Aggressive and disruptive behaviors often precede the onset of schizophrenia. In this register-based follow-up study with a case-control design, we wanted to investigate if serious delinquency was associated with future diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (here, broadly defined schizophrenia) among a nationwide consecutive sample of 15- to 19-year-old Finnish delinquents sent for a forensic psychiatric examination in 1989–2010.

The sample comprised 313 delinquents with no past or current psychotic disorder. For each delinquent, four age-, gender- and place of birth -matched controls were randomly selected from the Central Population Register. Five controls (0.4%) had been treated for schizophrenia before their respective index-dates and were thus excluded from further analysis, leaving us with a control population of 1247 individuals. The subjects were followed till death, emigration or the end of 2015, whichever occurred first. Diagnoses were obtained from the Care Register for Health Care.

Forty (12.8%) of the delinquents and 11 (0.9%) of the controls were diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life (HR 16.6, 95% CI 8.53–32.39, P < 0.001). Almost half of the pretrial adolescents with later schizophrenia were diagnosed within 5 years of the forensic psychiatric examination, but latency was longer among the other half of the sample, reaching up to 20.5 years.

The study supports the previous research indicating a potential link between serious delinquency and later schizophrenia. Accurate psychiatric assessments should be made in correctional services but also later in life so that any possible psychotic symptoms can be detected in individuals with a history of serious delinquency even if there were no signs of psychosis before or at the time of the crime. Future research should explore which factors influence the delinquent's risk of developing later schizophrenia.

Bipolar disorder impacts negatively on the patient, the family as well as the society. It taxes the health care services due to a combination of the illness and associated medical as well as psychiatric comorbidities. Unfortunately, in Africa knowledge of the epidemiology and burden of bipolar disorders is based mainly on data from the United States and Europe.

To highlight the epidemiological, clinical, and economic burden of bipolar disorder in Africa.

A systematic review of publications from Africa relating to the burden of bipolar disorder was conducted, including studies on epidemiology, patient-related issues and costs.

Data from community surveys conducted in Nigeria and Ethiopia indicated a lifetime prevalence of 0.1% to 0.6% for bipolar disorder. A study from Egypt showed a misdiagnosis rate of up to 36.2%. In one study, 8.1% of the males and 5.4% of the females reported a previous suicide attempt, while another study showed that up to 60% of patients with bipolar disorder had at least one comorbidity. There were no reports on mortality and cost of illness.

Despite the heterogeneous methodologies, samples and dearth of adequate representative evidence from Africa, we have identified bipolar disorder as a major mental health issue. There still exists a dearth of evidence regarding the epidemiological, clinical, social, and economic burden of the disorder in Africa.

Only a few randomized clinical trials have tested the effect on transition rates of intervention programs for patients with sub-threshold psychosis-like symptoms.

To examine whether integrated treatment reduced transition to psychosis for first-contact patients diagnosed with schizotypal disorder.

Seventy-nine patients were randomized to integrated treatment or standard treatment. Survival analysis with multivariate Cox-regression was used to identify factors determinant for transition to psychotic disorder.

In the multivariate model, male gender increased risk for transition to psychotic disorder (relative risk = 4.47, (confidence interval 1.30-15.33)), while integrated treatment reduced the risk (relative risk = 0.36 (confidence interval 0.16-0.85)). At two-year follow-up, the proportion diagnosed with a psychotic disorder was 25.0 percent for patients randomized to integrated treatment compared to 48.3 percent for patients randomized to standard treatment.

Integrated treatment postponed or inhibited onset of psychosis in significantly more cases than standard treatment.

Previous studies using a modified Stroop test suggested that suicide attempters, in contrast to depressed patients with no suicidal history, display a particular attentional bias toward suicide-related cues. However, negative results have also been reported. In the present study, we collected new data and pooled them as part of a meta-analysis intended to shed further light on this question.

We conducted:

– a cross-sectional study comparing performance on the modified Stroop task for suicide-related, positively-valenced and negatively-valenced words in 33 suicide attempters and 46 patient controls with a history of mood disorders;

– a systematic review and a meta-analysis of studies comparing performance on the modified Stroop task among patients with vs. without a history of suicidal acts in mood disorders.

The cross-sectional study showed no significant difference in interference scores for any type of words between suicide attempters and patient controls. A meta-analysis of four studies, including 233 suicide attempters and 768 patient controls, showed a significant but small attentional bias toward suicide-related words (Hedges’g = 0.22; 95% CI [0.06 to 0.38]; Z = 2.73; P = 0.006), but not negatively-valenced words (Hedges’g = 0.06; 95% CI [−0.09 to 0.22]; Z = 0.77; P = 0.4) in suicide attempters compared to patient controls.

Positively-valenced words and healthy controls could not be assessed in the meta-analysis.

Our data support a selective information-processing bias among suicide attempters. Indirect evidence suggests that this effect would be state-related and may be a cognitive component of the suicidal crisis. However, we could not conclude about the clinical utility of this Stroop version at this stage.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The heterogeneity in the manifestation of PSTD symptomatology has never been described in a developmental period spanning from middle childhood through adolescence. The examination of developmental influences on PTSD symptomatic expression is a high priority for DSM-V and could inform research on the etiology and treatment of PTSD.

To examine the symptom structure of PTSD across different age, gender, and exposure groups, and in association with impairment and other disorders.

To identify homogeneous latent classes of PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents.

Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to 6,733 New York City students (4th–12th grades) exposed to 9/11-related potentially traumatic events. LCA was first applied to PTSD symptoms only, stratified by age, gender and empirically defined exposure groups, and then in combination with impairment indicators. The resultant classes were studied in association with other disorders.

LCA identified 4 classes that vary in severity and symptom configuration. Only the most severe profile, qualitatively characterized by the presence of traumatic memories in combination with avoidance and sleep-related problems, showed high levels of impairment and high rates of other disorders. Girls after puberty and subjects indirectly exposed to 9/11 are at increased risk of severe disturbance.

The 4-class model describes quantitative and qualitative differences in the structure of PTSD across age, gender and exposure. These findings support the inclusion of developmental considerations into DSM-V PTSD diagnostic criteria and suggest that also gender and the nature of traumatic exposure inflence PTSD phenomenology in children and adolescents.

The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal behavior has generated predictions anticipating an increase in suicidal tendencies. The aim of this research is to study its influence on the incidence of hospital-treated suicide attempts throughout the year 2020 in Oviedo, Spain.

Data were collected on all patients admitted to the emergency department of Central University Hospital of Asturias in Oviedo for attempted suicide during 2020. Incidence rates were calculated for three lockdown periods. Suicide attempt trends in 2020 were compared with a non-COVID-19 year (2009) to avoid seasonal variations bias. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were performed. The influence of COVID-19 incidence in Oviedo was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient.

The cumulative incidence rate of attempted suicide per 100,000 person-years was 136.33 (pre-lockdown), 115.15 (lockdown), and 90.25 (post-lockdown) in adults (over 19 years old), and 43.63 (pre-lockdown), 32.72 (lockdown), and 72.72 (post-lockdown) in adolescents (10–19 years old). No association was found with COVID-19 incidence rates (Spearman’s rho −0.222; p = 0.113). Comparing the years 2020 and 2009, statistically significant differences were observed in adolescents (Fisher’s exact test; p = 0.024), but no differences were observed in adults (chi-square test = 3.0401; p = 0.218).

Hospital-treated suicide rates attempted during the COVID-19 outbreak in Oviedo, Spain showed a similar trend compared with a non-COVID-19 year. In contrast, the number of adolescents hospital-treated for attempted suicide increased during lockdown, suggesting more vulnerability to COVID-19 restrictions after the initial lockdown period in this age group.

The PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched for articles containing the following keywords: “bipolar disorder” and “psychoeducation”. The resources were confronted with our own experiences with psychoeducation in bipolar patients and only most relevant information was included in the text.

The most important target of the psychoeducation is to prevent a relapse by increasing compliance with medication usage, increasing social rhythms, reducing emotional expressivity in the family and increasing coping skills against stress. Studies on psychoeducation in bipolar disorder demonstrate significant effects on rehospitalization rates, compliance and knowledge. Compared with mood stabilizer treatment alone, combination treatment of CBT and mood stabilizers has been shown to reduce the number of bipolar episodes, reduce the duration of episodes that do occur, and reduce the number of hospital admissions due to episodes. The aim of the group psychoeducational program of the Psychiatric clinic in Olomouc is to familiarize patients with the essence of bipolar disorder, the part and principles of pharmacotherapy, the recognition of the warning signs of relapse, to advice about improper and stressful stereotypes in communication within families, and finally the training of social skills. Patients consider this program as a meaningful and helping them to better understanding what happened in their life. Supported by grant IGA MZ CR NT 11047-4/2010.

Video games are among the most popular leisure time activities. While majority of gamers play in a healthy manner, a minority shows gaming disorder (GD) symptoms and experiences detrimenting effects in their lives. Even though gaming time is moderately associated with gaming disorder symtoms, research suggests that it is not a reliable predictor by itself.

The aim of the present study is to explore whether depression symptoms, self-esteem, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and escapism (when gaming is motivated by the avoidance of everyday problems) moderate the association between gaming time and GD symptoms and whether this is different for boys and girls.

Data was collected from a representative sample of 5th grade students of public education institutions in Budapest. Sample selection was carried out by one-step sampling stratified for school type, district, and maintainer; the sampling unit was the class. Data from 2126 students were analyzed (49.3% male, mean age 10.7 years, SD=0.54).

Depression symptoms moderated the association between gaming time and GD symtoms in both genders. For those with higher depression symptoms the aforementioned association was stronger. Furthermore, self-esteem had a moderator effect only among girls, while escapism motivation and ADHD only among boys. In these cases, the association between gaming time and GD symptoms was stronger among those with lower self-esteem, and higher ADHD and escapism scores.

Results suggest that gaming time is more strongly connected to GD symptoms in certain conditions, but its predictive value is limited even in those cases.

Funding statement: This study was supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (KKP126835). Orsolya Király was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and by the ÚNKP-21-5

Guidelines for the treatment of depression regularly emphasize that pharmacotherapy of depression should be accompanied by supportive counseling and other psychotherapeutic interventions. It is unknown which role psychiatrists in routine care give to such verbal therapies.

in a drug utilization study of venlafaxine, psychiatrists in private practice and in hospitals were asked to tell what non-pharmacological therapies they saw as an important part of the treatment of the present depressive episode. Additionally patient characteristics, treatment variables, setting characteristics and physician characteristics were assessed.

Psychiatrists reported some kind of verbal therapies in 19.0% of outpatients and 36.8% of inpatients. Verbal therapies were reported more often for younger patients, who got more double diagnoses and were more severely ill. Patients with verbal therapies got more psychotropic medication. in the inpatient setting verbal therapies were related to generally more treatment overall and a higher rate of treatment response. in both treatment settings verbal therapies were related to lower rates of discontinuation of the antidepressant.

Verbal interactions are part of any patient–physician encounter and should be theory guided as part of the therapeutic process in the treatment of depressive disorders. Under this assumption the rate of patients for which psychiatrists reported some kind of verbal therapy as explicit part of their treatment could be higher. More research is needed on patient guidance, counseling and supportive psychotherapy in psychiatry.

Studies have shown that mental health risks related to military deployment depend on specific risk factors. Especially stressful experiences (SE) and lack of social support (SS) have been associated with deployment-related increases in mental disorders. Less is known about difficulties in emotion regulation (DER) in this context despite their well-known importance for the development and maintenance of mental disorders. To date, the number of prospective studies investigating the role of these potential risk factors for deployment-related psychopathology is limited.

To investigate risk factors for deployment-related increases in symptoms of common mental disorders.

To investigate associations between SE, SS and DER, and deployment-related increases in PTSD, major depression (MD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms.

358 male soldiers were assessed before and 12 months following deployment using standardized diagnostic interviews (CIDI) and embedded questionnaires. Outcome measures were the number of PTSD, MD and AUD symptoms reported for the preceding 12 months at follow-up. Analyses were adjusted for baseline symptoms.

SE (incidence risk ratio (IRR)):1.06, p>0.001), SS (IRR:0.98, p=0.034) and DER (IRR:1.04, p=0.009) independently predicted increases in PTSD symptoms. SE (IRR:1.04, p=0.004) and SS (IRR:0.98, p=0.022) also predicted increases in MD symptoms. Increase in AUD symptoms was not predicted by SE, SS or DER, but by increase in PTSD symptoms (IRR:1.02, p=0.029).

Findings support the role of SE, SS and DER as risk factors for deployment-related disorders, particularly for PTSD symptoms. This knowledge might help to identify high-risk individuals and to develop targeted interventions.

Germany is one of the European countries that receive the highest number of refugees for the last years, with around 468 thousand asylum seekers in the first half of 2016. However, the increase in the speed of short-term procedures regarding refugees may at the same time overlook the risks regarding specific populations. Moreover, women and children constitute the most vulnerable groups during war and conflicts and the worst effects, in terms of physical, mental and social consequences, develop on these groups.

To understand deeply the psychosocial situation of female refugees that have arrived in Federal German Republic, to assess their challenges and resources before, during and after the displacement and to propose recommendations for policy changes.

The study consists of two modules, taking place in five states in Federal German Republic, including Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bayern, Hessen und Mainz. In the first step, a representative stratified sample of female refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somali and Eritrea are recruited. The quantitative study instrument include a socio-demographic question form and HSCL-Hopkins checklist, Harvard Trauma questionnaire, Beck depressions inventory, EUROHIS–QOL and SCL-14. In the second step, a qualitative in-depth analysis of focus group meetings is conducted.

There is an urgent need to take action for the mental health problems of refugees. This study constitutes one of the most extensive researches, especially on a subpopulation of refugees that requires specific attention. Challenges faced throughout the protocol and detailed results will be shared as presentation.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

There have been lots of psychological studies on the difference between the West and East; however, it was mainly focused on the cultural and social outlook rather than the personality perspective of the individuals. The difference in personality construct between the West and East needs to be examined with objective and validated instruments.

We used Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) along with Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). SPQ measures the psychological traits with three subscales of behavior (SPQ-B), cognition (SPQ-C) and emotionality (SPQ-E) based on the Yin-Yang and traditional Korean medicine. We analyzed the correlation between TCI, NEO-PI and SPQ with 104 college students in Korea (age, 28.8±4.8; male/female, 52/52).

The personality structure of SPQ showed distinctive features with emotionality (SPQ-E) which generally perceived as concurrent with behavior and cognition. SPQ-B/SPQ-C were correlated negatively with TCI Harm-Avoidance (r=-0.542 and -0.387) and NEO-PI Neuroticism (r=-0.285 and -0.340), however SPQ-E positively with Harm-Avoidance (r=0.283) and NEO-PI Neuroticism (r=0.398). In addition, SPQ-B/SPQ-C were correlated positively with TCI Novelty-Seeking (r=0.355 and 0.369) and NEO-PI Extraversion (r=0.67, 0.283), but SPQ-E not significant with them.

The disparities in personality construct might be originated from difference in the definition of emotionality; the West accentuates the emotional stability, however the East emphasizes the level of emotional activity. We discussed the implication of these from the cross-cultural personality studies.