Editor's Note
VOLUME 41, NO. 1 • March 2024
Tzung-Jeng Hwang, IPA Bulletin Editor-in-Chief
This is the last issue I edited for the IPA Bulletin after a 6-year tenure as the Editor-in-Chief. I want to thank our Deputy/Assistant Editors who have continued their contributions: Dr. Fei Sun (USA) serves as Deputy Editor for the International Psychogeriatrics review; Dr. Hilde Verbeek (Netherlands), Dr. Clarissa Giebel (United Kingdom), Dr. Rita Khoury (Lebanon), Dr. Nahathai Wongpakaran (Thailand), and Yi-Ting Lin (Taiwan) serve as Assistant Editors for “Research and Practice”; Dr. Joshua M. Baruth (United States) serves as Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief. Our Assistant Editors for “Around the World” include Dr. Clarissa Giebel (United Kingdom), Dr. Javier Vicente-Alba (Spain), Dr. Debanjan Banerjee (India), Dr. Laura Valzolgher (Italy), and Dr. Terence Chong (Australia). I am grateful for their help over the past years. Their continued contributions will expand our international vision and keep us up-to-date about local research and practice.
Next, I would like to introduce the articles in this issue. In the "International Psychogeriatrics Review Column", Ms. Yu Guo & Dr. Fei Sun (China) Reviews the paper “Longitudinal Associations Between Cognitive Functioning and Depressive Symptoms among Couples in the Mexican Health and Aging Study” By Monin et al. International Psychogeriatrics 35(10), 576-586. They found there exists a bidirectional relationship where an individual's cognitive functioning could predict their own depressive symptoms and vice versa. There were significant partner effects in depressive symptoms, showing that one person's depressive symptoms could lead to an increase in depressive symptoms in their partner.
There are 4 articles in "Research and Practice" and 2 in "Around the World". In "Research and Practice", Dr. Rita Khoury (Lebanon) updates us on the definition of refractory depression. The most common definition regulatory agencies use is “failure to respond to two antidepressants given at optimal dose and duration, with good adherence”. New and more elaborate definitions have been developed considering different levels of treatment resistance and differentiation of remission from response. Dr. Yi-Ting Lin (Taiwan) reports recent advances in transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant late-life depression. Drs. Chandrima Naskar and Debanjan Banerjee (India) describe the phenomenon of fear of falls in old people and its correlates. Drs. Megan Polden and Clarissa Giebel (United Kindom) address music-based interventions for supporting people with dementia and their carers.
In "Around the World", Dr. Lianne Leung (Australia) makes a brief and informal review on the content of key topics at Old Age Psychiatry Conferences Around the World, showing cross-conference and cross-cultural differences. Dr. Javier Olivera (Spain) discusses the challenges for psychogeriatrics after Spain had legalized Euthanasia in March 2021.
We, the editorial team, hope to offer a platform for all to exchange ideas and cultivate innovation and invite our members to contribute their thoughts and suggestions to the Bulletin! You can also reach us directly at ipa.b.editor@gmail.com.
Tzung-Jeng Hwang, MD, PhD, MPH
IPA Bulletin Editor-In-Chief
