Objective: Positive airway pressure (PAP) compliance is important in treating obstructive sleep apnea. Previous studies have suggested that patients with economic burdens, discomfort using machines, and insufficient education have difficulty tolerating PAP machines. This study explored the factors affecting short-term adherence to PAP in a veterans medical center. Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent polysomnography at the Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea, between July 2018 and January 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥15 were included (n=579). PAP adherence was defined as continuous use for ≥21 days for ≥4 hours daily for 30 consecutive days for 90 days from the date of PAP prescription. Results: The PAP-adherent group (n=265, age 66.16±11.28 years) was younger and had more years of education, higher body mass indices, and lower scores in the Insomnia Severity Index and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) than those of the PAP-nonadherent group (n=314, age 68.93±10.91 years). Patients who tolerated PAP had a higher AHI, longer duration of oxygen desaturation (less than 90%), and less dream enactment behavior (DEB) than that in those who did not. After adjusting for age, years of education, BDI-II, duration of oxygen desaturation, and presence of DEB, there were more patients with National Health Insurance (NHI) in the PAP-adherent group than in the PAP-nonadherent group (p<0.001). Conclusion We showed that patients with NHI recorded significantly higher adherence compared to that in patients without NHI, among other factors.

Clozapine is accepted as the “gold standard” antipsychotics for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Clozapine rarely causes extrapyramidal syndrome and tardive dyskinesia, which are common with other antipsychotics, and only a transient elevation of hyperprolactinemia has been reported. Despite such clinical usefulness, there are limitations to the use of clozapine due to adverse drug reactions (ADR). Fever is a common in adverse drug reactions associated with clozapine. At initiation of clozapine most fatal ADR such as agranulocytosis and neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with fever, in which case clozapine should be discontinued immediately. However, as benign causes of fever are much more frequent than life-threatening ADR, clozapine should not be discontinued unconditionally in the event of fever during clozapine initiation. In addition, fever may occur at any time during the maintenance of clozapine treatment. In particular, since the risk of pneumonia does not decrease over time, and clozapine has a higher risk of pneumonia than other antipsychotic drugs, it is recommended to adjust clozapine dosage through therapeutic drug monitoring.

Urinary incontinence (UI), affecting 3%-11% of males and 25%-45% of females globally, is expected to rise with an aging population. It significantly impacts mental health, causing depression, stress, and reduced quality of life. UI can exacerbate psychiatric conditions, affecting treatment compliance and effectiveness. Itis categorized into transient and chronic types. Transient UI, often reversible, is caused by factors summarized in the acronym DIAPPERS: Delirium, Infection, Atrophic urethritis/vaginitis, Psychological disorders, Pharmaceuticals, Excess urine output, Restricted mobility, Stool impaction. Chronic UI includes stress, urge, mixed, overflow, functional, and persistent incontinence. Drug-induced UI, a transient form, is frequently seen in psychiatric treatment. Antipsychotics, antidepressants, and other psychiatric medications can cause UI through various mechanisms like affecting bladder muscle tone, altering nerve reflexes, and inducing other conditions like diabetes or epilepsy. Specific drugs like lithium and valproic acid have also been linked to UI, though mechanisms are not al-ways clear. Managing UI in psychiatric patients requires careful monitoring of urinary symptoms and judiciousmedication management. If a drug is identified as the cause, options include discontinuing, reducing, or adjusting the dosage. In cases where medication continuation is necessary, additional treatments like desmopressin, oxybutynin, trihexyphenidyl, or amitriptyline may be considered.