Psychiatria Danubina最新文献

Background: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are linked to a higher risk of suicidality, especially among young adults. Despite progress in psychiatric treatments, suicidality remains a leading cause of early death in this group. Symptoms like depression and anxiety are increasingly seen as major contributors to this risk. This study aims to explore clinical risk factors for suicidality in young males inpatients diagnosed with SSD, focusing on the roles of depression, anxiety, and previous suicidal behavior.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Psychiatric Hospital no. 1 named after N.A. Alexeev of the Department of Health of Moscow, involving 40 male inpatients aged 18-35 years. Participants were divided into two groups: those with suicidal behavior (n=20) and those without (n=20). Psychometric assessments included the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and Student's t-tests were used.

Results: The group with suicidal behavior had significantly higher scores on the C-SSRS and CDSS, as well as on the PANSS anxiety/depression subscale, compared to the control group. Regression analysis indicated that depression and anxiety accounted for 74% of the variance in suicidality scores. No significant differences in social functioning (PSP) were found between the groups. A history of suicide attempts was not a significant predictor in this sample.

Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are significant predictors of suicidality in young males with SSD. Historical suicide attempts showed no significant effect in this sample. The findings underscore the importance of regular screening and timely intervention to lower suicide risk in young adults with SSD.

Bipolar disorder in its various forms is a widespread, often poorly treated condition. This observational study highlights how patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorder can benefit from engaging in hobbies, in addition to their pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments.

EEG recording in children on the autism spectrum is often a challenging task due to their frequent hypersensitivity to even mild sensory stimuli and difficulty coping with novel situations outside of familiar routines. This article describes the video electroencephalography (EEG) preparation process carried out with five children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), using a structured protocol of gradual exposure and environmental desensitization involving outpatient staff and the presence of parents. The high success rate in both EEG acquisition and patient cooperation underscores the clinical importance of structured preparation and desensitization protocols in facilitating EEG procedures for children and adolescents with ASD. In this study, gradual and playful exposure - anchored in predictable routines and symbolic play - helped modulate sensory input, addressing a core challenge in ASD. The intervention also leveraged the psychological benefits of increased environmental predictability, which plays a crucial role in reducing anxiety driven by uncertainty in individuals on the autism spectrum. Moreover, the active involvement of caregivers likely supported co-regulation and emotional safety, further contributing to the successful outcomes observed. These findings advocate for the integration of individualized, behaviourally informed protocols into routine clinical practice for neurophysiological assessments in children with ASD.

Background: Mental disorders pose a significant and pervasive public health challenge. During the pandemic, an additional increase in negative affective disorders among students was observed. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among students after the COVID-19 pandemic and to establish a possible association with sleep quality and physical activity in the student population.

Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among first and second-year students at the University of Osijek, Croatia. Mental health was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), sleep quality with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and physical activity with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-sf).

Results: A total of 673 students participated in the study. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among students was found to be 45.0%, 58.8%, and 39.4%, respectively. Female students exhibited higher scores of depression (t(671)=3.391, p<0.001), anxiety (t(656)=7.482, p<0.001), and stress (t(671)=9.115, p<0.001) compared to their male counterparts. Furthermore, it was established that poorer sleep quality contributed to increased depression (β=0.485, SE=0.102, t=4.754, p<0.001), anxiety (β=0.544, SE=0.094, t=5.754, p<0.001), and stress scores (β=0.573, SE=0.117, t=4.901, p<0.001), while intense physical activity reduced depression (β=-0.364, SE=0.096, t=-3.804, p<0.001), anxiety (β=-0.386, SE=0.089, t=-4.353, p<0.001), and stress scores (β=-0.465, SE=0.110, t=-4.236, p<0.001) among study participants.

Conclusions: A high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was identified among students following the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, sleep quality and physical activity could be one of the target points for measures and interventions intended to optimize students' mental health.

Background: Reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness are core domains in the psychological functioning of individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Alterations in these dimensions may contribute to emotional dysregulation and body image disturbances, which are hallmark features of EDs. To compare reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness between individuals with EDs and a non-clinical control group, and to explore associations with general psychological functioning and eating disorder symptomatology within the clinical sample.

Methods: A total of 65 participants were recruited (32 clinical, 33 control group). Participants completed the EDI-3, the CORE-OM, the RFQ, and the MAIA. The Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlations were conducted to assess between-group differences and associations among psychological variables.

Results: The clinical group showed more severe symptomatology, greater psychological difficulties, increased uncertainty in the attribution of mental states and reduced interoceptive awareness. Significant correlations emerged between ED symptom severity and both interoceptive and reflective capacities.

Conclusions: The findings highlight the relevance of reflective functioning and interoceptive awareness as transdiagnostic dimensions in EDs. These results support the integration of therapeutic approaches targeting these mechanisms in the treatment of eating disorders.

Psychological functioning has a significant impact on the body since and represents a critical component in the management of chronic diseases, potentially affecting their onset, prognosis and trajectory. Chronic conditions may affect the increase of emotional distress, potentially leading to autonomic function dysregulation of both the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal. The present paper aims to summarize current research on the role of personality and emotion regulation in determining both physical and mental well-being of chronic patients with particular attention to cancer, psoriasis and asthma. Findings highlighted that despite their distinct clinical manifestations, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and psoriasis share important common features. In addition to the physical impact they have on patients, they show meaningful, bidirectional relationships with psychological functions and inner processes. Across these pathologies, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, immature defense mechanisms, and alexithymia were consistently found associated with poorer quality of life, reduced adherence to treatment and, consequently, worse prognoses.