Suicide Attempts in an Italian Population with Cannabis Use Disorders: Results of a Follow-Up Study.

The relationship between cannabis use and suicidal behavior is complex, with no consensus in the literature. We used electronic health records of national health services to identify individuals who received a diagnosis of Cannabis Use Disorder in the Metropolitan area of Bologna from 2009 to 2019. In this cohort we identified accesses to Emergency Departments for suicide attempts from 2009 to 2019. The Crude Suicide Rate for 1,000 Person Years was 2.5, higher in females, in patients with Alcohol Use Disorders, with any psychiatric diagnosis, within one year from the first visit, and during the COVID-19 period. The risk was over 22 times higher than in the general population. Considering the high prevalence of cannabis use in the general population and the consequent risk of Cannabis Use Disorders, these data suggest the importance of a clinical evaluation for suicidal risk.

Parental bonding, depression, and suicidal ideation in medical students.

Background: The psychological condition of university students has been the focus of research since several years. In this population, prevalence rates of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety disorders and substance abuse are higher than those of the general population, and medical students are more likely to have mental health issues than other students. Aims: This study deals with the psychological condition of medical students, with a focus on correlations between depression, suicidal ideation and the quality of the perceived parenting style. Gender differences were also considered. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a population of medical students, with an online questionnaire consisting of a personal data sheet for demographic and anamnestic data, and of three self-rating scales: the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), for the screening of depressive symptoms; the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), to assess suicidal ideation; the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), to investigate the memory of the attitude of one's parents in the first 16 years of life. Two main affective dimensions were considered by PBI: "care" (affection and empathy) and "protection" (intrusiveness, controlling and constraint). Four different patterns of parenting styles are so evidenced: Neglectful Parenting (low care/low protection), Affectionless Control (low care/high protection), Optimal Parenting (high care/low protection), and Affectionate Constraint (high care/high protection). Results: Overall, 671 students (182 males and 489 females) participated. Females, compared to males, experienced more distress and self-injurious behaviors, while males experienced more drugs or alcohol abuse. The BHS and BDI-II scores correlated positively with the PBI score for "protection" and negatively with that for "care." Affectionless Control and Neglectful Parenting were associated with higher medians of BHS and BDI-II scores. Conclusion: The study confirms that the undergraduate medical student population has higher prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation than those detectable in the general population (respectively, 50.2% and 16.7% vs. 15-18% and 9.2%) and that some specific parenting styles correlate with these two clinical variables. The impact of Affectionless Control and Neglectful Parenting on suicidal ideation and depressive symptomatology was more pronounced in females than in males. For males, the role of the father seemed to have less impact on the affective roots of suicidal thoughts and depression.

"Bringing the plague": Groundwork for a transformative outreach of psychoanalysis.

The authors lay the groundwork for a theory and technique of transformative outreach of psychoanalysis, a process of group building of a shared emotional experience by way of a discourse on issues of psychoanalytic relevance. The subject of interest is the public conference, where the "outreach session" is defined as a situation built on the basis of a well-defined setting, which allows the unfolding of the informative process to the best effect. Being able to grasp the quality of the experience that one is creating, while respecting individual differences, is a specific analytical capacity. To the audience, being able to feel that someone minds how it may experience being there, in that moment, means being able to experience in person the containing and transformative capacity of psychoanalysis. This frame of mind can be maintained much more easily if the speaker shows up without a written speech: "placing a sheet" between him or herself and the audience shields his or her perceptual-receptive capacity, which is necessary to give space to the waking dream activity. As theoretical background, the recent developments of the Bionian perspective proposed by Ogden and Ferro seem the most suitable to root our proposed ideas for good psychoanalytical outreach practices.

Anger, Emotional Fragility, Self-esteem, and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa/Acne Inversa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa (HS) is one of the most debilitating inflammatory chronic skin diseases and it heavily impairs the emotional and relational life of the patients. Despite its clinical and epidemiological relevance, its psychological correlates are still largely unexplored. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychological and emotional impact of HS, with a specific focus on psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, suicidal ideation, self-esteem, anger, and some personality traits. Thirty eight patients diagnosed with HS (HS Group) were compared with a control group of 28 outpatients diagnosed with nevi (N Group) and assessed with psychometric questionnaires (GHQ-28, STAXI-2, BDI-II, BHS, RSES, EF Questionnaire, and I-R Questionnaire). Results showed significant differences between the two groups, with more psychiatric symptoms, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of state anger and of emotional fragility in HS patients. These findings suggest the evidence of a significant psychiatric comorbidity in HS and of a strong emotional impact of the disease.