FDA Okays Twice-Yearly Injectable Schizophrenia Treatment
What’s New On September 1, the FDA gave its nod to Invega Hafyera (six-month paliperidone palmitate), the first-ever twice yearly injectable treatment for adults with schizophrenia. Research Details The approval of Invega Hafyera, an atypical antipsychotic drug, was based on the results of a year-long, phase 3 clinical trial, which included 702 people with schizophrenia between the ages of 18 and 70, living in 20 different countries. Researchers found that Invega Hafyera worked as well as Invega Trinza, a three-month injection of paliperidone palmitate. After one year of treatment, approximately 92.5 percent of people treated with Invega Hafyera had been relapse-free — which was defined as not experiencing hospitalization or having severe symptoms like self-harm, violent behavior, or suicidal or homicidal thoughts or behaviors — compared with 95 percent of people treated with Invega Trinza. Prior to transitioning to Invega Hafyera, patients must be treated with Invega Sustenna (one-month paliperidone palmitate) for four months or longer, or Invega Trinza for at least one three-month injection cycle. Why It Matters Invega Hafyera may improve treatment adherence among adults with schizophrenia, according to Bill Martin, PhD, who is the global therapeutic area head of neuroscience at Janssen Research & Development. Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson is the manufacturer of Invega Hafyera. “Long-acting injectable treatments offer a number of advantages compared to oral medication for schizophrenia, including relief from needing to remember to take medication daily, lower discontinuation rates, and sustained treatment over longer periods,” Dr. Martin noted in a press release.
Online, 1-Day Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workshop Beneficial for Postpartum Depression
What’s New An online, one-day CBT-based workshop was found to be an effective treatment option, when paired with usual care, for women with postpartum depression, according to new findings published on September 8 in JAMA Psychiatry. CBT — a type of psychological treatment focused on changing thinking and behavioral patterns — is commonly used to help treat conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, and other severe mental illnesses, the American Psychological Association reports. Research Details Researchers performed a clinical trial that included 403 mothers with postpartum depression living in Ontario, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Participants either received a live, interactive, CBT-based workshop delivered online by a registered psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or clinical psychology graduate student, along with usual care for postpartum depression, or they received usual care and were placed on a waitlist to participate in the workshop 12 weeks later. The results of the trial showed that combining the online CBT-based workshop with usual care was a brief and effective way to reduce postpartum depression and anxiety, increase social support, and improve relationships between mothers and infants. Why It Matters “These workshops have the potential to improve accessibility by providing a brief, safe, nonpharmacological option for mothers that can improve depression, anxiety, and the mother-infant relationship, as well as build resilience and expand their social network,” says Ryan J. Van Lieshout, MD, PhD, Canada research chair in the perinatal programming of mental disorders, and associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. In addition to helping many mothers and birthing parents with postpartum depression feel better faster, the one-day CBT-based workshops for postpartum depression could be an important way of identifying those who are in need of additional treatment, adds Dr. Van Lieshout.
COVID-19 Pandemic Exerts Heavy Mental Health Toll on Women With a History of Trauma
What’s New The COVID-19 pandemic may have had a greater mental health impact on aging women who had experienced childhood abuse or intimate partner violence than on women without those experiences, according to new findings presented on September 22 at the North American Menopause Society Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Research Details The authors of the study surveyed nearly 600 women in hopes of ascertaining rates of anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and conflicts with members of one’s household and family outside of the household throughout the pandemic. The researchers also aimed to uncover how these problems specifically affected aging women who had experienced childhood abuse or intimate partner violence prior to the pandemic. Of all women surveyed, 48 percent reported experiencing trauma during childhood, and 35 percent reported past experiences of intimate partner violence. The findings of the study revealed that, among women who had experienced childhood trauma or intimate partner violence:
27 percent had elevated symptoms of depression32 percent had elevated anxiety symptoms46 percent had increased sleep problems29 percent had elevated conflicts with members of their households17 percent had increased conflicts with family members outside of their households
The researchers also found a link between having a history of childhood trauma or intimate partner violence and elevated symptoms of depression, sleep problems, and conflict with other members of the household during the pandemic. In addition, childhood trauma was associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and conflict with family outside of the household. Why It Matters “Our results suggest that healthcare providers should consider women’s trauma histories to better understand who is at greatest risk for mental health and sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Karen Jakubowski, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at the Women’s Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. “Considering strategies to improve mental health in this population, women should discuss any concerns about mental health, sleep, or relationships with their healthcare providers, who can connect them to support and services in their communities,” she adds. Two strategies that Dr. Jakubowski suggests everyone try:
Find opportunities for social connection, including virtual options.Make time for a wind-down period before bed, and engage in an activity that you find calming or restful (without using phones or screens if possible). Doing so can promote relaxation and sleep, Jakubowski explains.
Methamphetamine Overdoses and Deaths on the Rise, Large Study Shows
What’s New Risky methamphetamine use and overdose deaths appear to have risen sharply in recent years, according to findings published on September 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. Research Details These findings emerged from an analysis of data from the 2015 to 2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, which had nearly 196,000 respondents. Ultimately, researchers found that, between 2015 and 2019:
The use of methamphetamines in general increased by 43 percent.Frequent use of methamphetamines rose by 66 percent.Using methamphetamines together with cocaine increased by 60 percent.Methamphetamine addiction rose by 105 percent.
The rate of methamphetamine use disorder without injecting drugs was found to have doubled overall. A 10-times higher rate of this disorder was observed among Black people specifically. Risk factors for methamphetamine addiction were:
Comorbidities, or co-occurring health conditionsCriminal justice involvementFactors related to socioeconomic status, such as lack of health insurance, lower educational status, and lower yearly household income
Why It Matters These findings show that risky use of methamphetamines, such as using them frequently and combining them with other substances like cocaine, are on the rise, leading to increased deaths due to methamphetamine use. According to the authors of the study, these findings shine a light on the importance of using evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions to stem the rising use of and deaths associated with methamphetamines.
