Agenesis of the corpus callosum is a rare congenital defect that has been linked to psychiatric disorders, cognitive deficits, learning disabilities, and developmental delays. We present the case of a patient with partial agenesis of the corpus callosum who exhibits depressed mood, transient loss of memory, and history of cognitive, social, and behavioral disturbances that developed during his childhood. Recent and pertinent literature was reviewed and the agenesis of the corpus callosum and its associated neuropsychiatric manifestations are discussed.

Background: Cannabis is the second most used recreational drug in the United States and one of the most used substances in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Unfortunately, the increased use is likely to continue as more states legalize recreational use of cannabis. Although the association between cannabis and schizophrenia has been studied extensively, the understanding of the relationship is still evolving. In this study, we sought to determine the prevalence and potential factors associated with cannabis use (CU) among inpatients with SSD at a community teaching hospital. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the electronic medical charts of patients discharged from the psychiatric unit of our hospital from July 1, 2017 through October 31, 2017. Patients were included in this study if: 1) They were ≥ 18 years old; 2) They had discharge diagnosis of SSD; and 3) They had urine drug testing performed. Pertinent sociodemographic and clinical variables, including substance use status and hospital length of stay (LOS), were abstracted. Univariate frequencies and summary statistics were performed. Odds ratios (ORs) were determined by logistic regression analysis of bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Three hundred sixty-five (52.2%) patients had a discharge diagnosis of SSD, and only 322 had urine toxicology result for cannabinoids and were included in analysis. Of the 322 patients, 41.5% (n = 133) screened positive for cannabinoids. Of the 133 patients, 78% were African American, 15% were Hispanic and 5% were White; 77% were male and the median age was 36 years. Bivariate analyses showed tobacco use (OR: 2.8, 95% confidence interval (

No abstract

Background: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia have been demonstrated to be due to decreased dopamine in the mesocortical pathways. Stimulant medications are a class of medications that can increase dopamine activity in the mesocortical pathway. Case Presentation: We present the case of a patient whose negative symptoms improved from a Positive and Negative Syndrome (PANSS) score of 39 to 11 on the negative symptoms subscale during a three-week trial of dopamine agonist augmentation of antipsychotic therapy. The score on the positive symptoms subscale on PANSS remained low with a two-point reduction at the end of the three-week period. Conclusion: The potential benefits of using stimulant medications in treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia are discussed.

Pituitary adenomas are often diagnosed as incidental findings on brain imaging. We present the case of a 52-year-old African American female patient with long standing depressed mood prior to the incidental finding of a pituitary adenoma. We explore the possibility of certain mood symptoms prompting an early diagnosis of pituitary adenoma.

Neutropenia is an adverse effect of various pharmacological therapies, including antipsychotics. Among the second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) medications, clozapine is most notable for neutropenic adverse effect. Risperidone, another SGA drug, is linked mainly with metabolic adverse effects, but rarely, blood dyscrasia adverse reactions have been reported. Hence, we report the case of a 56-year-old African American woman who developed severe neutropenia following two weeks of oral risperidone treatment. Her neutrophil levels returned to normal limits following discontinuation of risperidone and switching to haloperidol.

AimsSerious incidents according to NHS England (2015) are incidents where the consequences to patients, families and carers, staff or organisations are so significant or potential for learning are so great that a heightened response is justified. There is anectoctal evidence that this process is potentially difficult for junior doctors and the primary purpose of learning may be lost due to the stress involved.Our aim was to evaluate junior doctors perspective of serious incident reviews. A secondary aim was to organise local and regional workshops based on the outcome of our findings to address misconceptions around serious incident investigations.MethodA survey was developed using survey monkey and distributed to all trainees across the Mersey region through the Medical Education teams.The junior doctors range from core trainees to higher trainees. The survey encouraged the use of free texting if necessary.Results from the survey were then analysedResult18 junior doctors across the 3 mental health Trusts in the Mersey region responded.12 respondents have been involved in a serious incident investigation in the past and 9 of the respondents stated that they did not recieve any support during the process. Out of the 3 that were supported, one rated the support as poor and frightening.55.56% af all respondents found the process of serious incident reviews hard to understand.66% of all respondents admitted that they are aware that the purpose of the review is for learning purposes.100% of respondents agreed that a workshop to discuss the purpose and process of serious incidents investigation to aid their understanding would be useful.ConclusionFrom the survey, we concluded that junior doctors do have some understanding of incident reviews process but they still do not feel comfortable with the idea of being under ‘investigation'.It is also important that formal support is made available during the process.We organised a workshop in one of the 3 Trusts which was well attended and junior doctors asked if they could sit on review panels for experiential learning. This is to be presented to govenance teams across the mental health trusts in the region.Further workshop across the 2 remaining Trusts could not be organised due to COVID-19 pandemic.

No abstract