Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is a disorder included among the eating disorders criteria group. Prevalence and incidence rates of ARFID in the general population remain largely unknown. Despite ongoing variability in the interpretation of diagnostic criteria in clinical practice, good progress has been made regarding recognition and assessment of ARFID. Different approaches to treatment are currently being explored, with reported outcomes for ARFID vary, consistent with the heterogeneity of the disorder. At present, there is insufficient evidence to determine the likely course and prognosis.

Review what avoidant restrictive food intake disorder consists of, the challenges it presents, as well as its prognosis and potential treatments.

Presentation of a patient’s case and review of existing literature, in regards to ARFID.

The patient in question is not clear he can be diagnosed of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder given his OCD symptoms, which are intertwined. That said, he does not have body dysmorphophobia and does check for all the ARFID criteria. Their prognosis is not good, having failed several psychological and pharmacological treatments.

In literature, there is not much evidence around the disease because of its novelty, being recently included in the DSM 5 as a new class of eating disorders (EDs), not finding high quality studies (meta analysis, systematic review). ARFID is characterised by a lack of interest in eating or avoiding specific types of foods because of their sensory characteristics. This avoidance results in decreased nutritional intake, eventually causing nutritional deficiencies. In severe cases, ARFID can lead to dependence on oral nutritional suplemments, which interferes with psychosocial functioning. The prevalence of ARFID can be as high as 3% in the general population, and it is often associated with gastrointestinal symptom. Given the high prevalence of ARFID, a rapid and systematic nutrition survey should be conducted during every consultation. Its treatment should also be adapted depending on the severity of the nutritional problem and may involve hospitalisation with multidisciplinary care (paediatrician, nutritional therapist, dietitian, psychologists, and speech therapists).

In regards to potential treatments, there is no evidence-based psychological treatment suitable for all forms of ARFID at this time. Several groups are currently evaluating the efficacy of new psychological treatments for ARFID, particularly, family-based and cognitive-behavioural approaches, but results have not yet been published.

Future directions for research could be usefully informed by closer collaboration with other fields, including feeding disorders, emotion processing and regulation, neurodevelopment, and appetite.

None Declared

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people are often found to have lower levels of body appreciation than do cis-heteronormative people.

The current study utilizes the social cure model and the intragroup status and health model to investigate whether identification with a SGM social group and identity centrality (i.e., the degree to which a specific social identity is important to an individual) is linked to experiences of hostile behaviors because of a person’s looks or body and consequently, to body appreciation.

A cross-sectional online-questionnaire study was conducted with 1,680 German-speaking participants (49.2% cisgender women, 37.7% cisgender men, 9.0% non-binary, 4.1% transgender; Mage = 32.7, SD = 12.5). The Multidimensional and Multicomponent Measure of Social Identification, the Body Appreciation Scale-2, the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire and the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4, revised were used. A manifest path model was calculated.

People who identified as gender minority (GM) people and LGBTQ* people reported lower levels of body appreciation. Sexual minority (SM) individuals who identified with a social group other than LGBTQ* people reported levels of body appreciation similar to those of individuals who identified as women. Individuals who identified as GM people experienced fewer instances of hostile behaviors because of their looks or body the higher their level of identity centrality was. On the other hand, individuals who identified as LGBTQ* people more frequently encountered hostile behaviors because of their looks or body when their identity centrality was strong. Frequent experiences of hostile behaviors because of a person’s looks or body was linked to poor body appreciation in all social groups.

Identity centrality might help alleviate experiences of discrimination, especially in people who identify as GM people, as the social cure model suggests. In line with the intragroup status and health model, individuals who strongly identify as LGBTQ* people might be more visible as SM people and experience more discrimination than do SM people who identify with another social group.

None Declared

This work aims to provide an updated overview of the eating disorders (EDs) which are a widespread pathology nowadays. Informations related to the clinical-nosographic characteristics, an in-depth analysis about systemic-relational theories and historical evolution are provided. In addition, current informations about epidemiological data, recovery, treatment related implications, new neuroscientific theories and risk factors are shown. Given the complexity of these disorders, the lack of resources and the the increasing demands for treatment, the main object is related to the construction of a questionnaire to manage the waiting lists.

Building a waiting list management model for EDs, Study and compare advantages and disadvantages of the source allocation ethical models (utilitarianism, prioritarianism, egalitarianism), Analyze EDs leading experts (doctors, dietitians, psychologists, psychiatrists) and EDs patients positioning with respect to priority treatment factors. Promote constructive dialog between EDs experts from different backgrounds and EDs patients.

In order to know the various treatment alternatives available, the different levels and reference structures are illustrated. In addition, it is also suggested different reasoning based on the ethical models of egalitarianism, utilitarianism and prioritarianism in order to build a waiting list management model, which is the maximum goal of this work. This model needs to be supported by a series of validated tools such as the clinical interview and self-administered questionnaires to investigate psychopathological aspects and psychiatric symptoms. Going into more details, a questionnaire is proposed to the EDs leading experts, so that they can provide their own priority factors list and related thoughts in order to build “the most ethical” waiting list.

It is expected that both patients and clinicians tend to give priority to patients with greater psychophysical severity, not exclusively on the basis of physical parameters. Further hypothesis related to clinicians lead us believe that they tend to use utilitarian logics, in compliance with the demonstrated efficacy of early intervention. An evaluation that could lead to a disagreement between experts and patients is related to prioritize patients in the initial phase of the disease, which could be supported by clinicians, but not by patients, probably in connection with their personal experiences. In fact, this favoritism could have a negative impact on the care of the most serious cases who risk to be left to themselves.

This work aims to encourage a constructive dialogue between experts and patients with EDs in order to build a functional intervention model which should be “the most ethical as possible” in order to save the greatest number of lives in respect of mental suffering.

None Declared

Eating disorders affect almost one million people in France. More than half of them have not been screened for the disorder, and are still unable to access treatment!

To shed light on the clinical characteristics and management of patients with eating disorders

We report on a series of clinical situations involving patients presenting with binge eating disorder at the adolescent unit of the Gonesse hospital.

Our sample included 5 patients, all female, aged between 13 and 16 years. They presented with anorexia nervosa with or without hyperphagia. Comorbidities included depression, anxiety disorders, chronic illness and suicidality.

In some cases, treatment is based on re-feeding via a nasogastric tube. In others, behavioral treatment was sufficient. Pharmacological treatment for comorbidities was prescribed.

Untreated eating disorders can be a source of deterioration in patients’ quality of life and high mortality. Early detection and diagnosis is essential for better patient management.

None Declared

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating illness with rapidly increasing incidence. The longer it lasts the more difficult is to cure. Although in the majority of the cases the main treatment is psychotherapy severe cases require inpatient admission for life saving support. The presentation expounds the combined therapeutic approach that anorexia nervosa patients of Semmelweis University Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Department provided with.

Currently the backbone of psychotherapy for AN is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), schema therapy and katathym imaginative psychotherapy (KIP) combined with psychodrama.

One of the aims of our research is to identify the most relevant focus of psychotherapy by identification of specific personality traits in patients with AN, who will be compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, two subgroups of patients will be compared with each other: the milder version of AN (BMI above 16) with the more severe form of AN who are required inpatient admission.

Women with AN (age:18-45) have been compared to age-matched controls on MINI and SCID-5-AMPD interview variables and on the scales of online questionnaires, such as EDI-I., MZQ, DIS-Q, SCL-90, PHQ-9, STAI, CTQ and YPI.

Clinical care highlighted important underlying psychological causes such as inadequate mirroring, absence of the father, or on the contrary, overly intimate relationship with the father, and relentless inner voice as a consequence of unintegrated inner aspects.

The SCID-5-AMPD pointed out affected areas of personality such as Identity, Self-directedness, Negative affectivity, Intimacy, Alienation. Importantly, neither trauma scales (measured by CTQ), nor dissociation (measured by DIS-Q) differed significantly between patients and healthy controls.

Planning psychotherapy could benefit from the identified foci. Anti-depressive medication must be considered in order to improve outcome of inpatient admission. The CTQ probably does not measure the subtle but chronic inadequacy of attachment and mirroring that apparently are typical in AN. The reliable identification of the typical dissociative inner voice that often seen in anorexia nervosa may need another questionnaire apart from DIS-Q.

The research is supported by bilateral science and technology (S&T) cooperation project 2019-2.1.11-TÉT-2020-00242

None Declared

Schizophrenia is a common mental illness with a wide range of symptoms.

Given the high metabolic comorbidity observed in schizophrenia and the metabolic side-effects induced by the antipsychotics used in practice, the detection of eating disorders is crucial.

These disorders may occur at the same time as psychotic symptoms or independently of them.

we aim to provide an overview of eating disorders in schizophrenia.

We conducted a systematic search using the 2 bibliographic databases PubMed and Google scholar including the following keywords: “Schizophrenia”, “Eating disorders”, “Reward mechanisms”.

Eating disorders are a frequent comorbidity in schizophrenia.

Authors have reported that some patients with schizophrenia have an increased appetite and craving for fatty foods, increased caloric intake and frequency of consumption, which may be associated with increased disinhibition.

According to the literature, binge eating and night eating are frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia, with a prevalence of around 10%.

Studies have shown that people suffering from psychosis and treated with antipsychotics have high rates of binge eating, ranging from 4.4% to 16% for binge eating and from 8.9% to 45% for binge eating symptoms (without reaching the diagnostic threshold for binge eating).

Rates ranging from 16.1% to 64% for cravings were reported.

Anorexia nervosa appears to affect between 1% and 4% of schizophrenic patients.

Despite their frequent association with schizophrenia, eating disorders remain little studied. However, it is important to detect these disorders and elucidate the underlying psychopathological and neurobiological mechanisms in order to better manage metabolic comorbidity and improve patients’ quality of life.

None Declared

Besides the role played by environmental factors and their epigenetic influences, scientific researchers showed that the susceptibility to develop an eating disorder among bipolar people is due to genetic factors.

To review the genetic factors behind eating disorders, highlight the role of genetics and epigenetics in the comorbidity of bipolar and eating disorders.

To delineate the role of genetics and epigenetics in eating disorders and bipolar disorders as two related mental illness, we comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature using GWAS (genome wide association studies) catalog databases to find genome-wide association studies carried out on patients with bipolar disorder EFO_0005203 and eating disorder comorbid condition (anorexia nervosa, binge eating, bulimia nervosa) EFO_0005203.

GWAS of eating disorders were found in 33 studies with 324 associations whereas those of bipolar disorder were found in 114 studies with 1469 associations. GWAS of eating disorders within bipolar disorders revealed 182 and 134 associations, as well as 10 and 8 publications respectively. Only anorexia nervosa and binge eating were studied in association with bipolar disorders. The genetic variants were protein coding genes (CUBN, FAM228B, FXR1, etc.), non-coding RNA genes (SOX2-OT, MMADHC-DT, etc.), and pseudo-genes (RNU1-23P, CACYBPP2, etc.).

About 300 genetic variants are associated with eating disorder as a comorbid condition of bipolar disorders. These variants may play a crucial role in the causes and mechanisms of eating disorders and should be more investigated towards more precise clinical and genetic entities.

None Declared

Mental healthcare services that address a variety of primary complaints which are highly related to maladaptive personality traits among the general population are important to prevent developing psychiatric disorders.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a digital mental health service (named “Mindling”) that focuses on maladaptive personality traits in the general population.

Participants were recruited through a South Korean community website and screened for adults between the ages of 18 and 60 in terms of personality traits such as perfectionism, low self-esteem, social isolation, or anxiety. Participants were allocated to four intervention programs (Riggy, Pleaser, Shelly, and Jumpy) based on their screening results and were randomly assigned to digital treatment and waitlist groups. Each intervention program was conducted online for 10 weeks. The primary outcomes were all measured by self-report questionnaires; in addition to stress levels, each program included measures of perfectionism (Riggy), low self-esteem (Pleaser), loneliness (Shelly), and anxiety (Jumpy). The secondary outcomes included self-efficacy, depression, and other psychological states. All participants completed pre-treatment (baseline), intervention (week 5), and post-treatment (week 10) assessments, and the treatment group completed a separate follow-up assessment (week 14).

In the treatment group, 70.05% of the participants completed the full course of the digital intervention. The mean scores for each primary outcome measure and some secondary outcome measures were significantly different between baseline and post-treatment in the treatment group for the Total, Riggy, Pleaser, Shelly, and Jumpy programs, but these differences were not observed in the waitlist group. In addition, mean differences between the treatment and waitlist groups at post-treatment assessment were significant for all primary outcome measures and some secondary outcome measures. Specifically, the levels of stress (Total program), perfectionism (Riggy), loneliness (Shelly), and anxiety (Jumpy) were significantly lower in the treatment group, while self-esteem (Pleaser) was higher. In addition, the mean differences between post-treatment and follow-up assessment data were not statistically significant for all primary outcome measures and nearly all secondary outcome measures.

This study validated the effectiveness of the digital intervention program targeting maladaptive personality traits and suggested its sustainable effects.

None Declared

Given that child and adolescent mental health has been affected by several factors in recent years, such as the distance between home and specialized centers that provide psychological care to children, the lack of care resources, or the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, online psychological treatments are becoming increasingly common among the child and adolescent population, although it is necessary to develop this type of treatment for children at psychosocial risk, since these have been developed mostly for the general population. To this aim, the Online Emotional Self-Regulation Improvement program (Mejora de la Auto-regulación para Menores, Online MAM@) was developed.

To assess the acceptability of the Online Emotional Self-Regulation Improvement program, by the adolescent.

The intervention program was applied to a total of n = 32 children (n = 17 girls) between 11 and 15 years of age. The program consists of 7 target emotions to be worked on, and the acceptance, usability, usefulness, enjoyment of each module and barriers to use by the children were assessed with an adaptation of the Venkatesh and Davis scale. These measures were taken post-test, once the intervention module was completed. The program was applied online for five weeks by the children, and their regular therapists contacted them to provide them with weekly access codes and reminders in case they were not completing the modules.

It was observed that the best rated module was the anger module, the most useful module was the sadness module, the module considered to have the highest usability was the fear module, and the most enjoyed module was the sadness module, although all the modules had very high scores above the average and no significant differences were found in the rating of the modules between sexes. As for the most common barriers to use among the children, problems were found with the completion of the intervention, since they often forgot to access the web, and these did not apply what they had learned outside the intervention program.

The Online Emotional Self-Regulation Improvement program is the first program developed in Spanish language for adolescents at psychosocial risk, and may represent a breakthrough to consolidate these programs in the national scene and bring the therapeutic possibilities for adolescents to the same level as in other parts of the world. Focusing on future versions of the program, it would be advisable to reduce its length and incorporate activities outside the treatment program to guarantee a generalization of what is learned in the intervention program in everyday life situations.

None Declared

Psychedelics are substances consumed for recreational use, the majority of these psychoactive substances are illegal and hard to obtain. Therefore, there is a demand for psychedelics legal and easier to access, these types of drugs are called ‘legal highs’. LSA (lysergic acid amide) is one of these new psychoactive substances, this drug is searched because it is known to have an effect similar to LSD. LSA has negative effects on body functioning not fully understood by the medical field.

This project aims to conduct a systematic review of the scientific health literature on LSA.

The following information was included in this review: articles reporting original data on physical effects, neurobiological effects, various bodily symptoms, social and cultural aspects in humans related to LSA, published in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and French. Studies involving animals, in vitro research, botanical studies, and non-original research were excluded. The following keywords were searched in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases: (ergine or d-lysergic acid amide or LSA or d-lysergamide or lysergic acid amide). This study followed the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and PRISMA checklist. The resulting data were tabulated and analyzed according to relevance.

LSA, also known as ergine, is an ergot alkaloid with a chemical formula very similar to LSD. Ergine is found in plants of the Convolvulaceae family and is primarily consumed through chewing the seeds of these plants, soaking them in alcohol, or preparing an extract. The amount of LSA in each seed is inconsistent, making it unpredictable how much will be consumed, and these seeds may contain other harmful compounds.

LSA is a partial agonist and antagonist of serotonergic receptors, with a preference for 5-HT1A and 5-HT2, and stimulation of D2 is related to nausea. It can cause symptoms including euphoria, hallucinations, anxiety, nausea, weakness, fatigue, tremors, and elevated blood pressure. In some cases, the use of LSA is associated with the use of other drugs, and there are case reports of LSA-induced PRES (Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome), post-use suicides and the need for hospitalization due to psychosis-like states.

Studies conducted on the quality of information about LSA on digital platforms indicate misinformation with incorrect data that can be harmful to those who ingest the drug. Additionally, there are studies suggesting that LSA may improve symptoms of cluster headaches.

LSA is a legal drug in most countries, with widespread misinformation on the internet and limited control over its use. There are potential serious adverse effects caused by the drug, and it is often associated with other psychoactive substances. Greater knowledge about the drug is needed for diagnosing its use and abuse, as well as for educating the public.

None Declared

Mental health resilience is crucial to professional wellbeing and productivity, being that 57% of company employees are reporting burnout. Additionally, early-stage preventive mental health interventions are not common, and typically employees only have access to mid-stage professional care.

The aim of this project is to provide employees with a preventive self-coping tool, enabling open and inclusive care. Specifically, the aim is to assess the receptivity, usability and impact of the usage of a mobile app that provides coping strategies based on positive psychology and a burnout-risk screening.

A mobile app was used with the purpose of being accessible to everyone, independently of their financial capacity. The app also promotes inclusiveness, by aggregating several approaches and methods for mental health coping, which are recommended given the needs of each user. The app was released to a large Portuguese company with 700 employees, in which employees could download it voluntarily.

After 7 months, the results showed 37% receptivity rate, 24% improvement on anxiety levels, 36% improvement on workplace wellbeing, 23% increase on mental health self-coping skills, and 21% improvement on burnout-risk levels. These metrics were acquired via app’s back-end, self-reporting, and our model for burnout-risk screening.

First results showcase the positive impact of adding such a mobile solution to the employees’ mental healthcare. Next steps will be conducting a longer study, adding control groups and productivity assessment.

None Declared

The digitalisation of the society has made inevitable the development and use of digital health. In mental health care, the use of digital tools has been questioned, although their capacity to improve accessibility to evidence-based information and tackle stigma has been recognised. The paradox of these virtual tools is that they need to rely on local resources to get used and disseminated.

To identify the factors from the context that could help or hinder the set-up of an effective intervention in digital mental health.

Between 2018 and 2020, a digital mental health intervention, based on the promotion of StopBlues, a digital tool targeting psychic distress and suicide in in the adult general population, was conducted in 32 willing French localities. In each of the latter, a focal person was designated among the officials to organise the promotion locally and liaise with the research team. Employing interviews and observations, we identified the factors from the context that were favouring or hindering the intervention.

The qualitative approach unveiled the existing dynamics between local stakeholders and difficulties faced by the focal persons. It appeared that the pollical context particularly influenced the outcome of the intervention. In parallel, the endorsement by local hospitals and psychiatrists was equally crucial confirming the key role they play when they champion a cause at the forefront.

Real-world evaluations using both qualitative and quantitative methods of digital mental health interventions have to be implemented in order to understand how they can help people. If these interventions are in line with the 1986 Ottawa Charter in terms of patient empowerment, they still need to be supported by local stakeholders, both at the pollical and medical levels.

None Declared

Public safety personnel (PSPs) often suffer from mental health issues due to the challenging and intricate nature of their work. Various barriers may prevent them from seeking necessary support and treatment. Therefore, implementing innovative and cost-effective interventions can potentially enhance the mental well-being of PSPs.

The study sought to assess the influence of the Text4PTSI program on symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and stress, as well as the resilience of public safety personnel after six months of receiving supportive text message intervention.

PSP subscribed to the Text4PTSI program and received daily supportive l SMS text messages for six months. Participants were invited to complete standardized self-rated web-based questionnaires to assess depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and resilience symptoms measured on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), respectively. The assessment of mental health conditions was conducted at enrolment, six weeks, three months, and six months after enrollment.

One hundred and thirty-one subscribers participated in the Text4PTSI program. A total of 31 participants completed the baseline survey, and 107 total surveys were recorded at all follow-up time points. The baseline prevalence of likely major depressive disorder (MDD) was 47.1%, likely generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was 37.5%, low resilience was 22.2%, and likely PTSD was 13.3%. At six months post-intervention, the prevalence of psychological conditions. There was a decrease in the mean scores on the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-C, and the BRS from baseline to post-intervention by 25.8%, 24.7%, 9.5%, and 0.3%, respectively. However, the decrease was only statistically significant for the mean change in GAD-7 scores with a low effect size (t (15) = 2.73, p = 0.02).

The results of this study suggest a reduction in the prevalence of likely MDD as well as the severity of anxiety symptoms from baseline to post-intervention for subscribers of the Text4PTSI program. The program has the potential to complement existing services, aiding in mental health support for public safety personnel.

None Declared

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), the deliberate and direct destruction of one’s own body tissue without suicidal intent, has represented a significant public health concern among adolescents and young adults worldwide, yet they have limited access to evidence-based interventions. App-based digital therapy, with its advantages of high cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and user receptivity, could be an effective intervention for NSSI. We expected that the use of an app-based brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) would improve depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation, the most prevalent symptoms among individuals with NSSI.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a 3-week app-based brief CBT program focusing on cognitive distortion correction for individuals with NSSI.

A total of 34 participants who engaged in NSSI were included in the final analysis, with 18 individuals assigned to the ‘app group’ and 16 to the ‘waitlist group.’ The brief CBT program consisted of three quizzes designed to prompt the users to identify cognitive distortions embedded in a series of short scenarios, develop more realistic perspectives, and imagine advising to significant others. The app group was instructed to complete three quizzes per day for three weeks, while the waitlist group received no intervention.

Baseline and follow-up assessments of depression and emotion regulation were conducted. After the 3-week program, the app group showed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (F = 8.30, P = .007) compared to the waitlist group. There was no group difference regarding emotion regulation.

Depression is a prominent symptom in individuals with NSSI. Our findings suggest that an app-based brief CBT intervention targeting cognitive distortions can effectively alleviate depression in individuals with NSSI. The results also highlight the need for digital interventions that are tailored and designed to improve emotion regulation in this population.

None Declared

Increasing popularity of Generative AI systems such as GPT provides us with new dilemmas concerning the future of diagnosis and novel tools to improve daily psychiatrits’s work.

The aim of the study was to assess the abilities of generative AI to diagnose and propose treatment in comparison with real psychiatrists and performing a Turing test.

We examined the ability to diagnose and propose treatment of various Generative AI versions (CHatGPT/CHATGPTpro etc.) and then compare the results with 10 clinicians performing the same task. Then a group of 10 psychiatry specialists not involved in the first evaluation assessed wether the diagnose and treatment were established by Generative AI or a clinician.

The reults showed that the generative AI systems were able to provide valid diagnosis in most of the cases with favour to newer and most proficient version of CHATGPT. Proposed treatment results were less accurate. The comparison between human and AI group was hard to accurately acces, with tendency to favouring psychiatrists group assesment as the right decision.

There is huge need to further explore the possibilites and limitations of Generative AI use in psychiatry.

There is huge need to further explore the possibilites and limitations of Generative AI use in psychiatry.

None Declared

University students often face challenges to their well-being and up to a third develop mental health problems. Given high rates of smartphone use among this group, app-based digital mental health interventions may play a role in preventing these problems. Previously demonstrated to improve well-being and mental health outcomes in young people aged 16-25, ‘Whitu: seven ways in seven days’ is a well-being app based on positive psychology, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and psychoeducation principles.

This randomised controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy, usability and acceptability of Whitu with first year university students.

Ninety first year university students were recruited via a social media advertising campaign to take part in a prospective randomised controlled trial of Whitu against a standard university self-help website, with 45 participants in each arm. Primary outcomes were changes in well-being on the World Health Organisation 5-item well-being index (WHO-5) and short Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being escale (SWEMWBS). Secondary outcomes were changes in depression on the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), anxiety on the Generalised Anxiety Disorder seven item scale (GAD-7), self-compassion on the Self Compassion Scale- Short Form (SCS-SF), stress on the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), sleep on the single-item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), and self-reported acceptability of the app. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline, four weeks (primary study endpoint) and three months.

At 4 weeks, participants in the intervention group experienced significantly higher mental well-being and significantly lower depression compared to controls. Emotional well-being among the Whitu group was greater in the intervention group at 3 months. Other outcomes did not differ between groups. User feedback was positive, with 88% of those who provided feedback saying they would recommend the app to a friend.

Our findings provide preliminary evidence that Whitu is an acceptable and more effective, scalable and multi-modal means of improving some aspects of well-being and mental health among university students than direction to a self-help website.

None Declared

Over the past few years, Psychiatry has undergone a significant transformation with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This shift has been driven by the increasing demand for mental health services, as well as advances in AI technology. AI analyzes extensive datasets, including text, voice, and behavioral data, aiding in mental health diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, a range of AI-based interventions has been developed, including chatbots, virtual therapists and apps featuring cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) modules. Notably, chatbots, as conversational agents, have emerged as valuable tools, assisting users in monitoring emotions and providing evidence-based resources, well-being support, psychoeducation and adaptive coping strategies.

This study aims to investigate the impact of AI chatbots on improving mental health, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and explore their potential for early detection and intervention in mental health issues.

A literature review was conducted through PubMed and Google Scholar databases, using keywords ‘artificial intelligence’, ‘chatbot’ and ‘mental health’. The selection focused on the most relevant articles published between January 2021 and September 2023.

Mental health chatbots are highly personalized, with a primary focus on addressing issues such as depression or anxiety within specific clinical population groups. Through the integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and rule-based AI algorithms, these chatbots closely simulate human interactions and effectively instruct users in therapeutic techniques. While chatbots integrating CBT principles have gained widespread use and extensive research attention, some also incorporate alternative therapeutic approaches, including dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, positive psychology or mindfulness-based stress reduction. AI chatbots provide substantial advantages in terms of accessibility, cost-effectiveness and improved access to mental health support services. Nonetheless, they also exhibit limitations, including the absence of human connection, limited expertise, potential for misdiagnosis, privacy concerns, risk of bias and limitations in risk assessment accuracy.

AI-based chatbots hold the potential to enhance patient outcomes by enabling early detection and intervention in mental health issues. However, their implementation in mental health should be approached with caution. Further studies are essential to thoroughly evaluate their effectiveness and safety.

None Declared

The literature has emphasized the importance of implementing evidence-based occupational therapy teleinterventions to enhance work participation in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative metacognitive self-tailored teleintervention for adults with ADHD performance at work enhancement (Work-MAP). The outcome measures were efficacy of and satisfaction with the performance of self-selected work goals (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure), executive functions (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult), and quality of life (Adult ADHD Quality of Life Questionnaire).

In this randomized controlled trial, participants were 46 adults with ADHD. Group A (n = 31) received the synchronous, hybrid-telehealth intervention in 11 weekly 1-hour individual sessions, while Group B (n = 15) completed the same intervention after a waiting phase.

Following the intervention, participants demonstrated and maintained significant improvements in all outcome measures (strong-to-moderate significant effects) to the 3-month follow-up.

Work-MAP seems to be effective intervention for enhancing work participation (i.e., performance at work), executive functions, and quality of life of adults with ADHD. Future studies with larger samples and additional objective measures are needed to further validate these findings.

None Declared

Many with mental illness do not seek treatment, often due to stigma; be it public, self, or institutional type. To improve outcomes, stigma needs addressing.

Understand the opportunity for e-mental health to help overcome stigma and, to provide an expert opinion to foster its adoption.

We conducted literature searches using the terms ((mental health) AND ((stigma) OR (discrimination))) AND (((((digital tools) OR (digital services)) OR (healthcare apps)) OR (digital solutions)) OR (digital technology)), limited to 2007 – 2023, identifying 223 citations, 9 of which were relevant for this evaluation, including 4 systematic reviews (Table 1).

Literature reports suggest that e-mental health may be useful for addressing stigma and reducing the treatment gap. While it was not consistently as good as face-to-face services, e-mental health tools were frequently shown to be effective in reducing stigma, improving mental health literacy, and increasing help-seeking behaviors. Tools included web-based breathing, meditation, and CBT; suicide prevention apps; and online videos and games. Experts from a 2022 global Think Tank session convened by eMHIC, opined and emphasised that embracing e-mental health must not leave people behind nor reinforce inequality and that structural barriers must first be acknowledged and overcome. Creating a shared understanding of the challenge and of terminology is essential, as is codesigning any solution together with people with lived experience.Table 1.

Systematic literature reviews

Published data suggest that e-mental health is promising to reduce stigma and discrimination, with the potential to foster help-seeking and treatment engagement. Adoption requires attention to derailers and must foster inclusivity. There is an imperative to adopt e-mental health, especially evidence-based solutions.

K. Subramaniam Employee of: Employee of Viatris, A. Greenshaw: None Declared, A. Thapliyal: None Declared

Empathy plays an important role in everyday human relationships. It is the ability to put oneself in the place of others, to represent what they think and feel. In healthcare settings, several studies have highlighted its positive effects on patients in terms of physical and psychological well-being.

Evaluate empathy among caregivers.

This is a cross-sectional study, conducted over a 1- month -period and enrolling nursing staff working at Farhat Hached Academic hospital. Empathy was assessed using the Jefferson Scale of physician’s empathy (JSPE) scale.

A total of 92 caregivers were enrolled in this study. The average age was 40.41 years with a sex ratio of 0.95. The most represented category was nurses (64.1%) with an average seniority of 17.2 years. The average empathy score was 98.4. Scores above half were reported in 69.5% of cases. The presence of empathy was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.002).

Empathy is a key point in the patient-caregiver relationship. Thus, the nursing staff must be aware of this concept in order to improve the quality of care.

None Declared