First access to mental health services during COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is complex and affects a broad segment of the population. Several studies indicate that depressive, anxious and post-traumatic symptoms are common in people exposed to SARS-Cov2. METHODS: 458 subjects were recruited during their first consultation in outpatient psychiatric services between June 2020 and October 2021. Post-traumatic, depressive and anxious symptoms were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Beck Depression Inventory Scale-second edition (BDI-II), and  the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). A specific set of questions was developed, with the aim of evaluating socio-demographic variables and work, environmental and personal characteristics related to the pandemic. RESULTS: Prevalence rates of clinically significant depressive, anxious and post-traumatic symptoms were 57.6%, 63.5% and 54.8%, respectively. Female gender, worsening of relationship status and financial consequences due to the pandemic were the conditions most strongly associated with the presence of psychopathology. LIMITATION: The cross-sectional design of the study doesn't allow an evaluation over time of the sample. No assumption of causality can be made due to the lack of pre-pandemic assessments for the investigated variables. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the pandemic involves depressive, anxious and post-traumatic dimensions. The investigated psychopathology correlates with several variables expressing the personal and environmental changes that occurred in the population due to the COVID-19 emergency. The study is multicentric and the recruitment of participants was held in a clinical setting, providing a realistic picture of the consequences of the pandemic in clinical practice within mental health services.

Treatment with Methylphenidate Improves Affective but Not Cognitive Empathy in Youths with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Beside the core symptoms, patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently show relevant difficulty in developing relationships with peers. Although ADHD symptoms may account for social impairment, deficits in cognitive and/or affective empathy have also been involved. Our aim was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) treatment on affective and cognitive empathy. METHODS: Sixty-one drug-naïve youths with ADHD (age range 6 to 17 years, mean 10.3 ± 2.8 years, 51 males) naturalistically treated with MPH monotherapy were followed up for 6 months for ADHD symptoms and empathy, measured with the Basic Empathy Scale. RESULTS: After being treated with MPH, the patients showed a significant improvement in affective and cognitive empathy scores. Linear regression models showed that changes in inattention symptoms predicted changes in affective but not in cognitive empathy, while changes in the hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms did not predict changes in affective or cognitive empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a further contribution for a better understanding of the possible effects of the MPH on youth's characteristics.