(June 25, 2019) Research Roundup is a monthly public service of the Office of Research and Public Affairs. Each edition describes a striking new data point about serious mental illness and summarizes recently published research reports or developments.
DATAPOINT of the Month
- Just 40.2% of uninsured adults with serious mental illness received mental health care in 2017.
According to the newest volume of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Behavioral Health Barometer. Insurance status significantly affects the likelihood an individual will receive treatment, with 70.4% of covered adults receiving care in the same year.
RESEARCH of the Month
- Machine learning technique shows ability to predict psychosis.
Early detection and intervention are critical for individuals displaying the initial signs of a psychotic disorder. The sooner a person is able to engage with treatment, the longer he or she may be able to maintain baseline levels of cognitive functioning. However, early intervention requires clinicians to identify symptoms when they are the most subtle, such as minor changes in language or speech.
A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School and Emory University recently unveiled a machine learning approach to predicting psychosis, which utilizes artificial intelligence to detect changes in speech that are characteristic of individuals descending into a psychotic episode. When applied to interviews with at-risk individuals, the algorithm revealed that those who would ultimately experience a conversion to psychosis displayed both low levels of semantic density, a measure of sentence richness, as well as greater use of words associated with voices and sounds compared to typical conversations. By detecting these differences among participants, the machine learning technique was able to predict the experience of a full psychotic episode with over 90% accuracy.
Rezaii, N., et al. (2019). A machine learning approach to predicting psychosis using semantic density and latent content analysis. npj Schizophrenia.
- New psychotropic agent showed reduced symptoms in schizophrenia.
New medications for schizophrenia have been few and far between-with no true innovations in pharmacological treatment since the 1960s. But, a novel drug therapy shows promise for a different way of treating the debilitating disease, giving hope to individuals who have not seen improvement from standard practice medications.
The specific psychotropic agent, known as SEP-363856, acts differently than other currently available treatments for schizophrenia. Whereas other drug therapies work by binding to dopamine receptors, resulting in decreased dopamine signaling in the brain, SEP-363856 is thought to affect other types of hormone receptors, including those related to serotonin. Over the course of a four-week trial, SEP-363856 was shown to improve symptoms for individuals with acute cases of schizophrenia on a number of symptom measures and displayed tolerability similar to placebo.
Koblan, K. S., et al. (2019, May). SEP-363856 in the treatment of schizophrenia: A 4-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a novel compound with a non-D2 mechanism of action. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, San Francisco, CA.
- Use of internet for mental health support among individuals with psychosis.
Resources for individuals with mental illness are relying more and more on innovations in technology or the use of digital platforms to increase access to information and care. Although a majority of individuals with psychosis who use the internet generally also use it for mental health support, a new study suggests that a number of considerations could broaden the reach of the internet as a resource even further.
According to findings, of the 87.3% of individuals with psychosis in the study who regularly use the internet, 67.9% use it for obtaining mental health information as well. The individuals using the internet for mental health support differed from the remaining portion of participants in that they tended to be younger, have productive employment, and experience greater levels of loneliness. However, even among individuals who did not use the internet for any purpose, most participants had a favorable view of using digital sources of mental health support. The authors suggest the needs of individuals with varying levels of comfort with internet usage should be considered when developing online resources for mental health information.
Villagonzalo, K., et al. (2019). Predictors of overall and mental health-related internet use in adults with psychosis. Psychiatry Research.
Jessica Walthall
Research and Advocacy Associate
Treatment Advocacy Center
Research Weekly is a summary published as a public service of the Treatment Advocacy Center and does not necessarily reflect the findings or positions of the organization or its staff. Full access to research summarized may require a fee or paid subscription to the publications.