Humanoid robot intervention vs. treatment as usual for loneliness in long-term care homes: Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Loneliness affects up to 42% of long-term care residents and is associated with poor health outcomes. Humanoid robot interventions hold promise for reducing loneliness and decreasing barriers to social interaction in long-term care settings, such as the current COVID-19 safety measures in many countries, limited mobility, and poor health. We present a protocol describing an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of a humanoid robot intervention to treatment as usual, on loneliness and mental health outcomes in long-term care residents. Methods: Seventy-four (n = 74) older adults experiencing loneliness in 3 long-term care homes will be randomized 1:1 to an 8-week, twice a week social intervention with the Grace humanoid robot vs. a treatment as usual active control. We will assess change (baseline to week 8) in (1) loneliness (primary outcome), (2) depression severity, and (3) stress (secondary outcomes), as well as (4) other exploratory outcomes: anxiety, quality of life and reduction in acute healthcare utilization. We will also assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention using qualitative methods. Discussion: The proposed study will assess the effects of a social robot on loneliness and other mental health outcomes, as well as the feasibility of the intervention in older adults living in long-term care settings. Trial registration: NCT05423899.

The influence of immigration on the mental health of those seeking psychiatric care in southern Israel: a comparison of new immigrants to veteran residents.

OBJECTIVE: The wave of immigration from the countries of the former Soviet Union from 1990 to 2006 brought to Israel over 1,000,000 people. Many of them suffer from different diseases including mental disorders. Although the majority of older persons are free of serious psychopathology, 15-20% of the elderly people may be in need of psychiatric services. The aim of the study is to compare the mental health parameters of two elderly groups living in the southern part of Israel who suffer from severe mental problems: new immigrants from the former USSR (NI) in contrast to veteran Israelis (VR). METHOD: In this retrospective study we compare two groups of aged inhabitants (NI and VR) from the southern region of Israel who sought psychiatric services (both outpatient and inpatient). The comparison concerns socio-demographic characteristics of people in care in a mental health center, rate of use of these services and diagnoses of the patients. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-six (1.2%) NI sought psychiatric help versus 584 (2.1%) VR. The major findings include the significantly increased number of adjustment disorders and the significantly lower number of organo-mental diagnoses among psychiatrically hospitalized NI in comparison to VR. No differences were found in the frequency of mood or psychotic disorders between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Immigration is acknowledged to be a major stressor which may increase the emotional distress of an immigrant and in some cases may even lead to psychopathological reactions. NI are prone not to seek medical aid in outpatient facilities until a real worsening of mental health status compels them to be hospitalized.

Vitamin B12 and folate serum levels in newly admitted psychiatric patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Deficiencies of cobalamin and folate may play a causal role in the development or exacerbation of psychiatric illnesses. We compared cobalamin and folate levels in newly admitted psychiatric patients to mentally healthy controls and assessed their correlation with various psychiatric conditions. METHODS: All patients consecutively admitted to a psychiatric hospital were examined for serum cobalamin and folate levels. Controls were obtained from a population with no known mental illness. Values were considered to be below normal if cobalamin was <223 pg/ml and folate <3.1 ng/ml. RESULTS: The 224 newly admitted patients did not differ significantly from controls, both with regard to the mean cobalamin level and to the prevalence of lower than normal levels. About 30% of patients had low folate values compared to 2.5% in the control group (P<0.0001). Mean folate level in controls was significantly higher than in patients (P<0.0001), where a positive correlation was found between low folate levels and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that folate levels be assessed in patients admitted to psychiatric wards, especially in those with depression. Further study is needed to evaluate the role of folate and cobalamin in psychiatric illness.

Perverse political correctness and personality traits.

Political correctness (PC) commonly refers to a mutual respect for the views and beliefs of others, including enemies, and while differing in opinions, the willfulness to overcome the existing disagreements, and to prevent animosity. To date however, the term PC is sometimes used in a perverted sense aimed for disintegration of solidarity in a society, thus giving birth to a new powerful conceptual tool, the perverse political correctness (PPC). PPC ideology resides in people with certain psychological types. We assume that there are basic psychological variations of personality traits and the mechanisms of their formation that promote not only insertion, but rapid distribution of modern PPC ideology. Although the dimension of their behavior is very similar, the personality traits of these persons can be divided into three groups: The subjects from the first group are characterized by general traits of one's personality, such as kindness, empathy, and humanism. This is true PC--an expression of proper humanistic personality traits, which are developed in a specific kind of environment. The subjects from second group are usually artistic, theatrical, vain and narcissistic, poseurs who need attention at any cost. Their views on life in general, as well as on questions of PC are characterized by colorfulness, picturesqueness and emotional satiety. The subjects from the third group, conjoined with the previous variety of demonstrative-theatrical PC, use mystical and religious contents as part of their propaganda of PPC activity.

Acute dementia with delirium due to vitamin B12 deficiency: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a key component in the catabolism of monoamines. B12 deficiency is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders and may be more frequent in psychiatric inpatients. The authors describe a case report of a newly admitted and relatively young patient (52 years old) with organic psychosis secondary to vitamin B12 deficiency. No other overt clinical features of cobalamin deficit were observed. Symptoms were resolved with B12 and folate replacement. The patient's mental status remained stable over the 3 months after the treatment. The authors note that organic mental changes were reversible with B12 replacement. CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose that determination of serum vitamin B12 and folic acid levels should be recommended as routine screening in all new admissions of psychiatric patients regardless of their age or previous state of health.

High-dose olanzapine-induced improvement of preexisting type 2 diabetes mellitus in schizophrenic patients.

OBJECTIVE: During the last few years there have been numerous publications concerning glucose dysregulation and antipsychotic treatment with new-onset diabetes and exacerbation of existing disease being reported. At the same time three anecdotal reports describing decrease of blood glucose level during clozapine and olanzapine treatment were published. Here we report two cases of clinically significant dose-related reductions in glucose levels in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients suffering from pre-existing type 2 diabetes during high dose (40 mg/day) olanzapine treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is a first report of decreasing glucose blood levels in association with olanzapine therapy in pre-existing type 2 diabetes. Antipsychotic treatment with high doses of olanzapine showed that the relationship between olanzapine and glucose regulation is more unambiguous than usually assumed. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for further studies in order to define the influence of high dose olanzapine for schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients suffering from type 2 diabetes.