Psychiatry research communications最新文献

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unique challenges, leading to a simultaneous decline in global mental well-being and an increase in perceived social threats. The present study explores the interplay between COVID-19 beliefs and mental health symptoms in a multinational sample of 1523 individuals primarily from Canada, the US and Mexico. Between May 2020 and February 2021, participants completed an online survey assessing somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and psychotic-like symptoms, along with the newly developed COVID-19 beliefs questionnaire (CBQ). The CBQ consisted of a series of statements corresponding to different beliefs about the origins and consequences of the virus and it revealed two dimensions through Exploratory Factor Analysis: Fear of contagion of COVID-19 (FC) and COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation (CI).

Correlation analyses and linear regressions revealed a negative correlation between these two belief patterns as well their distinct associations with mental health symptoms. Fear of contagion was positively predicted by somatic symptoms and anxiety. In contrast, COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation was positively predicted by positive psychotic-like experiences, alexithymia, and depression, and negatively predicted by negative psychotic-like symptoms. Furthermore, the relationship between positive psychotic-like symptoms and CI was mediated negatively by negative psychotic-like symptoms, suggesting that individuals with higher self-reported delusional ideation and bizarre experiences but lower avolition during the pandemic were the most likely to endorse COVID-19 related conspiracy theories.

We provide an interpretation of these results according to which these two profiles represent distinct doxastic threat responses, shaped by the interaction between the non-specific pandemic distress response and individual proneness to mental health symptomatology.

There is accumulating evidence that mukbang (i.e., eating broadcasts) watching may be another emerging online behaviour that has the potential to become uncontrolled and harmful among a small number of individuals. However, there is still a large gap in the literature regarding the psychological and mental health predictors of problematic mukbang watching. Due to the paucity of research, the present study investigated the emotional and psychological correlates of problematic mukbang watching (PMW) including emotion regulation difficulties (ERDs), impulsivity facets (i.e., negative urgency, positive urgency, sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance), and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress). A total of 513 adults (54% female; M_age = 32.05 years, SD = 11.14) who watched mukbang in the past seven days completed a survey including psychometric assessment tools for the aforementioned variables. ERDs were directly and indirectly related to PMW via anxiety and positive urgency. Daily time spent watching mukbang was also moderately positively associated with PMW. Consequently, the present study suggests that individuals with emotional and psychological impairments may use PMW as a maladaptive coping strategy.

Converging evidence links schizophrenia risk to synaptic dysfunction due to genetic variants. Synaptic dysplasticity in at-risk individuals lead to excessive synapse elimination, impacting brain connectivity. MRI studies highlight initial hyperconnectivity followed by later hypoconnectivity, impacting information transmission. Imbalance between Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity likely causes this shift. Highly connected hub regions of the brain experience synapse reduction, causing what we call as ‘global retuning’. Such post-psychotic changes aid resolution of active symptoms but lead to cognitive and motivational deficits. Antipsychotics may restore connectivity but worsen cognitive symptoms. In this framework, we present schizophrenia as an illness with disrupted ‘topological homeostasis’ due to synaptic dysplasticity. Our framework leaves room for an intrinsic, albeit inefficient, antipsychotic defense process that aids in adaptation. Studying successful adaptation in animal models and recovered individuals is crucial to design avant-garde interventions for schizophrenia.

Adolescent dating violence and substance use are clinical and public health concerns. Prior meta-analytic studies indicate that about 20% of adolescents reported having experienced physical dating violence (PDV) and 10% reported sexual dating violence (SDV). This study aims to assess the prevalence of dating violence, and the association between substance use and dating violence among adolescents. Our study population is derived from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of United States (U.S) adolescents. The sample comprised 13,677 adolescents between the ages of 13–19 years currently enrolled in school. Descriptive analysis estimated the prevalence of dating violence and substance use. Multiple logistic regression adjusted for confounders of the association between substance use and dating violence. The confounders adjusted for include sex, school grade, race, academic grade, and duration of night sleep. The prevalence of PDV and SDV was each 8.2%. Only 2.6% of this nationally representative sample had experienced both PDV and SDV. Adolescents who used three or more substances had 2.1 times higher odds of PDV (OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.27–3.47, p < 0.0001), and SDV (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.34–3.34, p < 0.0001) respectively, and 2.8 (OR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.34–5.61, p < 0.0001) times higher odds of both PDV and SDV in the past month. Multiple substance use increases the odds of dating violence. Policy and interventions should be focused on preventing substance use initiation among substance-naïve adolescents and to advocate abstinence and gradual reduction of substances used to mitigate the prevalence of dating violence.

Background

Impairments in executive functioning associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may impact the capacity of refugees and asylum seekers.

Aims

To examine the association between executive functioning and PTSD with and without prominent future-focused threat (FFT) intrusions at rest and after threat priming.

Method

66 Farsi and Dari-speaking asylum-seekers, refugees, and immigrants were recruited into 3 groups: High PTSD & FFT Symptoms; High PTS Symptoms; Low PTSD & FFT symptoms. The Category Fluency Test (animals; food; flora) in Farsi was administered at baseline and after two counter-balanced future- and past-focused threat narrative tasks. Results: Higher PTSD and FFT symptom scores was associated with reduced verbal fluency [correct words (PTS p < 0.001; FFT p < 0.007), clustered words (PTS, p < 0.004; FFT p < 0.009) and clusters (PTS p < 0.017; FFT p < 0.009)]. The PTSD group retrieved fewer correct words (17.6, p < 0.009) using fewer clusters (p < 0.008) than the low-symptom group at baseline. It was only after exposure to the narrative task that the FFT group displayed comparable impairment.

Conclusions

A subset of displaced persons with future threat symptoms exhibit cognitive impairment when asked to recount narrative details. Future threat may limit capacity to engage in cognitively demanding activities, such as participating in Refugee Status Determination.

Several forms of social defeat, including ostracism, discrimination, bullying, and related experiences, have been associated with psychotic disorders and experiences. The social defeat hypothesis of schizophrenia attempts to explain these associations by positing that chronic exclusion due to having outsider status leads to deleterious neurobiological changes that produce psychosis. Here, we test non-neurobiological tenets of this theory, including the relative impact of daily, real-world, chronic social defeat versus an acute, time-limited, experimentally-induced socially defeating experience (social exclusion), the moderating role of psychosis-proneness, and the specificity of social defeat on psychosis-related outcomes. We find that real-world, chronic, but not acute, time-limited, laboratory-based social defeat is associated with decreased trust, but not false-alarms on an auditory signal detection task. These associations were qualified by interactions that are in line with social reconnection (i.e., positive appraisals of social stimuli following exclusion). Real-world, chronic social defeat was also associated with delusion- and hallucination-proneness. Together, these data highlight the importance of daily, real-world forms of social defeat versus laboratory manipulations on specific psychosis-related outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened healthcare access and increased mental health concerns for individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). We surveyed PD patients in rural Eastern North Carolina to understand the pandemic's impact on these individuals. Our study assessed self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression, and used the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to measure anxiety and depression symptoms. Results showed mild increases in stress, anxiety, and exacerbation of PD symptoms, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to support vulnerable populations during global crises. The study emphasizes the need to develop resources for ongoing care beyond the pandemic for individuals with chronic diseases like PD.

Our study aims to describe the impact of transitioning to telemedicine care during the Covid-19 pandemic in a community psychiatry program. This was a retrospective study comparing no show rates and hospitalization rates pre and post adoption of telemedicine services, as well as evaluating patient satisfaction with telemedicine services. We found that there was a small but significant decrease in the no show rate following the adoption of telemedicine. We found no significant difference in the monthly hospitalization rate. The majority of patients surveyed liked using telemedicine and most preferred it to in-person visits. Patients identified convenience of telemedicine as a major benefit to this format and lack of privacy as a drawback. Telemedicine is an acceptable form of service delivery among this patient population. It decreased no show rates and did not increase hospitalizations. The use of this service delivery model could enhance the patient experience, but consideration should be given to how and when it is used.

This study investigated the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in 18 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 19 healthy controls and the effect of risperidone monotherapy on plasma VEGF levels. The plasma VEGF levels were measured at baseline and after four weeks of risperidone treatment. We found no difference in baseline VEGF levels between the groups and no change in VEGF levels after risperidone treatment. No correlation was found between VEGF levels and symptom severity. Our findings suggest that VEGF may not serve as a distinguishing biomarker in FES or be directly influenced by risperidone.

Background

The increasing prevalence of young people living with HIV (YPLWH) is a major public health concern. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that young people accounted for 21% (8164) of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Therefore, understanding opioid use disorder (OUD) among YPLWH is critical in developing effective treatment and prevention strategies. The study intends to provide evidence regarding the prevalence of opioid use disorder as well as to examine the effects of moderators on the diagnosis of OUD among a subset of YPLWH.

Methods

The National Inpatient Sample data (2008–2017) were analyzed. Participants ranged in age from 13 to 24 years old and had an HIV-related ICD code was included. The outcomes were OUD diagnosis, patterns, and moderators. The adjusted effects of the moderators on the likelihood of being diagnosed with opioid use were examined using multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Results from the study showed that 501 (2%) of the 27,538 HIV-positive young people aged 13 to 24 had comorbid Opioid use disorder (OUD). After adjusting for sex, race, and mental health diagnosis (MHD), having HIV (p < 0.05) and an MHD [OR 2.46 (1.92, 3.16)] was associated with a higher risk of OUD. Individuals with the highest income level were 42% less likely to have OUD (Table 3). The likelihood of having OUD is much lower among YPLWH aged 13–24 years from the United States' southern and western states.

Conclusion

Opioid use disorder (OUD) among young people living with HIV is of public concern. Understanding the drivers of the increasing prevalence provides opportunities for policies aimed at stemming the rise. Overall, our findings suggest that there is a significant need for interventions and support for young people with comorbid HIV and OUD, particularly those with low income and mental health issues. Addressing socioeconomic factors such as poverty and increasing access to mental health services could help reduce the risk of OUD among this population. Additionally, understanding regional differences in drug use could inform targeted prevention and intervention efforts.