A new paper led by a Concordia researcher examines how social isolation, loneliness and frailty affect one another and the bidirectional relationship they exert as an individual gets older. 

hey found that physical frailty can be an indicator of future social isolation over time and that loneliness may be both an antecedent and an outcome of frailty.

All three can also be self-reinforcing over time: people who are lonely and socially isolated may become frailer, and as they become frailer, their sense of isolation and loneliness grows. This becomes more pronounced as they grow older.

Post-traumatic stress disorder comes in many forms and affects each person differently. Some patients benefit more from residential, in-treatment programs, while others are more suited for outpatient care. Others may thrive best in a system that mixes elements of both. A team of researchers led by Concordia University's Walter Marcantoni found intensive outpatient programs, in which a patient consults with a health professional daily while staying at home in their community, are as effective as inpatient treatment, where patients can be isolated for weeks at a time.

In response to demands for police reform, agencies have begun to pursue alternative responses to calls involving mental health crises. Across the United States, jurisdictions are adopting co-responder teams that bring qualified mental or behavioral health professionals into police emergency responses calls. In a new study, researchers surveyed local and state law enforcement agencies to determine the prevalence and use of these teams. They found wide variation in the types of teams and how they operate.

Computer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy (CCBT) and mobile mental health applications warrant continued development and ongoing efforts to increase acceptance among patients and clinicians, according to a review published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer.