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Indigenous populations are considered at higher risk of psychiatric disorder but many studies do not include direct comparisons with similar non-Indigenous controls. We undertook a meta-analysis of studies that compared the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in Indigenous populations in the Americas with those of non-Indigenous groups with similar socio-demographic features (Registration number: CRD42015025854). A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and article bibliographies was performed. We included comparisons of lifetime rates and prevalence of up to 12 months. We found 19 studies (n =250, 959) from Latin America, Canada and the US. There were no differences between Indigenous and similar non-Indigenous groups in the 12-month prevalence of depressive, generalised anxiety and panic disorders. However, Indigenous people were at greater risk of PTSD. For lifetime prevalence, rates of generalised anxiety, panic and all the depressive disorders were significantly lower in Indigenous participants, whilst PTSD (on adjusted analyses) and social phobia were significantly higher.Results were similar for sub-analyses of Latin America, Canada and the US, and sensitivity analyses by study quality or setting (e.g. health, community etc.). Risk factors for psychiatric illness may therefore be a complex interaction of biological, educational, economic and socio-cultural factors that may vary between disorders. Accordingly, interventions should reflect that the association between disadvantage and psychiatric illness is rarely due to one factor. However, it is also possible that assessment tools don't accurately measure psychiatric symptoms in Indigenous populations and that further cross-cultural validation of diagnostic instruments may be needed too.

Performance on tasks that require saccadic inhibition declines with age and altered inhibitory functioning has also been reported in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Although mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is assumed to be a high-risk factor for conversion to AD, little is known about changes in saccadic inhibition and its neural correlates in this condition. Our study determined whether the neural activation associated with saccadic inhibition is altered in persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed decreased activation in parietal lobe in healthy elderly persons compared to young persons and decreased activation in frontal eye fields in aMCI patients compared to healthy elderly persons during the execution of anti-saccades. These results illustrate that the decline in inhibitory functions is associated with impaired frontal activation in aMCI. This alteration in function might reflect early manifestations of AD and provide new insights in the neural activation changes that occur in pathological ageing.

Introduction Applications or “mobile apps” are a potentially important source of assistance for serving and ex-serving Defence members with mental health problems. PTSD Coach Australia is a modified version of an application developed by the US Department of Veteran Affairs. Clinician perceptions of mobile apps are important as they influence the dissemination and adoption of apps. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of PTSD Coach Australia by clinicians with experience in assisting Defence members with mental health problems. Method The study involved two samples of participants who were asked about their perceptions of PTSD Coach Australia . The first involved 33 clinicians who participated in one of five focus groups. The second comprised 30 clinicians who were individually interviewed by telephone. Qualitative responses to questions regarding PTSD Coach Australia were analysed to identify representative themes. Participants in the focus group sample also rated the app on the user version of the Mobile Apps Rating Scale (uMARS). Results On the uMARS, clinicians rated the mobile app's subjective quality as ‘average’ to ‘good’. Participants generally saw the app as a useful to help track symptoms, improve engagement and help implement strategies between sessions. However, they also expressed concerns with the app not being user-friendly (e.g. too wordy, poor layout/navigation) and having technical issues (freezing or crashing on Android devices). Discussion PTSD Coach Australia is generally seen as being acceptable and useful by mental health clinicians. However, it is important to include their concerns in future developments of PTSD Coach Australia and similar mobile apps in order to maximize their utilisation in Defence members.

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