Neural Basis of Pain Empathy Dysregulations in Mental Disorders - A Pre-registered Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pain empathy represents a fundamental building block of several social functions, which have been demonstrated to be impaired across various mental disorders by accumulating evidence from case-control functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. However, it remains unclear whether the dysregulations are underpinned by robust neural alterations across mental disorders. METHODS: This study utilized coordinate-based meta-analyses to quantitatively determine robust markers of altered pain empathy across mental disorders. To support the interpretation of the findings exploratory network-level and behavioral meta-analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis of eleven case-control fMRI studies with data from 296 patients and 229 controls revealed patients with mental disorders exhibited increased pain empathic reactivity in the left anterior cingulate gyrus, adjacent medial prefrontal cortex, and right middle temporal gyrus, yet decreased activity in the left cerebellum IV/V and left middle occipital gyrus compared to controls. The hyperactive regions showed network-level interactions with the core default mode network (DMN) and were associated with affective and social cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that pain-empathic alterations across mental disorders are underpinned by excessive empathic reactivity in brain systems involved in empathic distress and social processes, highlighting a shared therapeutic target to normalize basal social dysfunctions in mental disorders.

Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder among paramedic students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: There are elevated mental health concerns in paramedic students, but estimates vary between studies and countries, and no review has established the overall prevalence. This systematic review addressed this by estimating the global prevalence of common mental health disorders, namely anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in paramedic students internationally. METHODS: A systematic search of six databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and medRxiv, was conducted to identify studies relating to mental health among paramedicine students. The search encompassed studies from inception until February 2023. To be considered for inclusion in the review, the studies had to report prevalence data on at least one symptom of anxiety, depression, or PTSD in paramedicine students, using quantitative validated scales. The quality of the studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Checklist, which is a specific methodological tool for assessing prevalence studies. Subgroup analyses were not conducted due to insufficient data. RESULTS: 1638 articles were identified from the searches, and 193 full texts were screened, resulting in 13 papers for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The total number of participants was 1064 from 10 countries. The pooled prevalence of moderate PTSD was 17.9% (95% CI 14.8-21.6%), anxiety was 56.4% (95% CI 35,9-75%), and depression was at 34.7% (95% CI 23.4-48.1%). CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis has found that paramedicine students globally exhibit a high prevalence of moderate PTSD, anxiety, and depression. The prevalence of these mental health conditions surpasses those among paramedic providers and the general population, as indicated by previous reviews. Further research is therefore warranted to determine appropriate support and interventions for this group.

[Electroconvulsive therapy in people with intellectual disability]. / Elektrokonvulsionstherapie bei Menschen mit Intelligenzminderung.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment option for severe mental illness. Although people with intellectual disability (ID) have similar prevalence rates of mental disorders in comparison to the general population their access to ECT remains challenging. A systematic literature review was carried out on treatment with ECT in patients with ID and a case report on a patient with ID who underwent ECT is presented, to highlight a typical clinical routine. A total of 100 articles with 208 different case reports were retrieved. In summary, the results underline the effectiveness of ECT in people with ID, with side effects comparable to those in the general population. The ECT is effective in the treatment of severe affective and psychotic disorders and particularly in people with catatonia. The use of ECT can improve the patient's mental health and quality of life and is often a life-saving treatment option. The prophylaxis of relapses should be included as early as possible in the planning process. Providing an easy access to ECT treatment for people with ID is corroborated by its effectiveness and is in line with the right to equal treatment in accordance with article 25 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Program for People With Schizophrenia After the First Episode of Psychosis: Protocol for an Open-Label Intervention Study.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a disorder associated with neurocognitive deficits that adversely affect daily functioning and impose an economic burden. Cognitive rehabilitation interventions, particularly during the early phases of illness, have been shown to improve cognition, functionality, and quality of life. The Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) program, based on the Mediated Learning Experience and the Structural Cognitive Modifiability theory, has been applied in various disorders, but its applicability in schizophrenia has not yet been clarified. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effects of the FIE program on the functionality of patients with first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS: In total, 17 patients will be recruited for an open-label intervention consisting of twice-weekly sessions for 10 weeks. The primary outcome measure will be changes in the Goal Achievement Scale score. Maze task performance from the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) battery will serve as a secondary outcome measure. At the same time, changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores and other MATRICS domains will be analyzed as exploratory outcomes. Assessments will be administered before and after the intervention, with a follow-up period of 6 months. RESULTS: This trial was preregistered in The Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-4gzhy4s). By February 2024, 11 participants were enrolled in the training. Recruitment is expected to be completed by May 2024. Data analysis will be conducted between May and September 2024. The results are expected to be published in January 2025. CONCLUSIONS: This study may establish a protocol for the FIE program that uses mediation techniques for individuals in the early stages of schizophrenia. The results will add to the knowledge about strategies to promote cognitive skills and functional impairment in daily life. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/57031.

Plant extracts as emerging modulators of neuroinflammation and immune receptors in Alzheimer's pathogenesis.

Memory loss is becoming an increasingly significant health problem, largely due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), which disrupts the brain in several ways, including causing inflammation and weakening the body's defenses. This study explores the potential of medicinal plants as a source of novel therapeutic agents for AD. First, we tested various plant extracts against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vitro, following molecular docking simulations with key AD-related protein targets such as MAO-B, P-gp, GSK-3ß, and CD14. Rosemary extract was found to be the most inhibitory towards AChE. The compounds found in rosemary (oleanolic acid), sage (pinocembrin), and cinnamon (italicene) showed promise in potentially binding to MAO-B. These chemicals may interact with a key protein in the brain and alter the production and removal of amyloid-ß. Luteolin (from rosemary), myricetin (from sage), chamigrene, and italicene (from cinnamon) exhibited potential for inhibiting tau aggregation. Additionally, ursolic acid found in rosemary, sage, and chamigrene from cinnamon could modulate CD14 activity. For the first time, our findings shed light on the intricate interplay between neuroinflammation, neuroprotective mechanisms, and the immune system's role in AD. Further research is needed to validate the in vivo efficacy and safety of these plant-derived compounds, as well as their interactions with key protein targets, which could lead to the development of novel AD therapeutics.

Local-structure-preservation and redundancy-removal-based feature selection method and its application to the identification of biomarkers for schizophrenia.

Accurate diagnosis of mental disorders is expected to be achieved through the identification of reliable neuroimaging biomarkers with the help of cutting-edge feature selection techniques. However, existing feature selection methods often fall short in capturing the local structural characteristics among samples and effectively eliminating redundant features, resulting in inadequate performance in disorder prediction. To address this gap, we propose a novel supervised method named local-structure-preservation and redundancy-removal-based feature selection (LRFS), and then apply it to the identification of meaningful biomarkers for schizophrenia (SZ). LRFS method leverages graph-based regularization to preserve original sample similarity relationships during data transformation, thus retaining crucial local structure information. Additionally, it introduces redundancy-removal regularization based on interrelationships among features to exclude similar and redundant features from high-dimensional data. Moreover, LRFS method incorporates l2,1 sparse regularization that enables selecting a sparse and noise-robust feature subset. Experimental evaluations on eight public datasets with diverse properties demonstrate the superior performance of our method over nine popular feature selection methods in identifying discriminative features, with average classification accuracy gains ranging from 1.30% to 9.11%. Furthermore, the LRFS method demonstrates superior discriminability in four functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets from 708 healthy controls (HCs) and 537 SZ patients, with an average increase in classification accuracy ranging from 1.89% to 9.24% compared to other nine methods. Notably, our method reveals reproducible and significant changes in SZ patients relative to HCs across the four datasets, predominantly in the thalamus-related functional network connectivity, which exhibit a significant correlation with clinical symptoms. Convergence analysis, parameter sensitivity analysis, and ablation studies further demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our method. In short, our proposed feature selection method effectively identifies discriminative and reliable features that hold the potential to be biomarkers, paving the way for the elucidation of brain abnormalities and the advancement of precise diagnosis of mental disorders.

New psychoactive substances - 96 cases of deaths related to their use based on the material originating from forensic toxicological practice.

Among the emerging investigative fields, forensic medicine and toxicology lead to analyzing fatalities in medico-legal expert opinion formulating. While discussing the problem, the authors have selected 96 fatal cases from their expert practice including the period from 2010 to 2023, in which deaths were connected with taking new psychoactive substances (NPS's) belonging to various chemical categories, mainly synthetic cathinones (SC), synthetic cannabinoids (SCan) and non-medical synthetic opioids (NSO). In the investigated cases, toxicological analysis revealed 37 NPS's and their 9 metabolites. The cases involved the use of SC's (64 cases - 67 %), Scan's, including their metabolites (10 cases - 10 %) and NSO's, including their metabolites (6 cases - 6 %). The remaining cases involved the simultaneous use of NSO with SC and/or SCan, including their metabolites (8 cases - 8 %), or SC with SCan (5 cases - 5 %). In three cases (3 %), compounds belonging to other groups were taken. In twenty-five cases, more than one NPS was found. Moreover, in twenty-seven cases, ethyl alcohol was also detected at the concentration range of 0.6-3.6 ‰. The concentration of xenobiotics determined in blood represented extensive ranges of concentration. The victims were at the age of 16-58 years of life. The group included eleven women (11 %). Generally, the deaths related to NPS's were predominantly of an accidental character (81 %), while the manner of death in sixteen cases (17 %) was suicide, including hanging (5 cases), jumping from a great height (3 cases), self-injury and exsanguination (1 case), as well as acute drug intoxication (6 cases) and intoxication with central nervous system hypoxia after an hanging (1 case). Among the analyzed cases there were two victims of homicide (2 %), in one of which the perpetrator being under the influence of the mixture of the synthetic opioid U-47700 and synthetic cannabinoid AB-FUBINACA. In twenty-eight cases, medications used in psychiatry were found, which suggested that the victims were struggling with mental problems before death. As it was implied by the available information, more than 36 % of the victims had mental problems.

Effectiveness of Culinary Nutrition Workshops on the Mood and Nutritional Interest of Inpatients With Mental Disorder.

Background Promoting healthy eating habits through nutrition education programs is crucial to improving the overall health of people with mental disorders. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of culinary nutrition workshops on the mood and nutritional interest of hospitalized adults with mental disorders (MD) from the acute psychiatric unit of two general hospitals in Catalonia, Spain. Methods A pilot randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted with MD inpatient. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group received weekly culinary nutrition workshops with flexible participation and the control group continued routinary care. The interest in nutrition was analysed with an ad hoc item pre and post-intervention period. Mood changes were studied with a visual analog scale and analysed pre- and post-intervention periods as well as before and after every session. An ad hoc questionnaire was also used to assess the satisfaction of participants with the intervention. The obtained data were analysed at both descriptive and inferential levels. Results We included 81 participants, with a mean age of 45.3 (SD: 17.0); 66.7% were women, with 41 assigned to the intervention group and 40 to the control group. At the end of every culinary nutrition workshop, a statistically significant improvement in mood was observed in the intervention group (5.9 vs. 7.4 points, p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in mood changes between the control and intervention groups after the intervention period (control group: 1.0 vs. intervention group: 1.5, p=0.473), while the nutritional interest was significantly improved after the intervention period intergroups (control group: 4.1 vs. intervention group: 37.2, p<0.001). The intervention was excellently valued by the participants regarding content, space, and health professionals, and generated interest and motivation, with scores above 9 on all these items. Conclusion The improvement of interest in nutrition and the satisfaction of hospitalised people with MD with the nutrition culinary workshops emphasize the need to design more comprehensive RCTs in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

An Epidemiological Study of Physical-Mental Multimorbidity in Youth: Une étude épidémiologique de la morbidité physique-mentale chez les jeunes.

OBJECTIVE: This epidemiological study estimated the lifetime prevalence of chronic physical illness (i.e., an illness that lasted or was expected to last ≥6 months) and 6-month prevalence of mental disorder and multimorbidity (i.e., ≥1 physical illness and ≥1 mental disorder) in youth. Associations between physical illness and mental disorder were quantified, including the number of illnesses. Secondary objectives examined factors associated with mental disorder, after controlling for physical illness. METHODS: Data come from 10,303 youth aged 4-17 years in the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS). Physical illness was measured using a list of chronic conditions developed by Statistics Canada. Mental disorders were measured using the OCHS Emotional Behavioural Scales. The Health Utility Index Mark III assessed overall functional health. RESULTS: Weighted prevalence estimates showed 550,090 (27.8%) youth had physical illness, 291,986 (14.8%) had mental disorder, and 108,435 (5.4%) had multimorbidity. Physical illness was not associated with mental disorder. However, youth with 2 physical illnesses, as compared to no physical illnesses, had increased odds of having any mental (OR = 1.75 [1.08, 2.85]), mood (OR = 2.50 [1.39, 4.48]) and anxiety disorders (OR = 2.40 [1.33, 4.31]). Mean functional health scores demonstrated a dose-response association across health status categories, with the highest scores among healthy youth and the lowest scores among multimorbid youth (all p < .05). CONCLUSION: Chronic physical illness and mental disorders are prevalent in youth. Youths with 2 physical illnesses have a higher likelihood of mental disorders. Higher functional health scores protected against all mental disorders. Mental health interventions for youth should promote strong overall functional health.

Physical-Mental Multimorbidity in Ontario YouthPlain Language SummaryThis study examined mental disorders in Ontario youth with and without chronic physical illnesses. Youth with at least one physical illness and one mental disorder have physical-mental multimorbidity. 27.8% of youth had chronic physical illness (that lasted at least six months), 14.8% had mental disorder, and 5.4% had multimorbidity. Risk factors for any mental, mood, and anxiety disorders included living with two chronic physical illnesses. Overall functional health of youth declined from youth that were healthy (no physical illness or mental disorder), chronic physical illness only, mental illness only, to multimorbid youth. Youth mental health interventions should promote strong overall functional health.

Examining the mental health services among people with mental disorders: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are a significant contributor to disease burden. However, there is a large treatment gap for common mental disorders worldwide. This systematic review summarizes the factors associated with mental health service use. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science were searched for articles describing the predictors of and barriers to mental health service use among people with mental disorders from January 2012 to August 2023. The initial search yielded 3230 articles, 2366 remained after removing duplicates, and 237 studies remained after the title and abstract screening. In total, 40 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Middle-aged participants, females, Caucasian ethnicity, and higher household income were more likely to access mental health services. The use of services was also associated with the severity of mental symptoms. The association between employment, marital status, and mental health services was inconclusive due to limited studies. High financial costs, lack of transportation, and scarcity of mental health services were structural factors found to be associated with lower rates of mental health service use. Attitudinal barriers, mental health stigma, and cultural beliefs also contributed to the lower rates of mental health service use. CONCLUSION: This systematic review found that several socio-demographic characteristics were strongly associated with using mental health services. Policymakers and those providing mental health services can use this information to better understand and respond to inequalities in mental health service use and improve access to mental health treatment.

Oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people living with mental illness: a mixed-methods systematic review.

People living with mental illness experience poorer oral health outcomes compared to the general population, yet little is known about their oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The aim of this mixed-methods systematic review was to synthesise evidence regarding oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people living with mental illness to inform preventative strategies and interventions. Database searches were conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Scopus with no limitations placed on the year of study. All studies available in the English language, that explored the oral health knowledge, attitudes, and/or practices of people with a mental illness were included. Articles were excluded if they primarily pertained to intellectual disability, behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, drug and alcohol or substance use, or eating disorders. A thematic synthesis was undertaken of 36 studies (26 high-moderate quality), resulting in 3 themes and 9 sub-themes. Study participants ranged from n = 7 to n = 1095 and aged between 15-83 years with most having a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar affective disorder. People diagnosed with a mental illness were found to have limited oral health knowledge, particularly regarding the effects of psychotropic medication. Various barriers to oral health care were identified, including high dental costs, the negative impact of mental illness, dental fears, lack of priority, and poor communication with dental and health care providers. Study participants often displayed a reduced frequency of tooth brushing and dental visits. The findings highlight the potential for mental health care providers, oral health and dental professionals, mental health consumers, and carers to work together more closely to improve oral health outcomes for people with mental illness. The systematic review protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), (registration ID CRD42022352122).

Environmental sensitivity moderates the longitudinal effect of fathers' positive parenting on mental disorders in Chinese adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to fathers' positive parenting has been associated reducing mental disorder symptoms during adolescence, evidence on the mechanisms underlying this association is lacking. One potential mechanism linking fathers' positive parenting and mental disorders is environmental sensitivity (ES). Here we studied whether the increased positive behaviors of both parents (1) separately, (2) relatively, (3) and jointly predict reduced depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, suicidal ideation (SI), and increased well-being in Chinese adolescents. Additionally we investigated (4) whether ES moderates these relationships. METHODS: This study involving 7010 Chinese adolescents (55.6 % girls) aged 15 to 18 from six junior high schools in Shaanxi, China was conducted at four timepoints. ES was assessed using the Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) scale at ages 15 and 16, parental positive behaviors using the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) at ages 16 and 17, and psychopathology symptoms using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) Inventory at ages 17 and 18. RESULTS: (1) Multilevel analyses revealed that increased positive parenting predicted reduced psychiatric disorder symptoms and improved well-being; (2) trend interaction indicated that the compensatory effect of fathers' positive parenting was stronger in alleviating mental problems in adolescents than that of mothers'; (3) Simple slope analyses suggested that both high levels of fathers' and mothers' positive parenting predicted fewer subsequent psychiatric disorder symptoms, particularly for sensitive adolescents. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited to its generalizability to the Western Chinese adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial differences in the effects of positive paternal and maternal parenting highlight the important role of fathers' positive parenting in mental development, especially for highly sensitive adolescents.

Distinct impulsivity profiles in subtypes of violence among community-dwelling patients with severe mental disorders: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Although only a few patients with severe mental disorders (SMD) can commit violent behaviour in the community, violent behaviour aggravates the stigma towards patients with SMD. Understanding the subtypes of violent behaviour may be beneficial for preventing violent behaviour among patients with SMD, but it has rarely been studied. METHODS: This longitudinal study investigated 1914 patients with SMD in the community at baseline, and the follow-up period ranged from February 2021 to August 2021. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version-11, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale, the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire and the MacArthur Community Violence Instrument were used at baseline. The Modified Overt Aggression Scale was used to assess the occurrence of violent behaviour (outcome) during the follow-up period. Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Latent class analysis was used to characterise the subtypes of patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour at follow-up. RESULTS: We found that 7.2% of patients with SMD presented violent behaviour within six months in the community. Younger age (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.96-1.00, p = 0.016) and no economic source (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.10-2.33, p = 0.014) were risk factors for violent behaviour. Patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour could be classified into three subtypes: one class characterised by a history of violence and impulsivity, another class characterised by high levels of aggression and motor impulsivity, and the last class characterised by median cognitive impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographic factors were risk factors for violent behaviour among patients with SMD, which could eliminate the discrimination toward this group. Impulsivity played a vital role in identifying the three subtypes of patients with SMD who engaged in violent behaviour. These findings may be helpful for the development of a personalised violence risk management plan for patients with SMD who commit violent behaviour in the community.

Learning functional brain networks with heterogeneous connectivities for brain disease identification.

Functional brain networks (FBNs), which are used to portray interactions between different brain regions, have been widely used to identify potential biomarkers of neurological and mental disorders. The FBNs estimated using current methods tend to be homogeneous, indicating that different brain regions exhibit the same type of correlation. This homogeneity limits our ability to accurately encode complex interactions within the brain. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, in the present study, for the first time, we propose the existence of heterogeneous FBNs and introduce a novel FBN estimation model that adaptively assigns heterogeneous connections to different pairs of brain regions, thereby effectively encoding the complex interaction patterns in the brain. Specifically, we first construct multiple types of candidate correlations from different views or based on different methods and then develop an improved orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm to select at most one correlation for each brain region pair under the guidance of label information. These adaptively estimated heterogeneous FBNs were then used to distinguish subjects with neurological/mental disorders from healthy controls and identify potential biomarkers related to these disorders. Experimental results on real datasets show that the proposed scheme improves classification performance by 7.07% and 7.58% at the two sites, respectively, compared with the baseline approaches. This emphasizes the plausibility of the heterogeneity hypothesis and effectiveness of the heterogeneous connection assignment algorithm.

Higher Risk of Mental Illness in Patients With Diagnosed and Untreated Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm: Findings From a Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the association between a diagnosis of untreated unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) and the development of mental illness. METHODS: This retrospective, propensity-score-matched cohort study was based on the nationwide South Korean database. The UIA diagnosis group included participants newly diagnosed with UIA between 2011 and 2019. For a well-matched control group, patients diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory infection but without UIA during the same period were selected through 1:4 matching based on propensity scores, which were calculated using age, sex, economic status, and comorbidities. The study's outcome measure encompassed the incidence of mental illnesses over a 10-year period, using International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision codes for anxiety, stress, depressive, bipolar, and eating disorders, insomnia, and alcohol or drug misuse. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, 85 438 participants with untreated UIAs (50.75% male; average age, 56.41 [±13.82] years; follow-up, 4.21 [±2.56] years) and 331 123 controls (49.44% males; average age, 56.69 [±12.92] years; follow-up, 7.48 [±2.12] years) were compared. Incidence rate of mental illness was higher in the UIA group (113.07 versus 90.41 per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio, 1.104 [95% CI, 1.089-1.119]). The risk of mental illness varied slightly by sex (males: hazard ratio, 1.131 [95% CI, 1.108-1.155]; females: hazard ratio, 1.082 [95% CI, 1.063-1.103]). Hazard ratios showed a U-shaped relationship with age, peaking in younger age groups, decreasing in middle-aged groups, and slightly increasing in older age groups, especially in patients with severe mental illness receiving psychotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a higher risk of mental illness in patients with UIA diagnosis in specific demographic groups, suggesting a possible psychological burden associated with UIAs. Clinicians treating cerebral aneurysms should be aware that the psychological burden caused by the diagnosis of UIA itself could contribute to mental illness and strive to provide comprehensive care for these patients.

Quality of life among people with mental illness attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Ethiopia: a structural equation model.

Background: Mental illness is one of the most severe, chronic, and disabling public health problems that affects patients' Quality of life (QoL). Improving the QoL for people with mental illness is one of the most critical steps in stopping disease progression and avoiding complications of mental illness. Therefore, we aimed to assess the QoL and its determinants in patients with mental illness in outpatient clinics in Northwest Ethiopia in 2023. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among people with mental illness in an outpatient clinic in Ethiopia. The sampling interval was decided by dividing the total study participants who had a follow-up appointment during the data collection period (2400), by the total sample size 638, with the starting point selected by lottery method. The interviewer-administered WHOQOL BREF-26 tool was used to measure the quality of life (QoL) of people with mental illness. The domains of QoL were identified, and indirect and direct effects of variables were calculated using structural equation modelling with SPSS-28 and Amos-28 software. A p-value of < 0.05 and a 95% CI were used to evaluate statistical significance. Results: A total of 636 (99.7%) participants agreed to participate and completed the data collection. The mean score of overall QoL of people with mental illness in the outpatient clinic was 49.6 ± 10 Sd. The highest QoL was found in the physical health domain (50.67 ± 9.5 Sd), and the lowest mean QoL was found in the psychological health domain (48.41 ± 10 Sd). Rural residence, drug nonadherence, suicidal ideation, not getting counselling, moderate or severe subjective severity, family does not participate in patient care and a family history of mental illness had an indirect negative effect on QoL. Alcohol use and psychological health domain had direct positive effect on QoL. Furthermore, objective severity of illness, having low self-esteem, and having history of mental illness in the family had both direct and indirect effect on QoL. Furthermore, sociodemographic factors (rural residence, illiterate educational status, not married marital status), social support-related factors (poor self-esteem, family not participating in patient care), substance use factors (alcohol use, tobacco use) and clinical factors (high objective and subjective severity of illness, not getting counselling, suicidal ideation, higher number of episodes, comorbid illness, family history of mental illness, poor drug adherence) directly and indirectly affected QoL. Conclusions: In this study, the QoL of people with mental illness was poor, with the psychological health domain the most affected. Sociodemographic factors, social support-related factors, drug use factors, and clinical factors, directly and indirectly affected QoL through the mediator variables of physical health domains, psychological health domains, social relation health domains, and environmental health domains. In order to improve the QoL of people with mental illnesses, we recommend that emphasis be given to addressing the QoL of those with mental illness, including the development of policy and practice responses that address the above identified factors.

The relationship of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, parental education, financial hardship and comorbid mental disorders with quality of life in college students with anxiety, depression or eating disorders.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that comorbidity and demographic factors added to burden on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Only one study explored the relationship between HRQoL and comorbidity in college students with mental disorders, leaving generalizability of findings uncertain. Less is known about the association of demographics on HRQoL. This study investigated HRQoL based on demographics and comorbidity among college students with mental disorders. METHODS: Participants were students (N = 5535) across 26 U.S. colleges and universities who met criteria for depression, generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or eating disorders based on self-report measures. ANOVA and linear regressions were conducted. RESULTS: Overall, female, minoritized (gender, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity), and lower socioeconomic status students reported lower HRQoL than male, heterosexual, White, non-Hispanic, and higher socioeconomic status peers. After accounting for comorbidity, differences in physical HRQoL based on sex assigned at birth and gender were no longer significant. For mental HRQoL, only gender and sexual orientation remained significant. A greater number of comorbidities was associated with lower HRQoL regardless of demographic group. LIMITATIONS: The non-experimental design limits causal inference. The study focused on univariable associations without examining potential interactions between demographic factors. Future research should explore structural factors like discrimination. CONCLUSION: Results suggested that increased comorbidities placed an additional burden on HRQoL and that certain demographic groups were more vulnerable to HRQoL impairment among students with mental disorders. Findings suggest the need for prevention of disorders and their comorbidity and implementing tailored interventions for specific student subgroups with increased vulnerability.

The Influence of Cecal Microbiota Transplantation on Chicken Injurious Behavior: Perspective in Human Neuropsychiatric Research.

Numerous studies have evidenced that neuropsychiatric disorders (mental illness and emotional disturbances) with aggression (or violence) pose a significant challenge to public health and contribute to a substantial economic burden worldwide. Especially, social disorganization (or social inequality) associated with childhood adversity has long-lasting effects on mental health, increasing the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Intestinal bacteria, functionally as an endocrine organ and a second brain, release various immunomodulators and bioactive compounds directly or indirectly regulating a host's physiological and behavioral homeostasis. Under various social challenges, stress-induced dysbiosis increases gut permeability causes serial reactions: releasing neurotoxic compounds, leading to neuroinflammation and neuronal injury, and eventually neuropsychiatric disorders associated with aggressive, violent, or impulsive behavior in humans and various animals via a complex bidirectional communication of the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis. The dysregulation of the MGB axis has also been recognized as one of the reasons for the prevalence of social stress-induced injurious behaviors (feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalistic pecking) in chickens. However, existing knowledge of preventing and treating these disorders in both humans and chickens is not well understood. In previous studies, we developed a non-mammal model in an abnormal behavioral investigation by rationalizing the effects of gut microbiota on injurious behaviors in chickens. Based on our earlier success, the perspective article outlines the possibility of reducing stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens through modifying gut microbiota via cecal microbiota transplantation, with the potential for providing a biotherapeutic rationale for preventing injurious behaviors among individuals with mental disorders via restoring gut microbiota diversity and function.

A scoping review about the portrayal of depression and anxiety in mainstream and social media.

Media portrayal of mental disorders has a significant impact on awareness and stigma. Given the high prevalence of depression and anxiety as mental disorders, it is crucial to understand how they are represented. This scoping review aimed to map the existing literature on the portrayal of depression and anxiety in mainstream and social media. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed and PsychInfo, resulting in the inclusion of 20 records that predominantly examined social media and newspapers. Findings indicate that social media discussions on depression were mostly supportive and non-stigmatising. Public figures and role models played a significant role in encouraging open communication. Research on newspapers and other media forms yielded mixed results yet leaning towards positive portrayals. Limited studies explored anxiety portrayal. While acknowledging potential limitations in generalisability, this review emphasises the importance of accurately depicting mental health in media, particularly on social media platforms, while highlighting the need for broader investigations into anxiety representation.

Application of Facial Expression Analysis Technology in Violence Risk Assessment of Individuals with Mental Disorders in Supervised Settings.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between violent behaviors and emotions in individuals with mental disorders, to evaluate the application value of facial expression analysis technology in violence risk assessment of individuals with mental disorders in supervised settings, and to provide a reference for violence risk assessment. METHODS: Thirty-nine male individuals with mental disorders in supervised settings were selected, the participant risk of violence, cognitive function, psychiatric symptoms and severity were assessed using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-Chinese version(HCR-CV), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). An emotional arousal was performed on the participants and the intensity of their emotions and facial expression action units was recorded before, during and after the arousal. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the differences in the intensity of emotions and facial expression action units before, during and after the arousal. Pearson correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlations between the intensity of the seven basic emotional facial expressions and the scores of the assessment scales. RESULTS: The intensity difference of sadness, surprise and fear in different time periods was statistically significant (P<0.05). The intensity of the left medial eyebrow lift action unit was found significantly different before and after the emotional arousal (P<0.05). The intensity of anger was positively correlated with the Modified Overt Aggression Scale score throughout the experiment (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Eye action units such as eyebrow lifting, eyelid tightening and upper eyelid lifting can be used as effective action units to identify sadness, anger and other negative emotions associated with violent behaviors. Facial expression analysis technology can be used as an auxiliary tool to assess the potential risk of violence in individuals with mental disorders in supervised settings.