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Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 May 9;21(1):13. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a complex and multifaceted neurobehavioral syndrome. In the last decades, several studies highlighted an increased prevalence of sleep problems in ASD, which would be associated with autonomic system and circadian rhythm disruption. The present review aimed to summarize the available literature about sleep problems in ASD subjects and about the possible biological factors implicated in circadian rhythm and autonomic system deregulation in this population, as well as possible therapeutic approaches. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Apr 28;21(1):12. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Dermatology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, No. 2 YaBao Street, ChaoYang District, Beijing, 100020, China.

Background: The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among caretakers of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and associated factors is unclear. The study was designed to explore anxiety and depression symptoms among caretakers of AD, and screen factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms.

Methods: A total of 901 children with AD and their caretakers were continuously enrolled and interviewed at dermatology department of Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Apr 9;21(1):11. Epub 2022 Apr 9.

Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.

Not only did the ongoing CoronaVIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic cause a massive number of casualties, but also there is growing concern that the burden of its psychological aftermaths will only show up years down the road. This systematic review summarises the existing literature reporting the impact of COVID-19 on personality disorders (PDs)-related violence. MEDLINE and APA PsycINFO were independently searched for relevant studies by two authors. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Apr 4;21(1):10. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Division of Psychiatry, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena School of Medicine, Siena, Italy.

Background: Emotional blunting-inability to feel positive or negative emotions, detachment, or reduced emotional responsiveness-is common in people with depression. However, there is a paucity of studies comprehensively investigating this symptom and its functional impact. This study investigated the experience of emotional blunting, and its impact on overall functioning and quality of life, in the acute and remission phases of depression from the perspective of patients and healthcare providers. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Mar 9;21(1). Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Health Policy, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Athens, Greece.

Background: Wearing facemasks is of proven efficacy as a public health protective measure against COVID-19. Currently there are no observational data concerning the wearing of facemasks and the adherence to guidelines concerning their handling.

Methods: Registration of the way passers-by were wearing facemasks at 26 different locations of five major cities in Greece. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Feb 16;21(1). Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy.

Background: Aberrant salience is the incorrect assignment of salience, significance, or value to different innocuous stimuli that might precede the onset of psychotic symptoms. The present study aimed to perform a preliminary evaluation of potentially different correlations between the Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) score and dimensional or categorical diagnostic approaches.

Methods: 168 adult outpatients with a current psychiatric diagnosis were consecutively enrolled. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Feb 14;21(1). Epub 2022 Feb 14.

Research, Teaching and Innovation Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: We assessed the moderating effect of pre-pandemic mental disorders on the association of COVID-related perceived stress and social support with mental health.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3500 Spanish adults was interviewed in June 2020 (mean age 49.25 years, ± 15. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Feb 11;21(1). Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Division of Institutional Measures, Medical Direction, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: Both the frequency of court-ordered treatments (COT) for offenders and prevalence of mental disorders among regular prison inmates steadily increased in most western countries. Whether there are major sociodemographic and clinical differences between these two populations is still matter of debate.

Methods: We compared the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in a representative sample of 139 regular prison inmates versus 61 offenders with COT admitted during a 5-year period in an acute psychiatric care unit located in the central prison of the Geneva county. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Feb 11;21(1). Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Research Team On the Civil Procedural Law and the Informatisation of the Judiciary, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.

Background: Problematic Internet Use is defined as a use of the Internet which leads to various difficulties. The aim of this study was to check whether Problematic Internet Use is associated with health risks, such as: anti-health behaviors, depressive symptoms, abnormal body weight or eating disorders.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 540 medical school students of Polish descent (83. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Feb 10;21(1). Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China.

Objective: Impaired cognitive function is a central symptom of schizophrenia and is often correlated with inferior global functional outcomes. However, the role of some neurobiological factors such as cortical structure alterations in the underlying cognitive damages in schizophrenia remains unclear. The present study attempted to explore the neurobiomarkers of cognitive function in drug-naive, first-episode schizophrenia by using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2022 Jan 18;21(1). Epub 2022 Jan 18.

Department of Psychiatry & Psychology, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is defined as the perception that one's general health care needs are being met. Prior research suggests that positive patient satisfaction with health care facilitates the physician-patient relationship and enhances quality of life.

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction (as measured by the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18)) of patients observed by general psychiatry residents and to examine the effects of depression and anxiety on patient satisfaction. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 20;20(1):56. Epub 2021 Dec 20.

CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lin Cui Road, Beijing, 100101, China.

Background: The apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphisms are correlated with blood lipid levels and several neuropsychiatric symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether the ApoE rs429358 affected the development and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and to explore the relationship between apolipoproteins levels and clinical symptoms.

Methods: The ApoE rs429358 was genotyped using a case-control design. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 18;20(1):55. Epub 2021 Dec 18.

Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.

Background: Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. It is also one of the most common geriatric psychiatric disorders and a major risk factor for disability and mortality in elderly patients. Even though depression is a common mental health problem in the elderly population, it is undiagnosed in half of the cases. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 16;20(1):53. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Roma, Italy.

Sociotropy (anaclitic) and autonomy (introjective) are conceptualised as two personality dimensions that confer vulnerability to depression. According to Blatt and Beck's theories, sociotropic individuals exhibit distinctive patterns of symptoms such as prominent anxiety, depressed mood, helplessness, crying and somatic concerns, while self-critical ones seem to exhibit a pattern of symptoms including prominent guilt, hopelessness, feelings of failure and worthlessness and other cognitive symptoms.This systematic review was performed with the aim of investigating whether and to what extent psychological dimensions of anaclitic-sociotropic and introjective-autonomy are related to a specific core of depressive symptoms. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 16;20(1):54. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

Background: There is growing concern about the psychopathological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prolonged stress due to the spreading fear of the contagion and to the enforced containment measures are deemed to trigger recurrences of preexisting mental disorders as well as the onset of new ones. From such perspective, clinical cases may be of primary ground to identify individual features and pandemic-related factors predisposing to the development of serious psychiatric symptoms. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 13;20(1):52. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes, Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: Patients suffering from severe mental disorders, including schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorders, have a reduced life expectancy compared to the general population of up to 10-25 years. This mortality gap requires urgent actions from a public health perspective in order to be reduced.

Main Text: Factors associated with the high mortality rates in patients with severe mental disorders can be grouped into four groups: those related to the patients, to psychiatrists, to other non-psychiatrist medical doctors and to the healthcare system. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Dec 3;20(1):51. Epub 2021 Dec 3.

Department of Child Psychiatry of Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, School of Mental Health, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518003, China.

Background: This study investigated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors in Chinese adolescents, and explored the underlying mechanism.

Methods: The data of 3094 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years were collected from an epidemiological survey in China. All the subjects or their parents completed the Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC). Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Nov 29;20(1):50. Epub 2021 Nov 29.

Department of Psychiatry/Epilepsy, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Background: Digital conversations can offer unique information into the attitudes of Hispanics with depression outside of formal clinical settings and help generate useful information for medical treatment planning. Our study aimed to explore the big data from open-source digital conversations among Hispanics with regard to depression, specifically attitudes toward depression comparing Hispanics and non-Hispanics using machine learning technology.

Methods: Advanced machine-learning empowered methodology was used to mine and structure open-source digital conversations of self-identifying Hispanics and non-Hispanics who endorsed suffering from depression and engaged in conversation about their tone, topics, and attitude towards depression. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Nov 2;20(1):49. Epub 2021 Nov 2.

WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.

Background: The chapter on mental disorders of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has been now finalized. Training of mental health professionals in the use of the chapter is taking place worldwide. Information is provided on the ICD-11 training courses taking place recently, including that co-organized by the Naples World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Research and Training in Mental Health and the European Psychiatric Association; those which will be held in the next few months, such as the one co-organized by the World Psychiatric Association and the Global Mental Health Academy, to be held online from 8 to 29 November 2021; and the training course set up by the WHO Collaborating Centre on Mental Health at the Columbia University, in collaboration with the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, which can be accessed only by the members of the WHO Global Clinical Practice Network. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 28;20(1):48. Epub 2021 Sep 28.

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, 325, Section 2, Cheng-Gung Road, Nei-Hu District, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and the risk of developing erectile dysfunction.

Methods: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to analyze patients who were newly diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between 2000 and 2013, with a 1:3 ratio by age and index year matched with patients in a non-PTSD comparison group, for the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Results: In total, 5 out of 1079 patients in the PTSD group developed erectile dysfunction, and 3 out of 3237 patients in the non-PTSD group (47. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 25;20(1):46. Epub 2021 Sep 25.

Department of Psychiatry, Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University, 2088 Tiaoxi Road, Huzhou, 313000, Zhejiang, China.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) are a group of intractable and chronic mental disorders. Trichotillomania (TTM) is a common type of OCRDs characterized by repetitive hair pulling, driven by escalating tension before the action and during the attempts to resist it. Binge eating disorder (BED) is a common type of eating disorder characterized by recurrent compulsive episodes of binge eating. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 21;20(1):45. Epub 2021 Sep 21.

Bereich Forschung & Wissenschaft, LWL-Klinik, Marsbruchstr. 179, 44287, Dortmund, Germany.

Background: Old age bipolar disorder has been an orphan of psychiatric research for a long time despite the fact that bipolar disorder (BD)-I and II together may affect 0.5-1.0% of the elderly. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 18;20(1):44. Epub 2021 Sep 18.

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital in Pilsen, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

Background: Victimization is associated with worse social and clinical outcomes of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). A relapse of SMI may be one of the clinical consequences of assaultive trauma. As far as we know, there is no published study that analyzes nationwide health registers to assess the risk of SMI rehospitalization following assault. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 16;20(1):43. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Psychiatric Department, San Gerardo Hospital, ASST Monza, Monza, Italy.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) patients not responding to two or more different antidepressant treatments are currently considered to suffer from treatment resistant depression (TRD). Recently, intranasal esketamine has been approved by both the American Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency for TRD and, more recently, in moderate to severe episode of MDD, as acute short-term treatment for the rapid reduction of depressive symptoms, which, according to clinical judgement, constitute a psychiatric emergency. There is currently no indication for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) although recently published studies have already shown a rapid and significant reduction of OCD-like symptoms following ketamine administration. Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 8;20(1):42. Epub 2021 Sep 8.

Department of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Background: Concerns have been raised that the COVID-19 pandemic could increase risk for adverse mental health outcomes, especially in young adults, a vulnerable age group. We investigated changes in depression and anxiety symptoms (overall and severe) from before to during the pandemic, as well as whether these changes are linked to COVID-19-related stressors and pre-existing vulnerabilities in young adults followed in the context of a population-based cohort.

Method: Participants (n = 1039) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development reported on their depression (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, short form) and anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale) symptoms and completed a COVID-19 questionnaire during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 (age 22 years). Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 7;20(1):41. Epub 2021 Sep 7.

Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.

In general, the course of schizophrenia is chronic accompanied not only by positive and negative symptoms but also by cognitive dysfunction associated with psychosocial disability, and thus treatment combining antipsychotics and psychological therapy is considered promising. This review focused on two prospective, open-label, multicenter, phase 3 long-term studies for approval of oral blonanserin for the treatment of schizophrenia. These two studies included both inpatients and outpatients with variable disease duration or symptom prominence according to the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Read More

Ann Gen Psychiatry 2021 Sep 6;20(1):40. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523000, Guangdong, China.

Background: Test anxiety has been widely found in medical students. Emotion regulation and psychological resilience have been identified as key factors contributing to anxiety. However, studies on relationships were limited. Read More