Investigating the impact of adjunctive priming repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in late-life depression: a pilot single-blind randomized control study.

BACKGROUND: Conventional treatment methods have limited effectiveness in addressing late-life depression (LLD) that does not respond well. While a new approach called priming repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promise in treating depression in adults, its effectiveness in LLD has not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the impact of priming rTMS on LLD. METHODS: This study investigated the effectiveness of priming rTMS in 31 patients with LLD who did not improve after an adequate trial of antidepressants. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either active priming rTMS or sham priming rTMS. Active priming rTMS was delivered over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 10 sessions, lasting 31 minutes each, over a period of 2 weeks. RESULTS: The group receiving active priming rTMS demonstrated greater improvements in scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (p < 0.037; partial η2 0.141) and the Geriatric Depression Rating Scale (p < 0.045; partial η2 0.131) compared to the sham priming group, with a mild effect size. At the end of the second and fourth weeks, the priming rTMS group achieved a response rate of 50%, while the sham priming group had response rates of 26.7% and 6.7%, respectively. No adverse effects requiring intervention were observed. CONCLUSION: Priming rTMS is well-tolerated for the treatment of LLD and not only reduces the severity of depression but also maintains the achieved response over time.

The spectrum of psychiatric manifestations in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: A systematic review of published case reports and case series.

Data related to psychiatric manifestations in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is currently available only in the form of isolated case reports. In this systematic review, we evaluated the spectrum of psychiatric manifestations and their impact on the course and outcome of SSPE. Data were obtained from 4 databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar), with the most recent search conducted on March 27, 2023. The PRISMA guidelines were followed, and the PROSPERO registration number for the protocol is CRD42023408227. SSPE was diagnosed using Dyken's criteria. Extracted data were recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. To evaluate the quality of the data, the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool was employed. Our search resulted in 30 published reports of 32 patients. The mean age was 17.9 years. Schizophrenia, catatonia, and poorly characterized psychotic illnesses were the 3 most common psychiatric presentations that were seen in 63% (20/32) of cases. Catatonia was seen in 4 patients. Affective disorders, mania, and depression were reported among 22% (7/32) cases. In approximately 81% (26/32) cases, the course of SSPE was acute fulminant. Treatment with antipsychotic drugs had poor or no response. Out of 17 patients, who received antipsychotic drugs, 6 patients noted severe extrapyramidal adverse effects. SSPE often masquerades as a psychiatric disorder. Unresponsive psychiatric symptoms, early extrapyramidal signs, and progressive encephalopathy indicate SSPE.

Racism, cricket, and impact on mass psychology.

Racism is not an uncommon phenomenon in sports, with cricket being no exception to it. Cricket is played in many countries, with its dominance in South East Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Racist remarks in cricket hit media headlines and ignite agitations among the cricket fans. This article discusses the psychological impact of racism associated with cricket and possible remedial measures.

Unveiling shadows: analyzing suicide reporting in Muslim-majority countries vis-à-vis WHO's media guidelines.

Numerous studies have been conducted globally to assess the compliance level of newspapers with the World Health Organization's media guidelines for responsible suicide reporting. To identify and review such studies conducted in Muslim-majority countries between 2014 and 2022, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We identified 12 eligible studies from Pakistan (n = 4), Bangladesh (n = 2), Malaysia (n = 1), Indonesia (n = 1), Iraq (n = 1), Iran (n = 1), Nigeria (n = 1), and Egypt (n = 1). These studies indicated an overall lack of adherence to the guidelines. However, the level of nonadherence was particularly high in Pakistan. Effective suicide prevention programs may help in promoting responsible reporting of suicide.

The digital health dilemma: Exploring cyberchondria, well-being, and smartphone addiction in medical and non-medical undergraduates.

Background: The Internet is a popular source of health information, but too much research can cause anxiety (cyberchondria). Medical and non-medical personnel interpret information differently, leading to varying rates of cyberchondria. Smartphone addiction may also contribute to cyberchondria and impact mental health. Methods: The study was an epidemiological survey-based investigation with a cross-sectional design involving undergraduate students (aged 18 years or older) from Indian universities or colleges. The study utilized the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Form (CSS-12), WHO-5 well-being index, and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV). Results: A total of 1033 participants (53.1% females and 46.4% males) were recruited in the survey. Of the participants, 58.5% were pursuing medical or paramedical courses, while the remaining 41.5% belonged to the non-medical group. High-severity cyberchondria was present in about 4.4% of the students. The medical cohort demonstrated a significantly lower cumulative CSS in comparison to the non-medical cohort (t = - 3.90; P < 0.01). Smartphone addiction was observed in 57.2% of individuals in the medical group and 55.9% of individuals in the non-medical group (P = 0.68). Medical students had a significantly lower mean well-being score compared to non-medical students (58.4 vs. 59.6; P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between cyberchondria severity and smartphone addiction, which was consistent across both groups. Conclusion: Medical students have less cyberchondria than non-medical students. Cyberchondria severity is linked to smartphone addiction. Non-medical students with cyberchondria have higher subjective well-being.

Perception of self and it's effect on anxiety and depression among adolescent girls.

Introduction: Perception of self is a primary source for fostering negative influences in an adolescent's life. This stage may increase the risk for various psychiatric disorders. Objectives: To assess the grade of anxiety and depression and to study their relationship with various factors of perception of self, among adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: School-going adolescent girls from two government schools at Lucknow were selected using a two-stage random sampling technique. A total of 200 participants were personally interviewed for their socio-demographic details, perception of self, and screened for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results: Of the 200 school-going adolescent girls who participated in the study, 63.5% screened positive for the symptoms of anxiety and 73.0% for symptoms of depression. A total of 11.5% and 3.5% school-going adolescent girls had severe anxiety and major depression; severe severity, respectively. Both anxiety and depression among school-going adolescent girls were significantly associated with factors like possessing qualities that they are ashamed of (P = 0.005 and 0.011), body image dissatisfaction (P = 0.004 and 0.017), and getting suicidal thoughts in times of difficulties (P < 0.001). Conclusion: A fair number of adolescent girls had severe anxiety and major depression of severe severity. Therefore, adolescents must be screened for mental disorders from time to time and those at high risk must be identified.

Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Belladonna.

Belladonna has diverse pharmacotherapeutic properties with a shadowy history of beauty, life, and death. Alkaloids present in belladonna have anti-inflammatory, anticholinergic, antispasmodic, mydriatic, analgesic, anticonvulsant, and antimicrobial activities, which makes it widely applicable for the treatment of various diseases. However, because of its associated toxicity, the medicinal use of belladonna is debatable. Therefore, an evidence-based systematic review was planned to elucidate the pharmacotherapeutic potential of belladonna. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, the Cochrane database, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov using the keywords "belladonna", "belladonna and clinical trials", and "safety and efficacy of belladonna". Articles published from 1965 to 2020 showing the efficacy of belladonna in diverse clinical conditions are included. The quality of evidence was generated using the GRADE approach, and 20 studies involving 2302 patients were included for the systematic review. Our analyses suggest that belladonna treatment appears to be safe and effective in various disease conditions, including acute encephalitis syndrome, urethral stent pain, myocardial ischemia injury, airway obstructions during sleep in infants, climacteric complaints, irritable bowel syndrome, and throbbing headache. However, better understanding of the dosage and the toxicity of tropane alkaloids of belladonna could make it an efficient remedy for treating diverse medical conditions.

Neuro-Cognition in Adolescents with Dissociative Disorder: A Study from a Tertiary Care Center of North India.

BACKGROUND: Dissociative disorder is a common neurotic disorder. Patients with dissociative disorder experience significant psychological distress and have deficits in various domains of neurocognitive functions. OBJECTIVE: To assess the neurocognitive functioning of adolescents diagnosed with dissociative disorder and compare it with that of healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional observational study conducted on adolescents diagnosed with dissociative disorder, attending child and adolescent specialty clinic of a tertiary care hospital of North India from October 2016 to February 2017. Healthy control subjects were also recruited for comparison on study variables. Malin's Intelligence Scale for Indian children and standardized neuropsychological tools were administered for the assessment of intellectual functioning and neurocognitive functioning. RESULTS: A total of 50 participants with dissociative disorder and 50 healthy controls completed the study. Participants of both the groups had an average level of intellectual functioning. Participants with dissociative disorder showed poorer performance on tasks of attention and executive functions. After the Bonferroni correction, deficits were detected in the domains of coding (P = 0.0012), maze (P = 0.0001), and mathematics (P = 0.0016). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with dissociative disorder have impaired neurocognitive functions in comparison to healthy controls.