Psychiatry research communications最新文献

COVID-19 pandemic may have affected youth's mental wellbeing. Youth admissions for mental health emergencies over the 2-year period following the COVID-19 outbreak (March 2020–February 2022) were compared to those occurring in the same period of 2018–2020, with reference to individual and clinical data. The study identified 30 admissions in the pre-pandemic period and 65 (+116.7%) in the post-pandemic period, with the latter being younger, less likely to have a personal psychiatric history, and more likely to receive psychopharmacological treatment. A higher likelihood of earlier, ex novo psychiatric manifestations, requiring medication to reach clinical stability, in the post-COVID era, is suggested.

We investigated cognition and mentalization skills, defined as the ability to understand one's own and others' intentions and emotions, in men with Klinefelter Syndrome (KS). The sample was 26 men with KS and 26 non-clinical male controls aged 19–65 years. We measured mentalization with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and cognition with neuropsychological tests. The results showed that men with KS had significantly lower scores on the RMET compared to controls. However, the group difference was not significant when controlling for IQ. There were more significant correlations between cognitive domains and mentalization skills in the KS group than for controls. In regression models, cognitive domains explained up to 54% of the variance in mentalization skills for men with KS, compared to 15% for controls. The men with KS struggled particularly with interpreting neutral and negative emotional states relative to the control group. We conclude that men with KS exhibit mentalization difficulties, which are strongly linked to their cognitive abilities, and especially their deficits in verbal learning. Interventions aimed at enhancing language and other neuropsychological functions, as well as mentalization skills, are warranted.

Several studies have investigated pain processing in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN). In particular, BN patients showed higher pain thresholds than community women (CW). However, few studies have considered the role of the “drive for thinness” in relation to pain perception and tolerance.

Fifty-five participants were interviewed individually with the Eating Disorder Examination and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5); Twenty-four women with BN according to DSM-5 criteria and age, and Body Mass Index (BMI), matched healthy CW. All participants were given these tests: Dietary restraint subscale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, Drive for Thinness subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory 3. Subsequently pain tolerance and sensitivity were assessed by the cold pressor test in a single session.

Women with BN and CW showed significant differences in pain sensitivity, pain tolerance, drive for thinness, dietary restraint, and desired BMI. Also, pain sensitivity and tolerance was significantly correlated with drive for thinness and dietary restraint in BN women, while no such correlation was found in CW.

The main finding of this study is that high levels of drive for thinness and dietary restraint are associated with a lower pain sensitivity and a higher pain tolerance in BN patients.

The present study offers valuable insights into the psychological impact of war on wounded ex-combatants. By examining negative cognitions about the self and the world as predictors of PTSD symptoms and the moderating role of perceived control and social integration, this study reveals the complexities of PTSD in a population that has been largely overlooked in previous research. Our findings indicate that the predictors of PTSD symptoms are not uniform and are influenced by the sociohistorical and political context in which ex-combatants are situated. Furthermore, the moderating effects of perceived control and social integration highlight the importance of addressing not only individual psychological factors, but also the social and contextual factors that can influence recovery from PTSD. These insights suggest that a more comprehensive approach is necessary in order to fully understand and address PTSD in this population.

Depression is associated with reduced executive functioning. Still, we lack a more detailed understanding of the factors explaining this association. Addressing several limitations in the previous literature, we examine whether poor executive functioning is associated with specific depression symptoms using a network approach. The sample consisted of currently depressed, previously depressed, and never-depressed individuals (n ​= ​289; 67% female; M age ​= ​37.4 years). Associations between poor executive functioning and nine depression symptoms were estimated using regularized Gaussian graphical modelling. Results showed associations between poor executive functioning and fatigue/energy loss, interest/pleasure loss, appetite changes, sleep problems, and concentration difficulties. Fatigue/energy loss was the most important symptom bridging depression with poor executive functioning. There were no direct associations between executive functions and core negative affect symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of motivational impairments, and potential mechanisms such as immunological- and stress-related processes are considered.

This study was designed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of migrants living in Norway. We conducted a longitudinal two-waves survey among a sample of 574 migrants and multilevel modelling was used to analyse anxiety, health anxiety and depressive symptoms. Demographic and psychological predictors were investigated. The levels of anxiety, health anxiety and depressive symptoms among migrants decreased from the lockdown (strict social distancing protocols) to phaseout. Reductions in maladaptive coping strategies were related to parallel reductions in anxiety, health anxiety, and depression, and a reduction in loneliness was related to a reduction in depression. The results indicate that the elevated levels of anxiety, health anxiety and depressive symptoms among migrants in the first phase of the pandemic may be temporary.

The study aimed to assess whether sleep quality is associated with global functioning and cognition in subjects that recently converted to bipolar disorder (BD), subjects without mood episodes at follow-up and subjects with a recurrent depressive episode in a sample of depressed adults. Significantly worse scores were found in global functioning, sleep quality, and cognitive complaints in the BD and recurrent depression groups when compared to the group without mood episode at follow-up. The findings also showed a significant association between functioning and cognitive complaints with sleep quality in all groups. The cross-sectional design prevents the inference of the causal relationship between sleep quality and measures of cognition and functioning. The authors reinforce the need to follow-up in order to improve functional and cognitive outcomes, notably with patients with BD, who may suffer in addition to damage caused by sleep alterations, also with neuroprogression in the long term.

Objective

This study aimed to better understand interpersonal factors associated with persistent depressive disorder among Latinx and Black youth and elucidate potential targets for early detection and prevention.

Methods

Data were obtained from a cross-sectional and exploratory study conducted between 2021 and 2022 in New York City with Latinx and Black youth ages 13–17 (N ​= ​61) who did not meet the cutoff for depression (PHQ-9≥10). This supplemental study was part of an ongoing larger NIMH-funded study of school-based engagement intervention for depressed Black youth. It used structured assessments to examine interpersonal factors (e.g., thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness), barriers to mental health help-seeking, and persistent depressive disorder (PDD) in Latinx and Black youth. Participants were recruited from youth community centers. Assessments were provided in English or Spanish based on preference. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between predictors and persistent depressive disorder

Results

Perceived burdensomeness (PB) increased the odds of having PDD (OR ​= ​3.6, p ​= ​.05) after adjusting for thwarted belongingness, barriers to help-seeking, sex assigned at birth, age, and ethnicity. In addition, compared to female-identified youth, male-identified youth had decreased odds of PDD (OR ​= ​.072, p ​= ​.002).

Limitations

This is a cross-sectional study, the sample is small, and the results may be more salient for Latinx youth than Black youth due to sample distribution.

Conclusions

Targeting perceived burdensomeness could reduce persistent symptoms of depression among Latinx and Black youth.

A patient centred, solution-focused approach, DIALOG+ was assessed for effectiveness among patients with severe mental illness (SMI) and epilepsy in Uganda. Fourteen clinicians and 168 patients attending Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital and outreach clinics in Kampala, Uganda were randomised equally to receive DIALOG ​+ ​once a month for six months or an active control (DIALOG scale only). The primary outcome was subjective quality of life measured by the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of life (MANSA) at six months and secondary outcomes assessed at six and twelve months. A generalised linear model with a fixed effect for treatment and the baseline MANSA score and a random effect for clinicians to account for clustering was used to analyse effectiveness of the intervention. The primary outcome was assessed in 154 out of 168 patients (91.7%). Patients in the DIALOG ​+ ​arm had significantly higher subjective quality of life with a medium Cohen's d effect size of 0.55 and higher adherence to medication after 6 months as compared to the control group. DIALOG ​+ ​intervention could be a therapeutically effective option for improving quality of life for patients with severe mental illness and epilepsy with the potential to enhance routine review meetings in low-resource settings.

Depression is related to cognitive dysfunction, which could be mediated by alterations in neurogenesis. Research suggests that pharmacological treatment induces cognitive changes by generating neurogenesis-promoting factors at least in animal models of depression. Interestingly, several studies suggest that olfactory alterations occurred in depression. Those alterations may be linked to the neurogenic process occurring in the olfactory epithelium. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between progenitor cells of the olfactory epithelium (OPC) and cognitive functioning in patients with depression before and after eight weeks of fluoxetine treatment. The initial and final measurements revealed a significant relationship of OPC with the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, but a significant relationship was only observed between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) quantified in the conditioned medium of OPC and the Digit Ordering Test in the final measurements. We propose a relationship between the OPC and visuospatial capacity, working memory and information organization. However, changes in the expression of neurogenesis marker proteins in the OPC as a biological reading of the benefits of antidepressant treatment and its relationship with cognitive functions deserve to be studied in the future.