Psychiatrike = Psychiatriki最新文献

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental health condition typically identified in adolescence. We aim to investigate the factor structure, internal consistency, item analysis, convergent validity, and diagnostic accuracy of the Greek version of the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children-11 (BPFSC-11). A sample of 112 early adolescents aged 11 to 14 years was recruited from an outpatient community child and adolescent mental health service. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to explore the fit of the unidimensional model to our sample. Reliability was assessed using the omega coefficient, and regression analysis was employed to evaluate convergent validity with the dysregulation profile of psychopathology, as measured by the Youth Self Report (YSR). Item analysis was assessed via Item Response Theory, while criterion validity was evaluated against clinical evaluation using the ROC curve. We found that BPFS-11 did not fit the data well, while a 9-item version provided a good fit (RMSEA = 0.058, CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.982). Reliability was strong (ω = 0.81). Convergent validity was demonstrated, as adolescents with high scores on the dysregulation profile of the YSR had statistically significantly higher summed scores on the BPFS. The ROC curve analysis suggested high diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0.86). Sensitivity at the optimum cut-off point of 26 was found to be 0.88, while specificity was 0.75. Our study presents evidence for the reliability and validity of the BPFS and provides a cut-off point for its use in outpatient clinical settings to timely identify adolescents with high borderline personality traits.

Hypnosis combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-hypnosis) is a type of psychological treatment that focuses on how people think and behave in various mental and medical illnesses. It treats behavioral and emotional issues by tapping into the subconscious mind. Patients who are hypnotized are more open to new ideas and less prone to decline hard ones. The result is that it is simpler to adopt the healthy cognitive patterns and habits that CBT tries to promote. YouTube is a great resource for health-related education that has the power to greatly impact the choices and actions of medical professionals, patients, and their primary caregivers, because they visit the YouTube platform to investigate and obtain guidance regarding CBT-hypnosis. However, unreliable and deceptive information on YouTube could encourage undesirable habits, making patients, primary caregivers, and hypnosis practitioners avoid CBT-hypnosis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the quality and reliability of YouTube videos about CBT-hypnosis as a source of supportive information for practitioners, patients, and their primary caregivers. A total of 354 YouTube videos about CBT-hypnosis were analyzed. The videos' reliability and quality were assessed using the Global Quality Scale and a modified DISCERN tool. The analysis found that the median overall GQS score was 3 (IQR: 2; min-max: 1-5), indicating that the videos had moderate quality and some important information was adequately covered. The modified DISCERN tool yielded a median total score of 3 (IQR: 1; min-max: 0-5), indicating that the videos were moderately reliable and that the information was presented in a balanced and unbiased manner. Most of the included videos came from science and technology sources (academic channels) (57.6%; n = 204). While 42.4% of videos came from non-profits and activism, people and blogs, and others lay in public. As a supportive source of information, YouTube videos about CBT-hypnosis are regarded as being of a moderate level of quality and reliability. Therefore, formal presenters should promote the distribution of good-quality content, which helps to improve the quality of information available on the YouTube platform.

The use of illicit substances is a major public health problem. While individuals with substance use problems primarily seek treatment in specialized treatment programs, the role, exposure, and response of private practice psychiatrists to requests for substance use-related problems remain unclear. This study aims to assess private practice psychiatrists' exposure to and response to treatment requests for substance use-related problems, along with examining the requests' characteristics. A cross-sectional online anonymous survey was administered involving private practice psychiatrists in Greece between January and February 2024. A total of 100 private practice psychiatrists responded to the survey (response rate ~10%; 53.0% male, aged 49.5 (SD=9.3) years, with 13.7 (SD=9.9) years of professional experience, and 59.0% with a private office in the Attica/Athens region. Most participants (84.0%) reported exposure to requests for substance use treatment during the last 12 months, with 69.0% of them (58% of the total) accepting to offer of treatment. The most frequently reported categories of substances included cannabis and cocaine/crack. High rates of comorbidity with problematic alcohol use, multiple substance use, and other mental disorders were also reported. Pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy were the treatments most commonly used. Factors associated with accepting to offer treatment included past specialized training in addiction (p<0.001), past or current employment in treatment facilities (p=0.002), self-reported expertise in addictions (p=0.017), previous training during specialty in substance use departments (p=0.001), and use of motivational interviewing (p=0.011). Around 70% of participants who did not accept cases believed patients would be better treated in specialized substance use treatment programs. Among all participants, 63.6% were willing to accept future treatment requests⎯significantly higher percentage (93.1%) among those who had accepted similar requests before, compared to those who had not (19.2%, p<0.001). In conclusion, apart from specialized addiction services, a substantial number of private practice psychiatrists in Greece were also exposed to and accepted treatment requests for illicit substance use-related problems, with most frequently encountering requests related to cannabis and cocaine use. Future research should investigate the characteristics of patients treated for illicit substance use-related issues in private settings and the services provided to them.

Symptoms of compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD) are relatively common and have been associated with increased psychopathology, particularly mood and anxiety symptoms. However, relevant data are limited for the Greek population. We aimed to investigate the presence of CBSD symptoms in a Greek general population sample, and their potential association with anxiety, stress, depression, and demographic variables. A cross-sectional online study was carried out (October 2022 - November 2022) on 379 adults (females=254, 67%) from the general population from all over Greece. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling method and completed a battery of questionnaires via Google Forms, including: (a) the 'Compulsive Buying Scale' (CBS); (b) the 21-item 'Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale' (DASS-21); and (c) the 'Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire' - developed for the present research. Up to 19.5% of the sample's subjects (N=74; females=60, 81.1%) demonstrated severe CBSD symptoms (CBS score > 42.2) and were designated as belonging to the "high-CBSD-symptoms" group. The rest of the participants (N=305) demonstrated less severe CBSD manifestations (CBS score ≤ 42.2) and were included in the "low-CBSD-symptoms" group. The mean age of subjects of the 'high-CBSD-symptoms' group was 27 years (±12.13 years). Significant positive correlations were found between CBS scores and all three DASS-21 subscales (stress, anxiety, depression). Particularly, subjects of the "high-CBSD-symptoms" group demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in all three DASS-21 subscales, compared to the "low-CBSD-symptoms" group. In regression analysis, higher stress levels, female gender, younger age, and residence in non-metropolitan areas significantly predicted more severe CBSD symptoms. The overrepresentation of women may limit generalizability. Furthermore, this study is cross-sectional, and therefore, it cannot assert that compulsive-buying symptomatology is a cause or consequence of anxiety, stress, or depressive symptoms. Finally, due to the nature of the study (online survey), no clinical data regarding psychiatric or medical history were collected. The present study suggests that severe CBSD symptoms may be prevalent in a significant proportion of the Greek population, especially in younger women, and are significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Female gender, more intense stress, younger age, and living in non-metropolitan centers were predictors of more severe CBSD manifestations.

The concept of timing is an interesting way to understand how the body and brain construct the concept of self, but also how self-distortions arise in the case of psychosis. Analysis of temporal representations in psychosis highlights a deficit that includes both the subjective experience of the flow of time, i.e., time perception, and the ability to process temporal information inherent to any perceptual event, i.e., perceptual timing. The representation of the self is stabilized within temporal windows, and thus the self is experienced as continuous in time. Disturbance in the sense of time, in the form of a loss of temporal continuity, has been described by phenomenologists as a central subjective experience of schizophrenia. The positive symptoms of schizophrenia are associated with overestimation of interval timing, i.e., an acceleration of the 'internal clock', while dopamine neurotransmission is likely to regulate the speed of the internal clock. Moreover, findings highlight the importance of interoceptive precision as an aspect of time perception, since accuracy in time perception is related to interoceptive accuracy and vagal activity. Insula contributes significantly to the total awareness of reality. Global emotional moments and meta-representations of the conscious self are created in the anterior insula. In psychosis, the interaction between the default-mode network and the frontoparietal executive network is disrupted by aberrant salience signals from the right anterior insula. Here, we describe the role of the insula as a key hub for the recognition of major aspects of the self, in parallel with the role of interoceptive predictive coding, which reflects the contribution of the insula to the temporality of the self. Based on the above, new insights focus on the development and implementation of rehabilitation strategies that specifically target the temporal deficits observed in psychosis. New therapeutic interventions are based on sensory education and enhancing the multisensory integration of these patients.

Bullying victimization is a common problem among adolescents with many catastrophic sequelae, as it has been associated with psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Identifying the bullying print on the human brain could be useful in clinical practice, specifically in the secondary prevention of the disorders that are related to it. This review aims to explore the potential bullying-related changes of the human brain from a descriptive and functional anatomic perspective. A literature search was performed using the Pubmed/Medline database, and, following meticulous screening, 16 articles were finally used. Our review included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI studies, which were focused on gray and white matter structures of the brain. Bullying affects the morphology and function of gray and white matter structures in both victims and perpetrators. Victims seem to have atrophic hyperactive orbitofrontal cortex, hypertrophic hypoactive amygdalae, and increased cortical activation in almost all brain lobes. Bullies, on the other hand, have hyperactive accumbens nuclei. Fundamental nuclei of the limbic system, namely the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, are affected in both victims and perpetrators. Bullying changes the human brain morphologically and functionally, primarily affecting structures of the limbic system. Identifying these changes early could mainly help in the prevention of the expression of psychopathology and thus improve the quality of life of victims and even help bullies to seek medical help.

The aim of this study was to assess the fear caused by the COVID-19 pandemic among health services users in Greece. The study involved 1260 participants from three health services units in the prefecture of Corinthia. The COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) were used to assess fear levels. Results showed that females experienced a significantly higher fear of COVID-19 (15.9 compared to 15.4), while the age group of>60 years had the highest mean score (16.6). Individuals in retirement showed a greater fear of COVID-19 (16.8), while health sector employees had lower fear scores (15.1). Chronically ill patients had a higher fear of COVID-19 (16.5 as opposed to 15.5 of healthy persons), while people considering that the COVID-19 pandemic will be dealt with soon presented lower levels of fear compared to those not considering it or being uncertain. According to the Brief-COPE questionnaire, fear of COVID-19 total scores was positively correlated with two of the coping subscales; the emotion-focused and the avoidant-coping. The study's findings can contribute to the identification of fear and coping strategies for the development of targeted interventions and mental health support programs during this global crisis.

Despite extensive research, the precise pathophysiology underlying schizophrenia remains unclear, but accumulating evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress play significant roles in its development. Mitophagy, the selective degradation of damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria, plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and is increasingly recognized for its implications in various neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. This review examines current knowledge regarding mitophagy and its association with schizophrenia. The literature was searched in PubMed- Medline and Scopus databases, and as a narrative review, the methodology focuses on the comprehensive coverage and synthesis of relevant studies. The hypothesis of the review claims that there is a link between mitophagy and schizophrenia. The terms used in the search query are "mitophagy", "schizophrenia" with the Boolean variable "AND". The relationship between mitophagy and schizophrenia is complex and multifaceted, involving mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and the integrity of oligodendrocytes and microglia. Schizophrenia is associated with dysfunctional mitophagy and elevated oxidative stress. These mechanisms may help to explain overlapping symptoms, particularly cognitive deficits. While the emerging data linking mitophagy and schizophrenia are promising, current research has limitations. Much of the evidence for mitophagy dysfunction in schizophrenia comes from animal models or postmortem studies, which may not fully capture the complexity of the disorder in humans. Moreover, mitophagy is challenging to study in vivo, particularly in the human brain, making it difficult to directly observe mitophagy processes in patients with schizophrenia. Mitophagy and its dysfunction may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Evidence suggests that impaired mitophagy can lead to energy dysregulation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, all of which are implicated in schizophrenia. While more research is needed, the potential link between mitophagy and schizophrenia presents an interesting area for future studies and therapeutic development. Targeting mitophagy could offer new approaches for addressing cognitive and negative symptoms, providing hope for improved treatment outcomes.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental childhood disorder, which in most cases persists into adulthood, causing severe functional impairment. ADHD constitutes an important risk factor for the onset of use and the development of dependence on psychoactive substances. Impulse control disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, and substance abuse are the most common comorbid disorders. The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of ADHD in adult users of psychoactive substances who have attended a treatment program in a special detoxification unit for psychoactive substances. The study concerns the examination of one hundred eighteen psychoactive substance users using the following diagnostic tools: (a) Section 12 of the semi-structured interview SCAN 2.0, which assesses diagnostic criteria of psychoactive substance abuse and dependence. (b) The structured clinical interview CIS-R, which investigates the presence of psychopathological symptoms of "common mental disorders". (c) The WURS scale retrospectively probes into ADHD symptoms up to the age of 7. The prevalence of ADHD in the sample of individuals with psychoactive substance use disorders was found to be 38.1%. Analyses were also performed concerning age and the comorbidity of common psychiatric disorders and ADHD. Findings are consistent with the results of other studies. The drug users of psychoactive substances, regardless of the ADHD comorbidity, had an increased prevalence of common psychiatric disorders. The most common comorbidities were other psychoactive substance disorders, anxiety, and depressive disorders. The small number of participants, the exclusive use of one substance by the participants, and the type of unit where the present study was conducted restrict the generalizability of its results.