Laurel A. Copeland

Changes in antidepressant use by young people and suicidal behavior after FDA warnings and media coverage: quasi-experimental study

Objective To investigate if the widely publicized warnings in 2003 from the US Food and Drug Administration about a possible increased risk of suicidality with antidepressant use in young people were associated with changes in antidepressant use, suicide attempts, and completed suicides among young people. Design Quasi-experimental study assessing changes in outcomes after the warnings, controlling for pre-existing trends. Setting Automated healthcare claims data (2000-10) derived from the virtual data warehouse of 11 health plans in the US Mental Health Research Network. Participants Study cohorts included adolescents (around 1.1 million), young adults (around 1.4 million), and adults (around 5 million). Main outcome measures Rates of antidepressant dispensings, psychotropic drug poisonings (a validated proxy for suicide attempts), and completed suicides. Results Trends in antidepressant use and poisonings changed abruptly after the warnings. In the second year after the warnings, relative changes in antidepressant use were −31.0% (95% confidence interval −33.0% to −29.0%) among adolescents, −24.3% (−25.4% to −23.2%) among young adults, and −14.5% (−16.0% to −12.9%) among adults. These reflected absolute reductions of 696, 1216, and 1621 dispensings per 100u2009000 people among adolescents, young adults, and adults, respectively. Simultaneously, there were significant, relative increases in psychotropic drug poisonings in adolescents (21.7%, 95% confidence interval 4.9% to 38.5%) and young adults (33.7%, 26.9% to 40.4%) but not among adults (5.2%, −6.5% to 16.9%). These reflected absolute increases of 2 and 4 poisonings per 100u2009000 people among adolescents and young adults, respectively (approximately 77 additional poisonings in our cohort of 2.5 million young people). Completed suicides did not change for any age group. Conclusions Safety warnings about antidepressants and widespread media coverage decreased antidepressant use, and there were simultaneous increases in suicide attempts among young people. It is essential to monitor and reduce possible unintended consequences of FDA warnings and media reporting.

VHA Corporate Data Warehouse height and weight data: opportunities and challenges for health services research.

Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), anthropometric measurements entered into the electronic medical record are stored in local information systems, the national Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW), and in some regional data warehouses. This article describes efforts to examine the quality of weight and height data within the CDW and to compare CDW data with data from warehouses maintained by several of VHAs regional groupings of healthcare facilities (Veterans Integrated Service Networks [VISNs]). We found significantly fewer recorded heights than weights in both the CDW and VISN data sources. In spite of occasional anomalies, the concordance in the number and value of records in the CDW and the VISN warehouses was generally 97% to 99% or greater. Implausible variation in same-day and same-year heights and weights was noted, suggesting measurement or data-entry errors. Our work suggests that the CDW, over time and through validation, has become a generally reliable source of anthropometric data. Researchers should assess the reliability of data contained within any source and apply strategies to minimize the impact of data errors appropriate to their study population.

A national cohort study of the association between the polytrauma clinical triad and suicide-related behavior among US veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

OBJECTIVESnWe examined the association of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain-the polytrauma clinical triad (PCT)-independently and with other conditions, with suicide-related behavior (SRB) risk among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF; Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans.nnnMETHODSnWe used Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data to identify OEF and OIF veterans receiving VA care in fiscal years 2009-2011; we used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to characterize 211652 cohort members. Descriptive statistics were followed by multinomial logistic regression analyses predicting SRB.nnnRESULTSnCo-occurrence of PCT conditions was associated with significant increase in suicide ideation risk (odds ratio [OR]u2009=u20091.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.5, 2.4) or attempt and ideation (OR=2.6; 95% CI=1.5, 4.6), but did not exceed increased risk with PTSD alone (ideation: OR=2.3; 95% CI=2.0, 2.6; attempt: OR=2.0; 95% CI=1.4, 2.9; ideation and attempt: OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.2, 2.8). Ideation risk was significantly elevated when PTSD was comorbid with depression (OR=4.2; 95% CI=3.6, 4.8) or substance abuse (OR=4.7; 95% CIu2009=u20093.9, 5.6).nnnCONCLUSIONSnAlthough PCT was a moderate SRB predictor, interactions among PCT conditions, particularly PTSD, and depression or substance abuse had larger risk increases.

Increased Risk of Depression Recurrence After Initiation of Prescription Opioids in Noncancer Pain Patients

UNLABELLEDnSeveral studies have shown that chronic opioid analgesic use is associated with increased risk of new-onset depression. It is not known if patients with remitted depression are at increased risk of relapse after exposure to opioid analgesics. A retrospective cohort design using patient data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA; nxa0=xa05,400), and Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH; nxa0=xa0842) was performed with an observation period in the VHA from 2002 to 2012 and in the BSWH from 2003 to 2012. Eligible patients had a diagnosis of depression at baseline and experienced a period of remission. Risk of depression recurrence was modeled in patients that either started taking an opioid or continued without opioid prescriptions before or during remission. Cox proportional hazard models were used to measure the association between opioid use and depression recurrence controlling for pain, and other confounders. Patients exposed to an opioid compared with those unexposed had a significantly greater risk of depression recurrence in both patient populations (VHA: hazard ratio [HR]xa0=xa02.17, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.01-2.34; BSWH: HRxa0=xa01.77; 95% CI, 1.42-2.21). These results suggest opioid use doubles the risk of depression recurrence even after controlling for pain, psychiatric disorders, and opioid misuse. Further work is needed to determine if risk increases with duration of use. Repeated screening for depression after opioid initiation may be warranted.nnnPERSPECTIVEnIn 2 large patient cohorts with large differences in demographic characteristics and comorbidity, patients with remitted depression who were exposed to opioid analgesics were 77% to 117% more likely to experience a recurrence of depression than those who remained opioid -free. Routine, not just at initiation of treatment, screening for depression is warranted.

Diagnosis of Pulmonary Malignancy after Hospitalization for Pneumonia

BACKGROUNDnMany physicians recommend that patients receive follow-up chest imaging after the diagnosis of pneumonia to ensure that a pulmonary malignancy is not missed. However, there is little research evidence to support this practice. Our aims were to assess the frequency of the diagnosis of pulmonary malignancy, and to identify risk factors for pulmonary malignancy following hospitalization for pneumonia.nnnMETHODSnBy excluding patients with a prior diagnosis of pulmonary malignancy, we examined the incidence of a new pulmonary malignancy diagnosis in inpatients aged >/=65 years with a discharge diagnosis of pneumonia in fiscal years 2002-2007, and at least 1 year of Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient care before the index admission.nnnRESULTSnOf 40,744 patients hospitalized with pneumonia, 3760 (9.2%) patients were diagnosed with pulmonary malignancy after their index pneumonia admission. Median time to diagnosis was 297 days, with only 27% diagnosed within 90 days of admission. Factors significantly associated with a new diagnosis of pulmonary malignancy included history of chronic pulmonary disease, any prior malignancy, white race, being married, and tobacco use. Increasing age, Hispanic ethnicity, need for intensive care unit admission, and a history of congestive heart failure, stroke, dementia, or diabetes with complications were associated with a lower incidence of pulmonary malignancy.nnnCONCLUSIONnA small, but clinically important, proportion of patients are diagnosed with pulmonary malignancy posthospitalization for pneumonia. Additional research is needed to examine whether previously undiagnosed pulmonary malignancies might be detected at admission, or soon after, for those hospitalized with pneumonia.

Factors in Second-Generation Antipsychotic Switching Patterns in a National Sample of Older Veterans With Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVEnA 2004 consensus statement by the American Psychiatric Association and other groups noted that metabolic side effects of second-generation antipsychotics require monitoring. To reduce risk, prescribers may consider factors differentially associated with development of metabolic abnormalities, such as age, gender, and race-ethnicity. As part of a study of older patients with schizophrenia (50-102 years), this study evaluated factors associated with antipsychotic switches and switches that incurred a greater or lesser metabolic risk.nnnMETHODSnAdministrative data were analyzed for a national cohort of 16,103 Veterans Health Administration patients with schizophrenia receiving second-generation antipsychotics. Multinomial logistic regression predicted the likelihood of switches from 2002 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2005.nnnRESULTSnAt baseline nearly half the patients (45%) had a diagnosis of hypertension, a third (34%) had dyslipidemia, and 15% had a diagnosis of obesity. In both periods diabetes was associated with switches to lower-risk antipsychotics, and older patients were likely to experience neutral or no switches. Women were more likely to experience switches to higher-risk antipsychotics in 2004-2005.nnnCONCLUSIONSnGeneral medical conditions potentially associated with antipsychotic-related metabolic concerns were common; however, half of these patients were prescribed medication that made them liable to developing metabolic problems. Modest evidence suggests that metabolic considerations became a higher priority during the study. Future research should investigate the differential impact of antipsychotics on metabolic dysregulation for women and elderly patients. Findings underscore the need to monitor metabolic parameters of older patients taking antipsychotics.

Racial/ethnic differences in health care visits made before suicide attempt across the United States

Background:Suicide is a public health concern, but little is known about the patterns of health care visits made before a suicide attempt, and whether those patterns differ by race/ethnicity. Objectives:To examine racial/ethnic variation in the types of health care visits made before a suicide attempt, when those visits occur, and whether mental health or substance use diagnoses were documented. Research Design:Retrospective, longitudinal study, 2009–2011. Participants:22,387 individuals who attempted suicide and were enrolled in the health plan across 10 health systems in the Mental Health Research Network. Measures:Cumulative percentage of different types of health care visits made in the 52 weeks before a suicide attempt, by self-reported racial/ethnicity and diagnosis. Data were from the Virtual Data Warehouse at each site. Results:Over 38% of the individuals made any health care visit within the week before their suicide attempt and ∼95% within the preceding year; these percentages varied across racial/ethnic groups (P<0.001). White individuals had the highest percentage of visits (>41%) within 1 week of suicide attempt. Asian Americans were the least likely to make visits within 52 weeks. Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders had proportionally the most inpatient and emergency visits before an attempt, but were least likely to have a recorded mental health or substance use diagnosis. Overall, visits were most common in primary care and outpatient general medical settings. Conclusions:This study provides temporal evidence of racial/ethnic differences in health care visits made before suicide attempt. Health care systems can use this information to help focus the design and implementation of their suicide prevention initiatives.

Association of the Modified Frailty Index With 30-Day Surgical Readmission

Importance Frail patients are known to have poor perioperative outcomes. There is a paucity of literature investigating how the Modified Frailty Index (mFI), a validated measure of frailty, is associated with unplanned readmission among military veterans following surgery. Objective To understand the association between frailty and 30-day postoperative unplanned readmission. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted among adult patients who underwent surgery and were discharged alive from Veterans Affairs hospitals for orthopedic, general, and vascular conditions between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2014, with a postoperative length of stay between 2 and 30 days. Exposure Frailty, as calculated by the 11 variables on the mFI. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome of interest is 30-day unplanned readmission. Secondary outcomes included any 30-day predischarge or postdischarge complication, 30-day postdischarge mortality, and 30-day emergency department visit. Results The study sample included 236 957 surgical procedures (among 223 877 men and 13 080 women; mean [SD] age, 64.0 [11.3] years) from high-volume surgical specialties: 101 348 procedures (42.8%) in orthopedic surgery, 92 808 procedures (39.2%) in general surgery, and 42 801 procedures (18.1%) in vascular surgery. The mFI was associated with readmission (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.10-1.12; R2u2009=u200910.3%; C statistic, 0.71). Unadjusted rates of overall 30-day readmission (26 262 [11.1%]), postdischarge emergency department visit (34 204 [14.4%]), any predischarge (13 855 [5.9%]) or postdischarge (14 836 [6.3%]) complication, and postdischarge mortality (1985 [0.8%]) varied by frailty in a dose-dependent fashion. In analysis by individual mFI components using Harrell ranking, impaired functional status, identified as nonindependent functional status (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.11-1.21; Pu2009<u2009.01) or having a residual deficit from a prior cerebrovascular accident (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.22; Pu2009<u2009.01), contributed most to the ability of the mFI to anticipate readmission compared with the other components. Acutely impaired sensorium (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.99-1.27; Pu2009=u2009.08) and history of a myocardial infarction within 6 months (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.81-1.06; Pu2009=u2009.28) were not significantly associated with readmission. Conclusions and Relevance The mFI is associated with poor surgical outcomes, including readmission, primarily due to impaired functional status. Targeting potentially modifiable aspects of frailty preoperatively, such as improving functional status, may improve perioperative outcomes and decrease readmissions.

Mortality after cardiac or vascular operations by preexisting serious mental illness status in the Veterans Health Administration

OBJECTIVEnTo estimate 1-year mortality risk associated with preoperative serious mental illness (SMI) as defined by the Veterans Health Administration (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], major depression) following nonambulatory cardiac or vascular surgical procedures compared to patients without SMI. Cardiac/vascular operations were selected because patients with SMI are known to be at elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.nnnMETHODnRetrospective analysis of system-wide data from electronic medical records of patients undergoing nonambulatory surgery (inpatient or day-of-surgery admission) October 2005-September 2009 with 1-year follow-up (N=55,864; 99% male; <30 days of postoperative hospitalization). Death was hypothesized to be more common among patients with preoperative SMI.nnnRESULTSnOne in nine patients had SMI, mostly PTSD (6%). One-year mortality varied by procedure type and SMI status. Patients had vascular operations (64%; 23% died), coronary artery bypass graft (26%; 10% died) or other cardiac operations (11%; 15%-18% died). Fourteen percent of patients with PTSD died, 20% without SMI and 24% with schizophrenia, with other groups intermediate. In multivariable stratified models, SMI was associated with increased mortality only for patients with bipolar disorder following cardiac operations. Bipolar disorder and PTSD were negatively associated with death following vascular operations.nnnCONCLUSIONSnSMI is not consistently associated with postoperative mortality in covariate-adjusted analyses.

Racial-Ethnic Differences in Psychiatric Diagnoses and Treatment Across 11 Health Care Systems in the Mental Health Research Network

OBJECTIVEnThe objective of this study was to characterize racial-ethnic variation in diagnoses and treatment of mental disorders in large not-for-profit health care systems.nnnMETHODSnParticipating systems were 11 private, not-for-profit health care organizations constituting the Mental Health Research Network, with a combined 7,523,956 patients age 18 or older who received care during 2011. Rates of diagnoses, prescription of psychotropic medications, and total formal psychotherapy sessions received were obtained from insurance claims and electronic medical record databases across all health care settings.nnnRESULTSnOf the 7.5 million patients in the study, 1.2 million (15.6%) received a psychiatric diagnosis in 2011. This varied significantly by race-ethnicity, with Native American/Alaskan Native patients having the highest rates of any diagnosis (20.6%) and Asians having the lowest rates (7.5%). Among patients with a psychiatric diagnosis, 73% (N=850,585) received a psychotropic medication. Non-Hispanic white patients were significantly more likely (77.8%) than other racial-ethnic groups (odds ratio [OR] range .48-.81) to receive medication. In contrast, only 34% of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis (N=548,837) received formal psychotherapy. Racial-ethnic differences were most pronounced for depression and schizophrenia; compared with whites, non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to receive formal psychotherapy for their depression (OR=1.20) or for their schizophrenia (OR=2.64).nnnCONCLUSIONSnThere were significant racial-ethnic differences in diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions across 11 U.S. health care systems. Further study is needed to understand underlying causes of these observed differences and whether processes and outcomes of care are equitable across these diverse patient populations.