Dyslipidemia is one of the most common adverse effects in schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics. However, there are no established effective treatments. In this study, data were pooled from two randomized, placebo-controlled trials, which were originally designed to examine the efficacy of metformin in treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain and other metabolic abnormalities. In total, 201 schizophrenia patients with dyslipidemia after being treated with an antipsychotic were assigned to take 1000 mg day -1 metformin (n = 103) or placebo (n = 98) for 24 weeks, with evaluation at baseline, week 12 and week 24. The primary outcome was the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. After metformin treatment, the mean difference in the LDL-C value between metformin treatment and placebo was from 0.16 mmol l -1 at baseline to -0.86 mmol l -1 at the end of week 24, decreased by 1.02 mmol l -1 (P o0.0001); and 25.3% of patients in the metformin group had LDL-C ≥ 3.37 mmol l -1, which is significantly o64.8% in the placebo group (P o 0.001) at week 24. Compared with the placebo, metformin treatment also have a significant effect on reducing weight, body mass index, insulin, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol and triglyceride, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The treatment effects on weight and insulin resistance appeared at week 12 and further improved at week 24, but the effects on improving dyslipidemia only significantly occurred at the end of week 24. We found that metformin treatment was effective in improving antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, and the effects improving antipsychotic-induced insulin resistance appeared earlier than the reducing dyslipidemia.

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Objective:To comprehensively analyze cases of psychiatric consultation in a general hospital and provide a primary reference for the development of consultationliaison psychiatry.Method: A retrospective study was conducted by analyzing data collected over a two-year period regarding psychiatric consultations from the inpatient registry in a general hospital.Results: A total of 926 and 774 psychiatric consultations were recorded in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The most common reason for consultation was unexplained somatic symptoms. Consultations based on psychological evaluation, and mental/behavioral disorders due to organic diseases and perioperative stress were signifi cantly higher in 2017 than those in 2016 (P<0.01). Diagnoses of neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders were signifi cantly lower in 2017 compared to those in 2016 (269 [34.8%] cases in 2017 vs. 373 [40.3%] cases in 2016; P=0.019). Among specifi c diagnoses, generalized anxiety disorder was the most common. Conclusion:Most patients with depressive or anxiety disorders visit a general hospital due to somatic symptoms. It is necessary to train non-psychiatrists to identify mental disorders effi ciently, as well as to extend the comprehensive consultation model to include more clinical departments.

Objective: To comprehensively analyze cases of psychiatric consultation in a general hospital and provide a primary reference for the development of consultation-liaison psychiatry. Method: A retrospective study was conducted by analyzing data collected over a two-year period regarding psychiatric consultations from the inpatient registry in a general hospital. Results: A total of 926 and 774 psychiatric consultations were recorded in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The most common reason for consultation was unexplained somatic symptoms. Consultations based on psychological evaluation, and mental/behavioral disorders due to organic diseases and perioperative stress were significantly higher in 2017 than those in 2016 (P<0.01). Diagnoses of neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders were significantly lower in 2017 compared to those in 2016 (269 (34.8%) cases in 2017 vs. 373 (40.3%) cases in 2016; P=0.019). Among specific diagnoses, generalized anxiety disorder was the most common. Conclusion: Most patients with depressive or anxiety disorders visit a general hospital due to somatic symptoms. It is necessary to train nonpsychiatrists to identify mental disorders efficiently, as well as to extend the comprehensive consultation model to include more clinical departments.