Hallmarks of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are disturbances of circadian rhythms and everyday structures. While circadian rhythms dictate the timing of daily recurring activities such as sleep, activity, and meals, conversely, these activities represent time cues, so called Zeitgebers, that the circadian system uses to synchronize with the environment. We have developed a novel therapy approach for AUD patients (DAILY), in which we take advantage of this mutual influence and stabilize and strengthen their circadian system by creating strict schedules for daily Zeitgeber activities (Hühne et al. Front Psychiatry 2021). Since every person has a circadian system with its own characteristics and is subject to social obligations, the daily plans are personalized for each test person.

We investigated whether the DAILY intervention can serve to increase the success of standard psychotherapy service and reduce alcohol use and relapse in AUD patients who are currently undergoing qualitative detoxification or post-detoxification therapy and are highly vulnerable to relapse at this stage. In addition, we investigated whether possible depressive symptomatology, sleep quality, and physical recovery of the participants are improved.

In a 6-week controlled, randomized, single-blinded, parallel-group intervention study, we used detailed, 14-day diary entries to determine the optimal eating and sleeping times for each participant individually and used these to create personalized daily structure plans. Intervention participants were encouraged to adhere strictly to this plan for the following four weeks, with compliance verifiable by continuing the diary. Relapses and dropouts were documented, and questionnaires on mood state and sleep quality were completed at the beginning and end of the intervention. The control group received a sham treatment with no effect on their daily structure.

Our data show that DAILY therapy significantly improves meal and sleep time regularity and significantly reduces relapse rates, with 60% relapse rate in the control group and 11% in the intervention group (Figure 1A). In addition, the data show that among the few intervention participants who had relapses, these occurred on significantly fewer days during the study period than among relapsing control participants (Figure 1B). While depressive symptoms were unaffected by the DAILY therapy, sleep quality improved significantly (Figure 2).

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Our data show that increasing the regularity of individual eating and sleeping times with DAILY is an effective tool to substantially promote abstinence during a period when AUD patients are particularly vulnerable to alcohol use and relapse, and in addition, to improve their sleep quality and accelerate physical recovery during therapy.

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Adverse childhood experiences are common and have been linked to a number of physical illnesses, as well as socioeconomic problems. Moreover, it has been proven that ACEs can increase chances of people showing criminal behaviour. The question arises whether people with ACEs also have an increased chance of joining extremist groups or violent gangs.

The aim of this systematic review is to measure the ACE rates in violent extremists and gangs and to establish whether there is a pattern linking ACEs to violent extremist organizations and gangs.

The following databases were searched to retrieve relevant studies: the ProQuest Social Science database, Pubmed, Scopus. Eligible studies were articles of any study design that reported ACE rates in either extremists or gang members. Data was extracted and organized into a table and a quality assessment was performed using standardized tools (CASP and NHLBI). A narrative synthesis of the evidence was conducted. A meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of the studies.

22 studies (eight on extremists and fourteen on gang members) were included. The studies varied in terms of research design, sample size, location and measured ACEs. Quality also varied across the studies. The prevalence rates were heterogenous and ranged from 0% to almost 100%.

Physical abuse was the most addressed ACE (5 studies on extremists and 11 on gang members). Sexual abuse was the second most explored ACE (4 studies on extremists and 9 studies on gang members). Neglect and caregiver loss were also common ACEs, while the other ACEs were less represented in the two subpopulations. A comparison between the two subpopulations was difficult due to the differences in the studies.

While overall ACE rates were high in the two groups and some ACEs were salient in the two subpopulations, quality of evidence varied across the studies. No solid ACE pattern across the studies could be found. Moreover, there were only two prospective studies on gang members and none on extremists, so a causal relationship between ACEs and involvement in violent gangs or extremist organizations could not be established. Future research should concentrate on studies of this design, as well as on improving the quality of the evidence.

As ACEs are extremely common, researchers should also look beyond them when searching for causes of extremism or violent gang membership. Other negative events (bullying, racism) should also be explored.

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We have already noted in our studies (Pervichko et. al., 2020, 2021) that collective representations about Covid-19 disease, based on its totality, the catholicity of its impact on all spheres of people’s lives, are socially and culturally conditioned: they have their own specifics in different countries, associated with many social, economic, political factors. Moreover, these perceptions change over time.

To identify the differences in the Covid-19 representations in residents of different countries and at different stages of the pandemic.

Modified questionnaire of the internal picture of the disease (Broadbent, 2006), consisting of 8 questions about COVID-19 pandemic. All the items were rated using a 0-to-10 response scale. 1-5 items assess cognitive illness representations. Items 6 and 8 assess emotional representations. Item 7 assesses illness comprehensibility.

To test of the research hypothesis, we used the data accumulated on our platform since April 2020. We selected subsamples: Russian respondents who took the survey in April-May 2020 (1st wave) (1), June-September 2020 (decline) (2), October - December 2020 (3) (2nd wave), 1st half of 2021 (4). At the same time as sample 4, respondents from Azerbaijan (5) and Uzbekistan (6) were surveyed. Finally, there was another sample of Uzbekistan respondents surveyed in the 1st half of 2022 (7). Respondents of both sexes and different ages participated in each sample, with a total of 2908 people. The table 1 shows the sample means for all items in all samples.

In all seven samples, women are characterized by responses indicating their greater tension, stress, and psychological fatigue caused by life in a pandemic. In almost all samples, younger respondents demonstrate greater involvement in the disease and its experiences. Perhaps this is due to the fact that social restrictions affected young respondents to a greater extent.

It was shown that with each new wave, the indicators for the 2, 5, 8 grow, and 3, 4, 7 decreases. At the same time, since no one canceled the pandemic, this year, along with a decrease in indicators for all items corresponding to stress and anxiety, ideas about the possible duration of the pandemic are growing.

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We can say that people have adapted to coexist with this disease and are ready for its continued presence in the world. The average indicators of Azerbaijani respondents indicate a more tense attitude towards the pandemic compared to Russia and Uzbekistan. It can be assumed that this is due to longer and more extensive state anti-epidemiological measures in Azerbaijan.

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Attachment, as an interpersonal motivational system, is the relational ground that allows emotions to be regulated through action on the Autonomic Nervous System resulting in better psychological outcomes during middle childhood. Emotion dysregulation and autonomic function are often connected to psychiatric symptoms observed in adolescence (e.g. borderline personality disorder traits) and thus middle childhood becomes a critical age for psychopathological trajectories.

Examine the relationship between child’s attachment and both psychological and physiological emotional regulation.

20 children (Mage = 10.7, SD = 1.25; 65% males) were recruited from general population. Attachment was measured through the Child Attachment Interview (CAI), while emotional regulation was assessed with a multimethod approach, using questionnaires i.e. How I Feel (HIF) and Positive and Negative Affect (PANAS), and physiological measurements i.e. Heart Rate Variability (ratio between High Frequency and Low Frequency, HF/LF, labeled as the child’s sympathovagal balance) and Heart Rate (Beats Per Minute, BPM, as an index of physiological reactivity).

Statistically significant correlations emerged between the HIF-Control scale and the Mother and Father Dismissal CAI scale, the PANAS-Negative Affect scale and the Mother and Father Preoccupied Anger CAI scale. Moreover, there was a non-significant but moderate effect (rs > .30) between HF/LF and the Emotional Openness and the Resolution scales of the CAI, and between BPM and the Emotional Openness scale.

Despite the small sample size, more secure children are able to connect with their emotions and properly use them in solving relational problems. Consequently, they are likely to succeed in understanding and regulating emotions as they manage to find more adaptive strategies their own. On the contrary, the presence of dismissal or anger (insecure attachment) towards parents would appear to lead to higher levels of psycho-physiological dysregulation, a core feature of Borderline Personality Disorder dimensions starting to emerge later in adolescence. Future studies should consider physiological dysregulation as an additional factor linked to psychopathological developmental trajectories.

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Social life has moved toward the digital world in many aspects. As the original inhabitants of virtual life, young people face several adversities while flirting and dating online. The anonymity of the online environment enables aggression without consequences. Cyberviolence has no boundaries as time or place. Thus it may cause psychological distress.

Young people frequently use online dating and social networking sites, which makes them vulnerable to cyber dating violence, sextortion, and revenge porn. Cyberdating violence usually targets young women and girls. It is mainly related to stereotypical gender beliefs: presented as controlling behavior and psychological violence. Survivors of cyber dating violence tend to feel anger, hostility, and loneliness. Sextortion is image-based sexual abuse, which includes threats with intimate pictures or videos. Perpetrators of sextortion can be hackers, ex-partners, or admirers. Exposure to sextortion is related to shame, fear, and helplessness. Former partners may use revenge porn to control one’s behavior. It is another kind of image-based sexual abuse. Perpetrators may use nonconsensual pornography to punish or humiliate their ex-partners.

Cyber victimization is as traumatic as real-life victimization. That results in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Moreover, the absence of time and space restrictions can make cyberviolence even more debilitative. I aim to inform European psychiatrists about the current shapes of cyber psychological trauma in the context of online flirting and dating. So that psychiatrists can better understand its content and outcomes, especially while working with young people.

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Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex mental disorder mainly characterized by a voluntary food restriction and excessive physical activity resulting in dramatic weight loss. Changes in the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) have been reported in AN patients compared to controls. According to meta-analysis, functional variant rs6265 Val66Met of the BDNF gene has been found genetically associated to AN. We also reported an association of this functional variant and electrodermal response to images of thinness suggesting an association between rs6265 and a reward effect of weight loss in AN. In animal models, BDNF modulates negatively the central control of food intake and its injection in rodents induces weight loss and anorexia. Thus, besides its function on neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity and mood, BDNF was also reported to have a metabolic effect via both central nervous system and peripheral organs, which makes BDNF a good candidate for AN diagnosis biomarker.

Our study investigates the levels of expression of Bdnf, gene and protein, taking advantage of the mouse AN-like model by measuring Bdnf levels in specific brain areas and blood in food-restricted and refeed animals.

We used a mouse AN-like model combining a phase of chronic food restriction (50%) during 15 days followed by an ad libitum refeeding period of one week. Female mice have or not access to a running with wheel to create a similar metabolic environment that those patients suffering from AN during restriction and recovery once hospitalised. The Bdnf mRNA and protein levels were measured in samples of blood and brain regions (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, dorsal striatum, nucleus Accumbens, ventral tegmental area and amygdala) using quantitative PCR and ELISA methods in the different groups of mice (ad libitum, ad libitum with wheel, food restriction and food restriction with wheel). Statistical analysis will compare the measures for different samples by one-way or two-way ANOVAs depending the group of animals or brain regions and blood.

To date, no difference of the level of transcription for Bdnf was observed between the different groups of mice (ad libitum, ad libitum with wheel, food restriction and food restriction with wheel) in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus. We expect significant differences of Bdnf expression in the other brain regions of interest for the food restricted animals with or without the wheel compared to ad libitum animals. We expect also differences in the level of expression of Bdnf in fasted animals compared to the refeed animals.

The BDNF could represent a potential biomarker of AN for the diagnostic and the prognosis in the evolution to the remission when weight recover and thus will allow a better understanding of the aetiology of AN. This study is supported by Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau.

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Treatment adherence in patients living with Bipolar Disorders can influence prognosis and quality of life. It is associated with an increased morbidity and healthcare costs.

The aim of our study was to evaluate treatment adherence in a sample of patients living with Bipolar disorders and to determine factors associated with poor adherence.

We conducted a cross sectional study where we included bipolar patients being treated in psychiatry department A. We developed a survey containing sociodemographic and clinical features. We used the medical adherence rating scale to evaluate treatment adherence.

Our sample consisted of 100 patients with a mean age of 47,5 years old. Sixty seven patients were being treated for bipolar disorder type 1. Medication adherence rate was 64%.

Factors associated with poor medication adherence were being single, an early age of onset, comorbid substance abuse disorder, severe treatment side effects and poor insight.

Poor medication adherence is a major issue for people living with Bipolar Disorders. Clinicians should pay more attention to sociodemographic and clinical factors to predict and enhance treatment adherence.

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a non invasive brain stimulation technique used for several neuropsychiatric conditions. The treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) involves many cytotoxic drugs that inhibit the rapid growth of cancer cells, but also damage healthy cells, resulting in a wide range of adverse effects (Śliwa-Tytko et al., 2022). Studies have shown that approximately 10-30% of paediatric ALL patients suffer from psychiatric disorders. Therefore, new therapeutic tools are needed, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has demonstrated tolerability, effectiveness and safety in children (Allen et al., 2017).

We discuss the first case of a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia B in who underwent Continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation

Case Presentation. In this study, we describe a case of a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia B in November 2016 who completed treatment in July 2019. Since April 2018 she presented symptoms of intracranial hypertension and encephalopathy with behavioural alterations, attention deficit secondary to toxicity. Psychotic outbreaks after toxicity from different treatments was also present. Since starting pericyazine (July 2022) there has been a slight improvement, but her symptoms continue to have a severe impact in her daily functioning. Baseline developmental profile assessed with the Battelle Inventory was significantly below the expected level in all developmental areas except for gross motor skills. Treatment. The TMS intervention consisted of the application on right DLPFC (F4), inhibitory cTBS protocol (5Hz bursts and 3 pulses of 50 Hz each). The protocol consisted in delivering 2 sessions per day for 15 days (separated by 55 minutes), 4 minutes per session (3600 pulses/session), 30 sessions in total. An intensity of 100% of resting motor threshold (C4). TMS was performed with the Magventure Magpro X100 MagOption equipment, Cool DB-80 double cone coil. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) for parents was used to assess intervention effects.

CBCL results reflect improvements in both internalising and externalising total scores after treatment. Specifically, the patient presents clinically significant decreases in several dimensions such as anxious/depressed symptoms, somatic complaints, and social problems. No adverse effects have been reported since the beginning of the intervention.

Internalising and externalising behaviours severity were reduced after 30 TMS sessions. In accordance with the latest systematic reviews on the safety of TMS in the paediatric patient (Zewdie et al, 2020) we propose the development of paediatric guidelines to offer this technique to patients with a history of intolerability or poor drug response.

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Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic approach that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The technique is known to facilitate the reprocessing of maladaptive memories thought to be at the heart of this pathology.

Strong evidence shows that traumatic events can contribute to the onset of serious mental disorders and can worsen their prognosis.

Therefore, research on EMDR therapy has increased beyond PTSD and several studies have analyzed the effect of this therapy in other mental health conditions such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and chronic pain.

The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the most important results of available studies conducted in this area.

We performed a systematic literature search among PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Studies included work published up to 2021

The search was performed automatically by title in each database and included the keywords “EMDR”, “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” excluding those focusing on trauma and PTSD

Studies are still sparse in these comorbid conditions, but available evidence suggests that EMDR therapy improves trauma-associated symptoms and has a minor effect on primary disorders by achieving partial symptomatic improvement. A positive effect has been reported in many pathological situations, including addictions, somatoform disorders, sexual dysfunctions, eating disorders, adult personality disorders, mood disorders, severe stress reaction, anxiety disorders, pain, neurodegenerative disorders, mental disorders of childhood and adolescence and sleep.

Despite a generally positive view of EMDR as an alternative treatment option, more methodologically rigorous studies are needed.

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One of the most common mental disorders in the elderly is depression.

Because of the high frequency of side effects of pharmacotherapy and the comorbid medical illnesses, there are not many ways to treat it.

Non-drug therapies, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), could help overcome the limitations of standard drug therapy for this type of mental disorders.

Development of approaches to improving improve the provision of psychiatric care to elderly patients using rTMS.

30 patients over the age of 60 with anxiety-depressive spectrum disorders meeting criteria F30-39, F06.3, F06.4 (ICD-10) and a control group with similar criteria that were not treated with rTMS, were recruited from the psychiatric department at a university hospital (Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Psychiatry). Clinical, psychopathological, anamnestic, psychometric (Montgomery-Asberg scale (MADRS), Hamilton scale (HARS), Mini-mental state examination scale (MMSE) instrumental (electroencephalography) research methods were used. Patients of the experimental group underwent 15 sessions of low-frequency rTMS on the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDLPC). Conditions for the application of 1200 pulses were as follows: frequency - 1 Hz; intensity - 120% of the threshold of motor response (RMT) of the subject; pulse number - 1200; pulse sequence - 300; sequence duration - 300 seconds; sequence interval - 60 seconds; and stimulation time - 23 minutes. Subsequently, the patients were re-examined using the above-mentioned scales to assess their mental state in dynamics.

Analysis of the collected data shows an increase in the number of respondents and the frequency of achieving remission in the experimental group compared to the control group. No severe side effects of rTMS were observed.

rTMS may be a safe method of adjuvant therapy in groups of elderly patients with anxiety-depressive spectrum disorders. Further studies will be needed to clarify the results.

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Bipolar disorder (BD) is a source of marked disability, morbidity, and premature death. There is a paucity of research on personalized psychosocial interventions for BD, especially in lowresource settings. A previously published pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a Culturally adapted PsychoEducation (CaPE) intervention for BD in Pakistan reported higher patient satisfaction, enhanced medication adherence, knowledge and attitudes towards BD, and improvement in mood symptom scores and health-related quality of life measures compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU).

This protocol describes a larger multicentre RCT to confirm the clinical and cost-effectiveness of CaPE in Pakistan.

A multicentre individual, parallel arm, RCT of CaPE in 300Pakistani adults with BD. Participants over the age of 18, with adiagnosis of bipolar I and II and who are currently euthymic, will berecruited from seven sites including Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi,Peshawar, Hyderabad and Quetta. Time to recurrence will be the primaryoutcome assessed using Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation(LIFE). Secondary measures will include mood symptomatology, qualityof life and functioning, adherence to psychotropic medications, andknowledge and attitudes towards BD.

Full ethics approval has been received from National Bioethics Committee (NBC) of Pakistan and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Canada. The study has completed sixty-five screening across the seven centres, of which forty-eight participants have been randomised.

A successful trial will lead to rapid implementation of CaPE in clinical practice, not only in Pakistan, but also in other low-resource settings including those in high-income countries, to improve clinical outcomes, social and occupational functioning, and quality of life in South Asian and other minority patients with BD.

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Major traumatic natural disasters have occurred worldwide. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been the most common psychiatric disorder discussed by the studies addressing the psychological sequelae of adolescents after traumatic natural disasters. In this study we have studied the impacts of natural disaster yash cyclone that took place in West Bengal on the development of PTSD; factors related to the development of PTSD; predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors related to the development of PTSD.

To assess the incidence and prevalence of ptsd amongst survivors of natural disaster yash cyclone in a rural hamlet of West Bengal.

In this study ,200 survivors from Yash cyclone who belonged to Child and Adolescent age group were randomly selected .PCL 5 Scale was used to collect data and assess the incidence and prevalence of PTSD , standardized Bengali versions of the questionnaire was used in our study.

There is statistical correlation between post traumatic stress disorder and subjects exposed to climate change events such as cyclone Yash.

Initial research suggests that a PCL-5 cut-off score between 31-33 is indicative of probable PTSD across samples.

In our study the mean pcl 5 value from the data assessment is 70.67 with standard deviation of 4.61.

Further assessment by linear regression analyses shows that female subjects are more prone to post traumatic stress disorder and higher income groups are more susceptible to ptsd.

As shown by higher values as per the pcl 5 scale.

Our study clearly demonstrates the impact of climate change and natural disasters on the mental health status of people living in disaster prone areas especially the child and adolescent population. Our study group was child and adolescent population between 10 to 15 years.

The psychologist and volunteers had to collect data in disaster affected zone , yet they collected data which gave a clear cut findings and a very clear statement on climate change and mental health. The values are very high and consistent in most subjects across all twenty domains.

It is our opinion that Mental health support should be provided for all victims of climate change and natural disaster calamities such as cyclone and earthquake.

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On average, thirty percent of patients in internet based treatments do not complete the treatment program. The majority of studies predicting adherence have focused on baseline variables. While some consistent predictors have emerged (e.g. gender, education), they are insufficient for guiding clinicians in identifying patients at risk for dropout. More precise predictors are needed. More recently, studies on prediction have started to explore process variables such as early response to treatment or program usage.

To investigate:

1. i) How much variance in adherence is explained by baseline symptoms and sociodemographic variables?

2. ii) Can we improve the model by including early response and program usage as predictors?

3. iii) What is the predictive accuracy of the most parsimonious regression model?

Data will be extracted from the Danish ‘Internetpsychiatry’ clinic, which delivers guided internet based cognitive behavioural therapy for depression. Sociodemographic data is collected upon application, and symptoms of depression and anxiety are measured at the start of treatment. Further, symptoms of depression are measured between each session of the online treatment program. Early response to treatment will be conceptualized as the individual regression slope of depression scores for each patient, during the first four weeks of treatment. Program usage data will be collected from the online treatment platform (e.g. number of words per message to therapists, time spent on each session during the first four weeks, number of logins during the first four weeks).

Predictors for adherence will be examined in a hierarchical logistic regression. Models will be compared using ANOVA. The most parsimonious model will be determined using the Aikake Information Criterion. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses will be used to classify the accuracy of the model.

Analyses have not yet been conducted. Results will be available for presentation at the conference.

Determining more accurate predictors for adherence in internet based treatments is the first step towards improving adherence. Research findings need to be translated into clinically useful guidelines that may inform clinical decision making. Findings from this study could potentially be implemented as a system that monitors patients’ program usage and symptom development and signals therapists if a patient is at risk for dropout.

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One of the promising methods for optimizing treatment in order to achieve high-quality remissions is a personalized approach to prescribing therapy in the form of pharmacogenetic testing, the feasibility of which has already been substantiated and proven in a number of clinical guidelines. By the beginning of 2022, several influential regulatory and expert organizations recommend considering the results of genetic testing when prescribing therapy. Thus, personalization of antipsychotic therapy is being introduced in the world practice.

To establish the significance of pharmacogenetic markers that determine the efficacy and safety of antipsychotic therapy in patients with schizophrenia in clinical practice.

The study included 264 patients (141 men, 123 women; 27.3 ± 4.5 years) from among the first hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital in the period 2018-2020, meeting the inclusion criteria (psychosis within the schizophrenia spectrum disorders; consent to participate in research). Non-inclusion criteria - signs of organic brain damage; alcohol or substance abuse; somatic pathology in the stage of decompensation). The examination took place in three stages - in the first days of hospitalization at the peak of the acute condition and during the formation of remission - after 6 and 12 months. Genetic analysis was performed using high-density biochips from Illumina CoreExome Bead (Illumina Inc, USA). During the follow-up observation, some patients dropped out due to refusal to undergo examination, change of diagnosis or change of place of residence. After 6 and 12 months, it was possible to trace the dynamics of the state of 91 patients (50 men, 41 women; 24.9 ± 4.6 years).

Based on the follow-up results, two types of schizophrenia dynamics were identified - with a relatively favorable and unfavorable course. The formation of a relatively stable remission corresponding to the criteria proposed by the working group was noted in 47 patients (51.6%), carriers of gene polymorphisms: DRD2 rs1799732 (del); COMT rs4680(GG); BDNF rs6265 (CC); ANKK1 rs1800497 (GG); MC4R rs489693 (AA); ABCB1 rs1045642 and ABCC1 rs212090 (GG). An unfavorable course with the ineffectiveness of antipsychotics was found in 48.4% of cases in patients with DRD2 rs1799732 (G/del) carriers; COMT rs4680(AA); BDNF rs6265 (TT); ANKK1 rs1800497 (AA); MC4R rs489693 (GG); ABCB1 rs1045642 and ABCC1 rs212090 (AA).

After analyzing the results of genetic testing and clinical and dynamic characteristics of the course of schizophrenia, we can talk about the relationship between the establishment of high-quality remission in the presence of polymorphisms in the genotype, whose role has been proven in terms of the effectiveness and safety of antipsychotics.

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Natural disasters adversely impact individuals living in places where they occur, resulting in emotional distress. The wildfire that occurred in Fort McMurray (FMM), Alberta in 2016 is no different.

This study aims to identify the prevalence and predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms in residents of FMM five years after the devastating wildfires.

Data for the study were collected through a cross-sectional survey conducted online from the 24th of April to the 2nd of June 2021. A validated instrument, the GAD-7 scale, was used to collect information on anxiety.

Of the total number of 186 residents who took part in the study, the majority were females (85.5%), employed (94.1%), working at school boards (50.0%), and were either married, cohabiting, or partnered (71.0%). The prevalence of likely GAD among the study sample was 42.5%. Unemployed respondents were seventeen times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 16.62; 95% C.I. 1.23-223.67) while respondents who would like to receive mental health counseling were five times more likely to experience GAD symptoms (OR = 5.35; 95% C.I. 2.03-14.15). Respondents who suffered a loss of property because of the wildfire were two times more likely to develop GAD symptoms (OR = 2.36; 95% C.I. 1.01-22.62).

Formulators of policy may mitigate GAD symptoms, particularly after natural disasters, by making long-term mental health counseling available and a key component of post-disaster management, and by investing in the social capital of the people to build resilience and support to deal with the post-disaster mental health effects.

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Relationships in various forms are an important source of meaning in people’s lives that can benefit their health, wellbeing and happiness. Relationship distress is associated with public health problems such as alcohol misuse, obesity, poor mental health, and child poverty, whilst safe, stable, and nurturing relationships are potential protective factors. Despite increased emphasis on relationship education (RE) in schools, little is known about the views of relationship professionals on relationship education specifically, and how this contrasts with the views of young people (YP).

This Wellcome Centre for the Cultures and Environments of Health funded Beacon project seeks to fill this gap by exploring their perspectives and inform the future development of relationship education.

We conducted focus groups with YP (n=4) and interviews with relationship professionals (n=10). The data was then thematically analysed.

Themes from YP focus groups included: ‘Good and bad relationships’; ‘Learning about relationships’; ‘the role of schools’ and ‘Beyond Relationship Education’. Themes from interviews with relationship professionals included: ‘essential qualities of healthy relationships’; ‘how YP learn to relate’ and ‘the role of RE in schools’.

YP and relationship professionals recognised the importance of building YP’s relational capability in schools with a healthy relationship with oneself at its foundation. Relationship professionals emphasised the need for a developmental approach, stressing the need for flexibility, adaptability, commitment and resilience to maintain relationships over the life course. YP often presented dichotomous views, such as relationships being either good or bad relationships, and perceived a link between relationships and mental health. Although not the focus of current curriculum guidance, managing relationship breakdowns and relationship transitions through the life course were viewed as important with an emphasis on building relational skills. This research suggests that schools need improved RE support, including specialist expertise and resources, and guidance on signposting YP to external sources of help. There is also potential for positive relationship behaviours being modelled and integrated throughout curriculums and reflected in a school’s ethos. Future research should explore co-development, evaluation and implementation of RE programmes with a range of stakeholders.

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Bipolar disorder (BD) has been consistently associated with alterations in the immune system. Evidence suggests a condition of systemic low-grade inflammation due to decreased adaptive, increased innate immunity, with higher levels of circulating cytokines, higher macrophage/monocyte inflammatory activation patterns, and higher neutrophils to lymphocyte counts; and with a dynamic pattern of premature immunosenescence and partial T cell defect starting early in adolescence, involving a reduction of naïve T cells and an expansion of memory and senescent T cells. Quantitative analysis of circulating inflammatory markers suggested persistent low-grade inflammation.

A growing literature suggests that the immune system plays a core role in maintaining brain homeostasis, with both adaptive and innate immune support, ensured by cell trafficking across the blood brain barrier, being essential for brain maintenance and repair in healthy conditions, and disrupted in brain disorders including BD. Measured in peripheral blood, these markers of altered immuno-inflammatory setpoints parallel activation of microglia and disruption of white matter (WM) integrity in the brain.

Studies in the field are in its infancy, but findings by our group showed that: circulating Th17 cells correlated with higher FA, while regulatory FOXP3+ cells correlated with higher RD and MD, and with lower fMRI neural responses in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; higher circulating cytokine-producing NK cells were fostered by ongoing lithium treatment and directly correlated with better FA, and inversely with RD and MD, also partially mediating the known benefits from lithium on WM; and activation status and expression of killer proteins by cytotoxic CD8+ T cells negatively associated with WM microstructure, thus suggesting that CD8+ T cells can leave the blood stream to migrate into the brain and induce an immune-related WM damage in BD.

Implications of these findings for neuroprogression, clinical outcomes, and new treatment strategies of the disorder will be discussed.

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Self-stigma refers to the process in which a person internalizes negative stereotypes, beliefs, and prejudices about their mental illness, adopting a stigmatized view of themselves. Severe mental illness is one of the most socially exclusive stigmata and is associated with poor clinical and functional outcomes and social withdrawal.

In Portugal, investigation regarding self-stigma is scarce. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of self-stigma among people with diagnosis of severe mental illness (SMI). For this goal we assess the prevalence of self-stigma of psychiatric patients with diagnosis SMI; and investigate the correlates of elevated self-stigma levels.

Fifty-one outpatients with SMI, were recruited from a community psychiatry unit from Porto, Portugal. After informed consent, evaluations included sociodemographic data, illness characteristics, and self-reported standardized scales. Self-stigma (ISMI), self-esteem (RSES) and quality of life (WHO-QoL) were assessed. Data analyses were performed using the SPSS version 28.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). p-values<0.05 were considered significant.

From the study sample, 66.7% were male, with mean age of 44.8±11.0 and 56.9% were single. 33.3% reported living with their parents while 31.4% were living with a partner/spouse. The majority of participants had a diagnosis of schizophrenia (60.8%). Concerning the level of education, 58.8% completed basic education, but most patients were retired due to illness (62.7%). In this study, moderate to high self-stigma levels was found in 31.4% participants. Proportion of elevated self-stigma was significantly higher in unemployed/retired patients vs. those who were active (39.0% vs. 0%; P=0.021). No significant correlations were found with age, level of education, age at diagnosis, duration of illness, and number of hospitalizations. In the correlations analysis, a negative correlation between self-stigma and self-esteem (rho=-0.745; P<0.001), as well as self-stigma and quality of life (rho=-0.585; P<0.001) was found. A positive relationship between self-esteem and quality of life (rho=0.551; P<0.001) was found.

This study investigates, for the first time, the prevalence of self-stigma among outpatients with SMI in a community psychiatric unit from Porto. Our findings suggest a high prevalence of elevated levels of self-stigma among these patients. A significant association with being unemployed/retired was also found. Our results support previous evidence that internalized stigma is strongly associated with diminished self-esteem and impaired quality of life, in particular those aspects related to physical and psychological complaints. Targeting internalized stigma and self-esteem among patient with SMI will likely improve their quality of life, besides improving their clinical and functional outcomes.

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is connected with increased activity in cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) loop. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a part of this loop and plays a role in error detection and monitoring and processing of conflicting information, core OCD clinical signs. This area also contains a high density of Von Economo neurons. Biochemistry in this area is closely connected with the pathophysiology of OCD.

Decreased concentrations of total N-acetylaspartate (tNAA) have been reported in ACC in patients with OCD compared to healthy controls (HC), with increase after successful treatment. Findings by other metabolites: choline-containing compounds (tCho), total creatine (tCr) and myo-inositol are not consistent. Differences in levels of tNAA, tCho, tCr would correlate with the severity of symptoms measured by Y-BOCS. In the comparison in the subgroup of patients with/ without medication, there will be differences in levels of metabolites.

54 patients diagnosed with OCD according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria, and 54 HC matched for age and sex were included in the study. They underwent MRI and MR Spectroscopy on a 3T Magnetom Prisma scanner (Siemens, Germany) equipped with a 64-channel volume head coil (Fig. 2). After spectral quality control, 28 OCD and 28 HC subjects were included in the statistical analysis. OCD subjects were interviewed using the Y-BOCS to evaluate the severity of the symptoms. Patients enrolled in the study were without medication at least 5 days before MRI or on a stable dosage of SSRI antidepressants. To assess the intergroup differences Wilcoxon Rank Sum test or Kruskal-Wallis test was used as appropriate. The correlation between metabolite levels and clinical characteristics was assessed by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The statistics were calculated using R, version 4.1.1.

We found no differences in levels of tNAA in ACC in OCD vs. HC (p=0,21; see Tab.1, Fig.1). We found significantly increased level of tCho, tCr and Ins in OCD vs. HC (p=0,03; p=0,004 resp.; p=0,017 resp.). tCr levels corelated negatively with YBOCS compulsions subscale (p=0,046; cor=-0,38). tCho levels showed a trend to negative correlation with Y-BOCS compulsions subscale (p=0,067; cor=-0,35). Analysis on the subgroup with (13 subjects, 46,43 %) and without (13 subjects, 46,43 %) stable SSRI medication did not reveal significant differences.

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Our study found difference in ACC by OCD patients compared to HC, mainly increased tCho, tCr and Ins. Also, the study shows a significant correlation between the severity of compulsions and tCr levels. We can see this trend also in the correlation of the tCho and Y-BOCS compulsions subscale. Similar tNAA level by OCD and HC groups could indicates correctly adjusted medication or stable state by enrolled patients.

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