Climate Change Perception and Mental Health. Results from a Systematic Review of the Literature.

Climate change is one of the main global challenges and influences various aspects of human health. Numerous studies have indeed demonstrated an association between extreme climate-related events and physical and mental health outcomes, but little is still known about the association between the perception/awareness of climate change and mental health. In accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO. The included studies were original observational studies published in English, reporting the association between the perception/awareness of climate change and mental health. A total of 3018 articles were identified. A total of 10 observational studies were included. The period covered in the included studies ranged between 2012 and 2022. Climate change perception is consistently associated with adverse mental health effects across different types of estimates. In particular, the studies identified an association between a higher level of perception/awareness of climate change and depression, anxiety, eco-anxiety, stress, adjustment disorder, substance use, dysphoria, and even thoughts of suicide. Qualitative data underscore the impact on daily activities, contributing to feelings of loss and suicidal ideation. Moreover, climate change perception correlates with lower well-being and resilience. The association between awareness of climate change and mental health is a complex and still poorly explored phenomenon. The main limitations are the high heterogeneity in terms of exposure assessment and data reporting, which hinders quantitative analysis. These results show that climate change perception impacts mental health. Better understanding the phenomenon represents an opportunity to inform public health interventions that promote mental well-being.

Online extreme challenges putting children at risk: what we know to date.

INTRODUCTION: Extreme online challenges consist in taking part in challenges proposed on web and sharing the results in videos posted on social media. The use of social networks is widespread among the very young, giving easy access to potentially dangerous content with consequences on health. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The aim of this literature review was to describe the most common challenges involving children and adolescents over the last 20 years. We focused on participants features (such as age, sex and psychological background) and health implications. The review included research articles and reviews published between 2000 and 2021. We used Pubmed, Scopus and Web of science as search engines. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Many types of online challenges emerged from the analysis of the literature. The most common challenges are those that lead to self-harm, which involve acts at risk of choking and challenges that potentially lead to suicide and ingestion of substances. The extreme challenge phenomenon is a public health issue that affects a vulnerable population, as it is young and susceptible to peer pressure influence. Participants often showed problematic personality traits, making them more likely to get involved in these behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary for parents, teachers and health workers to be aware of the spread of the online challenges, to improve prevention interventions in the age groups involved.

Unilateral sacroiliitis associated with systemic isotretinoin treatment.

BACKGROUND: Acne fulminans is the most severe form of inflammatory acne characterized by the acute onset of inflammatory nodules and plaques, most commonly on the chest and the back. The lesions undergo rapid suppuration, leaving ragged hemorrhagic ulcers. Typically, it affects adolescent males with a history of mild to moderate acne. The affected patients often have constitutional symptoms such as fever, malaise, arthralgias, and myalgias. Leukocytosis is commonly associated. Sacroiliitis is reported in 21% of acne fulminans patients in association with arthritis and in a few cases it is reported during isotretinoin treatment, suggesting the drug triggering. CONCLUSION: We report a case of a young male patient in whom the induction of acne fulminans by systemic isotretinoin was associated with unilateral sacroiliitis.