Results were restricted to peer-reviewed, English-language articles. Conference and dissertation proceedings, case reports, protocol papers and opinion pieces were excluded. Reference lists were also examined for additional articles of relevance. Results: At the individual level, prediction analytics help to identify individuals in crisis to intervene with emotional support, crisis and psychoeducational resources, and alerts for emergency assistance. At the population level, algorithms can identify at-risk groups or suicide hotspots, which help inform resource mobilization, policy reform and advocacy efforts. Artificial intelligence has also been used to support the clinical management of suicide across diagnostics and evaluation, medication management and behavioral therapy delivery. There could be several advantages of incorporating artificial intelligence into suicide care, which includes a time- and resource-effective alternative to clinician-based strategies, adaptability to various settings and demographics, and suitability for use in remote locations with limited access to mental healthcare supports. Conclusion: Based on the observed benefits to date, artificial intelligence has a demonstrated utility within suicide prediction and clinical management efforts and will continue to advance mental healthcare forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper describes the structure and the organization of the single Italian programme specifically targeted at the early detection of and interventions for subjects at onset of or at high risk of psychosis, Programma 2000. Methods: Programma 2000 is a comprehensive multi-modal protocol of early intervention in psychosis, set up in Milan in 1999. The service has been very active since its opening, and at the time of writing (spring (April) 2008), more than 300 young patients have been evaluated through a detailed protocol that embraces Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Cognitive Behavioural Assessment 2.0, Disability Assessment Schedule, Camberwell Family Interview, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Early Recognition Inventory Retrospective Assessment of Symptoms. The treatment includes psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), both structured and unstructured psychosocial interventions and pharmacotherapy, when necessary. Results: The programme focuses on young people aged 17-30 years: to date, a total of 132 subjects with definite psychosis or within the high-risk category have been enrolled in treatment after assessment. Patients with first-episode psychosis were, on average and expectedly, more severe than those in the at-risk group, and were more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs. A large majority of patients in both groups received tailored CBT; individual sessions of skills training were provided to two-thirds of patients. In both groups, improvement was found in both the BPRS and HoNOS, and in the level of global functioning as assessed on Global Assessment of Functioning at 6 month and 1 year follow up. Global functioning was more sensitive to change than symptom severity, reflecting the intensive and personalized efforts to improve social and role functioning in patients. Conclusions: Programma 2000 is still in development but it has already gained the support of therapists and other relevant people involved in the life of subjects at onset, or at high risk of psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present paper was to critically examine evidence about the benefits of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from controlled and single group studies, including its benefits relative to medication are critically reviewed. Selected studies were categorized by study type and by risk of bias classification. Standardized mean differences (Hedges' g or Cohen d) and, where appropriate, weighted mean difference (WMD) were calculated. All five comparison and 14 one-group studies showed a significant benefit for CBT within a wide range (ES = .78 to 4.38). Low risk of bias studies produced the lower adjusted effect sizes. The best available estimate of CBT efficacy relative to no treatment is about 1 standardized mean difference, equivalent to a treatment effect of 8 points on the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. This represents a reduction in the risk of continuing to have OCD post-treatment of about 37% (95% CI 14% to 54%). Evidence from 3 studies indicates that the efficacy of CBT and medication do not differ significantly. CBT combined with medication is significantly more efficacious than non-active controls or medication alone but not relative to CBT alone. CBT should be regarded as a first line equivalent to anti-OCD medication with the potential to lead to better outcomes when combined with medication than medication alone can provide. Additional studies are needed to further clarify CBT's benefits and to investigate how it can be made more available as a treatment option for children and youth who suffer from OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Little is known about the predictors of symptom change or the methods that might increase user ‘compliance’ on websites designed to improve mental health outcomes. The present paper: (i) examines predictors of expected final depression and anxiety scores on the MoodGYM website as a function of user characteristics; and (ii) compares the compliance rates of the original site with the new public version of the site (MoodGYM Mark II). The latter site requires compulsory completion of ‘core’ online assessments and may increase completion of site questionnaires. Method: MoodGYM Mark I participants were 19 607 visitors (public registrants) between April 2001 and September 2003 plus 182 participants who had been randomly assigned to MoodGYM in an earlier trial (The BlueMood Trial). MoodGYM Mark II participants were 38 791 public registrants of the MoodGYM Mark II site collected between September 2003 and October 2004. Symptom assessments are repeated within the website intervention to allow the examination of change in symptoms. Outcome variables were gender, initial depression severity scores, number of assessments completed and final anxiety and depression scores. Results: Men are predicted to be 0.19 units (SE = 0.095) higher than women on depression, controlling for the initial depression level and number of modules completed. For initial depression scores above 2, it is predicted that the final score will indicate improvement relative to the initial score, the magnitude of the improvement increasing as a function of the number of modules attempted. For initial anxiety scores above 2, it is predicted that the final score will indicate improvement relative to the initial score, the magnitude of the improvement increasing as a function of the number of modules attempted. Mark II registrants were more likely than to Mark I registrants to complete onsite assessments. Conclusions: Visitors to the MoodGYM site are likely to have better psychological outcomes if they complete more of the site material. Compulsory completion of core sections increases assessment completion. There is a need to examine further the significance of attrition from online interventions, to develop methods of handling missing data, and to investigate strategies to improve visitor dropout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We assessed, from a health sector perspective, options for change that could improve the efficiency of Australia's current mental health services by directing available resources toward ‘best practice’ cost-effective services. Method: We summarize cost-effectiveness results of a range of interventions for depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders that have been presented in previous papers in this journal. Recommendations for change are formulated after taking into account ‘second-filter criteria’ of equity, feasibility of implementing change, acceptability to stakeholders and the strength of the evidence. In addition, we estimate the impact on total expenditure if the recommended mental health interventions for depression and schizophrenia are to be implemented in Australia. Results: There are cost-effective treatment options for mental disorders that are currently underutilized (e.g. cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety, bibliotherapy for depression, family interventions for schizophrenia and clozapine for the worst course of schizophrenia). There are also less cost-effective treatments in current practice (e.g. widespread use of olanzapine and risperidone in the treatment of established schizophrenia and, within those atypicals, a preference for olanzapine over risperidone). Feasibility of funding mechanisms and training of staff are the main second-filter issues for CBT and family interventions. Acceptability to various stakeholders is the main barrier to implementation of more cost-effective drug treatment regimens. More efficient drug intervention options identified for schizophrenia would cost A$68 million less than current practice. These savings would more than cover the estimated A$36M annual cost of delivering family interventions to the 51% of people with schizophrenia whom we estimated to be eligible and this would lead to an estimated 12% improvement in their health status. Implementing recommended strategies for depression would cost A$121M annually for the 24% of people with depression who seek care currently, but do not receive an evidence-based treatment. Conclusions: Despite considerable methodological problems, a range of cost-effective and less cost-effective interventions for major mental disorders can be discerned. The biggest hurdle to implementation of more efficient mental health services is that this change would require reallocation of funds between interventions, between disorders and between service providers with different funding mechanisms. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2005; 39:701–712 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]