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Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy 2021Physical activity, conceptualized as any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure, and its structured form, exercise, play an important role in public health,... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Physical activity, conceptualized as any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure, and its structured form, exercise, play an important role in public health, preventing and treating a wide range of physical conditions, including metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and obesity.
OBJECTIVE
This article aims to provide a brief overview and summary of the evidence on: 1) the preventive effects of physical activity on a wide range of mental disorders; 2) the role of physical activity in promoting the physical health of people with mental disorders; 3) the role of exercise as a strategy to manage mental health symptoms in a range of mental disorders; and 4) the challenges and barriers faced when implementing exercise in clinical practice.
METHODS
This was a narrative review.
RESULTS
Compelling evidence has demonstrated that physical activity and exercise can also prevent common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and have multiple beneficial effects on the physical and mental health of people with a wide range of mental disorders. This body of evidence has been incorporated in national and international guidelines over the last decades, which have recommended the inclusion of physical activity and exercise as therapeutic approaches for mental disorders, mainly for depression and schizophrenia. Nonetheless, implementation into clinical practice has been slow, probably due to barriers associated both with patients and mental health professionals.
CONCLUSION
Increases in physical activity levels in populations are likely to reduce the mental health burden. Exercise interventions should be incorporated to the routine care of people with mental disorders due its multiple benefits on physical and mental health outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to overcome patients barriers and enhance adherence and benefits.
Topics: Anxiety Disorders; Exercise; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 33890431
DOI: 10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0237 -
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology May 2019Mindfulness meditation is increasingly incorporated into mental health interventions, and theoretical concepts associated with it have influenced basic research on... (Review)
Review
Mindfulness meditation is increasingly incorporated into mental health interventions, and theoretical concepts associated with it have influenced basic research on psychopathology. Here, we review the current understanding of mindfulness meditation through the lens of clinical neuroscience, outlining the core capacities targeted by mindfulness meditation and mapping them onto cognitive and affective constructs of the Research Domain Criteria matrix proposed by the National Institute of Mental Health. We review efficacious applications of mindfulness meditation to specific domains of psychopathology including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and substance abuse, as well as emerging efforts related to attention disorders, traumatic stress, dysregulated eating, and serious mental illness. Priorities for future research include pinpointing mechanisms, refining methodology, and improving implementation. Mindfulness meditation is a promising basis for interventions, with particular potential relevance to psychiatric comorbidity. The successes and challenges of mindfulness meditation research are instructive for broader interactions between contemplative traditions and clinical psychological science.
Topics: Humans; Meditation; Mental Disorders; Mindfulness; Neurosciences
PubMed: 30525995
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093423 -
Psychological Bulletin Sep 2016Investigating sleep in mental disorders has the potential to reveal both disorder-specific and transdiagnostic psychophysiological mechanisms. This meta-analysis aimed... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Investigating sleep in mental disorders has the potential to reveal both disorder-specific and transdiagnostic psychophysiological mechanisms. This meta-analysis aimed at determining the polysomnographic (PSG) characteristics of several mental disorders. Relevant studies were searched through standard strategies. Controlled PSG studies evaluating sleep in affective, anxiety, eating, pervasive developmental, borderline and antisocial personality disorders, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia were included. PSG variables of sleep continuity, depth, and architecture, as well as rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep were considered. Calculations were performed with the "Comprehensive Meta-Analysis" and "R" software. Using random effects modeling, for each disorder and each variable, a separate meta-analysis was conducted if at least 3 studies were available for calculation of effect sizes as standardized means (Hedges' g). Sources of variability, that is, sex, age, and mental disorders comorbidity, were evaluated in subgroup analyses. Sleep alterations were evidenced in all disorders, with the exception of ADHD and seasonal affective disorders. Sleep continuity problems were observed in most mental disorders. Sleep depth and REM pressure alterations were associated with affective, anxiety, autism and schizophrenia disorders. Comorbidity was associated with enhanced REM sleep pressure and more inhibition of sleep depth. No sleep parameter was exclusively altered in 1 condition; however, no 2 conditions shared the same PSG profile. Sleep continuity disturbances imply a transdiagnostic imbalance in the arousal system likely representing a basic dimension of mental health. Sleep depth and REM variables might play a key role in psychiatric comorbidity processes. Constellations of sleep alterations may define distinct disorders better than alterations in 1 single variable. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Antisocial Personality Disorder; Anxiety Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autistic Disorder; Borderline Personality Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Comorbidity; Depressive Disorder, Major; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Polysomnography; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders; Sleep, REM
PubMed: 27416139
DOI: 10.1037/bul0000053 -
European Psychiatry : the Journal of... Apr 2022There is increasing attention on the association of socioeconomic status and individual behaviors (SES/IB) with mental health. However, the impacts of SES/IB on mental...
BACKGROUND
There is increasing attention on the association of socioeconomic status and individual behaviors (SES/IB) with mental health. However, the impacts of SES/IB on mental disorders are still unclear. To provide evidence for establishing feasible strategies on disease screening and prevention, we implemented Mendelian randomization (MR) design to appraise causality between SES/IB and mental disorders.
METHODS
We conducted a two-sample MR study to assess the causal effects of SES and IB (dietary habits, habitual physical activity, smoking behaviors, drinking behaviors, sleeping behaviors, leisure sedentary behaviors, risky behaviors, and reproductive behaviors) on three mental disorders, including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. A series of filtering steps were taken to select eligible genetic instruments robustly associated with each of the traits. Inverse variance weighted was used for primary analysis, with alternative MR methods including MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode estimate. Complementary methods were further used to detect pleiotropic bias.
RESULTS
After Bonferroni correction and rigorous quality control, we identified that SES (educational attainment), smoking behaviors (smoking initiation, number of cigarettes per day), risky behaviors (adventurousness, number of sexual partners, automobile speeding propensity) and reproductive behavior (age at first birth) were causally associated with at least one of the mental disorders.
CONCLUSIONS
MR study provides robust evidence that SES/IB play broad impacts on mental disorders.
Topics: Bipolar Disorder; Depressive Disorder, Major; Genome-Wide Association Study; Humans; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Mental Disorders; Social Class
PubMed: 35431011
DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.18 -
Deutsches Arzteblatt International Jun 2022The most common substance use disorders in childhood and adolescence have to do with alcohol and cannabis. These disorders begin as early as puberty, are often... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The most common substance use disorders in childhood and adolescence have to do with alcohol and cannabis. These disorders begin as early as puberty, are often accompanied by other mental disorders, and, if untreated, very frequently persist into adulthood.
METHODS
This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective search in PubMed on substance use disorders in children and adolescents.
RESULTS
Substance use disorders are among the commonest mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. In Germany, approximately 10% of adolescents have tried cannabis at least once. The prognosis is negatively affected by individual (bio-)psychological traits, mental comorbidities, laws that facilitate consumption, socioeconomic disadvantage, consuming peers, and parental substance use disorders. A timely diagnosis, motivation by the pediatrician, and referral to specialized child and adolescent psychiatric services helps assure that those affected receive appropriate treatment, with the goal of abstinence from the substance as well as improvement in emotional regulation, affectivity, and attention. According to studies from the English-speaking countries and considering all treatment forms, treatment is completed by approximately 60% to 65% of children and adolescents; 20% to 40% of these patients are abstinent six months after the end of treatment. No studies of this type have been carried out to date in Germany.
CONCLUSION
As the results of treatment are generally poor, there is a major need for research on the treatment and care of children and adolescents with substance use disorders. In particular, the interfaces between outpatient and inpatient care need further improvement.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cannabis; Child; Comorbidity; Family; Humans; Mental Disorders; Outpatients; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 35635442
DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0122 -
Anaesthesia Apr 2021Perinatal mental illness is common, affecting up to 20% of women, but remains under-recognised and under-diagnosed. It may have adverse effects on pregnancy and neonatal... (Review)
Review
Perinatal mental illness is common, affecting up to 20% of women, but remains under-recognised and under-diagnosed. It may have adverse effects on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, and mental disorder remains one of the leading causes of maternal death in the UK. Women with mental ill health face difficult decisions in balancing risks and benefits of treatment. Stigma related to mental disorder may lead to non-engagement with maternity care. Some disorders bring specific challenges for anaesthetists working in maternity settings and it is vital that anaesthetists have knowledge of these disorders so they may offer care which is sensitive and appropriate.
Topics: Antidepressive Agents; Anxiety Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Electroconvulsive Therapy; Female; Humans; Mental Disorders; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications
PubMed: 33682099
DOI: 10.1111/anae.15424 -
The American Journal of Psychiatry Sep 2018In both child and adult psychiatry, empirical evidence has now accrued to suggest that a single dimension is able to measure a person's liability to mental disorder,... (Review)
Review
In both child and adult psychiatry, empirical evidence has now accrued to suggest that a single dimension is able to measure a person's liability to mental disorder, comorbidity among disorders, persistence of disorders over time, and severity of symptoms. This single dimension of general psychopathology has been termed "p," because it conceptually parallels a dimension already familiar to behavioral scientists and clinicians: the "g" factor of general intelligence. As the g dimension reflects low to high mental ability, the p dimension represents low to high psychopathology severity, with thought disorder at the extreme. The dimension of p unites all disorders. It influences present/absent status on hundreds of psychiatric symptoms, which modern nosological systems typically aggregate into dozens of distinct diagnoses, which in turn aggregate into three overarching domains, namely, the externalizing, internalizing, and psychotic experience domains, which finally aggregate into one dimension of psychopathology from low to high: p. Studies show that the higher a person scores on p, the worse that person fares on measures of family history of psychiatric illness, brain function, childhood developmental history, and adult life impairment. A dimension of p may help account for ubiquitous nonspecificity in psychiatry: multiple disorders share the same risk factors and biomarkers and often respond to the same therapies. Here, the authors summarize the history of the unidimensional idea, review modern research into p, demystify statistical models, articulate some implications of p for prevention and clinical practice, and outline a transdiagnostic research agenda. [AJP AT 175: Remembering Our Past As We Envision Our Future October 1910: A Study of Association in Insanity Grace Helen Kent and A.J. Rosanoff: "No sharp distinction can be drawn between mental health and mental disease; a large collection of material shows a gradual and not an abrupt transition from the normal state to pathological states."(Am J Psychiatry 1910; 67(2):317-390 )].
Topics: Humans; Mental Disorders; Models, Psychological; Psychopathology
PubMed: 29621902
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17121383 -
American Family Physician Oct 2016The mental status examination includes general observations made during the clinical encounter, as well as specific testing based on the needs of the patient and...
The mental status examination includes general observations made during the clinical encounter, as well as specific testing based on the needs of the patient and physician. Multiple cognitive functions may be tested, including attention, executive functioning, gnosia, language, memory, orientation, praxis, prosody, thought content, thought processes, and visuospatial proficiency. Proprietary and open-source clinical examination tools are available, such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Mini-Cog. Physician judgment is necessary in selecting the most appropriate tool for an individual patient. These tools have varying sensitivity and specificity for neurologic and psychiatric disorders, but none are diagnostic for any mental status disorder. Each must be interpreted in the context of physician observation. The mental status examination is useful in helping differentiate between a variety of systemic conditions, as well as neurologic and psychiatric disorders ranging from delirium and dementia to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. There are no guidelines to direct further testing in the setting of an abnormal mental status examination; therefore, testing is based on clinical judgment.
Topics: Cognition; Humans; Intelligence Tests; Mental Disorders; Mental Status Schedule; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Examination; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
PubMed: 27929229
DOI: No ID Found -
Psychological Medicine Apr 2021The question of 'what is a mental disorder?' is central to the philosophy of psychiatry, and has crucial practical implications for psychiatric nosology. Rather than... (Review)
Review
The question of 'what is a mental disorder?' is central to the philosophy of psychiatry, and has crucial practical implications for psychiatric nosology. Rather than approaching the problem in terms of abstractions, we review a series of exemplars - real-world examples of problematic cases that emerged during work on and immediately after DSM-5, with the aim of developing practical guidelines for addressing future proposals. We consider cases where (1) there is harm but no clear dysfunction, (2) there is dysfunction but no clear harm, and (3) there is possible dysfunction and/or harm, but this is controversial for various reasons. We found no specific criteria to determine whether future proposals for new entities should be accepted or rejected; any such proposal will need to be assessed on its particular merits, using practical judgment. Nevertheless, several suggestions for the field emerged. First, while harm is useful for defining mental disorder, some proposed entities may require careful consideration of individual v. societal harm, as well as of societal accommodation. Second, while dysfunction is useful for defining mental disorder, the field would benefit from more sharply defined indicators of dysfunction. Third, it would be useful to incorporate evidence of diagnostic validity and clinical utility into the definition of mental disorder, and to further clarify the type and extent of data needed to support such judgments.
Topics: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Humans; Mental Disorders; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 33843505
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721001185 -
Academic Psychiatry : the Journal of... Oct 2015Attending college can be a stressful time for many students. In addition to coping with academic pressure, some students have to deal with the stressful tasks of... (Review)
Review
Attending college can be a stressful time for many students. In addition to coping with academic pressure, some students have to deal with the stressful tasks of separation and individuation from their family of origin while some may have to attend to numerous work and family responsibilities. In this context, many college students experience the first onset of mental health and substance use problems or an exacerbation of their symptoms. Given the uniqueness of college students, there is a need to outline critical issues to consider when working with this population. In this commentary, first, the prevalence of psychiatric and substance use problems in college students and the significance of assessing age of onset of current psychopathology are described. Then, the concerning persistent nature of mental health problems among college students and its implications are summarized. Finally, important aspects of treatment to consider when treating college students with mental health problems are outlined, such as the importance of including parents in the treatment, communicating with other providers, and employing of technology to increase adherence. It is concluded that, by becoming familiar with the unique problems characteristic of the developmental stage and environment college students are in, practitioners will be able to better serve them.
Topics: Humans; Mental Disorders; Students; Universities
PubMed: 25142250
DOI: 10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9