Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for various comorbidities, such as cirrhosis, chronic sclerosing stomatitis, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Our study examined the associations between psychological factors and alcohol addiction of the individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Southern Taiwan.

Demographic information as well as suicidal history and sources of stress were collected from 177 participants. The extent of alcoholism was assessed by AUDIT questionnaire. Demographic and linear regression analyses were performed with the Statistical Software Stata version 12.0 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA).

Demographic data, suicidal history and the causes of stress of patients divided by AUDIT scores are shown in Table 1. Among 177 participants, 17 (9.6%) had suicidal thoughts, 4 (2.3%) had suicide plan, 22 (12.5%) self-injured, and four-fifth of patients lived under pressure. Patients who self-harmed were with significant lower AUDIT scores of -7.24 (95% CI: -11.49 – -3.00) (Table. 2). The AUDIT scores of patients with physical stress, interpersonal difficulties and loneliness increased significantly by 6.71 (95% CI: 3.19 – 10.30), 6.14 (95% CI: 2.15 – 10.13) and 5.02 (95% CI: 0.93 – 9.11), respectively (Table. 3).

Our findings indicated negative correlation with alcohol use and auto-inflicted injury. However, previous study showed systematic assessment of the association between suicide and AUD, and considered alcohol an important risk factor for suicide, which is related to mental health and affected by different genders and drinking patterns. Our results may provide reference for estimation of the alcohol-related psychological effects in Taiwan.

No significant relationships.

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

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

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

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

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

No significant relationships.

Age at onset of type-I bipolar disorder (BD-I) typically averages 12-24 years, is older among patients with type-II-BD (BD-II), even though generally before 50-years-old (EOBD). Clinical observation of late-onset BD (LOBD) posed some questions regarding a differential phenotypic/psychopathological manifestations and affective temperaments between LOBD vs EOBD.

A case-control pilot-study was carried out to investigate psychopathological, clinical and temperamental features of a psychogeriatric cohort of LOBD and EOBD subjects.

Out of 74 enrolled patients, 64 patients (31 EOBD, 33 LOBD) were included and administered an ad hoc socio-demographic datasheet, BPRS, CGI, GAF, HAM-D, GDS, MSRS, MRS, MOCA and TEMPS-M.

LOBD is significantly associated with higher rates of BD-II diagnosis (X2 = 26.1, p<.001), depressive (p=0.05) and mixed states (p=0.011), higher comorbid anxiety levels and depressive affective temperament (p<.001); while clinical manifestations of geriatric EOBD is significantly associated with higher endocrinological (X2 = 7.815, p=.005) and metabolic comorbidity (X2 = 6.896, p=.009), a diagnosis of BD-I, manic episodes and hyperthymic (p=.001) affective temperaments. GDS and MSRS total scores were significantly higher in LOBD (respectively, p<.001 and p=.008).

Further studies with larger sample sizes and a control group should verify whether LOBD is a distinct psychopathological entity from EOBD and evaluate differences (if any) in terms of prognosis and treatment between EOBD and LOBD.

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.

Patients with schizophreniform disorder(SD) and schizophrenia present similar symptoms, however, SD has a shorter duration, varying between at least 1 month and 6 months.

To describe and analyse Schizophreniform disorder related hospitalizations in a national hospitalization database.

We performed a retrospective observational study using a nationwide hospitalization database containing all hospitalizations registered in Portuguese public hospitals from 2008 to 2015. Hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of schizophreniform diso72.1-der were selected based on International Classification of Diseases version 9, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code of diagnosis 295.4x. Birth date, sex, residence address, primary and secondary diagnoses, admission date, discharge date, length of stay (LoS), discharge status, and hospital charges were obtained. Comorbidities were analysed using the Charlson Index Score. Independent Sample T tests were performed to assess differences in continuous variables with a normal distribution and Mann-Whitney-U tests when no normal distribution was registered.

In Portuguese public hospitals, a total of 594 hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of Schizophreniform disorder were registered during the 8-year study period. Most were associated to the male sex patients, 72.1% (n=428). The mean age at admission was 35.99 years and differed significantly between sexes (males - 34.44; females- 40.19; p<0.001). The median LoS was 17.00 days and the in-hospital mortality was 0.5% (n=3). Only 6.1% (n=36) of the hospitalization episodes had 1 or more registered comorbidities.

Hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of Schizophreniform disorder occur more frequently in young male patients. This is the first nationwide study analysing all hospitalization episodes in Portugal.

No significant relationships.

Research has shown that emotional suppression, a form of emotion regulation, is often used by individuals with disordered eating behaviour. Moreover, eating disorder symptomatology is associated with inappropriate eating behaviours (e.g. excessive consumption of high-calorie foods and comfort foods).

The objective of the present study was to investigate the differences in eating behaviour among adults with different levels of emotional suppression and eating disorder symptomatology.

Two hundred seventy adults (Mage = 29.44 ± 9.32) completed the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (eating behaviour), the Eating Attitudes Test (eating disorder symptomatology) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (emotional suppression).

Three clusters were identified through cluster analysis: cluster 1 (N = 115) presenting low emotional suppression and low eating disorder symptomatology; cluster 2 (N = 43) presenting high emotional suppression and high eating disorder symptomatology and cluster 3 (N = 112) presenting high emotional suppression and low eating disorder symptomatology. Our results showed that individuals in cluster 2 had significantly greater levels of cognitive restraint, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating than individuals in clusters 1 and 3. Moreover, individuals in clusters 1 and 3 did not differ significantly in terms of any of the TFEQ subscales.

These preliminary findings may suggest that the tendency to persistently suppress emotions exacerbate disordered eating behaviour. Therefore, this factor together with symptoms of eating disorders should to be considered when planning prevention and intervention programs among adults presenting disordered eating behaviour.

No significant relationships.

To improve the effectiveness of treatment for atypical depression, it is necessary to revise the accumulated experience, taking into account new knowledge and drugs.

Comparative study of the efficacy and safety of therapy for atypical depression (AtD) in the structure of bipolar affective disorder (BAD), recurrent depressive disorder (RDR) and psychogenic depression (PD).

Clinical and clinical follow-up methods examined 77 patients with AtD, of which 35 - with bipolar disorder, 18 - with RDR and 24 - with PD. Patients in all three groups received monotherapy with an antidepressant or a mood stabilizer, or a combination of antidepressant and antipsychotic, antidepressant and mood stabilizer, mood stabilizer and antipsychotic, as well as a combination of antidepressant, antipsychotic and mood stabilizer.

Agomelatine was the most frequently used (27.3%) and effective in reducing MADRS in all groups both in monotherapy and in combination with other drugs. Also in the PD group, escitalopram and vortioxetine were highly effective. Of the antipsychotics, when combined with antidepressants, sulpiride was found to be the most effective. When comparing the tolerance of antidepressants in all groups showed the best results (by the CGI scale), agomelatine and venlafaxine, in the BAR group is also vortioxetine.

The best strategy for effective and safe treatment of atypical depression is the use of modern antidepressant, which does not increase the symptoms of the atypical spectrum and, if necessary, can be supplemented with some antipsychotics.

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.

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

Internet-addiction (IA) is one of the most common non-chemical (or behavioral) addictions with genetic impact and substantial effects of psychological and personality characteristics, taking into account the childhood traumatic experience. Gene-environment interactions (GxE) may substantially impact on the risk of Internet-addiction (IA).

Aim: to test the associations between the functional polymorphism rs6265 (Val66Met) in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, affecting BDNF function, and childhood traumatic experience and their GxE interactions with IA risk.

In total 456 participants were screened with Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS) to cut a cohort on two groups: IA (CIAS total score ≥ 65, n=100) and controls (CIAS total score less 64, n=356). The Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used to assess childhood traumatic experience using its main domains: parents (P), family (F), abuse (A) and violence (V). BDNF Val158Met polymorphism was detected by RT-PCR.

Logistic regression revealed associations of P scores with increased IA risk only after adjustment for sex and age (p=0.01, OR=1.166, 95%CI[1.038-1.309]) and V scores with decreased IA risk (p=0.000, OR=0.799, 95%CI [0,233;0,744] only before adjustment. No associations of F and A with IA risk were found. BDNF Val158Met per se was not associated with IA risk, but significant effect of interaction V score*BDNF rs6265 CC on IA risk in “protective” manner was revealed (р=0.039, OR=0.873, 95%CI[0.768-0.993]) in a model adjusted for sex and age.

Childhood violence experience interacts with BDNF Val158Met polymorphism and CC (ValVal) genotype may be possibly protective factor decreasing the internet addiction risk

This work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research: RFBR grant # 18-29-22079

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

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

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

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

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

No significant relationships.

Treatment-Resistant Depression continues to represent a great challenge for clinicians.

We investigated patients with history of resistance, assessing prognostic factors, response to treatments, and remission over time.

We recruited 202 unipolar and bipolar depressed inpatients. According to anamnestic backgrounds, patients were assigned to: A) Non-resistant: responders, with no characteristics of resistance in the current episode. B) Resistant: resistant to two antidepressant trials of adequate doses and duration. C) Pseudo-resistant: non-responders, not classifiable as Resistant because of inadequate trials. During hospitalization, patients were treated by clinical judgment, following a rehabilitation program.

On the day of admission, non-responders were 44.5% of the sample, but 39.3% of them did not meet the Resistant criteria, defining the Pseudo-resistant group. Pseudo-resistant differed from others by younger age, fewer illness episodes, higher rate of personality disorders, and different therapies during hospitalization [Fig.1,2,3]. Pseudo-resistant remission rate, significantly greater than Resistant one, was comparable to Non-resistant [Tab.1]. *Kruskal-Wallis Test **Chi-Squared Test

This study outlines a new group of depressed patients that, apparently drug-resistant, displays the same outcome as responders when treated with first-line drugs during hospitalization, certainly taking benefit from the psychoeducational program. Quick recognition of these patients could be crucial to giving optimal care.

No significant relationships.

In December 2019, infection with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in the city of Wuhan, China. Although generally recognized for its often fatal respiratory problems, other neuropsychiatric complications are receiving increasing attention.

We will try through a clinical case to explain the psychiatric disorders in the context of this infection, and to highlight the two main explanatory theories of psychiatric disorders, in relation with the SARS-Cov-2 infection.

We report here a case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 54-year-old female patient with no specific pathological history, including psychiatric, who presented a fever, anosmia, and asthenia in the absence of any respiratory signs. Her PCR came back positive and her chest CT scan was normal.The patient was treated with paracetamol with vitamin C,with good clinical improvement. She came 15 days later to the psychiatric emergency room with psychomotor excitement. The patient was motorically unstable, could not hold still, her mimicry was hypermobile, contact with her was familiar, she was logorrheic with flight of ideas,she verbalized multiple projects, her mood was euphoric and her sleep was disturbed. Her blood tests were unremarkable.

The diagnosis of manic episode was retained, and the patient was put on Olanzapine 10 mg, sodium Valproate 1g and Lorazepam 2.5 mg in degression with good clinical improvement.

Although the data in the literature remain scarce concerning the impact of this virus on mental health, we will try through this clinical case to explain the psychiatric disorders in the context of this viral epidemic, due to stress and inflammation.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medical students in many ways. They are not exempt from personal struggles caused by the health crisis, and many have faced similar challenges adapting to a new learning experience. The University of East Anglia (UEA) has initiatives in place to support medical students including the society Headucate UEA and the Wellbeing Champions scheme established by Norwich Medical School (NMS).

Headucate aims to improve mental wellbeing by educational online webinars and social events aimed at university students. NMS Wellbeing Champions offer support and signpost students to resources and the wider student support system at the UEA.

Headucate was established in 2012 by NMS students that began running workshops at local secondary schools. Their work has expanded to include wellbeing workshops, social events for students and mental health first aid training, so members can provide peer support. Wellbeing Champions are medical student representatives responsible for completing mental health first aid training, communication between students and faculty, providing resources and signposting, creating mental health bulletin newsletters, and running socials exclusively for medical students.

100% of Headucate workshop attendees who completed anonymous feedback agreed that they enjoyed it and that it was useful. No feedback has been collected regarding the success of the Wellbeing Champions. This should be carried out to assess and enhance the project further.

More data is needed to establish the success of the initiatives at NMS and their impact on medical student’s wellbeing.

No significant relationships.

The WHO and the Violence Prevention Alliance define violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.” The types of violence examined in this study include physical, sexual, verbal and racial as the most commonly reported manifestations of violence in the workplace.

To obtain the most recent statistics on violent acts perpetrated against mental health care workers in the Republic of Ireland. To capture the experiences and attitudes of staff to the reporting of this violence.

The State Claims Agency (SCA) were contacted to obtain the most up to date figures on violence against mental health care workers. An electronic survey based on the WHO’s validated questionnaire on violence was then disseminated to all acute psychiatric units nationally.

There were 6,690 episodes of violence against staff in the Mental Health Division in 2018 and 2019. The survey found, 92.4% of respondents reported verbal abuse, 30.3% recorded physical assault, 15.2% had suffered sexual violence in a 24 month period. 20.3% of study participants took no action. Of those who did, 70% felt that the incident had not been investigated properly. More than half of respondents felt that there were no consequences to the aggressor.

Further work is needed in the prevention of workplace violence as well as improvements in reporting and investigating of incidents when they do occur.

No significant relationships.

Functional somatic disorders (FSDs) are characterized by persistent and disabling physical symptoms that cannot be attributed to well-defined somatic disorders. In adolescents, the prevalence is around 4-10%. Evidence from adult populations suggests that cortisol plays a role in the development and perpetuation of FSDs, but little is known regarding adolescents. As cortisol accumulates in hair over time, hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a promising new biomarker for long-term physiological stress. Moreover, adult studies have found associations between HCC levels and self-perceived stress.

To compare HCC levels between adolescents with severe FSDs and adolescents from the general population. Furthermore, to investigate the association between HCC and self-perceived stress.

The data are retrieved from two projects: the AHEAD trial, including 91 15-19-year-old adolescents diagnosed with a severe FSD, and the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 (CCC2000), including data on 1455 16-17-year-old adolescents. Hair samples were collected for HCC analysis, and web-based questionnaires were used to asses self-perceived stress. Functional somatic symptoms were assessed with the Bodily Distress Syndrome (BDS) checklist.

The data have been collected and will be analysed and presented at the congress.

This study can contribute with knowledge about the potential role of cortisol in FSDs in adolescents, and whether self-perceived stress can be used as a marker for physiological stress measured by HCC. Treatments for adolescents with FSDs still need to be improved. The current study may help to understand whether future treatment strategies should include a greater focus on stress management.

No significant relationships.

Melatonin is often prescribed to patients experiencing sleep disturbances, which has been linked to elevated risks of suicide. However, it remains to be assessed whether melatonin is associated with suicide and suicide attempts.

We aimed to investigate whether individuals in treatment with melatonin had higher rates of suicide and suicide attempt when compared to individuals not in treatment.

Using longitudinal data on all persons aged 10+ years living in Denmark between 2007-2016 were obtained. Data from the National Prescription Register was used to identify periods of being in treatment with melatonin based on number of tablets and daily defined dose. Suicide and suicide attempt were identified in hospital and cause of death registries.

Among 5,798,923 included individuals, 10,577 (0.18%) were in treatment with melatonin (mean treatment length 50 days). Out of 5,952 individuals who died by suicide, 22 (0.37%) were in melatonin treatment, while 134 (0.53%) out of 25,136 had a first suicide attempt. After adjustment for sex and age-group, people in treatment with melatonin were found to have a higher rate of suicide (IRR: 4.2; 95% CI, 2.7-6.4) and suicide attempt (IRR: 6.7-fold (95% CI, 5.7-7.9) when compared to those not in treatment.

Treatment with melatonin was associated with higher rates of suicide and suicide attempt. The association might be explained through mediators, such as psychiatric comorbidity and sleep disorders. Our findings indicate that attention towards these issues might be warranted.

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) are a serious public health problem. Suicide prevention programs have been established over the years but many people who are suicidal do not seek treatment, and when they do they will end up in low-threshold sectors such as the Emergency Department in general hospitals. Previous studies about STB are mostly narrative, rather than a date-driven approach and limited in sample size.

The main goal of this study is to describe the prevalence and evolution of STB (ideation, plan or attempt) of the psychiatric patient referred to the Emergency Department of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg (Leuven, Belgium) over a 12 year period.

During a 12 year period (2003-2015), all patients with a psychiatric referral to the Psychiatric Emergency Room (PER) of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg (Leuven, Belgium) were included (N˜25.000). We use descriptive statistics to summarize the data set, focusing on STB in terms of raw numbers, symptoms at referral, mental disorders and demographic characteristics.

Around 1/9 patients presents with suicide attempt; another 1/5 with suicidal thoughts. STB accounts for 35% of psychiatric primary complaints at the PER. Women were more likely to present with STB. The proportion of STB referrals remains stable over the years.

Despite several reforms in mental health care, the PER remains a major entry point into mental healthcare for large proportions of STB patients.

No significant relationships.

Uaccompanied migrant youth represent an at-risk population given the complexity of negotiating adolescence in a new culture, isolated from family and friends, without a secure base and subject to discrimination. In addition, many unaccompanied migrant youth have been subject to considerable trauma prior to, during, and post migration. In Spain, as in many countries, the residential, care, and mental health services are not adapted to the specific and complex needs of this population, and to that end complex not only are the youth not well served but providers are increasingly frustrated. The figure of the community health agent has been widely recognized as one that can function as an effective bridge between systems/institutions and marginalized and vulnerable populations. In this presentation we will describe an ongoing project that trains unaccompanied migrant youth who show promise in their cultural adaptation in the areas of cultural competence, mental health care and substance abuse to function as community health agents (or peer counselors) consistent with models of cultural consultation.

No significant relationships.