There is accumulating evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection, apart from physical complications, can cause a variety of symptoms related to mental health, either during the acute phase of the infection or following the resolution of acute COVID-19 (i.e., long-COVID).

To investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of a sample of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Data were collected from 1 January 2021 to 31 May 2022. In particular, clinical and demographic characteristics of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at the “Attikon” University General Hospital and who were referred for assessment to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry unit were collected and analyzed.

During the study period, 107 patients, 66 men (62%) and 41 women (38%) with a mean age of 63 years, with COVID-19 were referred to the Consultation Liaison Psychiatry unit for evaluation. Among them, 58 (54.6%) had a previous psychiatric history, while 49 (45.4%) were assessed for the first time by a mental health professional. The most frequent psychiatric manifestations included anxiety manifestations [38 patients (36%)], delirium [37 patients (35%)] and depressive manifestations [15 patients (14%)].

The description of demographic and clinical characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with concurrent psychiatric manifestations highlights the importance of early clinical detection of psychiatric comorbidity by physicians with a view to ensuring that patients’ needs are supported in an integrated, holistic and patient-centric manner.

None Declared

Depression is a psychiatric disorder characterized by low mood and anhedonia. The diagnosis of depression and the initiation of treatment is important for improving quality of life and avoiding disability. Machine learning (ML), can be used for solving classification and regression problems.In this study, scores of multiple psychiatric scales were used to detect depression and different ML algorithms were used to study if they can help for diagnosing depression accurately.

The purpose of the study is to detect with high accuracy whether people are depressed or not by using widely used ML algorithms. It is also aimed to compare the algorithms used to predict depression with each other.

Data were collected from 96 university students. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Neo Personality Inventory, Chronic Stress Scale (CSS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PTSD), SHAPS, Relationship Scales Questionnaire and Dissociative Events Scale were applied. 14 points from the BDI was accepted as the cut-off value as depressed. Total scores of each scale was used as the dependent variable in the Xgboost (XGB) to classify the depression. By XGB, the most important 4 of these surveys and scales were selected to use in the Non-Linear (NL) models such as XGB, Decision Trees (DT), Support Vector Machines (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN). Lastly, a linear model as a Logistic Regression (LR) model was also used to compare with the NL algorithms. The success of the models was measured with the Cross Validation method, which is the gold standard in ML.

In the model in which all measurements are used as Independent Variables (IV), the XGB highlighted 4 scale scores: these are CSS, PSS, SHAPS and PTSD. All scale scores were used as IV, both XGB and DT classified depression with a success of 87.5%, while this score increased to 89.6% in both models when 4 prominent scales’ scores were used as IV. In the KNN, the classification made with prominent scales increased the success from 83% to 86%. The variance explanation rate of the LR model using 4 prominent scales remained at 58%.

With ML’s ability to solve NL relationships and dimensional reduction ability, models in which a large number of variables are input and there is no high correlation between dependent variables and IV can be classified with high success. Also, the success of the models was increased by choosing the most importants of the many IV and the variables that contributed negatively to the model could be excluded. The use of ML can yield promising results in fields such as psychiatry where linear relationships cannot be observed much.

None Declared

Body Mass Index (BMI) is an informative factor on body fatness which has been associated to higher levels of Perinatal Depression (PD) and complications during pregnancy. We aimed to explore the impact of pre-pregnancy and postnatal BMI on the risk of Perinatal Depression and pregnancy outcomes among women recruited at their third trimester of pregnancy.

We report on findings from a large multi-centre study conducted in the South of Italy and involving 1611 women accessing three urban gynaecological departments from July to November 2020. Pregnant women were assessed at their third trimester of pregnancy (T0) and after the childbirth (T1) ;The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been employed for the screening of PD over time (T0 and T1) as well as other standardized measures for neuroticism, resilience, and quality of life at baseline. BMI (T0 and T1) and other socio-demographic and clinical characteristics have been collected.

Over-weight and obesity (higher levels of BMI) were associated with higher risk of PD (higher scores of EPDS), higher neuroticism and poorer subjective psychological well-being among enrolled women. Also, obesity and over-weight were associated with lower education, higher number of physical comorbidities, medical treatments and complications during pregnancy.

Over-weight and obesity may impact on mental health and pregnancy outcome of women enrolled. Psycho-educational interventions aimed to improve the management of physical and emotional issues may reduce the risk of PD and complications during pregnancy.

Research on life stress in bipolar disorder largely fails to account for the possibility of a dynamic relationship between psychosocial stress and episode initiation. The kindling hypothesis states that over the course of recurrent affective disorders, there is a weakening temporal relationship between major life stress and episode initiation that could reflect either a progressive sensitization or progressive autonomy to life stress.

To explore the concept of the Kindling model applied to bipolar disorder and to present a clinical case of a bipolar patient whose latter mood episodes were caused by adverse life events.

We performed a non-systematic literature review using the most relevant papers found on the database PubMed with the keywords “kindling effect”, “allostatic load”, “bipolar disorder” and “prevention”. Description of the clinical case report.

The phenomenon of kindling was first discovered by Goddard in 1967 who described it in epilepsy. Later, Post applied it to the bipolar disorder, arguing that the initial episodes of both unipolar and bipolar affective disorders are often precipitated by psychosocial stressors, but after multiple recurrences, not only do precipitated episodes continue to occur, but so do spontaneous ones as well. We present the case report of a 62 years old woman, divorced, diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder since she was 20 years old. She always have had poor adherence to her medication and follow-up with Psychiatry consultation, with a non-containing sociofamily environment that does not promote clinical stability. Over the time, her admissions on the Psychiatry ward were more frequent and precipitated by adverse life events, mainly caused by the deteriorated relationship with her children.

The kindling model clarifies aspects of the longitudinal course of episode development, recurrence, and progression to spontaneity, as well as further conceptual and theoretical rationales for intervention in order to prevent illness progression.

None Declared

For over two decades, much has been written about the role of heritage buildings and historic places on individual and societal well-being. Numerous manuscripts have been devoted to study the relationship between built and cultural heritage and well-being and to decrypt their mental and physical health benefits at the personal and societal levels. Other studies have focused on the diverse types of heritage experiences that enable these health benefits, ranging from perceptions, to the individual and societal engagements through exposure, protection and conservation of historic places and environment. Social benefits encompass enhancing of collective memories and identities, sharing experiences, social interaction, creative opportunities, etc.

The objective of this research is to explore the relationship between personal and societal health and well-being, and cultural heritage. The main objective is to disclose international strategies and programs for assessing and promoting heritage-led wellbeing benefits.

We comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature using qualitative data-analysis methods to state, international frameworks for promoting heritage-led wellbeing benefits.

Our bibliographic review revealed that there has been rising recognition that the conservation of cultural heritage is not just about the preservation of materials, but rather about safeguarding and sharing heritage for the improvement of people’s lives. According to the WHO, culture and cultural heritage are recognized as fundamental determinants of what makes personal and social lives meaningful. Consequently, many countries such as the UK and Canada, have developed people centred approaches achieved by local authorities as a means of ensuring inclusivity and diversity, so that heritage is able to contribute to people’s wellbeing. Politically, few agendas promoting wellbeing and engagement with the historic environment included guidelines of community-oriented projects and management systems that benefit people with building the relationship between people and place, while demonstrating the public value of the historic environment.

All professionals, at the architectural and urban level, as well as health and psychology level should have awareness about the concept of heritage-led wellbeing benefits and strategic views of the value of cultural heritage as process, as participation, as mechanism, as healing, as place and as environment to raise the planned positive effects by local authorities when promoting the perception of the role of cultural heritage in health and wellbeing.

None Declared

We often find it challenging to manage hyperactivity, low frustration tolerance and angry outbursts in patients with ASD and comorbid ADHD. Fewer drugs are approved for these disorders and these patients are more likely to develop adverse effects.

The aim of this case is to show how the combination of lisdexamfetamine together with guanfacine has very positive effects on anger outbursts and boundary heteroaggressiveness in patients with ASD and ADHD.

Case report and literature review

This is a 14-year-old minor admitted to the psychiatric unit after physical aggression against his family due to anger after removal of video games, requiring police intervention. He has been diagnosed since he was 11 years old with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. He was being treated with methylphenidate 54 mg and aripiprazole 10 mg. Since the beginning of the admission, the following pharmacological adjustment has been made: Methylphenidate is substituted by lisdexamfetamine up to 50 mg per day. Guanfacine has been started up to 4 mg per day and the dose of aripiprazole has been maintained. The patient had no adverse effects with adequate tolerance without sedation, hyporexia or hypotension. With this adjustment, improvement was found in the levels of restlessness and hyperactivity. The patient expressed a subjective improvement in the levels of restlessness and with a notable improvement in attention in the hospital classroom. An improvement in emotional regulation was also observed, with more tolerance to the imposition of limits, without an explosion of anger in the face of any rule during admission

The management of hyperactivity and episodes of low frustration tolerance in patients with ASD and ADHD is complex. Many studies point out the time-limited use of some antipsychotics such as risperidone or aripiprazole. This work aims to show guanfacine in combination with lisdexamfetamine as an excellent combination for the management of agitation and rage explosion in these patients. In addition, the profile of adverse effects at metabolic level is much better than that of atypical antipsychotics.

• - Extended-Release Guanfacine for Hyperactivity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Lawrence Scahill et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 Dec.

None Declared

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.

None Declared

Cannabis or marijuana is a common substance of abuse. Its active compounds are Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC or THC), cannabidiol or nabiximol. The last two ones might have a therapeutic effect in some mental disorders. THC is a toxic substance that has euphoric, sedative and antalgic effects. It is the third most consumed psychoactive substance in the world, with 10% of people consuming it with an abusive patron.

The comorbidity of Bipolar Disorder (BD) and the cannabis abuse takes place in a 20% of the patients in some series. This has been related with a worse prognostic for the BD, being especially related to apparition of more episodes of mania.

We did a review of both disorders due to a case of a patient we had admitted to the psychiatry department of the Bellvitge Universitary Hospital with a debut of hippomania and history of cannabis consumption.

To expose a clinical case and to do a review of the literature related to BD and cannabis abuse.

It is a one patient report of a 35 year old male that was a habitual consumer of cannabis. He achieved a consume of 1g per day. He began consuming it on December 2020, until 4-5 days before the hospitalisation on March 2022. His hospital admittance was due to a debut with hippomania clinical features.

Review of various scientific articles related to both disorders.

Our case clinical features were mainly an alteration in his conduct right after cannabis withdrawal. It consisted in mental hyper clarity, increased speed of his thought, insomnia, inadequacy, hyperactivity and increased energy; hipersexuality and wellness feeling.

His development was favourable with an olanzapine based treatment, later switched to aripiprazole. After the hospitalisation, his symptoms have been mainly related to the anxiety spectrum, due to a basal neurotic personality. He presented some depressive symptoms, but not with entity of decompensation. He hasn’t consumed cannabis since the admittance.

It’s been described that substance abuse is related to retardation on the diagnosis. Also, this comorbidity is related to a worse development in both disorders. In the case of BD, cannabis consumption has been related to more episodes of mania.

Lithium is the only treatment proved to improve both disorders at the same time.

Comorbidity for affective disorders with substance abuse has been described as a risk factor for suicide, overdose and homicide.

Cannabis seems directly related with the onset and the exacerbation of a BD. This relation seems bilateral, since an untreated mania might result in a cannabis abuse disorder. Worse prognosis for BD might be because comorbidity with cannabis abuse is related with worse adherence to treatment and more decompensations. Also, the abuse of substances can provoke retardation in the diagnosis. By now, lithium seems to be the only treatment with proved efficacy treating comorbidity of both disorders.

None Declared

During the course of COVID-19 pandemic, the respiratory system is the most commonly affected while many neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease have been observed.

Emphasize the importance of detecting psychiatric symptoms in patients infected with Covid 19.

Presentation of case report

A 44-year-old woman with no personal history of chronic diseases and with no psychiatric family history. About her experience with covid 19, her mother died as a result of covid 19 infection and our patient had been hospitalized for 17 days for pulmonary infection covid 19, during her hospitalization in COVID 19 unit she presented insomnia and anxiety without behavioural disorders. She had a good evolution of the respiratory symptoms and she was discharged under corticotherapy and anticoagulants.

She was admitted in our department after 45 days of her covid 19 infection for acute behavioural disorders.

On physical examination: she was hemodynamically stable and well oriented. Neurological examination was with no abnormalities. Cerebral CT scan was normal and lumbar puncture was indicated and the analysis of the CSF did not reveal any anomalies. At the psychiatric interview she was extremely agitated, anxious and hallucinated, she had disorganised speech with derailment and neologisms, she was disinhibited and her mood was exalted. She presented also a delusion of grandeur and delusion of persecution.

In individuals presenting with COVID-19 infection, consideration should be made for psychiatric manifestations because COVID-19 diagnosis predispose vulnerable patients to psychosis.

None Declared

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage or the extraction of organs.

Research into the mental health impact of trafficking has consistently found high rates of mental health problems, most commonly depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

While there is some evidence that these factors can contribute the diagnosis of PTSD, exposure to trauma is the most important feature in the development of PTSD.

Other Mental Health Problems in victims of

Trafficking:

1. 1. Dissociative disorders

2. 2. Substance-related disorders

3. 3. Complex trauma

Although mental health problems among victims of trafficking have been shown to be high, recovery without treatment is rare, particularly in those who have developed PTSD.

Where there is comorbidity, recovery often does not occur even when rehabilitation has been attempted. This is unsurprising given the multiplicity of trauma that victims of trafficking have experienced, which often includes trauma prior to the trafficking situation.

Evidence-Based Therapeutic Treatment Options for PTSD:

Some evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptakeinhibitors can effectively complement the psychotherapeutictreatment of PTSD as well as other anxiety and mooddisorders.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Exposure therapy

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)

In the absence of research pertaining to the mental health treatment of victims of human trafficking, mental health professionals working with this population must educate themselves on the evidence based research related to the treatment of common diagnoses and similarly marginalized populations to ensure proper provision of the best mental health care possible.

Among the most devastating mental health consequences for victims of any crime can be the destruction of basic life assumptions; that one is safe from harm, one is a good and decent person, and the world is meaningful and just. For victims of human trafficking, mental health problems can be compounded by the misconceptions about and limited understanding of the issue of human trafficking.

Additionally, lack of social support and stigmatization by friends, family, and social institutions can exacerbate victims mental health conditions.

Psychologically process the trauma they have experienced. However, until these studies are conducted and their results made available, mental health practitioners can base treatment options for this population on existing research findings and interventions found to be successful with other similarly victimized populations.

None Declared

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common during the course of neurocognitive disorders. NPS have been previously reported in early and late stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. However, our understanding of NPS in high-risk states for dementia such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is poor.

To compare the frequency and factor structure of neuropsychiatric symptoms among individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in remission, and comorbid MCI and MDD (in remission) (MCI-D).

We used baseline data from the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia with Cognitive Remediation Plus Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Depression (PACt-MD) study, a multicenter trial across five academic sites in Toronto, Canada (clinical trial No. NCT0238667). We used ANOVA or χ2-test to compare frequency of NPS across groups. We used factor analysis of Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) items in the three groups.

We included 374 participants with a mean age of 72.0 years (SD = 6.3). In the overall sample, at least one NPS was present in 64.2% participants, and 36.1 % had at least moderate severity NPS (36.1%). Depression (54%, χ2 < 0.001) and apathy (28.7%, χ2=0.002) were more prevalent in the MCI-D group as compared to MCI and MDD groups. In factor analysis, NPS grouped differently in MCI, MDD, and MCI-D groups. A “psychotic” subgroup emerged among MCI and MCI-D, but not in MDD. Night-time behaviors and disinhibition grouped differently across all three groups.

Prevalence of NPS seems higher in persons with MCI-D as compared to those with only MCI or MDD. The factor structure of NPS differed between MCI, MDD, and MCI-D groups. Future studies should investigate the association of NPS factors with cognition, function, and illness biomarkers.

None Declared

Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs have been widely acknowledged as effective resources to treat common mental health disorders (CMDs) like depression or anxiety. However, real-world uptake rates remain low, which could be associated to low individualization options of iCBT. Blended cognitive behavioural therapy (bCBT) allows for more personalized care by combining regular face-to-face therapy sessions with digital therapeutics (DTx). However, in-depth experiences with DTx in bCBT programs have yet rarely been examined. In this study, we focused on university students as they are particularly at risk for developing CMDs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate experiences with the smartphone-based DTx elona therapy among university students with mild to moderate depression or anxiety symptoms for the use within bCBT.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconference between January and April 2022 with N = 102 students from universities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, after they had received weekly individual CBT sessions (25 minutes each) via videoconference for six weeks and regularly used the depression (N = 67) or anxiety module (N = 35) of the DTx. Interviews were coded according to the approach of grounded theory.

In general, most participants stated that they benefitted from the bCBT program. Many highlighted the intuitive handling of the DTx and indicated that they perceived it as useful for structuring their therapy progress. As other benefits, participants listed e.g., increased self-reflection and disorder-specific knowledge as well as the transfer of the content of therapy sessions into their daily life. Participants differed with respect to the preferred design of the DTx. While some liked the clean look, others would have favoured more colours. Participants mentioned time constraints, data security concerns or the feeling of being left alone with potentially arising emotions while working on tasks for the next therapy session as possible barriers to the usage of DTx.

Interviewed participants mostly had positive attitudes toward elona therapy as part of the bCBT program. Our study shows that DTx as part of bCBT can be perceived as helpful tools to accompany university students with mild to moderate anxiety or depression symptoms in their daily life.

P. Braun: None Declared, E. Atik Employee of: Elona Health GmbH, L. Guthardt: None Declared, J. Apolinário-Hagen: None Declared, M. Schückes Shareolder of: Elona Health GmbH

The process of integrating technology into mental health pathways represents a social transformation that we are gradually getting used to. But does it represent a valid alternative to face-to-face care processes? In this paper we will consider telesychology as a tool for treating anxiety and depression and its validity. Anxiety and depression are harmful to individuals, suffering from these disorders, their caregivers, and the economy. Remote delivery of psychotherapy has been established as a viable alternative to traditional in-person psychotherapy for treating anxiety and depression. However, literature comparing and evaluating the variety of remote delivery modalities of psychotherapy has not yet been integrated.

This review examines the efficiency – to - practice and the limits of e-therapy and its mediums: telephone, video, and online-administered psychotherapy, for treatment of anxiety and depression.

A comprehensive literature search, conducted using PubMed and PsycINFO included systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and cost-analysis studies focused on a remote delivery method of e-psychotherapy for anxiety and depression

Overall, interventions delivered through telephone, video, and online modalities, have generally demonstrated good efficiency in treating anxiety and depression; also comorbid with other disorders. The literature also suggested that telehealth psychotherapy is accessible, convenient, and cost-effective.

In evaluating the reviews on the databases, it also emerged that among the many psychological therapies for anxiety disorders, delivered digitally (CBT, Attention bias modification, Exposure therapy, Applied relaxation, Bibliotherapy, Psychodynamic therapy, Mindfulness, Behavioral stress management, Counseling), the best digital therapy is internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT), in particular for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Despite this, overall, the efficiency and practical benefits of remote psychotherapy interventions in treating anxiety and depression across a diverse range of patient groups suggested that it is an appropriate alternative for those who cannot access in-person psychotherapy.

Further research evaluating the efficiency and practical benefits of e-psychotherapy for anxiety and depression is much needed for patients with limited access to in-person psychological care. Moreover, it remains to evaluate the maintenance of therapeutic gains after the end of the treatments.

None Declared

Coronavirus infection affects the CNS and modulates the immune system. The associated processes of neuroplasticity play an important role in the pathogenesis of depression.

The aim of the study is to identify the relationships between EEG and immunological parameters in depressive patients who recovered from coronavirus infection, in order to clarify the features of neuroimmune interaction after suffering COVID-19.

30 female patients aged 16-25 enrolled in the study were admitted for treatment during the pandemic in 2020-2022 (“COVID” group). Previously, they had been ill with COVID-19 in a mild or asymptomatic forms on a background of depressive state (F31.3-4, F21.3-4 + F34.0, according to ICD-10) from 3 months to 2 years before the examination.

All patients underwent pre-treatment multichannel background EEG recordings in a state of quiet wakefulness with eyes closed and analysis of the absolute EEG spectral power (SP) in 8 narrow frequency sub-bands.

As well, markers of neuroplasticity ─ the levels of autoantibodies to the S100b protein (AAT-S100b) and to the myelin basic protein (AAT-MBP) were measured in each patient’s blood plasma using the laboratory technology “Neuro-immuno-test”.

The EEG and immunological parameters of the “COVID” group were compared with similar data of 40 depressive patients who were treated in 2018-2019, that is, they did not have COVID-19 (“pre-COVID” group), but matched by sex, age, syndrome structure, as well as the pre-treatment severity of depression (according to the HDRS-17 scale) to patients of the “COVID” group.

Statistical analysis of the data obtained was carried out by the correlation analysis method of the IBM SPSS Statistics, v.22 software package.

In the “COVID” group, the AAT-S100b level valuespositively correlated with the EEG delta sub-band (2-4 Hz) SP valuesin T3, T4, P4, and O1 leads. The values of the AAT-MBP level correlated with the SP values of delta (2-4 Hz) and theta1 (4-6 Hz) EEG sub-bands in C3, T4, P3, P4, O1, and O2 leads. In the “pre-COVID” group, the values of the AAT-S100b level correlated positively with the SP values of not slow-wave, but alpha2 (9-11 Hz) and alpha3 (11-13 Hz) EEG activity in T3, P3, O1, and O2 leads.

Positive correlations of the AAT-S100b level with alpha2 and alpha3 SP values indicate that in the “before COVID” group, the AAT-S100b level reflects rather the reparative processes of neuroplasticity. On the contrary, in the “COVID” group, positive correlations of the AAT-S100b and of the demyelination marker AAT-MBP levels with the SP values of slow-wave (delta and theta1) EEG frequency components, reflecting a reduced brain functional state, indicate that elevated levels of AAT-S100b and AAT-MBP in this group are markers of nerve tissue damage caused by coronavirus infection.

The study supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 21-18-00129).

None Declared

In terms of care, family has a major role to play in the evolution of psychiatric illness.

Our aim in this work is to determine the family experience during the hospitalization of their sibling in the emergency room of the psychiatric university hospital Ar-Razi in Salé.

Our aim in this work is to determine the family experience during the hospitalization of their sibling in the emergency room of the psychiatric university hospital Ar-Razi in Salé.

Our work was carried out with families of patients admitted to the emergency department of the psychiatric university hospital Ar-Razi in Salé.

The data collection was carried out with the help of a questionnaire including several items.

Sixty-five family members were included in this study. Their relatives hospitalized in the psychiatric emergency department were male in 70% of cases with an average age of 32.4 years.

• - In 76% of the cases, the family member interviewed was the one who requested hospitalization;

• - 55% of those interviewed were parents.

The analysis of relatives’ feelings during the hospitalization showed:

• - Feelings of guilt were related to feelings of fear of exclusion and worries.

• - Feelings of fear and exclusion were mostly expressed by mothers of patients hospitalized for the first time

At the end of the hospitalisation, 90% expressed relief, and 85% of family members were satisfied with their relative’s stay in the psychiatric emergency department.

Recognizing families as units of care and understanding their situation and experiences facilitates the post-hospitalization care process. A well-informed family about mental illness and the types of therapeutic treatments available helps optimize the treatment.

None Declared

During the COVID 19 pandemic children and young people (CYP) faced significant restrictions. The virus and restrictions also affected how health services could function, including mental health. Research analysing the COVID 19 pandemic is important to ensure dynamic and resilient service design in case of future national emergencies.

To investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on CYP psychiatric admission trends during lockdowns 1 (started 26 March 2020) and 2 (started 20 November 2020) of the COVID 19 pandemic in England.

Routinely collected, retrospective, English, administrative data looking at the CYP hospital admissions, length of stay and patient demographics were analysed using an interrupted time series analysis to compare pre-pandemic service use with service use during COVID 19 lockdowns 1 and 2. The analysis used an ordinary least squares (OLS) approach with Newey–West standard errors to handle autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity.

Table 1.Patient characteristics in the entire sample (n=6,250)

Image:

Image 2:

Image 3:

During lockdown 1 and 2, psychiatric admissions for CYP were fewer and shorter. The rise in admissions for more deprived CYP and looked after children suggests these CYP may have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

None Declared

Binge eating behaviors are associated with psychological, social, and biological factors, while it is suggested that they may be triggered by negative emotions, including depression and anxiety, and provide relief from them, which in turn may lead to reinforcement of such behaviors.

This study aimed to examine the eating habits and in particular the binge eating behaviors of a sample of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented challenge for public health and communities worldwide with multi-level consequences on people’s lives.

The sample consisted of 196 individuals residing in Greece aged 18 to 64 years (76.5% women), who completed an anonymous questionnaire from June to July 2021. This included the following psychometric instruments: Fear of COVID-19 Scale to assess the fear related to COVID-19, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale to assess self-esteem, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 to assess anxiety, depression and stress, Binge Eating Scale to assess binge eating behaviors, UCLA Loneliness Scale for the evaluation of the perceived feeling of loneliness and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for the assessment of reflective functioning (i.e., the ability to understand human behavior in terms of underlying mental states).

The majority of participants (86.7%) reported that during the pandemic their diet was less healthy than before the pandemic onset, while almost half (46.4%) of the participants stated that they had experiences an episode of binge eating during the past 6 months, and 36.2% that they had used self-induced vomiting in order to control their weight. Of note, the results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that higher levels of fear of the pandemic as well as of depression were independently associated with higher binge eating, with women presenting higher mean scores in the Binge Eating Scale than men. Conversely, higher self-esteem appeared to be independently associated with lower binge eating levels, thus acting as a protective factor, whereas the remaining psychometric factors were not found statistically significantly related.

In conclusion, the findings of the present study highlight the importance of identifying dysfunctional eating behaviors and related psychological factors that may potentially act as risk or protective factors, especially during the pandemic.

None Declared

Functioning in acute inpatient psychiatric units has been challenged by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients with more severe mental health symptoms changed their rates of voluntary admission to psychiatric wards during the onset of the pandemic. Peritraumatic distress scores and increased likelihood of being psychologically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to a psychiatric admission. However, other factors could prevent hospitalization.

The present investigation aimed at admission rates of patients by depression, adjustment disorder or suicidal behaviour to a General Hospital Psychiatric Ward. We compared the lockdown due to COVID-19 in 2020 to similar periods of 2018 and 2019.

The data of one general hospital psychiatric ward admissions have been obtained and analysed. We compared admission characteristics of 237 patients between April and June of 2018 and 2019 with 79 patients in the same period of 2020 (lockdown).

During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a 35.8% reduction in psychiatric admissions and a significant reduction in psychiatric admission was observed due to suicidal behaviour (IRR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26-0.89; p=0.002) and depression (IRR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.68; p=0.007), but similar rates of adjustment disorders (IRR = 1.12; 95% CI: 0.58-2.15; p=0.73).

We suggest that patients with depression or suicidal behaviour avoided admission, for fear of contagion in hospitals. Also, greater family support could prevent self-injurious behaviours. By contrast, other disorders continued to require the same admission rate, since the social consequences derived from confinement could lead to the genesis or worsening of symptoms, such as adjustment disorders.

None Declared

Culture is defined by the shared beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices of a particular group of people which can influence their behaviour and social interactions, including the use of substances.

The aim of this review is to identify the evidence of cultural competence in the treatment of people with substance use disorder (SUD) and encourage the professionals and organizations to take cultural context into account.

Narrative review about the topic, using PubMed/Medline database. MeSH terms: “culture”, “cultural competence”, “addictions”, “substance use disorder”.

Studies show that culture can either be a catalyst for SUD or play a protective role. However, other factors may also play a large role in client’s response substance use and the development of SUD. Acculturation and generational differences can also impact SUD treatment, especially when intergenerational conflict causes stress that leads individuals to engage in risky behaviours. Thus, treatment for SUD has to be sensitive to cultural differences and professionals should provide culturally based approaches. Culturally targeted practices have been linked to greater outcomes, better therapeutic alliance, less dropouts and consequent increased retention in the treatment. These practices include matching clinicians and clients on linguistic and cultural backgrounds as well as being mindful of the impact of culture on client’s experience of SUD. Providing therapy and materials in the client’s language, knowledge, understanding and appreciation for cultural perspectives, involving the family and community and training therapists, are some of culturally competent practices used. These strategies involve knowledge, creativity, and experience.

Cultural competence seems to be a valuable tool for healthcare professionals working in a multicultural context, particularly with people with SUD. Unfortunately, the lack of supporting evidence limits the validity of any particular model of cultural competence. Future methodologically research is necessary in order to provide quality cultural competence models for people with SUD.

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Schizophrenia affects people worldwide. In Europe, the advantages of second-generation and long-acting injectable antipsychotics (SG-LAIs) are known and used, supported by scientific evidence. However, somewhere there is limited evidence on this topic.

Highlight the improvements in antipsychotic treatment and raise awareness of the scar between Europe and Africa, showing the results of the evidence with a case of cooperation with Cameroon.

About a case of a 42-year-old Cameroonian woman with 25 years of schizophrenia, treated with first-generation antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) oral and depot, with several psychotic relapses, disorganized behaviors, motor and cognitive impairment and isolation (telemedicine consultation received through a NGO platform).

A search on PubMed was performed, selecting two systematic reviews including “antipsychotic” AND “Africa”, one systematic review for SGAs and four reviews for LAIs.

Seven articles were reviewed, finding that APP use is highly prevalent in Africa with a lack of research on this, SGAs show an improved safety and tolerability profile and LAIs are among the most effective treatments in psychiatry improving adherence and overall patient outcomes.

In our case, we recommend progressively adjusting treatment to SG-LAI monotherapy, visiting the patient six months later in Cameroon, observing sustained stability of positive symptoms with an improvement of negative symptoms and good adherence and tolerability to treatment without extrapyramidal effects.

Our case is an example of the evidence that supports the improvement that SG-LAIs represent in psychiatric treatment and how international cooperation can help bridge the gap between Africa and Europe. Nevertheless, more research is needed to build bridges.

None Declared