Psychomotor agitation is associated with different psychiatric conditions and represents an important issue in psychiatry. Current recommendations on agitation in psychiatry are not univocal. Actually, an improper assessment and management may result in unnecessary coercive or sedative treatments. A thorough and balanced review plus an expert consensus can guide assessment and treatment decisions. An expert task force iteratively developed consensus using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic review of the literature. Subsequent surveys included new, re-worded or re-rated items. Out of 2175 papers assessing psychomotor agitation, 124 were included in the review. Each component was assigned a level of evidence. Integrating the evidence and the experience of the task force members, a consensus was reached on 22 statements on this topic. Recommendations on the assessment of agitation emphasise the importance of identifying any possible medical cause. For its management, experts agreed in considering verbal de-escalation and environmental modification techniques as first choice, considering physical restraint as a last resort strategy. Regarding pharmacological treatment, the "ideal" medication should calm without over-sedate. Generally, oral or inhaled formulations should be preferred over i.m. routes in mildly agitated patients. Intravenous treatments should be avoided.

Concerns about potential adverse effects of long-term exposure to lithium as a mood-stabilizing treatment notably include altered renal function. However, the incidence of severe renal dysfunction; rate of decline over time; effects of lithium dose, serum concentration, and duration of treatment; relative effects of lithium exposure vs. aging; and contributions of sex and other factors all remain unclear. Accordingly, we acquired data from 12 collaborating international sites and 312 bipolar disorder patients (6142 person-years, 2669 assays) treated with lithium carbonate for 8–48 (mean 18) years and aged 20–89 (mean 56) years. We evaluated changes of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as well as serum creatinine, urea–nitrogen, and glucose concentrations, white blood cell count, and body-mass index, and tested associations of eGFR with selected factors, using standard bivariate contrasts and regression modeling. Overall, 29.5% of subjects experienced at least one low value of eGFR ( 55; risk of ≥2 low values was 18.1%; none experienced end-stage renal failure. eGFR declined by 0.71%/year of age and 0.92%/year of treatment, both by 19% more among women than men. Mean serum creatinine increased from 0.87 to 1.17 mg/dL, BUN from 23.7 to 33.1 mg/dL, glucose from 88 to 122 mg/dL, and BMI from 25.9 to 26.6 kg/m2. By multivariate regression, risk factors for declining eGFR ranked: longer lithium treatment, lower lithium dose, higher serum lithium concentration, older age, and medical comorbidity. Later low eGFR was also predicted by lower initial eGFR, and starting lithium at age ≥ 40 years. Control data for age-matched subjects not exposed to lithium were lacking. Long-term lithium treatment was associated with gradual decline of renal functioning (eGFR) by about 30% more than that was associated with aging alone. Risk of subnormal eGFR was from 18.1% (≥2 low values) to 29.5% (≥1 low value), requiring about 30 years of exposure. Additional risk factors for low eGFR were higher serum lithium level, longer lithium treatment, lower initial eGFR, and medical comorbidity, as well as older age.

Few evidence-based mental health apps are widely available to patients and, conversely, many of the available apps have not been appropriately evaluated. Given that the ultimate goal is to scale-up and open internet-based platforms (IBP), it is crucial to appropriately evaluate their real-world feasibility beforehand. We aimed to evaluate the implementation feasibility of a smartphone-based psychoeducational programme for bipolar disorder, exploring its long-term retention, usability, perceived helpfulness and satisfaction, alongside its impact on secondary health outcomes. Participants were recruited via the project website after completing an online screening questionnaire. They were requested to complete web-based questionnaires before using the app and after 6 months of use which included sociodemographic, illness and treatment variables, the world health organisation-five well-being index (WHO-5) and the short form health survey (SF-36). The follow-up questionnaires also contained satisfaction and usefulness questions. 201 participants took part in the study. According to their retention, 66.2% of the participants were classified as noncompleters and 33.8% as completers. The only predictor significantly associated with higher odds of retention was older age (OR = 1.021, p < 0.001). 62% of the users reported they were satisfied with the programme with a higher percentage among completers. Who-5 baseline and follow-up scores showed a significant improvement as well as 6 out of 8 domains of the SF-36. Screening and outcome measures were administered using exclusively self-reported online methods. The 6-month attrition rate of the programme was high. Positive outcomes regarding satisfaction were found predominantly among completers. The optimal dosage and retention of IBP mental health programmes remain challenging issues that need further research.