No significant relationships.

Maladaptive defense mechanisms can play a role in maintaining the inadequate social and psychological adaptation of patients.

This study aims to establish if denial is one of the central psychological defense mechanisms in patients with somatoform disorder.

10 female patients at Moscow Clinical hospital №33 with somatoform disorder and panic attacks (aged 20 to 43) and 20 female participants of the control group (aged 19 to 35) were presented with 10 pictures of the Thematic Apperception Test. Pictures were previously annotated into 4 groups: neutral stimuli (2, 6GF), provoking self-blame / depression ideation stimuli (3GF,14, 15, 17GF), provoking aggression ideation stimuli (8ВМ, 18 GF, 9GF), provoking aggression/self-blame ideation stimuli (13 MF). We conducted content analyses of stories. Mann-Whitney U-test was used.

Table 1 presents analyses categories, examples of stories, and group differences.Table 1

Patients with the somatoform disorder tended to use descriptions without interpersonal or internal conflicts and/or to deny any characters‘ negative intentions or the negative consequences of their actions.

No significant relationships.

Much has been learned about SARS-CoV-2. However, the mechanism of short or long-term neuropsychiatric symptoms remains unclear. several hypotheses, including lack of oxygen caused by lung damage, inflammation affecting brain cells, or Lack of blood flow caused by swelling of the small blood vessels in the brain, have been advanced to explain these symptoms.

Herein, we presented a case of cognitive impairment diagnosed after infection with COVID 19.

We discussed, through a clinical case, the possible mechanisms and risk factors of cognitive impairment following COVID 19 infection.

This case concerned a 28 –year-old patient. He had no personal or family psychiatric. In August 2021, he presented a SARS-CoV-2 infection without hypoxemia or respiratory failure. On day 10 the patient recovered. Two days after, he consulted our psychiatric department as he experienced impairment in memory. He had impairment in attention and executive function, and in particular verbal fluency. He said that his thinking was sluggish, fuzzy, and not sharp. He denied any alcohol or drug abuse. He was euthymic and he had no depressive symptoms. Arterial blood gas, laboratory, and clinical findings were normal. A brain CT scan with contrast was performed and did not show any abnormality.

This case highlighted the possible cognitive consequences of COVID-19 during the recovery phase. Further work is required to identify risk factors of psychiatric symptoms following COVID-19 infection and their management.

No significant relationships.

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with reduced work performance. Online interventions increase accessibility of services to clients by removing barriers such as physical distance, which may prevent care.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an innovative functional metacognitive intervention for work-performance improvement of adults with ADHD.

This study used a wait-list control group design, with a study and a comparison group (total 46 adults, mean age of 35.65 years). All participants had been diagnosed with ADHD, worked at least 3 months at the same place, and were willing to improve their work performance. Intervention sessions were provided mostly online and focused on the adults’ occupational goals in a workplace context. The intervention’s efficacy was evaluated with a focus on participants’ work performance (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) executive functions (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult), organisation in time (Time Organisation and Participation Scale), and quality of life (Adult ADHD Quality of Life Questionnaire).

Participants’ work performance, executive functions, organisation in time and quality of life significantly improved following the intervention. Their achievements were maintained through to the 3-month follow-up.

The online metacognitive functional intervention for work-performance improvement of adults with ADHD was found to be efficient and suitable for clinical use among this population. Future studies with larger samples and additional objective measures are needed to further validate these findings.

No significant relationships.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of intrusive thought (obsessions) and ritualistic behaviour (compulsions). First-choice psychopharmacological treatment is based on serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). However, about half of OCD do not or partially respond to SRIs (TR-OCD) and need an augmentation strategy with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs).

We report a case of severe OCD with comorbid anorexia nervosa, restrictive type (AN-r) treated with fluoxetine (up to 40 mg daily) and lurasidone (37 mg daily bedtime) augmentation.

At baseline and monthly 4-months-follow-up were administered Y-BOCS-II (Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale), CGI-S (Clinical Global Impression-Severity), SCL-90 (Symptom Checklist-90 items) and EDI-3 (Eating Disorder Inventory-3).

Compared to the baseline, a clinically significant clinical response was observed on OC at Y-BOCS-II (≥35% Y-BOCS reduction) and eating symptomatology at EDI-3 after 1 month of augmentation treatment, while a full remission after 3 months (Y-BOCS scoring ≤ 14)(p<0.01). We also noticed, throughout clinical follow up interviews, improvement in patient’s social skills and life satisfaction.

Further longitudinal and real-world effectiveness studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings and investigate the potential of lurasidone augmentation strategy in attenuating OC symptomatology in TR-OCD and whereas a comorbid AN-r is present.

No significant relationships.

Globalization and increased competition in the engineering profession induce to work longer and harder, which predisposes to workaholism or work addiction. Identifying individual factors associated with workaholism could help to maintain the mental health at work.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of workaholism and its associated socio-demographic and historic factors among Tunisian engineers.

A cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study conducted among Tunisian engineers during July 2021. The data were collected by an online questionnaire including the socio-demographic and historic information and the “the Work Addiction Risk Test” (WART) which was used to assess the workaholism.

A total of 52 engineers participated in this study (40.4% female and 59.6% male). The average age was 30.75 years (SD=6.25 years). Concerning marital status, thirty-five engineers (67.3%) were single. Of the participants, 17.3% had a history of chronic somatic-disorders and 25 % of them had a history of a psychiatric disorder, such as depressive disorder in 11.5% of cases. The prevalence of workaholism in Tunisian engineers was 23.1%. Workaholism was associated to older age with no significant difference (p = 0.11). The analysis showed that workaholics had more history of depressive disorder (p = 0.02) compared to non-workaholics. However, no significant difference was found by the other socio-demographic factors according to workaholism.

Workaholism is a significant phenomenon among Tunisian engineers. It may depend of personal characteristics and induce negative consequences on mental health and lead to depression.

No significant relationships.

Paliperidone palmitate 1-month (PP1M) is a Long-acting injectable antipsychotic formulation, approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Recently, paliperidone palmitate 3-months (PP3M) formulation was introduced, which maintains stability while offering a longer dosing interval for the maintenance treatment in patients previously treated with PP1M. Despite of this, many patients are treated with PP1M without transition to PP3M.

To identify variables explaining maintenance of PP1M treatment instead of going to PP3M. We hypothesize that more severe patients are delayed in transition to PP3M because of expectation to complete stabilization.

A descriptive analysis of 123 patients, diagnosed with psychotic disorders, on treatment with paliperidone palmitate 1 month or 3 months, was performed. Age, sex, type of paliperidone treatment, hospitalizations after the initiaton of treatment, years since diagnosis, polytherapy and toxic habits were some of the variables measured and compared between both groups (PP1M and PP3M).

Most of patients (63,41%) were on PP3M. Both groups shared characteristics like male sex predominance, schizophrenia as the most common diagnosis, having a recent onset diagnosis, same frequency of polypharmacy and same pattern of drug consumption. There was a slight difference between both groups regarding severity. PP1M and PP3M showed respectively 33% and 16,7% of admissions after initiation.

No clear pattern determines less transition to PP3M from PP1M. No statistical difference was found except form the difference found in admission after change of treatment (to PP1M or PP3M), which could reflect influence of severity in treatment. Future research is needed in order to better elucidate this association.

No significant relationships.

The use of cannabis is likely to increase as regulations on its consumption are diminishing throughout the world.

to identify the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in a group of cannabis users in Tunisia.

this a transversal descriptive study about 137 participants in the University Hospital Of Mahdia during 2 months.

In our study population , the consumers were young adults aged between 18 and 35 years old ,of whom 40.8% were professionally active, 23.2% had psychiatric history. Moreover, the use of other substances was regular among users as follows: tobacco among 74.6% of users, alcohol among 72.5% of users, ecstasy among 41.3% of users, cocaine among 25.4% of users. The use of cannabis was considered as a means of exultation for 66.7%, as an anxiolytic for 26.8% and as a sedative for 23.9%. Overall, the effect of cannabis use on anxiety and depression on the HAD scale showed the following results: probable anxiety in 53% of cases, probable state of depression in 72% of time.

The correlation between cannabis use, anxiety and depression remains unclear. Equally concluded, the assumption of self-medication by cannabis stills a topic of discussion.

No significant relationships.

The most recent global refugee figures are staggering, with over 82.4 million people forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations. However, little is known about their long-term mental health.

This review aimed to assess prevalence of mental disorders and to identify the main factors associated with the development of mental disorders among refugees.

We searched MEDLINE databases using the key terms “refugees” and “global mental health” without language or date restriction. Articles were considered for inclusion in the review if they comprised a population of refugees. Three studies were identified.

Our review showed a great heterogeneity in the prevalence of mental disorders that affect migrants showing an overall prevalence of 20% of these pathologies among them. War-related factors are more associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and post-migration-related factors (acculturation, economic uncertainty and ethnic discrimination) are more associated with mood, anxiety and substance use disorders.

Existing evidence suggests that mental disorders tend to be highly prevalent in refugees many years after resettlement. The increased risk is not only caused by the past adversities in the country of origin but also by the post-migration-related factors. Thus, there is a need for more consistent and rigorous research from a methodological point of view on the mental health of refugees, allowing to find measures to protect and promote their mental health.

No significant relationships.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused major sanitary crisis worldwide. Frontline healthcare workers face many difficulties, such as: direct exposure to patients with high viral load, physical exhaustion, reorganization of workspaces, face the unusually high number of deaths among patients, colleagues or relatives and ethical issues in a tense health system.

Provide up-to-date information of Burnout syndrome associated with exposure of healthcare workers to the COVID-19 pandemic, after almost 20 months of the declaration of pandemic by the World Health Organization.

A cross-sectional study was carried out that included 84 healthcare workers from Spain in October 2021, through an anonymous, voluntary and multiple response type online survey which included questions about sociodemographic aspects and the Maslach burnout inventory

62% were doctors and 29% were nurses. 70% work on the front line of Covid-19. 38% report not having been able to enjoy their vacations when they wanted. 8% admit to having had suicidal ideas. Almost 52% admit low personal fulfillment, 38.6% admit a high depersonalization count, and 45% report high emotional exhaustion. Of the total sample, 17 respondents have burnout syndrome.

It is necessary create strategies to promote mental well-being in health professionals exposed to COVID-19 after 20 months of active work. Protecting and identifying health care professionals who could be at high risk for developing a mental health pathology or detecting Burnout syndrome in them should be the priority of public health post pandemic.

No significant relationships.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder in which recurring, intrusive, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations cause them to feel driven to do something repetitively. The repetitive behaviors can significantly interfere with a person’s daily activities and social interactions. Not performing the behaviors commonly causes great distress.

Clinical trials are required for proper assessment and management of this group of patients.

Mrs. X, a 28 year old female coming for psychiatric consultation with the complaints of self talking, irritability and aggression, insomnia.She fantasizes a man publicly, whom she loves but he has no existence in reality. She tries to solve all kinds of problems by talking to that fantasy man. If anyone interrupts her, she becomes irritable, shouts and breaks things. But for the last 3 months she realized that its a problem. Because, she can’t eat, sleep and concentrate on her household chores for this fantasy. Even she can’t take care of her child and feeling low sexual affection for her husband. On personal history, she said that she had poor attachment with her parents.

After thorough assessment, her consultant Psychiatrist told that she was sufering from unhealthy fantasy obsession or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

It is very important and urgent to assess and manage this group of patients, because this has a devastating impact on relationships, specially on the conjugal life. Psychoeducation about the ilness and Psychotherapy along with pharmacotherapy should be the mode of treatment.

No significant relationships.

Fear is an unpleasant emotional response to perceiving a threat causing physiological changes. Humans feel fear for positive motives, as it plays a crucial role in our survival. Just as the right balance in life is ideal, pathological fear is often described in one of its exaggerations, of having too much. However, lack of fear or “hypophobia” can be just as devastating and debilitating. This can be demonstrated in the analogy between those who feel no pain who also demonstrate increased risk and decreased life expectancy.

The authors aim to explore the concept of fear, discussing currently known physiological mechanisms in order to explain the effects that alterations of these mechanisms can have on fear responses, namely lack of fear, and subsequently the consequence of this on mental health.

A brief non-systematized literature review was performed based on works most pertinent to the topic discussed.

Muted fear responses have been mentioned in the literature, principally associated with medical conditions affecting the physiological fear pathways, including Urbach-Wiethe disease. Amygdala damage provokes abnormal fear reactions and reduced fear experience. This appears to be similar to what is seen in psychopathy, where abnormalities in the limbic system produce abnormal fear responses.

Any extreme can cause havoc on a well-balanced machine. Just as the excess of fear results in mental issues such as anxiety, a lack of fear can also be debilitating. Those demonstrating less fear could help investigators better understand mental health disorders that have been demonstrated to be mediated by similar processes.

No significant relationships.

Glaucoma is a heterogeneous group of conditions which result in optic neuropathy and visual defects, majorly linked with the increase of intra-ocular pressure (IOP). It is known that psychotropic drugs have been implicated in drug induced angle-closure glaucoma, mostly through its anti-cholinergic effect.

Systematize the drugs most and least implicated in its appearance and worsening and understand the care needed on prescribing.

A search on Pubmed database was made having in consideration the Mesh Terms Glaucoma and Psychotropic Drugs and its different classes. Specific searches were made when appropriate on different platforms.

Implications on the appearance and worsening of glaucoma are clear for tricyclic antidepressants. The evidence is not clear for SSRIs, SNRIs and mirtazapine, but they might be related with increased IOP. Other classes of antidepressants seem to be of lower risk. Antipsychotics do not seem to be greatly associated with angle closure, although there are some case reports. There are descriptions of the potencial use of haloperidol, anti-convulsive mood stabilizers, with exception of topiramate, melatonin and anti-dementia drugs on the treatment of this condition. In practice, benzodiazepines do not seem to precipate angle-closure. Methamphetamines are contraindicated. Eletroconvulsive therapy its an option.

Although not prevalent, angle-closure glaucoma can have serious implications and culminate in irreversible blindness. In patients with known risk-factors its important to have it on consideration at the time of the prescription and warn on seeking immediate help if having acute ocular pain, redness and/ or cloudy vision.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected ones well-being. ICU healthcare providers are particularly concerned by this impact which includes physical, mental and socioeconomic repercussions. Others health dimensions could be deeply affected but not well explored such as the psycho-sexual status.

The aim of this study was to assess sexual health status among ICU healthcare providers.

This was a cross-sectional study enrolling Tunisian ICU healthcare providers and conducted between July and September 2021. Data collection was based on a self-administrated questionnaire. To assess sexuality, Arabic validated versions of the IIEF-15 and the FSFI was used for male and female respectively. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the Rosenberg Self-esteem questionnaire were also used.

Twenty ICU workers (13 physicians and 7 nurses) were enrolled. The mean age was 28.2 years and the sex ratio was 2.3. All participants were involved in COVID-19 crisis management and 80 % reported an increase in their workload. The mean Rosenberg scale was 27 suggesting a low self-esteem. The mean Covid19 Fear Scale was 26 ± 2. For the IIEF-15 the mean score was 17 ± 3 (moderate erectyl dysfunction) and the most damaged dimension was the intercourse satisfaction. For the FSFI scale, the mean was 23 ± 5 witch (a low sexual dysfunction). A high sexual desire with a lack in the satisfaction dimension was reported in 90% of cases. Only 4 participants have consulted a sexologist.

COVID-19 has a serious sexual impact in ICU healthcare providers justifying urgent psychological interventions.

No significant relationships.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is one of the most urgent problems of psychiatry because of their high prevalence, diagnostic difficulties as well as insufficient knowledge of the pathogenetic mechanisms.

To determine the number of inflammation markers in patients with various forms of ASD in links with features of a clinical condition for creating diagnostic criteria for differential diagnosis and improve reliability.

The clinical examination of patients (135 children with various ASD forms) was carried out by using psychometric scales (CARS, BFCRS, CGI-S). The activity of inflammation markers (LE and α1-PI) and the level of autoantibodies to S-100b and MBP were measured in plasma. Complex evaluation of immune system activation was also conducted, taking into consideration interactions of innate and adaptive immunity.

Non-psychotic ASD forms (Asperger’s syndrome and Kanner’s syndrome) were not accompanied by a change of the immunological indices in comparison with control. In psychotic ASD forms, a significant increase of the studied indices was revealed (р<0.05). Correlation between the complex evaluation of the immune system activation and the stage of the disease (r=0.49, р<0.05) was demonstrated. Also the significant correlations between the severity of autistic disorders according to CARS (r=0.48, p<0.05), catatonic disorders by BFCRS (r=0.42, p<0.05), and the assessment by CGI (r= 0.61, p<0.05) were observed.

The immune markers as well as their complex evaluation may be used as additional diagnostic criteria in the clinical examination for differential ASD diagnostics and assessment of the quality of remission, and also monitoring of the patient condition.

No significant relationships.

Sleep disturbances are common following traumatic brain injury (TBI) worsening morbidity and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. Post-TBI alterations in sleep architecture require further study.

(1) To evaluate polysomnographic measures of sleep architecture in participants with history of TBI compared to controls and as meta-analyses of pooled means. (2) To evaluate effects of timing and severity of TBI on polysomnographic outcomes.

PRISMA compliant systematic review was conducted of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Scopus. Inclusion criteria: 1) reporting polysomnography in the context of TBI and 2) operationalizing TBI using clear/formalized criteria. Data were pooled in random-effects meta-analyses with outcomes expressed as mean differences (MD).

In participants with TBI, sleep was comprised of 19.39% REM sleep, 8.13% N1, 51.18% N2, and 17.53% N3, as determined by meta-analyses of single means. Total sleep time was reduced in chronic (>6 months) TBI compared to acute-intermediate TBI (<6 months) (p=0.01). Compared to controls, participants with TBI differed with increased N1 sleep (MD=0.64%; 95%CI=0.02,1.25; p=0.04), reduced sleep efficiency (MD=-1.65%; 95%CI=-3.18,-0.12; p=0.03), and reduced sleep latency on the multiple sleep latency test (MD=-5.90mins; 95%CI=-10.09,-1.72; p<0.01). On sub-group analyses, participants with mild TBI differed from controls with reduced total sleep time (MD=-29.22mins, 95%CI=-54.16,-4.27; p=0.02). Similarly, participants with acute-intermediate TBI exhibited increased sleep latency compared to controls (MD=8.96mins; 95%CI=4.07,13.85; p<0.01) and differed significantly from participants with chronic TBI (X2(1,N=608)=6.54; p=0.01).

Sleep architecture is altered following TBI with potential implications regarding functional outcomes and recovery. These alterations appear to differ based on severity of injury and time since injury.

No significant relationships.

Megalomanic ideas in a patient with limited intellectual functioning may be due to the psychotic clinic or be the result of their disability.

This case is intended to highlight the importance of a joint approach between psychiatrists and psychologists to assess functionality before and after the psychotic episode.

34-year-old woman with no mental health history. She came to the emergency department for an episode of aggression at home. Her parents report that they have observed strange behaviour, she is more aggressive, speaks alone, changing voices and global insomnia in the last few days. Her language is incoherent and disorganised, with a long response latency. Megalomaniacal and catastrophic delusions. Possible auditory hallucinations and thought control phenomena.

During admission, antipsychotic treatment was introduced with good tolerance and response on the part of the patient. She has been distancing herself from the ideas and has become somewhat critical. A psychological evaluation was carried out with different scales that showed borderline IQ.

It is important to make a good assessment of the patient’s symptoms in order to make a differential diagnosis. In this case, it is advisable to carry out a control and follow-up, as well as a neuropsychological assessment before and after the acute episode. In addition, a multidisciplinary approach with psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers is important.

No significant relationships.

There is a well-established body of investigations showing that the experience of shame is associated with eating disorders symptoms. Meta-analytical data indicate that body shame is one type of shame that seems to be especially relevant in case of eating disorders. While there are many studies which investigated the association between the predisposition to feel ashamed about one’s body and eating disturbance, there are virtually no inquires on how momentary body shame is related to disturbed eating behaviors.

In this study we aimed to investigate the relationship between momentary body shame and disturbed eating behaviors using an intensive longitudinal design.

Females with high levels of eating disorders symptoms completed five, randomly-initiated surveys per day delivered via a smartphone application for a total of two weeks. The survey evaluated the level of body shame and disturbed eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating, purging, excessive exercises, body checking).

Preliminary results indicate that higher levels of body shame are associated with higher levels of disturbed eating behaviors. The level of body shame was higher in binge eating days compared with non-binge eating days.

Fluctuations in body shame seem to contribute to the maintenance of disturbed eating behaviors. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

No significant relationships.

The association between low birth weight and attention problems in childhood has been replicated many times (e.g. Momany, Kamradt, & Nikolas, 2018). However birth weight is unlikely the aetiological start-point of this association, as birth weight is itself the product of many prenatal factors e.g. gestational complications, maternal toxin exposure during pregnancy and basic demographics.

We explore (1) which prenatal factors best predict attention problems in two independant population-based cohorts of children (2) which associations, if any, are moderated by sex and (3) we report accuracy statistics of our prenatal prediction algorithm for attention problems.

Participants were children aged 9 from ABCD study from the United States (N > 9,000) and the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study from Ireland (N > 6,000). Selected variables included familial pscyhiatric history, maternal smoking during gestation, prescription and non-prescription drug-use during gestation and a variety of gestational complications. All interactions with sex were also included. We used 5-fold cross-validation and elastic net regression (glmnet) to identify the optimal predictors of attention problems (measured by CBCL and SDQ).

Strongest predictors of attention problems in the U.S. cohort included male sex, number of drugs used during pregnancy, number of family members with a history of mental illness, and number of gestational complications. Sex interacted with several of these risks. Protective factors included being a twin/triplet, being Asian, having higher household income and higher parental education level.

Several risk factors for childhood attention problems were identified across both cohorts, supporting their generalizabilty. Other findings were cohort-specific.

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.