NIMH Outreach Partner in Connecticut

NAMI – CT & NIMH: “In-Our-Own-Voice – Family Companion” Research Study

The Connecticut Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI – CT), in collaboration with the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), recently published the preliminary results of a research study related to reducing stigma in family members of people with serious mental illness; and the results are promising.

The study, conducted from September 2008, through April of 2010, involved 158 caregivers of people with Schizophrenia. The study participants, all volunteers, were recruited from both in a New England based urban mental health facility, as well as those participating in Support Groups hosted by NAMI – CT. These caregivers had previously reported receiving at least a moderate level of stigma related to their loved one’s mental health condition.

The caregivers were randomly assigned to one of three different single session group interventions focused on reducing stigma. One, “In Our Own Voice – Family Companion” (IOOV – FC), is a peer-led intervention, which was designed to facilitate group discussion. The intervention’s development was included in the grant. IOOV-FC begins with a 15 minute video tape of family members describing their experiences coping with stigma, followed by 60 minutes of group discussion led by family members. The other two interventions were more traditional family education sessions about mental illness led by two different clinicians. These interventions included both videotape, and powerpoint presentations, and lasted 75 minutes.

The results were striking: when the study compared measures of family member internalized stigma such as shame, blame, lack of empowerment, depression, isolation, the IOOV – FC group reported a dramatic decrease in self-stigma, compared to the control groups who took the more traditional classes. To read the full report, click here.

To read the Press Release as it appeared on the Hartford Courant’s website, click here.

This report was originally published in the December 2011 edition of Psychiatric Services Magazine, and is used with permission.

Diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Previous Trouble with the Law?

You are not alone. More people with serious mental illness in this country are in jails and prisons than in hospitals.

If this is you or someone you know then learn about the PRIDE study — a research study especially for people diagnosed with schizophrenia who have had trouble with the law.

This study is being conducted by the Hospital of Central Connecticut

If you think you qualify and would like to find out more, please contact: Alison Oville, Clinical Research Manager, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, (860)-224-5597, aoville@THOCC.org

For more information about participating in this study, click HERE

Providers: For a full color flyer that you can post in your facility, click HERE

NATIONWIDE RECRUITMENT: PEDIATRIC BIPOLAR DISORDER STUDY NIMH: CLINICAL TRIAL OF RILUZOLE IN PEDIATRIC BIPOLAR DISORDER

This study is testing the effectiveness of riluzole versus placebo for decreasing anxiety in children with pediatric bipolar disorder. Children and youth with bipolar disorder display episodic elevated mood and associated symptoms of decreased need for sleep, increased goal-directed behavior, and increased self-esteem/grandiosity. Children ages 9 to 17 with bipolar disorder may be eligible to participate in this 12- to 15-week inpatient or outpatient study. This study has four phases. During Phase I, participants are gradually withdrawn from all current psychotropic medications. Phase II is a one-week medication-free period. During Phase III, which lasts two weeks, participants are randomly assigned to receive either riluzole or placebo (a sugar pill). Phase IV lasts for 6 weeks. During this phase, participants continue riluzole or placebo. At the end of the study, those who received placebo have the opportunity to receive riluzole. All procedures and medications associated with the research are provided at no cost to participants, and assistance with transportation and lodging expenses is available. Schooling will be provided while on the inpatient unit or in day treatment. To find out more information, call (301) 496-8381 or email bipolarkids@mail.nih.gov
For more information on research conducted by the NIMH in Bethesda, MD, visit: http://patientinfo.nimh.nih.gov(added 6-2011)

If you are interested in participating in or learning more about a clinical trials click on this link National Institute of Mental Health – clinical trials to find specific studies being conducted across the U.S. that are currently recruiting participants.

The SearchLyte Research Program For People Living With Schizophrenia

Dear NAMI CT Members:
As you may be aware, it is believed that approximately 20% of schizophrenia patients experience predominant negative symptoms (such as feeling numb or empty inside, feeling that others are talking about you, hearing noises or voices that others don’t hear, seeing things that others may not experience, and having difficulty organizing your thoughts or making people understand you and finding it hard to communicate), which often persist despite antipsychotic treatment. There is therefore an urgent medical need for the development of treatments specifically targeted at the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Three of the studies in the *SearchLyte Program *are looking at whether a potential new investigational treatment, RO4917838, is effective and safe in treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia when given with a patient’s usual antipsychotic medication.

All participants will continue to take their usual antipsychotic medication during the study. In addition, participants will be given either the investigational medication or placebo (a sugar pill) to take every day. The study will last for just over a year and will include approximately 20 visits to the clinic. During these visits, doctors and nurses will carry out several checks. If possible, your caregiver (someone you see for more than 4 hours every week) should accompany you at these visits, should you choose to take part in the study. After that there will be an opportunity to receive the investigational study medication for a longer period of up to 3 years.

To be eligible for the study, patients need to be age 18 or older and currently taking a typical or atypical antipsychotic (not clozapine); they must have been clinically stable for 5 months, and have a responsible caregiver who can ensure compliance with the study and its procedures. Participants need to have prominent and persistent negative symptoms despite taking their antipsychotic medications.

For more information, please contact: Andrew Winokur, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator; The SearchLyte Study Team; (860) 545-7956 or (860) 545-7502.

6/2011