Association between suicidal ideation, negative symptoms and theory of mind in first episode psychosis.

PURPOSE: Suicidal thoughts are common among patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). The impact of symptoms' severity and social cognition on suicidal risk should be a focus of attention. This study aimed at assessment of the severity of suicidal ideation in patients with FEP and its potential association with the theory of mind (ToM) impairment and symptoms' severity. METHODS: Ninety-six participants were recruited consecutively and subdivided into three equal groups: FEP, schizophrenia, and healthy controls (HC). The symptoms' severity was assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Suicidal ideation was evaluated using Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI). Reading the Mind in the Eyes revised version (RMET) was used to assess ToM. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was significantly higher only in FEP compared to HC (p = 0.001). Both FEP and schizophrenia had substantially lower performance than HC on RMET (p < 0.001). Higher depression (ß = 0.452, p = 0.007) and negative symptoms (ß = 0.433, p = 0.027) appeared to be significantly associated with increased suicidal ideation severity in FEP while RMET did not. CONCLUSION: Patients with FEP and chronic schizophrenia have comparable deficits in theory of mind dimension of social cognition. The severity of negative and depressive symptoms potentially contributes to the increased risk of suicide in FEP.

Brain-Derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasma level increases in patients with resistant schizophrenia treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to assess the effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on plasma BDNF levels in patients with resistant schizophrenia. METHODS: It was a cohort study that included 60 patients with resistant schizophrenia fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria of schizophrenia and APA criteria of resistant schizophrenia. They were divided into two groups, followed over 4 weeks, and compared to their baseline assessment. Group (A) included 45 patients who received 4-10 sessions of ECT while Group (B) included 15 patients who received the usual treatment with antipsychotics without ECT. The assessment included the severity of psychotic symptoms assessed by the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) in addition to plasma BDNF level. RESULTS: Patients in Group (A) had an increased level of BDNF after treatment with a statistically significant difference in comparison to their baseline BDNF level (P = 0.027). Meanwhile, patients in group (B) showed a non-significant increase in BDNF. Patients in both groups improved significantly in all PANSS subscales after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that plasma BDNF levels in patients with resistant schizophrenia increase after electroconvulsive therapy in association with clinical improvement.Key pointsBDNF increases after ECT treatment of resistant schizophrenia.BDNF is not correlated with the severity of psychotic symptomsPatients treated with ECT showed a better response.

Psychiatric Morbidity and Personality Characteristics of Detained Adolescents With Delinquent Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.

The current study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the psychopathological symptoms, personality profile, and hostility in detained adolescents with delinquent behavior. A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 50 admitted adolescent delinquents in correctional institutes in the Greater Cairo region of Egypt. Results for delinquent adolescents were compared with age-equivalent adolescents with no history of delinquency. Both groups were subjected to the Adolescent and Adult Psychological State Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Locus of Control scale, and the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ). Results concluded that adolescents with delinquent behavior displayed increased rates of psychiatric disorders over the comparative group. Significantly higher scores on the psychoticism, neuroticism, extraversion, and psychopathic deviation subscales and the Locus of Control scale were evident among the adolescent delinquent group compared with their nondelinquent peers. The delinquent group obtained, in general, higher overall scores on the HDHQ questionnaire when compared with the nondelinquent adolescents, while also obtaining higher scores on the paranoid hostility subscale of HDHQ. Acting out hostility scores correlated positively with neuroticism and psychoticism in delinquents. Psychiatric morbidity, extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and increased hostility were found to contribute as major psychosocial factors underlying the psychopathology in detained juvenile delinquents.