Young adults from disadvantaged groups experience more stress and deterioration in mental health associated with polycrisis.

The recent polycrisis (COVID-19, Ukraine war, climate change, economic crisis) has been associated with mental health through cumulative stress, with young people being particularly vulnerable. We surveyed 403 college students from Poland to examine their psychological responses to the experienced crises. The results showed that polycrisis was associated with worse mental health of college students from disadvantaged groups (based on gender, sexual orientation, and financial situation) compared to other college students, in four areas: sense of proximity to the crises, stress caused by the crises, sense of responsibility for mitigating the crises, and experiencing everyday moral dilemmas regarding the crises. These young adults also suffered more in terms of negative affectivity, depressive symptoms, and subjective physical and mental health. Our findings suggest that when discussing public mental health perspectives, it is important to consider consequences of cumulative stress and its greater impact on young people from disadvantaged groups.

Stigmatization of individuals suffering from mental illness and methods of counteraction - analysis of the statements of the elderly. / Stygmatyzacja osób chorujacych psychicznie i jej przeciwdzialanie ­ analiza wypowiedzi osób starszych.

OBJECTIVES: Stigmatization of those who seem to be superficially or innately different produces many negative consequences, such as hindered recovery process in people suffering from mental disorders. The tendency to stigmatize manifests itself in the majority of age groups, but the elderly seem to be ignored both in research concerning the phenomenon of stigmatization itself and research on methods of counteracting it. The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of contact between the elderly and people suffering from mental illness in order to recount both the symptoms of stigmatization and the readiness to meet such people. The additional goal of the study was to reflecton the methods of counteracting stigmatization. METHODS: A qualitative method based on the hermeneutic and phenomenological thought was used to analyze the data collected from four group interviews. RESULTS: We distinguished three main themes: (1) "Beliefs about the causes of mental illness", (2) "Emotional attitude towards people suffering from mental illness" and (3) "Ways of interacting with people suffering from mental". CONCLUSIONS: Readiness to stigmatize (blaming, controlling, anxiety) and meet people affected by mental disorders as well as to acknowledge their autonomy was observed in our subjects. We propose methods of combating the stigma such as: acquainting recipients with existential and evolutionary thought, nurturing imagination and encouraging peopleto confront common stereotypes with stories of people they know.

Maladaptive daydreaming as a new form of behavioral addiction.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) has many features of behavioral addiction, but research exploring this syndrome is limited. This case study provides a qualitative exploration of MD. METHODS: A structured clinical interview and mental state examination of a patient with MD were video-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were subjected to the interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: MD was developed as a strategy to cope with distress but led to uncontrollable absorption in fantasy, social withdrawal, and neglecting aspects of everyday life. It was coupled with excessive Internet use and viewing porn. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Patients should be questioned about MD during clinical assessment. Further studies are necessary to determine whether MD constitutes a separate syndrome or is a part of other behavioral addictions.