Psychiatria Danubina最新文献

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.

Background: Adolescent mental health has become an increasingly urgent concern, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is emerging as a critical construct to promote psychological well-being, reduce stigma, and encourage the early recognition of psychological distress.

Methods: This study presents baseline data from a school-based pilot initiative conducted in a secondary school in Southern Italy. The aim was to assess students' knowledge beliefs, and attitudes toward mental health prior to implementing targeted educational interventions. A total of 85 fifth-year students (mean age = 17.7 years) completed the Italian version of the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire - short form (MHLq-short), administered anonymously via an online platform. Statistical analyses included descriptive measures and non-parametric tests to explore the association between MHL scores and familiarity with mental health problems.

Results: Students who reported knowing someone with mental health issues exhibited a trend toward higher mental health literacy scores. In contrast, those who reported no such exposure or expressed uncertainty demonstrated lower average ranks, possibly reflecting limited awareness or emotional disengagement.

Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential role of personal experience in shaping mental health literacy and reinforce the need for structured, school-based interventions. To our knowledge, this study represents the first application of the MHLq-short in Italy and supports its feasibility in identifying literacy gaps among adolescents. Future initiatives could aim to replicate and scale this model across diverse educational settings and inform national strategies to integrate MHL into school curricula.

The explosion of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medical practice has shaken the foundations of clinical assessment and management. In our study, we conducted structured interviews with 43 patients (23 female, 15 male) affected by MMD (DSM-5-TR criteria). We sent the recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews to the analysis of appropriately trained AI programs. We evaluated the predictive weight of symptoms described by patients beyond those present among the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria. We also analyzed the relationship with forgiveness, hopelessness, and diminished drive. The results revealed a positive predictive factor in patients with higher levels of somatization and physical oppression, ambivalent and blocked anhedonia, distress and agitated restlessness, mixed states, and subthreshold symptomatic oscillations.

Purple drank (PD) also known as "lean" or "sizzurp", is a recreational drug typically containing codeine and promethazine hydrochloride, often mixed with soda or alcohol. This drug is not new, in fact it was used in Texas in the 1960s, and became widely popular in the 1990s especially among adolescents and young adults, becoming the "poor man's drug" because it was readily available and not expensive. Several studies suggest that the number of PD abusers today is increasing, and the underestimation of this phenomenon may be related to the fact that PD components are easily available in pharmacies.

In this article we describe the case of Molly Russell, whose suicide was caused by the on line content that she accessed while she was suffering from depression. We describe how this was brought about by the algorithms used in social media sites and the use of the internet to inappropriately call for help in depression instead of turning to human persons for help. We describe the legal measures taken to improve safety for young persons using the internet, and we advise the importance of educating young persons on proper use of the internet and proper understanding of its potential.

Here we discuss whether the type of love which is expressed as religious Catholics who want to offer their suffering in union with the suffering of Jesus Christ has the same neurological pathways as the usual pathways related to love, that is a neurological pathway linked with the the Reward System and based on Dopamine as the main neurotransmitter. We propose that this type of love is probably based on an input from the Mirror Neuron System, which is related to Empathy. and the Default Mode Network. We accept that there are different inputs for the different types of love but the main output in all cases is the release of Dopamine as a Neurotransmitter. We argue that, while all types of love have, as a final pathway, the release of Dopamine from the Reward system, the type of love which is associated with suffering in union with the suffering of Jesus Christ is related to inputs related to Empathy. and the identifying of the self. By highlighting this perspective, we underscore the importance of recognising and respecting the profound dignity of individuals who choose to engage with their suffering in this meaningful way.

Background: Delusional Parasitosis (DP), or Ekbom Syndrome, is a rare psychodermatological condition marked by a fixed false belief of infestation with parasites despite the absence of objective evidence. Patients often resist psychiatric referral and frequently disengage from mental health services. Complex identity factors, including professional roles, may complicate insight and treatment engagement. This report presents a longitudinal case of a female psychotherapist with DP who remained engaged with psychiatric services for nine years, offering an opportunity to explore the ethical and therapeutic implications of professional identity in the context of psychosis.

Subjects and methods: A retrospective case analysis of a 58-year-old psychotherapist with DP, incorporating clinical observations, interdisciplinary input, and critical review of current literature.

Results: The patient exhibited classic DP features and underwent multiple antipsychotic trials, with varying adherence and outcomes. Her status as a mental health professional presented unique challenges, including denial of psychiatric pathology, ethical conflicts, and difficulty establishing a therapeutic alliance. Despite persistent delusional conviction, a longitudinal therapeutic relationship was maintained through multidisciplinary strategies and adapted communication. Clozapine was considered but not initiated.

Conclusions: This case illustrates that sustained psychiatric engagement is possible even in treatment-resistant DP and emphasizes the need for individualized care, especially when professional identity intersects with psychosis. The case contributes to emerging perspectives on interdisciplinary management and therapeutic alliance in chronic psychodermatological conditions.

Background: Characters in George Orwell's novel "1984" have certain behavioral features which may be taken as pathological. We hypothesized that Winston Smith in particular suffers from chronic mild depression, which is a result of external pressure from the fictional dystopian society (i.e., multimodal stress of childhood trauma, workplace strain, disrupted close relationships, emotional deprivation, feeling of loneliness, and unempathetic community). To confirm the hypothesis, we conducted a number of analyses of the English text of the novel "1984".

Subjects and methods: Taking the full English text of "1984", we analyzed its fragments of first-person narrative, such as Winston's diary remarks and his speech during spoken communications as described in the novel. We then used the psycholinguistic method of clinical psycholinguistic analysis to analyze the text of Winston's diary from the perspective of psycholinguistic typology of literary texts based on emotional-semantic dominance as developed by the philologist Valery Belyanin (2000). The Belyanin method entailed placing a focus on the fragments of the first-person narratives representing descriptions of characters' emotions and feelings with subsequent determination of their type.

Results: In the first diary excerpt, Winston's writing consists of short, exclamatory phrases. He repeatedly uses the first-person singular pronouns and self-referential sentences, with simple and complex sentence structures. Lexical repetition is high, and emotional vocabulary emphasizes defiance and apathy. The second excerpt is purely declarative and reasoning-focused. It contains minimal stylistic markers, with present-tense verbs, no personal pronouns, and no emotional or figurative language. Key themes revolve around existential values, mortality, truth, and defiance against oppression. There is a notable absence of hedonic, familial, or self-realization themes, reinforcing a limited semantic focus aligned with existential distress. Winston Smith exhibits classic dysthymic markers, such as pervasive self-criticism, preoccupation with mortality, emotional heaviness, repetitive confessional style, and an undercurrent of hopeless defiance.

Conclusions: According to our psycholinguistic analysis of Winston Smiths' diary text and dialogues, his language reflects depressive processing of personal and life experiences, reduced semantic productivity, fragmented meanings, and an emotionally negative dominant tone. Application of the psycholinguistic diagnostic model for mild depression confirms that his diary entries exhibit pronounced markers of mild depression of the melancholic and astheno-hypodynamic types. This analysis affirms the psychological insight applied by the author in developing his characters.

Background: Measurement-Based Care, supported by Measurement Feedback Systems, is increasingly recommended to improve psychiatric care. Indeed, such approach offers valuable support for the development of precision medicine by enabling data-informed treatment grounded in collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and patients. However, its implementation in clinical settings remains limited.

Methods: We present a Measurement Feedback System integrated within a research protocol and implemented in a hospital detoxification unit for patients with Severe Alcohol Use Disorder. Capitalizing on the presentation of a clinical case and preliminary patient evaluations, we describe the benefits and limitations of such an approach.

Results: The findings highlight the high acceptability of the tool among patients and underscore the added value of incorporating a Measurement-Based Care framework into standard care in addictive disorders.

Conclusion: This approach facilitates precision medicine through rich patient phenotyping, enhances clinical reflection, and helps to bridge the research-practice gap.