Menopause marks a significant physiological transition in a woman’s life, often accompanied by various health challenges. Understanding the impact of physical activity on postural abilities in menopausal women is crucial for promoting their overall well-being during this transformative stage.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a physical activity program on postural abilities, psychological well-being, and the quality of life of menopausal women.

Nineteen menopausal women, averaging 56±3 years of age, participated in a 12-week Zumba-style physical training program, consisting of three 50-minute sessions per week. The exercise regimen incorporated aerobic workouts, muscle conditioning, balance exercises, and flexibility training, predominantly inspired by Latin dances. Postural balance was evaluated using a stabilometric force platform, measuring the average velocity of the center of pressure (COPvm) under open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE) conditions on both firm and soft surfaces. Quality of life and mood were assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire (Short Form Survey-36) and the BMIS score (Brief Mood Introspection Scale). Assessments were conducted before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the 12-week training period.

The findings revealed a significant decrease in COPvm values in the post-test for both conditions (on a firm surface: OE p=0.05, CE p=0.01; on a soft surface: OE p=0.001, CE p=0.05). Additionally, improvements in mood (p=0.05) and quality of life (p=0.05) were observed compared to baseline values.

This study underscores the positive impact of Zumba-style physical training on postural abilities, mood, and quality of life among menopausal women. These results suggest that such exercise programs hold promise in reducing the risk and incidence of falls associated with menopause

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Health science students in post-secondary institutions experience high levels of depression and anxiety due to increased stress levels, workload, low socioeconomic status, and history of family mental illness, among other factors. Given the significant negative impact that depression and anxiety can have on undergraduate health science students, it is essential to understand the prevalence and correlation of these conditions in this population.

This scoping review aims to identify, document and analyze the literature on the prevalence and determinants of anxiety and depression among undergraduate health sciences students and identify gaps in knowledge for future research.

The scoping review was planned and executed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for the Scoping Reviews statement. A comprehensive and systematic search was carried out for five databases, namely MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL and PubMed.

From the literature identified by our search strategy, the lowest prevalence for anxiety was 5.8%, and the highest was 82.6%, with a median of 44.25%. The prevalence of depression ranged from a high of 88.8% to a low of 2.1%, with a median value of 34.8%. Our analysis revealed that correlates of anxiety and depression among health science students include sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, gender, relationships, ethnicity and family history, personal health conditions, and academic and socioeconomic issues.

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With the high incidence of anxiety and depression among health science students, there is an increasing need to find practical remedies to support these students. It is also essential for policymakers and university authorities to implement interventions such as supportive text messages and other strategies geared toward providing support and improving the psychological well-being of health science students.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and personality disorders are highly comorbid. There is some evidence that trauma-focused treatment normalises activation in brain areas involved in the fear circuit and regions involved in emotion regulation in people with PTSD. Although we assume that working mechanism of personality disorder treatments relies on improving emotion regulation and associated brain regions, there is as of yet little evidence of neurobiological effects of personality treatment on people with PTSD and comorbid PD.

To 1) study the effect of trauma-focused and/or trauma-focused and personality disorder treatment n brain activation in participants with PTSD and comorbid personality disorders and 2) relate change in brain activation to symptom improvement.

Participants with PTSD and comorbid borderline and/or cluster c personality disorders from the PROSPER-trials (Prediction and Outcome Study for PTSD and personality disorders) were randomized to either trauma-focused treatment (TFT) or TFT with personality disorder treatment (TFT+PT). Brain activation was measured with an emotional face task during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning before and after treatment. Regions of interest for the analyses were the amygdala, dorsal ACC, insula, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), ventrolateral PFC and dorsolateral PFC. Bayesian multilevel analyses were conducted to analyze change in brain activation. Clinical measures were clinician-administered PTSD severity, self-rated emotion regulation problems, depression severity and dissociation severity.

We included 42 participants with a pre- and posttreatment scan (24 with TFT, 18 TFT+PT). Analyses on the pre-post data are currently being run and will be presented in April.

This is one of the first studies to conduct functional MRI analyses on treatment in participants with both PTSD and personality disorders.

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In this section, the speaker will present the results from a recent longitudinal study performed by the work group, in which a cohort of 265 patients admitted with a manic episode were followed up during three years after hospital discharge to identify acute readmissions due to affective relapses. The study of different sociodemographic and clinical variables potentially implicated in a higher risk of readmission over three years is presented, including adherence to treatment, substance use, number of previous episodes, family history, predominant polarity, treatments used and number of visits to the Emergency Department.

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Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 5% of adults. Individuals with ADHD often display symptoms of inattention, including poor time management and difficulty concentrating and completing tasks. Hyperactivity frequently attenuates over time and transforms into inner restlessness, leading to workaholic behaviors. Impulsive symptoms, on the other hand, may manifest as irritability and low frustration tolerance.

To describe the workplace challenges that adults with ADHD face and to explore strategies to improve their occupational outcomes.

A non-systematic review of the clinical literature available in PubMed was conducted using the keywords: “employment” and “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”.

Individuals diagnosed with ADHD, in contrast to those without the condition, statistically exhibit poorer job performance and increased lateness, job instability, workplace injuries, particularly traffic accidents, comorbid diseases, and financial problems. Therefore, they often work harder to compensate for their limitations however the findings regarding the health impact of such high job demands are inconsistent. Stimulant therapy during childhood is the main predictor of successful adult employment. Contrarily, risk factors for workplace impairment in ADHD include female gender, executive deficits, lower IQ, less education, combined/inattentive subtype, and history of substance abuse, depression, or anxiety. It was also demonstrated that ADHD individuals may thrive in manual and creative roles and hyperactivity can benefit self-employment. Psychiatrists should offer psychoeducation, along with psychostimulants if necessary, as it is the first-line treatment. Nonetheless, the long-term impact of pharmacological treatment on professional outcomes remains unclear. Although most employers lack ADHD knowledge, workplace strategies including well-defined duties, feedback, job control, and flexibility have been shown to effectively mitigate ADHD symptoms.

Evidence suggests that a significant amount of employees with ADHD face challenges in finding and keeping a job. Thus, identifying and treating ADHD in adulthood is imperative to help them selecting careers that align with their strengths and weaknesses, which are partially influenced by ADHD, and to promote optimal occupational health. This effort requires collaboration between psychiatry and occupational health professionals. Additionally, it is necessary to start implementing educational campaigns among workforce teams to effectively accommodate workers with ADHD. Further studies are needed to develop occupational programs and rehabilitating interventions tailored to this population.

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As part of the intervention, patients with severe schizophrenia who are cared for in psychiatric rehabilitation units need psychological treatments. However, there is great variability within the psychotherapy alternatives that are proposed for rehabilitation in schizophrenia, and it is necessary to know which are the most efficient interventions in order to prioritize their inclusion in intervention programs.

To know the level of evidence of the existing psychotherapy alternatives for the rehabilitation treatment in schizophrenia through the systematic review of recently published studies.

Consecutive systematic searches in the scientific literature were used in a sensitive and specific way, aimed at identifying the existence of documents in databases and clinical practice guidelines based on evidence of psychological treatment in schizophrenia. Psychosocial and social approaches and family members interventions were excluded, and the search was limited to the last 5 years. The PICO format has been used, and a subsequent critical reading using the AGREE II tool, considering the inclusion criteria of presenting a score >60% in 4 domains.

The following interventions have been found to be therapeutically effective: Level 1B (Early intervention in Psychosis; Patient and Family psychoeducational intervention; Basic ando social skills training; Social cognition and Metakognition training; Cognitive Remediation; Cognitive Behavioral Individual Therapy; Assertive Community treatment; Supported employment). Level 2B (Family Problem Solving Therapy, Dynamic Psychotherapy; Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy); Level 2C (Horticultural, Art, Music, Animals Therapies).

Several psychotherapy alternatives are proposed for rehabilitation in schizophrenia, with known level of evidenca in order to prioritize their inclusion in intervention programs.

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Chronic consumption of alcohol has clear deleterious effects on the nervous system. Among its less-recognized consequences are subacute and chronic alcohol-induced psychotic disorders. Lasègue, Garnier, Magnan, and Michaux provided exhaustive clinical descriptions of different presentations of subacute alcoholic delusional disorder, while Kraepelin, Allamagny, and Neveu defined the characteristics of chronic alcoholic hallucinatory psychosis. Both conditions are characterized by the occurrence of hallucinations and vivid dream-like content in their delusions, along with potential emotional detachment from the symptoms. Presently, both conditions are categorized under the generic term ‘Alcohol-Induced Psychotic Disorder,’ with limited available scientific literature.

Our goal is to bring attention to the existence of subacute and chronic alcohol-induced psychosis in individuals with long-term alcohol users.

Case report using clinical records and a non-systematic literature review.

A 63-year-old male, with a forty-year history of chronic alcoholism and no other prior mental health issues, was admitted in the emergency department. He conveyed vague delusional notions regarding his roommate and described vivid morning dreams in which he tried to communicate but couldn’t speak. This led him to believe his roommate harboured harmful intentions. Additionally, he mentioned that for the past two months, he had developed a telepathic connection with his sister and his deceased mother, with whom he felt he communicated without speaking. He described feeling strangement and anxiety concerning these experiences, which he firmly believed to be undeniably real. He reported being able to hear the voices of his mother and sister. He also described short-term memory problems dating back two years. He denied any other psychopathology and exhibited probable ideational and emotional impoverishment secondary to chronic alcohol consumption. Confirmation of the patient’s account was provided by his family members. The prescribed treatment included antipsychotic medication and a recommendation for alcohol abstinence.

Descriptions of chronic and subacute alcohol-induced psychoses are found in early psychiatric textbooks but have been omitted from contemporary classifications. While their incidence is low among chronic alcohol users, they represent a severe clinical entity. These disorders are usually distinguished by the presence of delusions and vivid hallucinations characterized by dream-like content. This distinct symptomatology aids in the accurate differentiation from other psychotic disorders and clinicians should be aware of their existence.

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The mortality rate among individuals experiencing homelessness tends to be premature and is linked to mental disorders and chronic diseases. In Spain, there is a significant gap in the study of mortality among individuals in situations of residential exclusion with real clinical data.

This study aims to analyze mortality among individuals experiencing homelessness and its relationship with mental disorders and chronic diseases.

An observational and prospective longitudinal study was conducted on a cohort of 855 homeless individuals in the province of Girona over a 15-year period. Sociodemographic variables, mental health conditions, chronic diseases, and infections were analyzed, employing descriptive and inferential analyses. A binary logistic regression model was created to establish explanatory relationships between mortality and associated variables.

Among the participants, 87.7% were males with an average age of 53.03 years. A majority of 62.8% were foreign-born, mainly from Africa and Europe. It was identified that 40.8% had mental disorders, with substance dependencies (41.3%) and other disorders (36.4%) being the most prevalent. A total of 30.6% presented chronic diseases, notably hypertension (12.8%) and type 2 diabetes (10.9%). Furthermore, 22.3% had infections, with hepatitis C virus (8.7%) and HIV (4.7%) being the most common. During the follow-up period, 81 individuals (16.4%) passed away, with causes such as cancer (25%), suicide (21.7%), and heart conditions (11.7%).

The regression analysis demonstrated that age (OR = 0.915; 95% CI 0.884-0.947), alcohol addiction (OR = 2.354; 95% CI 1.486-3.731), and being born in Spain (OR = 2.906; 95% CI 1.594-5.299) were significantly associated with mortality in the homeless population.

This study highlights the high prevalence of mental disorders, chronic diseases, and infections among individuals experiencing homelessness. Mortality was associated with factors such as age, alcohol addiction, and place of birth. These findings underscore the importance of developing interventions aimed at enhancing the health and care of individuals experiencing homelessness, particularly within the immigrant population.

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Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder characterized by unstable relationships, a tendency to self–destruction, affective and behavioral dysregulation and BPD are a clinical problem

Early detection and timely intervention for BPD is becoming a new public health priority as it helps prevent the adverse personal, social and economic consequences of the disorder. Borderline personality disorder first manifests itself, as a rule, in adolescence, so it is easy to mistake it for manifestations of “difficult age” characteristic of the period of growing up. In this sense, the typical signs of borderline personality disorder are not original: low self-esteem, emotional excitability, impulsive behavior and sudden mood swings, to one degree or another characteristic of all adolescents. An alarming exception is, perhaps, only a tendency to self-harm and, the so-called, desocialization of a teenager, the loss of social skills and connections (for example, friendships). Recently, experts have increasingly mentioned desocialization in connection with the development of Internet technologies and gadgets that replace communication in real life for many teenagers

An anonymous survey of 57 older teenagers conducted. The degree of borderline personality disorder assessed using IPDE, STAI, and CDI. Statistical processing of the results carried out in Microsoft Excel using measures of the central trend (arithmetic mean, standard deviation) and correlation analysis. The significance of the differences between the groups was determined using the Student’s t-test (p < 0.05)

On average, the level of BPD among the respondents was at a low level of 9.81 (±4.43) points. The severity of personal anxiety was at a high level of 45.02 (±13.25) points, situational anxiety was also at a high level of 41.14 (±14.93). The severity of depression was above average and amounted to 55.84 (±14.33) points

Teenage girls are more prone to anxiety and depression than boys are. High anxiety causes a tendency to depression, and these two factors affect the occurrence of PRL. The average score does not affect the manifestations of anxiety, depression and the occurrence of BPD

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New drugs in the treatment of dual psychosis: use of cariprazine in schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders and use of cocaine. A case series in a specific outpatient psychiatric clinic for substance use disorders.

The main objective of this case series is to observe and describe the tolerability and clinical response to different doses of cariprazine in a series of patients with dual psychosis, especifically cocaine users; with a special attention upon psychotic symptoms, disruptive behaviour, affective symptoms and cocaine use pattern.

This series consists of an observation of a total of 20 patients treated on an outpatient basis. All of them had a either a diagnosis of Schizophrenia or Other Non Specified Psychotic Disorder meeting the DSM-5 criteria, as well as a Cocaine Use Related Disorder meeting the DSM-5 criteria. All of them received treatment with cariprazine in different doses from 1,5mg to 6mg per day, as a solo treatment or as an adjuvant to another previous antipsychotic treatment when antipsychotic augmentation was justified. We observed patients that had started cariprazine in the past three months and that had active drug use or had had one in the past three months.

We monitored the tolerance to the treatment, the clinical response in terms of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, affective symptoms, disruptive behavior, and the response in terms of substance use; for a period of six months of follow-up, with psychiatric consultation at least every month and nurse consultation every two weeks in our clinic.

95% of the patients did not present any side effect related to cariprazine. In one patient (5%) the treatment had to be stopped due to akathisia that did not disappear after two weeks and symptomatic treatment with benzodiacepines. 60% of patients either stopped using (50%) or reduced their use frequency (50%). 70% of the patients presented an improvement in positive symptoms and behavior. Also, one third of them presented a slight improvement in negative symptoms. 20% of patients referred a significant improve in depressive symptoms.

The main conclusion of this case series is that cariprazine at any dosis between 3mg and 6mg per day has a positive outcome, both in the psychotic domain and the substance use disorder. We hope this case series will help our colleagues treat their patients suffering from these pathologies in an optimal way. This could also set a basis to encourage a proper clinical trial to assess if new antipsychotics such as cariprazine could be a new standard for the treatment of Dual Disorders.

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Perfectionism is often seen as a beneficial trait for trainee doctors since it means they have high standards and a drive for success. However, it demands a flawless level of performance regardless of one’s physical or mental health and well-being. Consequently, perfectionism is now viewed from a different perspective.

We aimed to study the impact of perfectionism among doctors in training on their self-esteem.

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study among trainee doctors. The following psychometric instruments were used: The “Work Addiction Risk Test” and the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”.

We included 99 doctors in training. Their mean age was 27.6± 2.2 years. The sex ratio (♂/♀) was 0.33. Most participants were single (63.6%) and of middle socioeconomic level (86%). Tobacco use was reported in 6.1% of cases, and alcohol use in 4.1% of cases. Among all participants, 58 % had low or very low self-esteem. The mean score of Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was 30±5.13 and the mean score of the big three perfectionism scale short form was 41.11±13. Higher self-esteem scores was significantly associated with lower self-critical perfectionism scores.

Our results point to the negative impact of self-critical perfectionism on self-esteem. In fact, perfectionism can hold you back, both personally and professionally. Perfectionists see their own self-worth as tied to what they achieve, and they believe that others judge them on this as well. They can never live up to the standards they set for themselves, and this can lead to a downward spiral of self-criticism and blame.

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Mental health problems have increased following the pandemic and are associated with considerable health, economic and societal outcomes, particularly affecting youth. In co-creation with young people several European prevention and early intervention strategies to promote mental wellbeing of youth are currently being developed. The development and implementation of easy-access youth mental services across Europe will be presented and discussed. In addition pilot data of online, hybrid treatment platforms and self-management ecological momentary intervention apps will be presented. Ultimately the aim is: 1) to develop clinical guidelines, best practices, and policy recommendations to mitigate the youth mental health challenges and 2) improve (cost-) effectiveness of early intervention strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health, including enhancing mental health literacy, resilience and self-management, while 3) actively involving young people in the process of these innovative developments. To amplify the reach, campaigns designed in co-creation with young people, to increase awareness, literacy, wellbeing and help-seeking among young people, targeting schools, further-education colleges, universities and other specific settings will need to be developed, specifically paying attention to high-risk groups within this young population, including children of parents with mental disorders, migrants, young people growing up in poverty, those in/leaving care, and the LGBTQ+ community, with coordination across domains: schools, general practitioners, and specialized mental healthcare facilities.

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Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide. The psychiatric disorder that is most strongly associated with suicide is depression. It is crucial to develop clinical tools that can provide objective data to assess suicide risk in clinical settings. Depression and high suicide risk may lead to physiological changes that can affect the speech pattern. Prior research has indicated that the acoustic and prosodic characteristics of speech may hold potential clues for assessing suicide risk. Additionally, specific speech parameters may serve as discriminators for identifying individuals at risk. In recent years, deep learning-based models have yielded successful results in identifying such alterations in speech signals.

The aim of our study was to examine specific voice analysis parameters between control, depressive and high suicide risk groups. We also aimed to investigate the effect of voice-related variables in predicting suicidal behavior in patients with depression using an artificial intelligence model. The results of voice analysis are intended to serve as a starting point for the development of future artificial intelligence algorithms.

The study sample consisted of 30 near-term suicidal patients, 30 patients with major depression and 30 healthy controls. The participants were presented with a pre-determined text and a voice recording was carried out. Feature extraction and model training for three tasks, namely depression or not, suicide or not, and depression or suicide were carried out. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs), deep learning-based (VGGish), formant and prosodic features were extracted to analyze the sound characteristics of the participants. The Support Vector Machine was used as the machine learning algorithm for classification and the three models were trained for each task. A 10-fold cross-validation was carried out and presented by metrics including accuracy, precision, sensitivity and specificity.

Among the metrics examined, MFCCs for the “Suicide or not” task were found to be more successful with rates of 0.90, 0.88, 0.93 and 0.86 for accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively. MFCCs were also more successful for the “Depression or suicide” task with rates of 0.68, 0.66, 0.76, and 0.60 for accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively. Among the metrics examined for the “Depressed or not” task, VGGish was more successful with rates of 0.73, 0.81, 0.70, and 0.76 for accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively.

To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to compare the VGGish and other features of speech (MFCCs, prosodic, formant features) between high suicide risk, depression and control groups. Classification parameters developed using the VGGish and MFCCs features of speech could be useful in predicting suicide risk in future studies.

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A person diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, must face labels and discriminiation most of the time. Fear of these undermines the motivation of people in need to seek help. A special example of this phenomenon is the case of people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder, avoiding the additional stigma of homelessness and therefore do not seek any help for their mental ill-health. Availability of the specific services complicates their problem.

Fear of stigma, trauma, and previous bad experiences of using services also keep people experiencing homelessness away from services.

In Hungary, the February Third Working Group (F3) Report on the 2020 Homelessness Survey After the Penal Code - Before the Pandemic Homelessness - Services Perspectives by Péter Győri shows in his summary paper that only 29% had received psychiatric treatment.

Methodology Center of Social and Its Institutions (BMSZKI), in collaboration with the Awakenings Foundation, developed a complex rehabilitation service for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder. This presentation aims to present this good practice.

Complex rehabilitation based on the methodology of community psychiatric care with the involvement of peer support.

• - provision of community psychiatric care for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder,

• - introduction of screening for effective care of undiagnosed persons with mental disorders,

• - provision of outpatient and day hospital care

• - focus of care in accommodation services on persons with mental disorders,

• - the involvement of peer-support work in the service,

• - building a network of contact points, organizing case conferences,

• - developing and organizing training on recovery-based rehabilitation for people with mental disorders in cooperation between the two organizations,

• - telemedicine, making digital mental health available

• - presence of resources represented by self-help groups

• - running a working group to promote improvements based on practical experience homelessness and mental disorder.

extra-institutional teamwork multiplies the resources for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder.

mental disorder, homelessness, community psychiatric care, peer support, collaboration

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The treatment of dual disorders, the co-occurrence of a major psychiatric disorder and a substance use disorder, represents a great challenge. Recent articles recommend antipsychotics with a dopamine partial agonism as first line treatment for these patients. Studies also postulate that drugs targeting the dopamine D3 receptors specifically might have an advantage, as these receptors are involved in drug-related reward, drug-seeking, and drug-intake behaviour. One compound that has both, partial agonist- and D3- activity is cariprazine.

To evaluate the real-world evidence of the effectiveness of cariprazine in patients with dual disorders.

We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed, looking for English language articles published between January 2017 - September 2023 with the following search terms: (cariprazine) AND (psychosis OR schizophrenia OR schizoaffective OR bipolar depression OR bipolar mania OR bipolar disorder OR major depressive disorder) AND (“substance use disorder” OR cocaine OR alcohol OR cannabis OR heroin OR “double diagnosis” OR “dual diagnosis”) NOT (animal OR rat OR mouse) NOT (review or meta-analysis). An additional targeted hand search of congress reports, posters, and case reports was also conducted.

The search yielded 8 articles with 11 case reports. Mental health disorders included psychosis, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, PTSD, and bipolar disorder while the abused substances were methamphetamine, cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine. All case reports described an improvement in both the symptoms of mental and substance use disorder with reduced craving and drug use and in some cases even ceasing drug use all together.

In summary, evidence suggests that cariprazine seem to be a potential candidate for dual disorders as it improves symptoms of both mental and substance use disorders.

Á. Barabássy Employee of: Gedeon Richter Plc., Z. Dombi Employee of: Gedeon Richter Plc., R. Csehi Employee of: Gedeon Richter Plc., D. Djuric Employee of: Gedeon Richter Plc., G. Németh Employee of: Gedeon Richter Plc.

Depressive disorders frequently coexist with chronic medical conditions like heart failure (HF), significantly impacting patients’ overall health and quality of life. This study aims to explore the correlation between soluble ST2 molecule levels and the presence of depressive disorders in patients with heart failure.

A total of 200 patients, all diagnosed with heart failure, were included in this study. Among them, 30 patients were mentally healthy, and the remaining 170 exhibited medium-level depressive disorders. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for soluble ST2 levels to assess the potential correlation between depressive disorders and soluble ST2 levels in patients with heart failure.

A total of 200 patients, all diagnosed with heart failure, were included in this study. Among them, 30 patients were mentally healthy, and the remaining 170 exhibited medium-level depressive disorders. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for soluble ST2 levels to assess the potential correlation between depressive disorders and soluble ST2 levels in patients with heart failure.

The study demonstrated a statistically significant finding, indicating that the levels of soluble ST2 were 1.6 times higher in patients with depression and comorbid heart failure compared to mentally healthy individuals with heart failure.

This study elucidates a statistically significant correlation between medium-level depressive disorders and elevated soluble ST2 levels in patients with coexisting heart failure, shedding light on the potential role of soluble ST2 as a biomarker in identifying and managing depressive disorders in heart failure patients. The observed 1.6-fold increase in soluble ST2 levels in heart failure patients with depression emphasizes the importance of mental health assessment and intervention in individuals with chronic medical conditions, particularly heart failure, to enhance overall care and outcomes.

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juvenile chronic depression is characterized by high prevalence, difficulties in diagnosis, nosological qualification and prognostic assessment. According to epidemiological data, the frequency of these conditions ranges from 1.5% to 3% in the general population (Gutiérrez-Rojas et al. Braz. J. Psychiatr 2020; 42 657-672), and among all depressions in adolescence, a chronic course develops in about 20% of cases (Blanco C., 2010 et al. The J clinical psychiatry 2010; 71(12) 6501). Due to the polymorphism of the clinical picture and the peculiarities of juvenile ontogenesis, difficulties arise in nosological and prognostic assessment.

to study the long-term prognosis of chronic depression, depending on the variant of its course.

Catamnestic examination was performed on 64 patients of adolescent age (16-25 years), for chronic depressive state lasting more than two years (F31.3, F31.4, F32 (except F32.3), F33 (except F33.3), F34, F34.1, F21, F20 according to ICD-10). The duration of the catamnesis is more than 10 years. The PSP scale was used for psychometric assessment.

when analyzing the ten-year course of juvenile chronic depression, three variants were identified: regredient (23.4%), monotonous (35.9%) and progredient (40.6%). The regredient course was characterized by a marked reduction or disappearance of psychopathological disorders with the formation of further remission with a high level of functioning in all spheres of life and complete social and labor adaptation (81-100 points on the PSP scale). The monotonous course was characterized by low variability and insignificant dynamics of individual manifestations throughout the disease with the preservation or some decrease in the level of educational and labor adaptation with the restoration of previous social contacts and a fairly high quality of life (scores 61-80 on the PSP scale). The progressive course was characterized by the gradual addition of new psychopathological disorders, or the aggravation of existing ones, patients had a distinct decrease in educational, labor and social adaptation (scores 50-31 on the PSP scale) or complete maladaptation of all spheres of life (scores <40 on the PSP scale).

The high incidence of progressive and monotonous course in juvenile chronic depression, contributing to a decrease in the level of functioning of patients, indicates the importance of timely detection of these conditions and the need for careful selection of therapy.

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Many mental health conditions, including anxiety, mood disorders, and depression, can be effectively treated at a relatively low cost. Exercise interventions can be a therapeutic strategy, but even though exercise has consistently been shown to improve physical health, cognitive function, and psychological well-being, as well as reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, this intervention is often neglected in mental health care services.

The study aims to assess the feasibility of incorporating an Exercise Intervention Program (EIP) as a therapeutic pathway within the Mental Health and Addictions Program (MHAP) in Nova Scotia, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the program on mental health outcomes and incremental costs, and the patient acceptability and satisfaction with the program.

This proof-of-concept study has a pragmatic, prospective, controlled observational design with an embedded one-phase qualitative component. Patients with a primary diagnosis of depression or anxiety attending the Rapid Assessment and Stabilization Program (RASP, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) will be offered to receive 60-minute exercise sessions three times per week, per 12 weeks. Patients with similar mental health conditions that have opted to wait for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with the community provider and declined from the EIP will be part of the control group. A certified recreational therapist will conduct the EIP. Participants of both groups (EIP and control condition) will be assessed at baseline and then weekly for four weeks, six weeks and then at 12 weeks post-enrollment. Primary outcomes include differences in the mean change in functional (well-being, resilience, and recovery) and symptom variables (depression, anxiety, and suicidal risk), which will be assessed through online validated scales/questionnaires. Service variables (patient acceptance and satisfaction) and health care utilization (crisis calls, emergency department visits, hospital admissions and readmissions, length of stay for each admission) will comprise the secondary outcomes.

The results of the study will provide information about the effectiveness of EIP in the treatment of anxiety and depression compared to those only wait-listed to receive CBT or counselling from a CMHA provider. The study will also inform about the acceptability and satisfaction of the EIP, as well as the incremental cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to the control condition.

This proof-of-concept study will demonstrate the effectiveness of EIP as an adjunctive or alternative therapeutic option for the treatment of anxiety and depression in patients seeking mental health support from the MHAP in Nova Scotia.

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Paraphrenia, classically known as a chronic delusional-hallucinatory psychosis, currently has an uncertain nosological status, not being included in DSM-5 either. It can be integrated into the group of schizophrenic and delusional psychoses, but with obvious distinctive attributes. Currently, in the context of the increase in the incidence of childhood autism, the psychopathological pictures from the spectrum of psychoses in adulthood are also diversifying. Paraphrenic clinical pictures retain their specificity regarding the subject’s functioning in life roles and the absence of cognitive impairment despite the absurdity of delusional ideas while maintaining a good insertion in reality.

We refer to patients who can be classically classified in the diagnosis of paraphrenia, with the aim of bringing back into question the validity and authenticity of this nosological entity.

The case descriptions aim to highlight the common clinical-evolutionary attributes and the distinctive ones between paraphrenia and other schizophrenic and delusional psychoses, emphasizing the differentiations corresponding to the involvement of personality and the ability to function in life roles.

It is confirmed that in the case of subjects who can be classified as paraphrenic, fundamental personality structures are preserved, a good adaptation in roles with insignificant cognitive deterioration phenomena, a well-preserved insight but with a high potential of unpredictability so characteristic of the world of psychoses.

We believe that paraphrenia remains a psychopathological and clinical entity within which, although opposites coexist, the reporting and adaptation to objective reality is preserved - thanks to “double accounting”. From this perspective, paraphrenia confirms its distinct nosological status.

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Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a major public health concern on a global scale. The increasing prevalence of ASD worldwide, coupled with the arising demand for treatments, underscores its important role in the public mental health discourse. Ensuring the equitable integration of children with ASD and their families into all aspects of society becomes an imperative task, in order to eradicate the stigma associated with the broad spectrum of autism, encompassing both visible and concealed dimensions.

The primary objective of this study was to determine the crude prevalence of ASD in Greece nationwide, while also examining regional disparities in both prevalence and therapies. The study spanned a three-year period from February 2019 to February 2022 and relied on retrospective data sourced from the Greek National Organization for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY).

EOPYY provided de-identified data, including information such as sex, age, diagnosis, and treatment for each child, facilitated by hashed social security numbers. Statistical analysis of the dataset was performed using the open-source statistical program R.

A total of 18,245 children aged 2 -17 years were diagnosed with ASD in Greece, representing a nationwide crude prevalence rate of 1.16%. Regional disparities were evident, with prevalence rates ranging from 0.49% in the North Aegean to 1.57% in Crete. Over the three-year study period, a total of 15,328,327 non-medical therapies were prescribed, corresponding to an annual average of 264 therapies per child. Statistically significant differences between the thirteen regions in Greece were observed, ranging from 230 to 323 annual therapies per child.

Our findings align Greece’s ASD prevalence with the global estimate of 1 in 100 children, as per the World Health Organization. Disparities between rural and urban areas in Greece may be attributed to differences in diagnostic procedures and the availability and accessibility of specialized services for autistic individuals. Thus, the establishment of a national surveillance system for ASD is recommended to enhance our understanding of the autism spectrum, monitor changes in prevalence, and identify potential contributing factors to autism conditions. Furthermore, these evidence-based results offer invaluable insights for crafting policies concerning healthcare, education, and employment for individuals with ASD in order to ensure the development of people with autism, their wellbeing, and a good quality of life.

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