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Archivos Argentinos de Pediatria Apr 2022Changes in daily routine and social fabric resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to know the...
INTRODUCTION
Changes in daily routine and social fabric resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to know the mood, emotions, and behaviors of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 lockdown.
POPULATION AND METHODS
This was a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Parents and/ or caregivers of children and adolescents aged 3-15 years in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires were asked about their perceptions of the mood, behaviors, and emotions of children and adolescents during the lockdown.
RESULTS
A total of 1080 questionnaires were included. Results showed that 81% of parents and/or caregivers observed changes in children and adolescents emotional health; 76% referred that children aged 3-5 years were bored, angry, and upset. They also observed an increase in crying spells (52%) and regression to behaviors that had been outgrown (29%). In the 6-11-year-old group, 43% showed difficulty focusing. Adults noticed that 3 out of 10 adolescents aged 12-15 years discontinued activities they used to enjoy and were sad and worried.
CONCLUSIONS
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the mood, behaviors, and emotions of children and adolescents. Negative feelings prevailed, such as boredom, sadness, anxiety, and worry.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; COVID-19; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Disease Control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotions; Humans; Pandemics; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 35338814
DOI: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.106 -
Brain Imaging and Behavior Aug 2020Depressive symptoms are common among individuals with chronic pain. Previous work suggests that chronic pain patients have difficulty regulating emotional responses,...
Depressive symptoms are common among individuals with chronic pain. Previous work suggests that chronic pain patients have difficulty regulating emotional responses, which is a risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). Function of the mesocorticolimbic system, a neural network associated with reward processing, contributes to emotion regulation. This network's dysfunction has been described in chronic pain and MDD research and potentially underlies the relationship among emotion dysregulation, chronic pain, and MDD development. Given that mood induction paradigms have been used to measure emotion regulation, the present study examined intrinsic mesocorticolimbic functional connectivity (FC) after induced sad mood in individuals with and without chronic low back pain (cLBP). Thirty-three MDD-free individuals (17 cLBP) underwent resting-state scanning before and after sad memory-evoked mood induction. A Group [cLBP, healthy control (HC)] x Mood (Neutral, Sadness) repeated measures ANCOVA was conducted on seed-based FC data using a mesolimbic a priori region of interest. Interaction effects were identified in the orbital frontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus [F = 21.07, p < .05. h = .5]. Whereas cLBP showed significantly greater FC between these two regions and the mesolimbic seed under neutral mood, FC among these regions increased in HC and decreased in cLBP under sad mood. Exploratory graph theory analyses further describe between-group differences in mesocorticolimbic network properties. Findings support previous literature describing mesocorticolimbic dysfunction in cLBP and demonstrate aberrant function in emotion regulation. Mesocorticolimbic dysfunction during emotion regulation might contribute to the development of certain depressive phenotypes in chronic pain patients.
Topics: Depressive Disorder, Major; Humans; Low Back Pain; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Prefrontal Cortex; Sadness
PubMed: 30877469
DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00076-w -
Neuropsychobiology 2011Bright-light therapy (BLT) is established as the treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder/winter type (SAD). In the last two decades, the use of BLT has... (Review)
Review
Bright-light therapy (BLT) is established as the treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder/winter type (SAD). In the last two decades, the use of BLT has expanded beyond SAD: there is evidence for efficacy in chronic depression, antepartum depression, premenstrual depression, bipolar depression and disturbances of the sleep-wake cycle. Data on the usefulness of BLT in non-seasonal depression are promising; however, further systematic studies are still warranted. In this review, the authors present a comprehensive overview of the literature on BLT in mood disorders. The first part elucidates the neurobiology of circadian and seasonal adaptive mechanisms focusing on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the indolamines melatonin and serotonin, and the chronobiology of mood disorders. The SCN is the primary oscillator in humans. Indolamines are known to transduce light signals into cells and organisms since early in evolution, and their role in signalling change of season is still preserved in humans: melatonin is synthesized primarily in the pineal gland and is the central hormone for internal clock circuitries. The melatonin precursor serotonin is known to modulate many behaviours that vary with season. The second part discusses the pathophysiology and clinical specifiers of SAD, which can be seen as a model disorder for chronobiological disturbances and the mechanism of action of BLT. In the third part, the mode of action, application, efficacy, tolerability and safety of BLT in SAD and other mood disorders are explored.
Topics: Chronobiology Disorders; Circadian Rhythm; Humans; Melatonin; Mood Disorders; Phototherapy; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Serotonin; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
PubMed: 21811085
DOI: 10.1159/000328950 -
Drugs in Context 2019Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as many as 90% of patients. The presence of comorbidity may affect the... (Review)
Review
Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as many as 90% of patients. The presence of comorbidity may affect the course of the disease in several ways such as comorbidity in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) is related to earlier treatment-seeking behavior, increased symptom severity, treatment resistance and decreased functioning. Moreover, comorbidities cause significant difficulties in nosology and diagnosis, and may cause treatment challenges. In this review, major psychiatric comorbidities that can be encountered over the course of SAD as well as comorbidity associated diagnostic and therapeutic challenges will be discussed.
PubMed: 30988687
DOI: 10.7573/dic.212573 -
PloS One 2020In glaucoma, depression and disturbed sleep has been associated with degeneration of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, that mediate non-image...
AIM
In glaucoma, depression and disturbed sleep has been associated with degeneration of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, that mediate non-image forming effects of light such as regulation of circadian rhythm, alertness and mood. In this study we assessed associations between seasonal mood and behavior variation and retinal ganglion cell damage in outpatients with glaucoma.
METHODS
The seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire was administered to outpatients with glaucoma. Data on visual field defects identified by autoperimetry and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness visualized by ocular coherence tomography were collected from patient charts. The correlations between seasonality and retinal damage were tested and the adjusted effects of retinal function on seasonality were evaluated in a linear regression model.
RESULTS
In total, 113 persons completed the questionnaire. Of these, 4% fulfilled the criteria for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and 8% for subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder (sSAD). Mean global seasonal score was 4.3. There were no significant correlations between seasonality and either visual field or retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. In the adjusted analysis there were trends toward differential effects of visual field on seasonality in subgroups with different sex and type of glaucoma.
CONCLUSION
There were no strong associations between seasonality and visual field or retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. Sex, age and glaucoma subtype may modify light effects on complex regulatory systems.
Topics: Aged; Behavior; Female; Glaucoma; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mood Disorders; Nerve Fibers; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Seasons; Self Report; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Fields
PubMed: 32163458
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229991 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2022The aim of the research is to present a level of hope in people in the terminal phase of cancer who differ in terms of mood: cheerful vs. sad. The study group consisted...
The aim of the research is to present a level of hope in people in the terminal phase of cancer who differ in terms of mood: cheerful vs. sad. The study group consisted of 246 patients. Their average age was 59.5. The youngest respondent was 18 and the oldest was 90. The Personal Card tests by T. Witkowski (KI) and B.L. Block (NCN-36), designed for people struggling with serious life-threatening diseases, were used. The test consists of four scales distinguished by factor analysis. Each scale comprises of eight items. The following are used to study hope: the situational dimension-health; the telek-temporal dimension-goals; the spiritual dimension-religious beliefs; and the emotional-affective dimension-motivations. In the global view, the hope of the subjects was moderate. In the situational dimension-health, the telek-temporal dimension-goals, and the spiritual dimension-religious beliefs, people with a generally cheerful mood had stronger hope, in comparison to people with a sad mood. Only in the emotional-affective dimension-motivations, did people with a sad mood manifest stronger hope in comparison to people with a cheerful mood. The conducted research allowed us to conclude that mood is one of the determinants of hope in terminally ill cancer patients.
Topics: Affect; Critical Illness; Hospice Care; Humans; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Palliative Care
PubMed: 36011622
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19169987 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023The natural process of mimicking the facial expressions of others is well established, as are the deficits in this reflexive behavior for individuals with clinical...
The natural process of mimicking the facial expressions of others is well established, as are the deficits in this reflexive behavior for individuals with clinical disorders such as depression. This study examines the extent of this deficit in non-clinical individuals with high transient negative mood, and whether it extends to both automatic and effortful emotion expression behavior. One hundred and thirty-six participants were shown happy, sad, and neutral faces, while electromyography (EMG) recorded facial muscle responses. Automatic (reflexive) mimicry was assessed while participants simply viewed facially expressive photographs, while effortful mimicry was monitored when individuals were told to intentionally copy the expressions in the photographs. Results indicated that high levels of negative mood were primarily associated with deficits in effortful mimicry of happy expressions, although some similar evidence was found in automatic mimicry of happy faces. Surprisingly, there were also ties between negative moods and inaccuracies in effortful mimicry of sad expressions (but not automatic mimicry). Inaccurate automatic and effortful mimicry were also tied with lower self-reported social support and greater loneliness. These results indicate that even in healthy individuals, transient and minor changes in negative mood are tied to deficiencies in facial mimicry at both the automatic and effortful level.
PubMed: 37168433
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1056535 -
Biological Psychiatry. Cognitive... Jul 2023People with depression typically exhibit diminished cognitive control. Control is subjectively costly, prompting speculation that control deficits reflect reduced...
BACKGROUND
People with depression typically exhibit diminished cognitive control. Control is subjectively costly, prompting speculation that control deficits reflect reduced cognitive effort. Evidence that people with depression exert less cognitive effort is mixed, however, and motivation may depend on state affect.
METHODS
We used a cognitive effort discounting task to measure propensity to expend cognitive effort and fractal structure in the temporal dynamics of interbeat intervals to assess on-task effort exertion for 49 healthy control subjects, 36 people with current depression, and 67 people with remitted depression.
RESULTS
People with depression discounted more steeply, indicating that they were less willing to exert cognitive effort than people with remitted depression and never-depressed control subjects. Also, steeper discounting predicted worse functioning in daily life. Surprisingly, a sad mood induction selectively boosted motivation among participants with depression, erasing differences between them and control subjects. During task performance, depressed participants with the lowest cognitive motivation showed blunted autonomic reactivity as a function of load.
CONCLUSIONS
Discounting patterns supported the hypothesis that people with current depression would be less willing to exert cognitive effort, and steeper discounting predicted lower global functioning in daily life. Heart rate fractal scaling proved to be a highly sensitive index of cognitive load, and data implied that people with lower motivation for cognitive effort had a diminished physiological capacity to respond to rising cognitive demands. State affect appeared to influence motivation among people with current depression given that they were more willing to exert cognitive effort following a sad mood induction.
Topics: Humans; Depression; Heart Rate; Fractals; Motivation; Cognition
PubMed: 35948258
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.07.008 -
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience Dec 2003The clinical observations of diurnal variation of mood and early morning awakening in depression have been incorporated into established diagnostic systems, as has the...
The clinical observations of diurnal variation of mood and early morning awakening in depression have been incorporated into established diagnostic systems, as has the seasonal modifier defining winter depression (seasonal affective disorder, SAD). Many circadian rhythms measured in depressive patients are abnormal: earlier in timing, diminished in amplitude, or of greater variability. Whether these disturbances are of etiological significance for the role of circadian rhythms in mood disorders, or a consequence of altered behavior can only be dissected out with stringent protocols (eg, constant routine or forced desynchrony). These protocols quantify contributions of the circadian pacemaker and a homeostatic sleep process impacting on mood, energy, appetite, and sleep. Future studies will elucidate any allelic mutations in "circadian clock" -related or "sleep"-related genes in depression. With respect to treatment, antidepressants and mood stabilizers have no consistent effect on circadian rhythmicity. The most rapid antidepressant modality known so far is nonpharmacological: total or partial sleep deprivation in the second half of the night. The disadvantage of sleep deprivation, that most patients relapse after recovery sleep, can be prevented by coadministration of lithium, pindolol, serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors, bright light, or a subsequent phase-advance procedure. Phase advance of the sleep-wake cycle alone also has rapid effects on depressed mood, which lasts longer than sleep deprivation. Light is the treatment of choice for SAD and may prove to be useful for nonseasonal depression, alone or as an adjunct to medication. Chronobiological concepts emphasize the important role of zeitgebers to stabilize phase, light being the most important, but dark (and rest) periods, regularity of social schedules and meal times, and use of melatonin or its analogues should also be considered. Advances in chronobiology continue to contribute novel treatments for affective disorders.
PubMed: 22033593
DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2003.5.4/awirzjustice -
PloS One 2019Film clips, music, and self-referential statements (termed Velten, after their originator) have been successfully used to temporarily induce sadness and happiness....
Film clips, music, and self-referential statements (termed Velten, after their originator) have been successfully used to temporarily induce sadness and happiness. However, there is little research on the effectiveness of these procedures combined, particularly in internet-based settings, and whether Velten statements contribute to alter mood beyond the effect of simple instructions to close one's eyes and enter the targeted mood. In Study 1 (N = 106) we examined the effectiveness 80 Velten statements (positive, negative, neutral-self, neutral-facts) to create brief and effective sets that might be used in future research. In Study 2 (N = 445) we examined the effect size of 8-min combined mood induction procedures, which presented video clips in the first half and music excerpts with Velten statements or closed eyes instructions in the second half. Participants answered questionnaires on social desirability, joviality, and sadness before being randomly assigned to 1 of 7 groups varying in Valence (positive, negative, neutral) and Velten (closed eyes control, self-referential Velten, and, in the case of neutral condition, factual statements). Subsequently, participants completed the joviality and sadness scales a second time. Compared to the neutral conditions, the positive mood inductions increased joviality (Hedges G = 1.35, 95% CI [1.07, 1.63]), whereas the negative mood inductions increased sadness (Hedges G = 1.28, 95% CI [1.01, 1.55]). We did not observe any significant difference between Velten and closed eyes instructions in inducing joviality or sadness, nor did we observe any significant difference between neutral Velten statements referring to self and facts. Although social desirability bias was associated with reports of greater joviality and lower sadness, it could not account for the effects of the positive and negative mood induction procedures. We conclude that these combined mood induction procedures can be used in online research to study happy and sad mood.
Topics: Adult; Affect; Female; Humans; Internet; Male; Self Concept
PubMed: 31163062
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217848