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Psychotherapy for cancer patients

Chong Guan N, Mohamed S, Kian Tiah L, Kar Mun T, Sulaiman AH, Zainal NZ

Int J Psychiatry Med, 2016 07;51(5):414-430.
PMID: 28629286 DOI: 10.1177/0091217416680197

Objective Psychotherapy is a common non-pharmacological approach to help cancer patients in their psychological distress. The benefit of psychotherapies was documented, but the types of psychotherapies proposed are varied. Given that the previous literature review was a decade ago and no quantitative analysis was done on this topic, we again critically and systematically reviewed all published trials on psychotherapy in cancer patients. Method We identified 17 clinical trials on six types of psychotherapy for cancer patients by searching PubMed and EMBASE. Result There were four trials involved adjunct psychological therapy which were included in quantitative analysis. Each trial demonstrated that psychotherapy improved the quality of life and coping in cancer patients. There was also a reduction in distress, anxiety, and depression after a psychological intervention. However, the number and quality of clinical trials for each type of psychotherapy were poor. The meta-analysis of the four trials involved adjunct psychological therapy showed no significant change in depression, with only significant short-term improvement in anxiety but not up to a year-the standardized mean differences were -0.37 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.57, -0.16) at 2 months, -0.21 (95% CI = -0.42, -0.01) at 4 months, and 0.03 (95 % CI = -0.19, 0.24) at 12 months. Conclusion The evidence on the efficacy of psychotherapy in cancer patients is unsatisfactory. There is a need for more rigorous and well-designed clinical trials on this topic.
Controversies around COVID-19 Vaccines and Antidepressants: Scope and Perspective in Malaysia

Chong Guan N, Weng Hou S, Abousheishaa AA, Sue Yin L, Sulaiman ARB, Chee Khin K

Curr Drug Res Rev, 2022 Nov 23.
PMID: 36420879 DOI: 10.2174/2589977515666221123093522

BACKGROUND: Individuals with severe mental illness are prone to severe COVID-19 infection with increased morbidity and mortality. Psychiatric patients are often concerned about the potential interactions between the newly approved COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia and psychotropic drugs like antidepressants. To date, such data are unavailable.
OBJECTIVES: This review aims to clear the polemics of COVID-19 vaccine-antidepressants interaction in these 3 aspects: (1) cytokines and cytochrome P450 pathway, (2) blood-brain barrier (BBB) involvement and (3) and its interaction with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the potential allergenic culprit following COVID-19 vaccination.
METHODS: A systemic scoping approach was employed to search for peer-reviewed journal articles across four healthcare and scientific databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)).
RESULTS: Antidepressants metabolism often involve the CYP450 enzymes. Vaccine-antidepressants interactions are probable, likely to be triggered by interactions of CYP450 enzymes and inflammatory cytokines, resulting in diminished drug metabolism and chemical detoxification. Aside, PEG, the excipient in mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and antidepressants, has been reported as the anaphylaxis causative allergen. However, whether it leads to a synergistic, potentiation or antagonistic effects when used in combination, remains to be elucidated.
CONCLUSION: Psychotropic medications, including antidepressants, showed potentially relevant safety risk for COVID-19 patients. These vulnerable patient group must be prioritized for early access to safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, as vaccination remains the most important public health intervention to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Using decision support tools for treatment decision making about antidepressants in outpatient psychiatric consultations

Mat Lazim NH, Syed A, Lee C, Ahmed Abousheishaa A, Chong Guan N

Patient Educ Couns, 2024 Jul;124:108266.
PMID: 38565074 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108266

OBJECTIVE: To examine the use of decision support tools in decision making about antidepressants during conversations between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their psychiatrists.
METHODS: Theme-oriented discourse analysis of two psychiatric consultation groups: control (n = 17) and intervention (n = 16). In the control group, only a doctor's conversation guide was used; in the intervention group, the conversation guide and a patient decision aid (PDA) were used.
RESULTS: Psychiatrists mainly dominated conversations in both consultation groups. They were less likely to elicit patient treatment-related perspectives in the intervention group as they focused more on delivering the information than obtaining patient perspectives. However, using PDA in the intervention group slightly encouraged patients to participate in decisional talk.
CONCLUSION: The decision support tools did promote SDM performance. Using the conversation guide in both consultation groups encouraged the elicitation of patient perspectives, which helped the psychiatrists in tailoring their recommendations of options based on patient preferences and concerns. Using the PDA in the intervention group created space for treatment discussion and fostered active collaboration in treatment decision making.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings have implications for SDM communication skills training and critical reflection on SDM practice.
Fulltext Development of a Strategic Tool for Shared Decision-Making in the Use of Antidepressants among Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Focus Group Study

Zaini S, Manivanna Bharathy HA, Sulaiman AH, Singh Gill J, Ong Hui K, Zaman Huri H, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2018 07 03;15(7).
PMID: 29970848 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15071402

Shared decision-making (SDM) has been recognized as an important tool in the mental health field and considered as a crucial component of patient-centered care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a strategic tool towards the promotion and implementation of SDM in the use of antidepressants among patients with major depressive disorder. Nineteen doctors and 11 major depressive disorder patients who are involved in psychiatric outpatient clinic appointments were purposively selected and recruited to participate in one of six focus groups in a large teaching hospital in Malaysia. Focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic approach to identify current views on providing information needed for SDM practice towards its implementation in near future. Patients’ and doctors’ views were organized into six major themes, which are; summary of treatment options, correct ways of taking medication, potential side effects of treatments related to patients, sharing of case study related to the treatment options, cost of treatment options, and input from pharmacist. The information may be included in the SDM tool which can be useful to inform further research efforts and developments that contribute towards the successful implementation of SDM into clinical practice.

Study site: University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC)
Patterns of Suffering in Palliative Care: A Descriptive Study

Seng Beng T, Ting Ting T, Karupiah M, Xin Ni C, Li Li H, Chong Guan N, et al.

Omega (Westport), 2021 Dec;84(2):512-524.
PMID: 32019387 DOI: 10.1177/0030222820903221

Suffering experiences are common phenomena in palliative care. In this study, we aim to explore the different patterns of suffering in palliative care. Adult palliative care patients were recruited from the University of Malaya Medical Centre. Suffering scores were charted 3 times a day for a week. The characteristics of the suffering charts were analyzed using SPSS. The patterns of suffering were analyzed using structural pattern recognition. A total of 53 patients participated. The overall trends of suffering were downward (64%), upward (19%), and stable (17%). Median minimum and maximum suffering scores were 2/10 and 6/10, with an average of 3.6/10. Nine patterns of suffering were recognized from categorizing two key characteristics of suffering (intensity and fluctuation)-named S1 to S9. Understanding the different patterns of suffering may lead to better suffering management.
Fulltext Religious Coping, Religiosity, Depression and Anxiety among Medical Students in a Multi-Religious Setting

Francis B, Gill JS, Yit Han N, Petrus CF, Azhar FL, Ahmad Sabki Z, et al.

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2019 01 17;16(2).
PMID: 30658450 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16020259

Medical students are vulnerable to depression and anxiety due to the nature of their academic life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical students and the association between religious coping, religiosity and socio-demographic factors with anxiety and depressive symptoms. A cross sectional design was used for this study. Scales used were the Malay version of the Duke Religious Index (DUREL-M), the Malay version of the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE) and the Malay version Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS-M). 622 students participated in this study. They scored moderately on the organized (mean: 3.51) and non-organized religious (mean: 3.85) subscales of the DUREL, but had high intrinsic religiosity (mean: 12.18). The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 4.7% and 17.4% respectively, which is lower than local as well as international data. Islam, negative religious coping and the presence of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Only the presence of anxiety symptoms was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Negative religious coping, rather than positive religious coping, has significant association with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Redirecting focus towards negative religious coping is imperative to boost mental health outcomes among medical students.