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Autism : the International Journal of... Aug 2023It is now recognised that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and personality disorders (PDs) have a variety of factors in common. However, the exact nature of the...
It is now recognised that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and personality disorders (PDs) have a variety of factors in common. However, the exact nature of the relationship between ASD and the PDs remains unclear. The overlapping symptom profiles of ASD and PDs can lead to diagnostic uncertainty - features of ASD and PD can be misattributed and easily lead to misdiagnosis of ASD patients. Since differentiating between ASD and PD is such a complex task, it has been argued that there is a need for additional understanding and markers for facilitating diagnostic procedures. There is an urgent need to explore, first, how clinicians make diagnostic decisions and, second, how to effectively deal with the challenges and difficulties they face when making decisions. Also, where there are clear overlaps, how do clinicians choose how to attribute labels in order to understand the person.
Topics: Humans; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Diagnosis, Differential; Personality Disorders; Diagnostic Errors; Uncertainty
PubMed: 36708368
DOI: 10.1177/13623613231151356 -
Psychiatria Danubina Oct 2023This article examines the possibility that the "nightclub shots" epidemic is a "mass psychogenic disease" phenomenon, by comparing the various cases of "mass sociogenic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
This article examines the possibility that the "nightclub shots" epidemic is a "mass psychogenic disease" phenomenon, by comparing the various cases of "mass sociogenic diseases" reported in the literature. We carried out a literature review on PubMed. The keywords used were "mass hysteria", "mass sociogenic disease", "mass psychogenic disease" and "epidemic of multiple unexplained symptoms".
RESULTS
Our review of the literature revealed several elements common to the various "mass hysterias" we identified. These phenomena generally appear in a climate of anxiety specific to the era in which they occur, in this case the fear of bioterrorism in the 21st century. Symptoms are generally benign and transient, appearing and resolving easily without the identification of an organic cause. They usually occur in a small group of individuals, and more frequently in young people and women. The media can exacerbate the phenomenon.
CONCLUSION
The phenomenon of epidemics of nightclub shots seems to fit into the common framework of "mass psychogenic diseases" identified in the literature. This diagnosis could therefore be evoked, in the absence of any other objective somatic explanation.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adolescent; Mass Behavior; Somatoform Disorders; Hysteria; Anxiety; Fear
PubMed: 37800220
DOI: No ID Found -
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2024Despite numerous studies investigating personality disorder (PD) and childhood maltreatment (CM) characteristics in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ), there remains a...
INTRODUCTION
Despite numerous studies investigating personality disorder (PD) and childhood maltreatment (CM) characteristics in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ), there remains a scarcity of research focusing on sex differences in PD and CM within large samples of SZ patients.
METHODS
A total of 592 participants (257 males, 335 females) were consecutively sampled from patients diagnosed with SZ at the psychiatric and psycho-counseling clinics at Shanghai Mental Health Center. PDs were assessed using a self-reported personality diagnostic questionnaire and a structured clinical interview, while CMs were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Child Trauma Questionnaire Short Form.
RESULTS
Male patients exhibited a prominent self-reported trait of antisocial PD (=1.972, =0.049), while female patients demonstrated a notable emphasis on histrionic PD traits (=-2.057, =0.040). Structured interviews for PD diagnoses further indicated a higher comorbidity of schizotypal (=4.805, =0.028) and schizoid (=6.957, =0.008) PDs among male patients compared to female patients. Additionally, male patients reported a higher degree (=2.957, =0.003) and proportion (=5.277, =0.022) of experiences of physical abuse in their self-reported CM. Logistic regression analyses highlight distinct factors: higher antisocial PD traits and physical abuse are associated with male patients, while histrionic PD traits and emotional abuse are associated with female patients.
DISCUSSION
These findings underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing sex-specific manifestations of personality pathology and the nuanced impact of CM in the clinical management of individuals with SZ. The study advocates for tailored interventions that consider the distinct needs associated with sex differences in both personality traits and CM experiences among SZ patients.
PubMed: 38741581
DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S462346 -
International Journal of Offender... Apr 2024Since the publication of the fifth edition of the , identity impairment has become a diagnostic criterion for all personality disorders. The current study examined the...
Since the publication of the fifth edition of the , identity impairment has become a diagnostic criterion for all personality disorders. The current study examined the occurrence of identity dimensions, clinically relevant identity impairments and personality pathology, and associations between these constructs in 92 forensic patients and 139 healthy controls. Patients showed higher levels of almost all identity dimensions, identity impairments, personality disorders, and almost all maladaptive personality traits than controls. Various identity dimensions were associated with consolidated identity as well as identity impairments in both groups. Both patients and controls with high ruminative exploration and identity malfunctioning showed more personality pathology. Different associations between identity functioning and particularly antisocial and borderline personality disorder showed to be stronger in patients than in controls. Our results highlight the importance of identity impairment as a crucial criterion to assess and treat personality pathology in forensic patients.
PubMed: 38651623
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X241248364 -
Journal of Psychiatric Research Dec 2023Personality traits have been associated with cognitive functioning and risk of cognitive decline. Fewer studies have investigated how personality facets are associated...
BACKGROUND
Personality traits have been associated with cognitive functioning and risk of cognitive decline. Fewer studies have investigated how personality facets are associated with cognition in large cohorts with a prospective design.
METHODS
The association between eight personality facets and cognition (speed measures reflecting psychomotor speed and visual attention; hit rate measures reflecting visual learning and working memory) was analyzed in middle-aged adults from the Lifelines cohort (N = 79911; age 43 ± 11 years).
RESULTS
High hostility, high vulnerability, low excitement seeking, and low competence were associated with worse cognitive performance on all tasks. Impulsivity-related facets had weak and differential associations, with self-discipline negatively associated with accuracy and deliberation negatively associated with speed. These associations remained largely unchanged when accounting for lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity). The associations with cognition were stronger in older people for impulsiveness, deliberation, and hostility, while stronger in younger people for excitement seeking, self-discipline, and vulnerability.
CONCLUSION
In a large population-based sample with a broad age range, the associations of personality facets with cognitive functioning had small effect sizes, were independent of lifestyle factors, and varied with age and among facets within the same personality domain. These findings highlight the importance of developmental stages and facet-level research in personality-cognition associations.
Topics: Adult; Middle Aged; Humans; Aged; Cohort Studies; Personality; Personality Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction; Cognition
PubMed: 37875035
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.034 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2023Pathological personality traits have repeatedly been identified as important risk factors for suicidal ideation and behaviors. Moreover, impulsive-aggressive traits,...
INTRODUCTION
Pathological personality traits have repeatedly been identified as important risk factors for suicidal ideation and behaviors. Moreover, impulsive-aggressive traits, have shown a consistent association with suicidal behaviors across the lifespan. Adolescence represents a critical period for the emergence of different personality traits, mood disorders, and suicidal behaviors, but the relationship between these variables remain poorly understood.
METHODS
These variables were examined in a cross-sectional case-control design involving three groups: 30 adolescents with a depressive disorder and past suicide attempt (Mean Age = 16.2, Females = 26), 38 adolescents with a depressive disorder but without past suicide attempt (Mean age = 16.0, Females = 29), and 34 healthy adolescent controls (Mean age = 15.2, Females = 22). Suicidal ideations were indexed using Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ-R), psychiatric disorder assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire (K-SADS-PL), depressive symptoms with the Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI), symptoms characteristics of personality disorders with the Scheduled Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID-II) screening questionnaire, and impulsivity with the Barratt Impulsivesness Scale (BIS).
RESULTS
Findings showed that impulsivity ( = 11.0, < 0.0001) and antisocial symptoms characteristics of personality disorders ( < 0.001, d = 0.70) displayed the most robust association with adolescent suicide attempts. Borderline symptoms characteristics of personality disorders did not discriminate attempters from non-attempters but presented high correlations with suicidal ideation and depression severity. In an item-wise analysis, suicide attempt status was uniquely correlated with symptoms characteristics of an antisocial personality disorder. Suicide attempt status also correlated with non-suicidal self-injury and a chronic feeling of emptiness.
DISCUSSION
The caveats of this cross-sectional study include the stability of symptoms characteristics of personality disorders in adolescence and the limited sample size. In sum, suicidal behaviors were characteristically correlated with increased impulsivity and antisocial symptoms characteristics of personality disorders, but other symptoms characteristics of personality disorders were relevant to adolescent depression and suicidal ideation. Understanding the emergence of symptoms characteristics of personality disorders and suicidal behaviors in a developmental context can ultimately inform not only the neurobiological origin of suicidal behaviors, but also provide new avenues for early detection and intervention.
PubMed: 38146283
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1269744 -
Psychopathology 2024Phenomenological literature has recently given much attention to the concept of atmosphere, which is the pre-individual affective tonality of the intersubjective space.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Phenomenological literature has recently given much attention to the concept of atmosphere, which is the pre-individual affective tonality of the intersubjective space. The importance of atmospheres in psychopathology has been described for various disorders, but little is known about the interaction with hysteria. The aim of the present paper was to describe the psychopathology of hysteria from the angle of the phenomenon of atmosphere, focussing on the hysterical person's peculiar "affective permeability".
SUMMARY
Hysterical people have difficulty defining themselves autonomously. As compensation, they adopt models transposed from the external environment such as social gender stereotypes or are influenced by the gaze and desire of others. They also possess a special sensitivity in perceiving the affectivity present in a given social situation, by which they are easily impressed and influenced. Their sensibility to environmental affectivity may allow them to take centre stage, assuming the postures and behaviours that others desire and that they sense by "sniffing" the atmosphere in which the encounter is immersed. Thus, a paradox may take place: sensibility is not mere passivity in hysteria but may become a tool for "riding" the emotional atmosphere and manipulating it.
KEY MESSAGES
Affective permeability to environmental atmospheres and manipulation of the environment are the two sides of the same coin. This overlap of passive impressionability and active manoeuvring is necessary to be grasped in the clinical encounter with hysterical persons not to be submerged by their theatricality, that is, by the hyper-intensive expressivity of their feelings and behaviours.
Topics: Humans; Hysteria; Emotions; Psychopathology
PubMed: 38109874
DOI: 10.1159/000535188 -
Journal of Behavior Therapy and... Jun 2024Psychopathic traits - and especially callous affective features - have been linked to altered processing of others' emotional expressions, and to reduced attention to...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Psychopathic traits - and especially callous affective features - have been linked to altered processing of others' emotional expressions, and to reduced attention to the eyes. Despite the importance of gaze cueing (i.e., the tendency to orient attention toward where someone else is looking) for social functioning, few studies have investigated relationships between psychopathic traits and gaze cueing, and whether facial emotional expression influence these relationships, obtaining mixed results. To address this gap, the present study aimed to evaluate associations between psychopathic traits and gaze cueing for emotional and neutral expressions.
METHODS
65 non-clinical male participants (M = 27.3 years) completed two self-report measures of psychopathy and performed laboratory tasks to assess gaze-cueing for emotional vs. neutral faces and an arrow-cueing task as a comparison.
RESULTS
Linear mixed models showed no significant associations of emotional (versus neutral) expressions, or psychopathy trait dimensions, with either gaze cueing or arrow cueing.
LIMITATIONS
Reliance on a convenience sample of non-clinical men, assessed with self-reports measures of psychopathy, and using static emotional stimuli limit the generalizability of our findings.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that psychopathic traits are not associated with individual differences in following others' gaze to direct attention, and that there was no advantage for affective relative to neutral expressions.
Topics: Humans; Male; Adult; Emotions; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Cues; Eye; Facial Expression
PubMed: 38128274
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2023.101936 -
Cureus Mar 2024Mental health problems among children and adolescents are a significant global public health concern, with a prevalence of approximately 10-20%. Psychotropic... (Review)
Review
Mental health problems among children and adolescents are a significant global public health concern, with a prevalence of approximately 10-20%. Psychotropic medications, including stimulants, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers, have been proven effective in treating various psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. Despite the common use of these medications, they have various side effects and complications. This systematic review aimed to assess the trends and prevalence of psychotropic medication use among children and adolescents from 2013 to 2023. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, Scopus, and Cochrane databases using relevant keywords. Two independent researchers screened the studies for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA), including information on study characteristics, participant demographics, psychiatric disorders, and psychotropic medications. The risk of bias assessment was performed using the ROBINS-I (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions) tool for non-randomized studies of interventions (NRSI) and Risk of Bias 2 (ROB2) for the randomized clinical trial. Data synthesis was conducted through a qualitative interpretation of the findings. A total of 52 papers were identified through the search, with 37 remaining after duplicate removal. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine articles were considered suitable for the systematic review. A total of 9,034,109 patients suffered from several psychiatric diseases, such as autism, major depressive disorder, Down syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, adjustment disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, depression, personality disorder, psychotic disorder, tic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and disruptive behavior disorder. Stimulants showed a consistent prevalence rate over the years. Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have demonstrated variations over the years, with a substantial increase in 2015, followed by a decrease in subsequent years. In addition, antipsychotics, including atypical antipsychotics, have varied over the years; however, their use increased in 2023. Anticonvulsants and anxiolytics were also utilized, albeit at lower prevalence rates. This systematic review provides an overview of the trends and prevalence of psychotropic medication use among children and adolescents from 2013 to 2023. The prevalence of antipsychotic prescribing has shown fluctuations among different countries over the years, with a decline in recent years but a slight increase in 2023. Further research is warranted to explore the factors influencing these trends and to assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of psychotropic medications in children and adolescents.
PubMed: 38571846
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55452 -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024Epileptologists and psychiatrists have long observed a correlation between epilepsy and personality disorders (PDs) in their clinical practice. We conducted a... (Review)
Review
Epileptologists and psychiatrists have long observed a correlation between epilepsy and personality disorders (PDs) in their clinical practice. We conducted a comprehensive PubMed search looking for evidence on PDs in people with epilepsy (PwE). Out of over 600 results obtained without applying any time restriction, we selected only relevant studies (both analytical and descriptive) limited to English, Italian, French and Spanish languages, with a specific focus on PDs, rather than traits or symptoms, thus narrowing our search down to 23 eligible studies. PDs have been investigated in focal epilepsy (predominantly temporal lobe epilepsy - TLE), juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), with heterogeneous methodology. Prevalence rates of PDs in focal epilepsy ranged from 18 to 42% in surgical candidates or post-surgical individuals, with Cluster C personality disorders or related traits and symptoms being most common. In JME, prevalence rates ranged from 8 to 23%, with no strong correlation with any specific PDs subtype. In PNES, prevalence rates ranged from 30 to 60%, with a notable association with Cluster B personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder. The presence of a PD in PwE, irrespective of subtype, complicates treatment management. However, substantial gaps of knowledge exist concerning the neurobiological substrate, effects of antiseizure medications and epilepsy surgery on concomitant PDs, all of which are indeed potential paths for future research.
PubMed: 38800062
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1404856