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Psychiatria Danubina Oct 2023The present retrospective study was aimed at analyzing the socio-demographic and clinical correlates of the duration of involuntary treatment (IT) in a Psychiatric...
OBJECTIVES
The present retrospective study was aimed at analyzing the socio-demographic and clinical correlates of the duration of involuntary treatment (IT) in a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in central Italy.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
We reviewed clinical charts of subjects admitted following IT, extracting sociodemographic and clinical information. We used the duration of the IT as a "proxy" for the early cessation of the conditions that determined the need for involuntary commitment. Hospitalizations were thus labeled as "short-IT" and "ultra-short-IT" depending on their duration (< 7 days or < 3 days). Bivariate analyses (p<0.05). were performed to compare "short-ITs" with hospitalizations that were longer that 7 days. The same procedure was repeated for comparing "ultra-short-ITs" with hospitalizations lasting >3 days.
RESULTS
In the present sample (362 subjects, 459 hospitalizations), 112 (24.4%) hospitalizations belonged to the "short-IT" and 56 (12.2%) to the "ultra-short-IT" subgroups. Both subgroups were characterized by a lower prevalence of single marital status and by a higher prevalence of admissions due to psychomotor agitation. The diagnoses of schizophrenia spectrum and mood disorders were less frequent in the two subgroups, with lower antipsychotic prescription rates, while higher prevalence of substance-related and impulse control disorders were detected. Both hospitalization types were more frequently followed by a "revolving door". As for "short-IT", subjects were referred to the ward by community mental health services in fewer cases.
CONCLUSIONS
The early cessation of IT is more frequent in case of subjects who do not suffer from a serious psychiatric disorder and are referred to the inpatient ward due behavioral disturbances. The engagement with community mental health services should be improved in order to propose possible alternative solutions to IT and avoid revolving doors.
Topics: Humans; Hospitalization; Inpatients; Involuntary Treatment; Mental Disorders; Retrospective Studies; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 37800259
DOI: No ID Found -
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024Catatonia has been increasingly associated with mood disorders and is recognized as a specifier in the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR. The DSM-5-TR recognizes melancholia as a...
BACKGROUND
Catatonia has been increasingly associated with mood disorders and is recognized as a specifier in the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR. The DSM-5-TR recognizes melancholia as a specifier for depressive episodes in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. It is characterized by severe anhedonia, lack of reactivity, excessive or delusional guilt, and significant vegetative symptoms. As the conceptualization of melancholia expanded beyond its mood components to include psychomotor disturbances, its overlap with psychomotor symptoms or catatonia becomes evident. This overlap was also described in Kahlbaum's original literature, where he describes the transition between states of melancholia, mania, and catatonia.
METHOD
Case summary of six patients with major depressive disorder or depressed phase of bipolar disorder who were admitted for severe depression, anhedonia, intense anxiety, psychomotor agitation or retardation, indecisiveness, perseveration, and vegetative symptoms such as poor sleep, appetite, and significant weight loss.
RESULTS
All patients demonstrated rapid and complete resolution of their mood and psychomotor symptoms, indecisiveness, perseveration, as well as psychosis shortly after administration of lorazepam, with recurrence of the above symptoms upon lorazepam discontinuation and resolution upon resumption, in an on-and-off manner.
CONCLUSION
The present study argues for a closer relationship between melancholia and catatonia based on our case series, historical review, overlap in phenomenology, and response to treatment. We propose provisional [Mahgoub] criteria for patients with severe depression and melancholia. The role of GABA agonists, such as lorazepam, can be explored as an option for patients with treatment-resistant depression who meet these criteria for melancholia.
LIMITATIONS
Absence of a standardized, systematic assessment tool and a small sample size.
PubMed: 38571997
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1372136 -
Cureus Nov 2023Background Alcohol dependence syndrome occurs when the consumption of alcohol is uncontrollable. Most of the alcohol drinkers are usually males. There is a rise in the...
Background Alcohol dependence syndrome occurs when the consumption of alcohol is uncontrollable. Most of the alcohol drinkers are usually males. There is a rise in the incidence of road traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol due to locomotor and cerebral dysfunction. Alcohol is a significant cause and contributing factor for domestic violence, family disharmony, and displeasure in families. Research studies have shown that after the lockdown of COVID-19, the consumption of alcohol decreased in India. This study was conducted to assess the behavioral and personality changes in alcohol dependence syndrome. Methods This study was conducted at a rural tertiary care hospital in Wardha, Maharashtra, Central India. Sixty-two males participated in the study. Out of which, 56 were included in the study. There were urban and rural participants in the study. The study was conducted for a period of six months. The participants who were being treated for alcohol withdrawal and alcohol dependence syndrome were included in the study. The individuals unwilling to participate in the research and those admitted to the intensive care unit were excluded from this study. The primary outcome measure of the study was to assess the behavioral and personality changes in alcohol dependence syndrome. Participants were screened using the Cut-Down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-Opener (CAGE) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaires. The diagnosis of alcohol dependence syndrome was made according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, (ICD-10) criteria. The participants were assessed using a self-report questionnaire. The parameters of assessment were aggressive behavior, domestic violence, workplace violence, verbal abuse, and variables including the forensic aspects of alcohol consumption, such as road traffic accidents, etc. Previous research and similar studies on factors related to alcohol dependence syndrome were compared to establish a conclusion for the study. Results Participants reported to have decreased psychomotor function upon alcohol consumption compared to the time they were not under the influence of alcohol. Aggressive behavior associated with irritability and agitation was observed in 89.28% (50 out of 56) participants. A total of 76.78% (43 out of 56) had road traffic accidents at least once under the influence of alcohol. Of the sample, 85.71% (48 out of 56) committed verbal abuse at the workplace and home as a result of aggression under the influence of alcohol. And 69.64% (39 out of 56) of the sample had memory loss after consumption of alcohol. Conclusion There are several behavioral changes in individuals who are alcohol dependent, which may affect their day-to-day activities and cause poor performance in the workplace. Participants in the study showed a notable positive relation between alcohol dependence syndrome and aggressive behavior, verbal aggression, domestic violence, memory loss, and road traffic accidents under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol dependence syndrome can be linked with decreased quality of life due to problems faced in daily activities like psychomotor functions, sleeping, etc. During the treatment of alcohol dependence or withdrawal from alcohol, individuals experience socio-behavioral changes. Cognitive behavior therapy, including cognitive neuroscience, can help in managing these behavior and personality changes in alcohol dependence syndrome.
PubMed: 38073911
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48419 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Sep 2023Several studies have reported the association of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). It has been hypothesized that both constructs...
BACKGROUND
Several studies have reported the association of psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). It has been hypothesized that both constructs might share overlapping backgrounds. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between childhood trauma, depression, PLEs and lifetime characteristics of NSSI.
METHODS
Participants included individuals aged 18-35 years who had a negative history of psychiatric treatment. They were surveyed through the computer-assisted web interview. A network analysis was performed.
RESULTS
A total of 4203 non-clinical adults (63.8 % females) were enrolled. The characteristics of NSSI and a history of childhood sexual abuse were the most central nodes in the network. A history of childhood sexual abuse was the only category of childhood trauma that was directly connected to the characteristics of NSSI (i.e., longer lifetime duration of NSSI). The shortest pathways from other categories of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, emotional neglect and bullying) were connected to the lifetime characteristics through the effects of sexual abuse. However, other pathways were also possible and converged on nodes representing persecutory thoughts, déjàvu experiences, psychomotor retardation/agitation and suicidal ideation. These psychopathological symptoms were the only nodes directly connected to the characteristics of NSSI (i.e., lifetime duration and a history of severe NSSI).
LIMITATIONS
The main limitations include the use of a non-clinical sample and cross-sectional design.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings do not support the hypothesis that PLEs and NSSI might be associated due to shared correlates. In other words, the associations of childhood trauma and PLEs with NSSI might be independent.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Depression; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Mental Disorders; Self-Injurious Behavior; Suicidal Ideation; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37230261
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.044 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Nov 2023Researchers have studied sex differences in typical depressive and anxiety symptoms and their cooccurrence. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a mental health...
BACKGROUND
Researchers have studied sex differences in typical depressive and anxiety symptoms and their cooccurrence. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a mental health promotion objective that suggests considering protective health-promoting factors when developing strategies for preventing mental disorders between sexes. From a network perspective, psychopathology is viewed as a result of interacting symptoms and influential factors. This study adopted network approach to investigate sex differences in health-promoting lifestyles (HPL) and the cooccurrence symptoms of communities in Shanghai. The aim is to provide health-promoting suggestions on better enhancing the life quality for community members.
METHODS
Depression, anxiety symptoms, and HPL were assessed with PHQ-9, GAD-7 and HPLP-II scales in 2420 adults (1411 females). Networks were constructed by Gaussian Graphical Models and the networks of two sexes using the Network Comparison Test.
RESULTS
Females scored significantly higher on PHQ-9 (p < 0.001) and GAD-7 (p < 0.001), and no differences were found between the two sexes in HPL scores. Restlessness and low energy yielded the highest strength centrality in the female network, while suicide ideation and restlessness were central in male network. Regarding protective HPL, physical activity and stress management were identified as the central mental health-promoting behaviours in female and male network, respectively. However, stress management was positively related to suicide ideation in the male network.
CONCLUSION
Communities should be aware of suicide ideation in males because of its high relationships with other symptoms and also provide stress management courses, especially for males. As for women, chronic energy deficiency deserves more attention for its high probability of cooccurrence with other symptoms in the network. Also, advocating physical activities may be particularly beneficial for the overall mental health among women. Future study should collect time-series data and analyze intraindividual networks to specify personalized health promoting strategies for each individual.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Female; Depression; Sex Characteristics; Psychomotor Agitation; China; Anxiety; Healthy Lifestyle
PubMed: 37499917
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.107 -
PeerJ 2023Salinity is a main factor in decreasing seed germination, plant growth and yield. Salinity stress is a major problem for economic crops, as it can reduce crop yields and...
PURPOSE
Salinity is a main factor in decreasing seed germination, plant growth and yield. Salinity stress is a major problem for economic crops, as it can reduce crop yields and quality. Salinity stress occurs when the soil or water in which a crop is grown has a high salt content. Biochar improve plant growth and physiological traits under salt stress. The aim of the present study, the impact of biochar on growth, root morphological traits and physiological properties of alfalfa, amaranth and maize and soil enzyme activities under saline sands.
METHODS
We studied the impact of biochar on plant growth and the physiological properties of alfalfa, amaranth and maize under salt stress conditions. After 40 days, plant growth parameters (plant height, shoot and root fresh weights), root morphological traits and physiological properties were measured. Soil nutrients such as the P, K and total N contents in soil and soil enzyme activities were analyzed.
RESULTS
The results showed that the maize, alfalfa, and amaranth under biochar treatments significantly enhanced the plant height and root morphological traits over the control. The biochar on significantly increased the total root length, root diameter, and root volume. Compared to the control, the biochar significantly increased the chlorophyll a and b content, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content under salt stress. Furthermore, the biochar significantly increased enzyme activities of soil under salt stress in the three crops.
CONCLUSIONS
Biochar treatments promote plant growth and physiological traits of alfalfa, amaranth, and maize under the salt stress condition. Overall, biochar is an effective way to mitigate salinity stress in crops. It can help to reduce the amount of salt in the soil, improve the soil structure, and increase the availability of essential nutrients, which can all help to improve crop yields.
Topics: Zea mays; Medicago sativa; Chlorophyll A; Amaranth Dye; Amaranthus; Soil; Crops, Agricultural; Psychomotor Agitation; Salt Stress
PubMed: 37609438
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15684 -
Sleep Mar 2024
Topics: Humans; Psychomotor Agitation; Restless Legs Syndrome; Dopamine; Iron; Antipsychotic Agents; Analgesics, Opioid
PubMed: 38190342
DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae008 -
JAMA Network Open Jul 2023Limited data exist on the association of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms with sleep quality.
IMPORTANCE
Limited data exist on the association of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms with sleep quality.
OBJECTIVE
To prospectively investigate the association between GER symptoms and sleep quality.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This prospective cohort study included data from the Nurses' Health Study II of female nurses in the US. Participants self-reported the frequency and duration of GER symptoms beginning June 2005, with updates every 4 years through June 2015. Follow-up was completed June 2019, and data were analyzed from November 15, 2022, to June 4, 2023.
EXPOSURES
Frequency and duration of GER symptoms.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Poor sleep quality was assessed in 2017 through a modified Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which included difficulty in falling asleep, restlessness of sleep, daytime sleepiness, sleep disturbance, and sleep duration. Relative risk (RR) for poor sleep quality and individual components of poor sleep quality was estimated according to the frequency and duration of GER symptoms.
RESULTS
Among 48 536 women (median age, 59 years [range, 48-69 years]), 7929 (16.3%) developed poor sleep quality during 4 years of follow-up. Compared with those with GER symptoms less than once a month, the multivariable RR for poor sleep quality among women with GER symptoms more than once a week was 1.53 (95% CI, 1.45-1.62). Women who had GER symptoms once or more a week for more than 7 years had an RR of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.30-1.43) compared with women who had not had GER symptoms once or more a week. The frequency and duration of GER symptoms were significantly associated with each individual component of poor sleep quality; for example, the multivariable RRs for GER symptoms 2 or more times per week compared with no GER symptoms were 1.49 (95% CI, 1.39-1.58) for difficulty in falling asleep, 1.47 (95% CI, 1.39-1.56) for excessive daytime sleepiness, and 1.44 (95% CI, 1.36-1.53) for restlessness of sleep.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this prospective cohort study of female nurses in the Nurses' Health Study II, the frequency and duration of GER symptoms were associated with subsequent risk of poor sleep quality. The findings suggest that effective treatment of GER disease may be important not only for improvement of symptoms but also for the reduction of comorbidities associated with poor sleep quality.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Sleep Quality; Prospective Studies; Psychomotor Agitation; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Nurses
PubMed: 37466940
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.24240 -
Cureus Feb 2024Meningitis is a rare but possible complication of sinusitis. We present a case of a 21-year-old woman with a history of fever, headache and nasal obstruction who...
Meningitis is a rare but possible complication of sinusitis. We present a case of a 21-year-old woman with a history of fever, headache and nasal obstruction who presented at the emergency department with psychomotor agitation. Orotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation were given to protect airway. Blood analysis showed leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein. Cerebral and maxillofacial computed tomography (CT) demonstrated pansinusitis with gas foci more prominent in the left frontal sinus with an area of bone rarefaction on the posterior wall with possible communication with the cranial cavity. Lumbar puncture was performed. Empirical antibiotic and corticosteroid therapy were started. Neurosurgery (NC) and Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons declined indication for urgent surgery and she was admitted at General ICU. On the fourth day of hospitalization, a brain magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) was performed, revealing subdural empyema and cerebritis adjacent to the frontal sinus. She was transferred to the reference neurosurgical center for surgical interventions and was admitted post-operatively at the Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU). Reevaluation MRI showed residual anterior frontal empyema and absence of focus control in peri-nasal sinusitis, requiring a new ENT surgery. A spp was isolated from the blood, from the pus collected from the sinuses, and the CSF was sterile. The patient completed 21 days of antibiotic therapy. She was extubated on the 19th day, with Broca's aphasia and right hemiparesis, and on the 23rd day transferred to the ENT Service and later to the Rehabilitation Service. We present a case of atypical central nervous system (CNS) infection by a rare agent, highlighting the importance of vigilance, focus control, and neurocritical care. In a severe and complex manifestation like this, the management typically involves medical and surgical interventions. Subdural empyema should be treated as a neurosurgical emergency due to the potential rapid deterioration in patient's neurological condition, attributed to secondary damage. In this case, brain multimodal monitoring, was very helpful in acute phase management. Neurocritical care teams should be involved early in patients with this presentation of CNS infection to provide optimal management, reducing complications and secondary brain lesions therefore improving patient outcomes.
PubMed: 38533169
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.54864 -
Translational Psychiatry Jun 2023Alterations in the brain's oxytocinergic system have been suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but insights from...
Alterations in the brain's oxytocinergic system have been suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but insights from pediatric populations are sparse. Here, salivary oxytocin was examined in the morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) in school-aged children with (n = 80) and without (n = 40) ASD (boys/girls 4/1), and also characterizations of DNA methylation (DNAm) of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) were obtained. Further, cortisol levels were assessed to examine links between the oxytocinergic system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis signaling. Children with ASD displayed altered (diminished) oxytocin levels in the morning, but not in the afternoon, after a mildly stress-inducing social interaction session. Notably, in the control group, higher oxytocin levels at AM were associated with lower stress-induced cortisol at PM, likely reflective of a protective stress-regulatory mechanism for buffering HPA stress activity. In children with ASD, on the other hand, a significant rise in oxytocin levels from the morning to the afternoon was associated with a higher stress-induced cortisol release in the afternoon, likely reflective of a more reactive stress regulatory release of oxytocin for reactively coping with heightened HPA activity. Regarding epigenetic modifications, no overall pattern of OXTR hypo- or hypermethylation was evident in ASD. In control children, a notable association between OXTR methylation and levels of cortisol at PM was evident, likely indicative of a compensatory downregulation of OXTR methylation (higher oxytocin receptor expression) in children with heightened HPA axis activity. Together, these observations bear important insights into altered oxytocinergic signaling in ASD, which may aid in establishing relevant biomarkers for diagnostic and/or treatment evaluation purposes targeting the oxytocinergic system in ASD.
Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Male; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; DNA Methylation; Hydrocortisone; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Oxytocin; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Psychomotor Agitation; Receptors, Oxytocin
PubMed: 37391413
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02524-0