Neurobiological associations between smoking and internalizing disorders.

People with severe mental disorders have a higher mortality rate due to preventable conditions like cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. Nicotine addiction is a preventable risk factor, with tobacco use being twice as high in people with mental disorders. An integrative model that divides mental disorders into externalising, internalising, and thought disorders could be useful for identifying common causalities and risk factors. This review aims to examine the interface between smoking and internalising disorders, specifically schizophrenia, depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders. The review finds that there is a clear association between smoking behaviour and these disorders. Schizophrenia is associated with polymorphisms that result in an imbalance between glutamate and GABA release and abnormalities of dopaminergic pathways. Nicotine improves dopaminergic signalling and balances glutamatergic and GABAergic pathways, improving symptoms and increasing the risk of nicotine dependence. In depressive disorders, smoking is associated with functional changes in brain regions affected by smoking and self-medication. In anxiety disorders, there is a bidirectional relationship with smoking, involving the amygdala and changes in dopaminergic pathways and cortisol production. Smoking poses a threat to people living with psychiatric disorders and calls for further research to assess the interactions between nicotine dependence and internalising and thought disorders.

Repetitive negative thinking as a unique transdiagnostic risk factor for suicidal ideation.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic symptom observed across mood and anxiety disorders and is characterized by frequent, distressing thoughts that are perceived as uncontrollable. Specific forms of RNT have been linked to increased suicide risk. However, most work examining links between RNT and suicide has been conducted within specific disorders and subtypes of RNT (e.g., rumination in individuals with depression). The present study aimed to investigate associations between transdiagnostic RNT and suicidal ideation. We hypothesized RNT would be associated with suicide risk beyond disorder-specific clinical symptoms. Fifty-four participants with mood, anxiety, and/or traumatic stress disorders completed an interview assessing suicidal risk (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)) and self-report questionnaires assessing transdiagnostic RNT, depression, and anxiety. Based on C-SSRS, we divided participants into high or low suicide risk groups. We analyzed the relationship between suicidal risk group and RNT and found that RNT was uniquely associated with suicidal risk group, controlling for depression and anxiety severity. Our results suggest including assessments of RNT may have clinical utility for understanding the degree of suicide risk in individuals and point to the potential utility of including clinical interventions to target this symptom for those at high risk of suicide.

Comorbidity and sex differences in functional disorders and internalizing disorders.

OBJECTIVE: In the current exploratory study we estimate comorbidity rates between FDs [fibromyalgia (FM), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)]-and IDs-[major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)] by using self-reported diagnostic criteria. METHOD: We analyzed data from 107,849 participants (mean age = 49.3 (SD = 13.0), 58.6% women) of the Lifelines Cohort Study. Lifelines is a prospective population-based cohort study in the northeast of the Netherlands. Current IDs were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Current FM, ME/CFS, and IBS were assessed according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria, the 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria and the ROME IV criteria, respectively. We estimated tetrachoric correlations between diagnoses and tested for sex differences. Additionally, we estimated the ratio of observed-to-expected frequency for combinations of diagnoses. RESULTS: FDs and IDs are highly comorbid (odds ratios: 3.2-12.6) with associations stronger among men. Participants with at least three disorders/diagnoses were more prevalent than expected by chance. CONCLUSION: Studies that aim to explain sex differences and the comorbidity of specific combinations of IDs and FDs will be an important contribution to understanding the etiology of these conditions.

Contribution of the Roman rat lines/strains to personality neuroscience: neurobehavioral modeling of internalizing/externalizing psychopathologies.

The Roman high-avoidance (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rat lines/strains were established in Rome through bidirectional selection of Wistar rats for rapid (RHA) or extremely poor (RLA) acquisition of a two-way active avoidance task. Relative to RHAs, RLA rats exhibit enhanced threat sensitivity, anxiety, fear and vulnerability to stress, a passive coping style and increased sensitivity to frustration. Thus, RLA rats' phenotypic profile falls well within the "internalizing" behavior spectrum. Compared with RLAs and other rat strains/stocks, RHAs present increased impulsivity and reward sensitivity, deficits in social behavior and attentional/cognitive processes, novelty-induced hyper-locomotion and vulnerability to psychostimulant sensitization and drug addiction. Thus, RHA rats' phenotypes are consistent with a "disinhibiting externalizing" profile. Many neurobiological/molecular traits differentiate both rat lines/strains. For example, relative to RLA rats, RHAs exhibit decreased function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus and amygdala, increased functional tone of the mesolimbic dopamine system, a deficit of central metabotropic glutamate-2 (mGlu2) receptors, increased density of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the PFC, impairment of GABAergic transmission in the PFC, alterations of several synaptic markers and increased density of pyramidal immature dendrític spines in the PFC. These characteristics suggest an immature brain of RHA rats and are reminiscent of schizophrenia features like hypofrontality and disruption of the excitation/inhibition cortical balance. We review evidence supporting RLA rats as a valid model of anxiety/fear, stress and frustration vulnerability, whereas RHA rats represent a promising translational model of neurodevelopmental alterations related to impulsivity, schizophrenia-relevant features and comorbidity with drug addiction vulnerability.

O processo psicoterapêutico psicodinâmico de um menino com sintomas internalizantes: uma análise com base no Child Psychotherapy Q-Set / The psychodynamic psychotherapeutic process of a boy with internalizing symptoms: an analysis based on the Child Psychotherapy Q-Set / El proceso psicoterapéutico psicodinámico de un niño con síntomas de internalización: un análisis con base en el Child Psychotherapy Q-Set

Problemas internalizantes são frequentes em crianças, mas os ingredientes ativos que tornam uma psicoterapia efetiva são ainda pobremente compreendidos. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o processo terapêutico psicodinâmico de um menino em idade escolar que apresentava sintomas internalizantes, cujo tratamento foi interrompido após 22 meses. Os participantes foram o paciente e sua terapeuta. O Child Psychotherapy Q-Set foi utilizado para analisar o processo terapêutico. Os resultados mostraram as características da relação terapeuta-paciente e suas transformações. Fatores como conflitos familiares, aliança terapêutica com os pais, limitação da capacidade de mentalização do menino, contratransferência, habilidades e ajustamento da terapeuta ao paciente tiveram impacto no processo terapêutico, contribuindo para o desfecho observado. Para elucidar questões em aberto acerca da efetividade e mecanismos de mudança da psicoterapia psicodinâmica, e para estabelecimento de uma base de evidências consistente, é imprescindível que se conheça, de fato, o que ocorre e como ocorre no setting clínico.

Internalizing problems are frequent in children, but the active ingredients that make a psychotherapy effective are still poorly understood. This study aimed to analyze the psychodynamic therapeutic process of a school-age boy who presented internalizing symptoms, whose treatment was interrupted after 22 months. Participants were the patient and the therapist. The Child Psychotherapy Q-Set was used to analyze the therapeutic process. The results showed the characteristics of the therapist-patient relationship and its transformations. Factors such as family conflicts, therapeutic alliance with the parents, limitation to the ability to mentor the boy, countertransference, skills, and adjustment of the therapist to the patient impacted the therapeutic process, contributing to the observed outcome. In order to clarify the questions about the effectiveness and mechanisms of change in psychodynamic psychotherapy, and for the establishment of a consistent base of evidence, it is essential to know, in fact, what happens and how it happens in the clinical setting.

Problemas de internalización son frecuentes en niños, pero los ingredientes activos que hacen que una psicoterapia sea efectiva todavía son pobremente comprendidos. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el proceso terapéutico psicodinámico de un niño en edad escolar que presentaba síntomas de internalización y cuyo tratamiento fue interrumpido después de 22 meses. Los participantes fueron el paciente y su terapeuta. El Child Psychotherapy Q-Set fue utilizado para analizar el proceso terapéutico. Los resultados mostraron las características de la relación terapeuta-paciente y sus transformaciones. Factores como conflictos familiares, alianza terapéutica con los padres, limitación de la capacidad de mentalización del niño, contratransferencia, habilidades y ajustamiento de la terapeuta al paciente tuvieron impacto en el proceso terapéutico, contribuyendo para el desenlace observado. Para elucidar cuestiones en abierto acerca de la efectividad y de los mecanismos de cambio de la psicoterapia psicodinámica, y para el establecimiento de una base de evidencias consistente, es imprescindible que se sepa, de hecho, qué ocurre y cómo ocurre el setting clínico.

Conceptualization about internalizing problems in children and adolescents / O conceito de problemas internalizantes em crianças e adolescentes

This review will discuss the concept of internalizing disorders. It will describe the two main types of internalizing disorder: depressive and anxiety disorders. It will discuss how they have much in common, but that there are also key differences. The review will use data from modern studies of symptom factor analysis, aetiology, treatment and prognosis to illustrate the commonalities and differences. It will conclude by trying to answer where internalizing disorders should be placed in future diagnostic classification schemes.

Esta revisão discute o conceito de transtornos internalizantes, descrevendo os dois principais tipos deste problema: depressão e ansiedade. Será discutido o quanto eles têm em comum, mas também as principais diferenças entre eles. Para ilustrar estas características em comum e as diferenças, serão usados dados de estudos modernos usando análise fatorial de sintomas, etiologia, tratamento e prognóstico. Na conclusão, será feita uma tentativa de responder a questão onde os problemas internalizantes deveriam ser inseridos nos esquemas futuros de classificação diagnóstica.