Objective Antipsychotic medications are used by increasing numbers of women of reproductive age. The safety of these medications during pregnancy has not been well-described. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of the adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes associated with exposure to antipsychotics during pregnancy. Data Sources PubMed, Reprotox, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched to identify potential studies for inclusion. Methods of Study Selection Case-control or cohort studies estimating adverse birth outcomes associated with antipsychotic exposure during pregnancy were included. Pooled odds ratios (OR) were used for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean differences (WMD) were used for infant birth weight and gestational age. Thirteen cohort studies, including 6,289 antipsychotic-exposed and 1,618,039 unexposed pregnancies were included. Tabulation, Integration, and Results Antipsychotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of major malformations (Absolute Risk Difference = 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00 – 0.05, p=0.04, Z = 2.06), heart defects (Absolute Risk Difference =0.01, 95% CI 0.00 – 0.01, p<0.001, Z = 3.44), preterm delivery (Absolute Risk Difference = 0.05, 95% CI 0.03 – 0.08, p<0.001, Z = 4.10), small-for-gestational-age births (Absolute Risk Difference = 0.05, 95% CI 0.02 – 0.09, p = 0.006, Z = 2.74), elective termination (Absolute Risk Difference = 0.09, 95% CI 0.05 – 0.13, p<0.001, Z = 4.69) and decreased birth weight (WMD=−57.89g, 95%CI −103.69g – −12.10g, p=0.01). There was no significant difference in the risk of major malformations (test for subgroup differences: χ2 = 0.07, df = 1, p = 0.79) between typical (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.21 – 1.99, p = 0.006) and atypical (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.66 – 2.93, p = 0.38) antipsychotic medications. Antipsychotic exposure was not associated with risk of large for gestational age births, stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion. Although antipsychotic exposure during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes, this association does not necessarily imply causation. This analysis was limited by the small number of included studies and limited adjustment in studies for possible confounders. Conclusion Women requiring antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy appear at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes, regardless of causation, and may benefit from close monitoring and minimization of other potential risk factors during pregnancy.

Many patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) experience inadequate symptom relief from available treatments. Ketamine is a potent N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist with a potentially novel mechanism of action for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Therefore, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 18 adults with DSM-5 SAD and compared the effects between intravenous ketamine (0.5 mg/kg over 40 min) and placebo (normal saline) on social phobia symptoms. Ketamine and placebo infusions were administered in a random order with a 28-day washout period between infusions. Ratings of anxiety were assessed 3-h post-infusion and followed for 14 days. We used linear mixed models to assess the impact of ketamine and placebo on anxiety symptoms. Outcomes were blinded ratings on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and self-reported anxiety on a visual analog scale (VAS-Anxiety). We also used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the proportion of treatment responders. Based on prior studies, we defined response as a greater than 35% LSAS reduction and 50% VAS-Anxiety reduction. We found ketamine resulted in a significantly greater reduction in anxiety relative to placebo on the LSAS (Time × Treatment: F=2.6, p=0.01) but not the VAS-Anxiety (Time × Treatment: F=0.4, p=0.95). Participants were significantly more likely to exhibit a treatment response after ketamine infusion relative to placebo in the first 2 weeks following infusion measured on the LSAS (33.33% response ketamine vs 0% response placebo, Wilcoxon signed-rank test z=2.24, p=0.025) and VAS (88.89% response ketamine vs 52.94% response placebo, Wilcoxon signed-rank test z=2.12, p=0.034). In conclusion, this proof-of-concept trial provides initial evidence that ketamine may be effective in reducing anxiety.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) created unprecedented changes in our society. Millions of people have been called to shelter in place (avoid nonessential travel outside of the home) and social distance (keeping space between yourself and others outside your home) to reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. However, these and other public health measures require a level of privilege: a home to live in, access to hygiene supplies, and control over your movements. They require the ability to stay home from work, avoid public transportation when travel is necessary, and stock up on items to reduce trips to the store. Homeless and unstably housed people, including children, are not able to access these privileges, likely placing them at higher risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus. In many ways, the ability to practice social distancing has become a social determinant of health during this crisis.Homelessness is not just living in a shelter or on the street; people experiencing homelessness, especially children and families, are often couch surfing, "doubling up" with friends or relatives, or living in motels, hotels, or campgrounds. 1,2 Fifty-nine percent of people experiencing homelessness are children aged ,18 years who are either unaccompanied by an adult or are homeless as part of a family unit. 2 Within a 12-month period, 4.3% of 13-to 17-year-olds and 9.7% of 18-to 25-year-olds report homelessness unaccompanied by an adult. 3 Additionally, ∼58 000 families, including .100 000 children, experience homelessness on any given night. 2 That is roughly the equivalent of 1400 school buses full of children, enough to stretch 12 miles end to end.The relationship between housing and child health, including COVID-19, is bidirectional (Fig 1), and homelessness results in increased morbidity and mortality. 1,4 Children who are homeless are more likely to experience developmental delays, asthma exacerbations and admissions, obesity, dental and vision problems, and mental health problems, and they are more likely to be a victim of both accidental and nonaccidental injury. 1,4 They are at higher risk of many infections, including otitis media, gastroenteritis, and viral upper respiratory infections.

This secondary analysis of the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) used baseline patient characteristics to identify prognostic subgroups of children based on likelihood of remission. We also investigated predictors and moderators of outcome. CAMS randomized 488 youths with generalized, social, and separation anxiety disorders to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sertraline, both, or pill placebo. Outcomes were Week 12 child, parent, and independent evaluator (IE) ratings of child anxiety. We used receiver operating characteristics analysis and stepwise regression to identify predictors and moderators of outcome. Severe anxiety, lower socioeconomic status, and comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder predicted higher IE-rated anxiety posttreatment; child-rated social anxiety predicted poorer outcomes reported by all informants. Regarding moderators, Hispanic ethnicity predicted higher IE-rated anxiety after CBT and higher parent-rated anxiety after sertraline. In youths with severe anxiety (Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale ≥ 20, <italic>n</italic> = 220), combination treatment increased remission (relative risk [RR] = 2.85, <italic>p</italic> < .001), 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.51, 5.39], whereas CBT (RR = 1.55, <italic>p</italic> = .20), 95% CI [0.77, 3.10], and sertraline (RR = 1.27, <italic>p</italic> = .53), 95% CI [0.59, 2.73], did not significantly increase remission relative to placebo. These are the first findings demonstrating that a combination of CBT and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, not monotherapy, is likely key for achieving remission in severe anxiety. CAMS was not powered to detect treatment efficacy after stratification by anxiety severity, so further research is needed regarding effective treatments in severe anxiety. Our main effect findings suggest youth with severe anxiety (especially social phobia), low socioeconomic status and obsessive-compulsive disorder benefit less from current first-line treatments relative to other anxious youth. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00052078.

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Meta-analysis suggests that treatment with psychostimulants significantly reduced the risk of anxiety when compared with placebo. This finding does not rule out the possibility that some children experience increased anxiety when treated with psychostimulants, but suggests that those risks are outweighed by the number of children who experience improvement in anxiety symptoms (possibly as a secondary effect of improved control of ADHD symptoms). Clinicians should consider rechallenging children with ADHD who report new-onset or worsening anxiety with psychostimulants, as these symptoms are much more likely to be coincidental rather than caused by psychostimulants.

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