Special Reports

Jails have a much higher percentage of homeless mentally ill than does the general community, and those with psychiatric disorders (eg, schizophrenia) must often fend for themselves. Here are some solutions.

Currently, 1 in 15 youths undergoing psychiatric evaluation in the emergency department is restrained. This article covers diagnostic and therapeutic interventions that can reduce fear and put the young patient on a path to recovery.

It is important to recognize and document the abilities and deficits of a patient in order to determine capacity.

Acute intoxication is the most likely culprit for an increased risk of violence or agitation, but personality, psychosis, and cognitive problems can all play a role. A skilled clinician can glean a great deal of information in a short period of time.

With a consistent and evolving presence in the US, forensic psychiatry has grown increasingly complex, with many specialty areas under its subspecialty umbrella.

Psychiatrists should not be afraid to assess parenting issues and other stressors when treating depressed or psychotic parents of young children.

About 25% of children in the US live with only one parent; the fallout from contentious divorces often leaves them susceptible to any number of damaging scenarios.

This article reviews a wide array of medicolegal, risk management, regulatory, and forensic mental health issues in the older population, which is growing at an accelerated rate.

Reporting of symptoms that are beyond available medical evidence is a central feature of malingering and related conditions, making the clinical differentiation of these disorders a challenge.

DSM-5 sleep-wake disorders are now more in sync with other medical disorders and sleep disorders classificatory systems. Here's what's changed.

Here's a brief history of sleepwalking, associated factors, and pathology; sleep-related violence and forensic considerations; and management strategies.

Here's an update on parasomnias-the undesirable physical, experiential, or behavioral phenomena that occur exclusively during sleep onset, during sleep, or during arousals from sleep.

All psychiatrists know the risk factors for suicide. Among the newest modifiable risk factors to join the list are insomnia and nightmares.

Sleep disorders represent a significant problem in patients with Alzheimer disease. Here: assessment strategies and a review of drug and non-drug interventions.

Sleep-related problems are among the most disabling consequences of TBI, with multiple influences: impairment of neuronal plasticity, metabolomic alterations, loss of vascular homeostasis, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. The authors take a close look.

Impulsivity has long been thought to be an important risk factor for depression and suicide. But recent research suggests that the reality might actually be counterintuitive.

The topics selected for this special issue highlight the broad relevance of this symptom domain to clinical practice in psychiatry and beyond.

The authors explore ways to address aggression in clinical practice and examine the potentially dangerous impulsivity-violence link across a broad range of conditions.

Suicide and self-harm are often linked to impulsivity, but what do empirical evaluations of this link actually show? This association is discussed and challenged in this article.

The challenges of recognizing behaviors such as hypersexuality, gambling, and excessive buying in Parkinson disease are discussed, as are ways to address them while still managing the underlying condition.

Now placed “substance-related and addictive disorders” in DSM-5, gambling disorder has similiarities to other behavioral addictions, such as “food addiction” and “Internet gaming disorder.”

Anxiety is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, but if it impacts social, psychological, or physiological functioning, it can lead to symptoms that cause distress and impairment. Here: the latest on anxiety disorders by experts in the field.

The cultural aspects of treating patients are similar for all age-groups, but certain themes have greater relevance with the elderly.

The authors discuss the assessment and treatment of pediatric ADHD within the framework of the cultural psychotherapeutic model.

Because there is a higher prevalence of mental health disorders in LGBTs than in heterosexuals, psychiatrists should be broadly familiar with the process of sexual/gender exploration, psychological self-recognition, disclosure to others, and community identification.

Patients with psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, and substance use disorders, have reduced life expectancies compared with the general population. This and other facts emphasize the need for the latest clinical information, highlighted in this countdown.

This slideshow features information on a recent Special Report covering opioid use, gambling, street and club drugs, marijuana, video games, and more.

Special Reports have long been a mainstay feature of the monthly Psychiatric Times issues, but this two-part report on cultural competence and diversity is unique in both style and content.