It is known that many psychopharmacological drugs have anti-inflammatory, as well as antibacterial and antiviral effects.

To investigate the association between the severity and duration criteria of COVID-19 with psychopharmacotherapy in double-diagnosed patients.

A total of 169 case histories from a specialized infectious psychiatric department (May 2020 to January 2021) were evaluated. Progression indicators of severe and mild COVID-19, along with the duration of persistent SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding, were assessed in correlation with the administration of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and acid sphingomyelinase inhibitors (FIASMA-active drugs).

The use of any psychotropic agents was associated with a 0.9% increase in the risk of severe course of COVID-19 for each unit increase in the systemic inflammation index PLR, specifically in patients with intellectual disability (ICD-10 codes F70-79), when compared to patients with schizophrenia (ICD-10 codes F20-29): R²McF=0.138; AIC=181; χ²=25.8; df=9; p=0.002. High PLR values and the use of FIASMA-active drugs were associated with prolonged COVID-19 duration, while antidepressant therapy and elevated C-reactive protein levels were associated with a reduced predicted duration of viral shedding in 13.8% of variance: R²=0.0864; AIC=1299; F=5.2(3), p=0.002. Including the nosology of psychiatric disorders in the regression model increased the proportion of explained variance to 22.8%.

Thymoanaleptic therapy for individuals with psychiatric disorders may act as a protective factor against COVID-19. There is no evidence suggesting adverse effects of antipsychotics on the severity and duration of COVID-19. Further research is necessary to investigate the effects of FIASMA-active psychopharmacological agents within nosologically homogeneous groups.

None Declared

Suicidal behaviors are frequently observed among patients with substance use disorder, including suicidal ideation (SI) (1). Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most prevalent addictions and may be related to suicidal behaviors (2,3). However, the association between AUD and SI requires a deeper analysis which includes several clinical features observed among AUD patients.

To analyze the clinical characteristics and features associated with lifetime SI among patients who had AUD.

This is a cross-sectional study performed in an outpatient center for addiction treatment in patients seeking treatment who met the criteria for AUD between 01/01/2010 and 12/31/2021. Patients were evaluated with an ad-hoc questionnaire and the European addiction severity index (EuropASI). SI was evaluated by using the item for SI in EuropASI.

From a potential sample of n=3729 patients, only n=1082 (73.8% males; mean age 42.82±12.51) met inclusion criteria and had data for the current analysis. Lifetime SI was present in 50.9% of the AUD patients. Several clinical features were related to SI, including: sex differences, any type of lifetime abuse, polyconsumption, benzodiazepine use disorder, any psychiatric diagnosis aside of SUD, and higher addiction severity according to the EuropASI (See table)

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SI among AUD patients is related to several clinical features which indicate a higher addiction severity, more polyconsumption, and a higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. These findings may contribute to the understanding of suicidal behaviors in AUD patients but it is required further investigations, including longitudinal studies.

REFERENCES

1. Rodríguez-Cintas L, et al. Factors associated with lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in outpatients with substance use disorders. Psychiatry Res. 2018;262:440-445. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.09.02

2. MacKillop J, et al. Hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorders. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022;8(1):80. doi:10.1038/s41572-022-00406-1 3. Darvishi N, et al. Alcohol-related risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide: a meta-analysis [published correction appears in PLoS One. 2020;15(10):e0241874]. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0126870. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0126870

R. Palma-Alvarez Speakers bureau of: RFPA has received speaker honorariums from Angelini, Cassen Recordati, Exeltis, Lundbeck, MSD, Rubió, Servier, and Takeda., A. Rios-Landeo: None Declared, G. Ortega-Hernandez Speakers bureau of: GOH has received speaker honorariums from Rubió., E. Ros-Cucurull Speakers bureau of: ERC has received speaker honorariums from Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Pfizer, Lilly, Servier, Rovi, Juste., C. Daigre: None Declared, M. Perea-Ortueta: None Declared, L. Grau-Lopez Speakers bureau of: LGL has received fees to give talks for Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, Servier, Otsuka, and Pfizer., J. Ramos-Quiroga Speakers bureau of: JARQ has been on the speakers’ bureau and/or acted as consultant for Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, Shire, Takeda, Bial, Shionogi, Sincrolab, Novartis, BMS, Medice, Rubió, Uriach and Raffo.

The COVID-19 pandemic involved stringent social restrictions, a surge in mortality, and significant economic consequences, affecting age groups differently and leading to increases in loneliness and mental health problems, particularly depression, which was already very common before the pandemic.

Analyse changes and related factors of the relationship between loneliness and depression by age group from (1) before to the COVID-19 outbreak, (2) during the pandemic, and (3) after the last state of emergency. Moreover, we aim to (4) evaluate the effect of social support to alleviate feelings of loneliness and improve the course of depression.

We used data from three different cohorts, all representative of the Spanish adult population. (1) We longitudinally analysed the association between loneliness and depression with a sample interviewed before (N = 1,880) and during (N = 1,103) the pandemic. We used mixed-models to study changes in major depressive disorder (MDD) by age group and regression models to quantify the association between age and potential mediating effects. (2) We analysed data of 2,000 adults during the pandemic. Several regression models were constructed to assess the impact of pre-pandemic mental disorders on the main association by age group. (3) Out of those 2,000 participants, 1,300 were interviewed 9 months later, to determine group-based loneliness trajectories and its associated risk factors. (4) We analysed the relationship between loneliness, social support, and MDD over a 7-year period (N=404 individuals aged 50+ having MDD). We tested cross‐lagged panel models using structural equation modelling.

During the pandemic the probability of having MDD increased significantly among younger individuals, and was partly explained by loneliness, low resilience, and worsened economic situation. Loneliness was associated with more depressive symptoms, and this association was stronger in younger adults without pre-pandemic mental disorders and in older adults with them. At the end of pandemic, three courses of loneliness were detected: invariant low loneliness (42.6%), decreasing medium loneliness (51.5%), and fairly invariant high loneliness (5.9%). Risk factors for worse trajectories were being younger, female, not married, and, notably, having pre-pandemic mental disorders. Among individuals with depression prior to the pandemic, lower social support predicted higher subsequent levels of loneliness, resulting in an increase in MDD recurrence.

Strategies to decrease the impact of loneliness on depressive symptoms should consider individuals mental health background, address social determinants, and adopt an age-driven perspective.

None Declared

In recent years, overweight and obesity have reached an alarmingly high incidence and prevalence worldwide; they have also been steadily increasing in military populations. Military personnel as an occupational group are often exposed to stressful and harmful environments that represent a risk factor for disordered eating with major repercussions on both physical and mental health.

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of weight loss interventions and to assess the significance of current obesity treatments for military populations.

Three online databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science) were screened to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aiming to treat obesity in active-duty military personnel and veterans. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted for body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI) values, both longitudinally comparing treatment group from pre-to-post intervention, and cross-sectionally comparing the treatment group to controls at the end of the intervention.

A total of 21 studies were included: 16 cross-sectional (BW: n=15; BMI: n=12) and 16 longitudinal (BW: n=15; BMI: n=12) were meta-analyzed, and 5 studies were narratively synthesized. A significant small overall BW and BMI reduction from baseline to post-intervention was observed (BW: g = -0.10; p = 0.015; BMI: g = -0.32; p < 0.001), together with a decreased BMI (g = -0.16; p = 0.001) and nominally lower BW (g = -0.08; p = 0.178) in the intervention group compared to controls at post-intervention time-point. When conducting additional meta-analyses dividing by sample type, a significant decrease in both BMI (g= -0.35; p< 0.001) and BW (g= -0.12; p= 0.041) from pre-to-post intervention was observed in active-duty military personnel but not for veterans.Recommendations for clinical practice have been outlined from the findings of this study and summarized in Figure 1.

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Despite limitations, such as the heterogeneity across the included interventions and the follow-up duration, our findings highlight how current weight loss interventions are effective in term of BW and BMI reductions in military populations, and how a comprehensive approach with multiple therapeutic goals should be taken during the intervention.

None Declared

Psychiatric pathologies are more common in people with epilepsy than in the general population and have a negative impact on the quality of life of these patients.

The objective of this work is to illustrate, through a series of cases, the complex relationship between epilepsy and psychiatric pathologies.

We report the cases of four patients with different psychiatric pathologies associated with epilepsy admitted to the psychiatry department of Hedi Chaker Sfax. We collected the clinical characteristics of these patients based on their medical files.

The patients were aged 64, 45, 38 and 26 respectively. The first patient had a late-onset vascular epilepsy following the psychiatric pathology onset by 20 years. In the remaining cases epilepsy onset preceded the psychiatric pathology by 6, 3 and 1 year respectively. The aetiology of epilepsy was juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and idiopathic in 2 cases. The psychiatric pathologies were schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder with schizoid personality, schizoaffective disorder in the bipolar type and mild intellectual disability with histrionic personality, respectively. Familial history of psychiatric disorders was found 2 patients and of epilepsy in one.

Epilepsy and psychosis have a complex and bidirectional relation. Not only are patients with epilepsy at a greater risk of developing a psychotic disorder, but patients with a primary psychotic disorder are also at greater risk of developing epilepsy. The fact that the association between these pathologies is more frequent than expected should prompt more in-depth studies concerning the underlying etiopathogenic mechanisms to improve their management.

None Declared

During the past 2 decades there has been intense interest in the clinical significance of the concurrence of manic symptoms in depressed patients. DSM-5 introduced a mixed features specifier for both bipolar depression and major depressive disorder. Studies of the DSM-5 mixed features specifier have generally found a low prevalence of mixed depression. One approach towards increasing the sensitivity of the DSM-5 mixed features criteria is to lower the classification threshold.

In the present study we examine the impact of lowering the DSM-5 diagnostic threshold from 3 to 2 criteria on the prevalence and validity of the DSM-5 mixed features specifier for depression.

Four hundred fifty-nine psychiatric patients in a depressive episode were interviewed by a trained diagnostic rater who administered semi-structured interviews including the DSM-5 Mixed Features Specifier Interview. The patients were rated on clinician rating scales of depression, anxiety and irritability, and measures of psychosocial functioning, suicidality, and family history of bipolar disorder.

If the DSM-5 diagnostic threshold is lowered from 3 to 2 symptoms, then the prevalence of mixed features based on the DSM-5 majority of episode time frame tripled from 3.9% to 13.1% (n=60). Based on a past week time frame prevalence more than doubled from 9.4% to 22.9% (n=105) going from the 2 and 3 symptom threshold, respectively. There was no difference between the patients with 2 mixed features and patients with 0 or 1 mixed features on family history of bipolar disorder, psychosocial impairment, presence of comorbid disorders, age of onset, history of suicide attempts or psychiatric hospitalization.

The results of the present study do not support lowering the DSM-5-TR diagnostic threshold for the mixed features specifier in depressed patients from 3 to 2.

None Declared

The European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees was founded in 2022 as the official journal of the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) to offer a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal with minimal article processing charges. The journal is edited by trainees and early career psychiatrists and published its first issue in July 2023. The journal aims to facilitate publishing experience and opportunities for trainees. To reflect the global identity and inclusivity of psychiatric research, the journal changed its name in 2023 to become the International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees.

To present the International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees, the successor of the European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees, and other practical aspects related to the article submission.

We will reflect on the International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees, focusing on what this name change will imply for the journal’s scope, mission and readership.

Due to training programmes’ requirements or out of interest, psychiatric trainees are encouraged to conduct scientific research. However, several known barriers to scientific publishing exist, ranging from a lack of mentorship and supervision to limited scientific support. Like the European Journal of Psychiatric Trainees, the International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees continues to be an open-access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal with minimal/no publication fees that publishes original and innovative research as well as clinical, theory, perspective, and policy articles and reviews in the field of psychiatric training, psychiatry, and mental health.

Since the difficulties and needs in creating research output are not exclusive to European trainees, the journal will become more attractive to readers and authors from other countries while increasing the diversity of articles.

The first International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees issue will be dedicated to the 31st EFPT Forum with the theme “Trainee Mental Health”, containing articles reporting on the projects from National Psychiatric Trainee Associations looking into trainee mental health. Submissions for the regular edition remain open, and articles should be submitted through the manuscript submission platform (https://ijpt.scholasticahq.com)

The International Journal of Psychiatric Trainees aims to be an educative scientific journal for psychiatric trainees and other psychiatry and mental health researchers. The name change and its increased openness will help the authors reach a wider readership while the journal can feature a more comprehensive record of psychiatric research through its global scope.

None Declared

The digital age has transformed mental health support in Tunisia. This study explores how individuals seek assistance for mental health concerns online, considering their comfort levels, preferences, and decision-making factors.

This study aims to: Investigate the comfort levels of Tunisians when discussing mental health concerns online Identify preferred online sources for mental health support Explore factors influencing the choice between online sources and mental health professionals

To unearth these insights, an exhaustive online survey was meticulously conducted. This survey was posted online on different social media platforms and cast a wide net, drawing responses from an eclectic cross-section of Tunisian society. The survey methodically gathered data on participants’ demographics, their inclinations towards online avenues for seeking assistance, and the multifaceted factors that sway their choices in this digital age.

Intriguingly, the results of this study illuminate several key findings:

Comfort Levels: A striking 47% of respondents expressed their unease about discussing their mental health concerns online. This statistic vividly underscores the intricate interplay between digital platforms and the persistent social stigma surrounding mental health issues.

Preferences for Online Sources: The study notably revealed that mental health apps and online counseling websites are emerging as the favored choices among those seeking support. This underscores the surging significance of digital mental health solutions tailored to individual needs.

Factors Influencing Preferences: An array of factors sways the preference for online sources. Among them, the allure of anonymity, the appeal of convenience, and the perception of limited access to in-person mental health professionals were prevalent. Additionally, financial constraints emerged as a notable consideration in the decision-making process.

Trust in Online Information: In contrast, individuals who leaned toward seeking assistance from mental health professionals stressed the pivotal importance of professional expertise, personalized guidance, and a comprehensive understanding of their concerns. Importantly, 38% expressed reservations about the reliability of online mental health information, underscoring the critical role of trust in the process.

This study sheds light on the nuanced process of seeking mental health assistance in the digital age. It emphasizes the need to address mental health stigma and improve online resource credibility. The findings highlight the importance of comprehensive mental health strategies that integrate digital solutions and traditional professional care, catering to diverse preferences and needs in Tunisia.

None Declared

In March 2020, the WHO declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic and Ireland went into its first lockdown. The Mental Health Liaison team at Sligo University Hospital operate 8 am to 8 pm, 7 days a week, with out of hours covered by the on-call Psychiatry junior doctors. The service has seen an increase in referrals, many of whom are known to community mental health teams.

We reviewed the numbers and trends of mental health presentations to the Emergency Department at Sligo University Hospital throughout the pandemic, including the patterns of presentations around the implementation of lockdowns.

The Liaison Mental Health Service at Sligo University Hospital gathers data relating to numbers and types of presentation to the service. Data was taken from a pre-existing database of psychiatric presentations to the emergency department at Sligo University Hospital including patient demographics, nature of presenting complaint, time period in which they presented and whether they were previously linked in with a community mental health team in the preceding six months. We also looked at the pattern of ED mental health presentations from March 2019 to August 2021. In order to compare psychiatric presentations pre and during covid, data was broken down into two groups: the twelve months preceding March 2020 and the twelve months from March 2020. Categorical data were analysed using the Chi squared test for homogeneity in SPSS.

Overall, there was a 14% increase in mental health presentations during the pandemic. There was a significantly greater proportion of presentations of psychosis during the pandemic period (p<.014) and for medication review (p=.03) and significantly less presenting with addiction (p <0.001). Of those patients seen in the Emergency Department in 2021, 54.3% were known to the CMHT in the previous 6 months. in 2019, mental health presentations made up 1.36% of total ED attendances. This increased to 1.47% in 2020. From January to August 2021, 2.62% of ED attendances were mental health presentations.

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The Covid-19 pandemic led to increased mental health presentations to Sligo University Hospital emergency department, with a significantly greater proportion presenting with psychosis and for medication review. These findings have implications around patient care and service provision. These results show that the prevalence of mental health has increased during the pandemic, particularly severe and enduring mental illnesses. New strategies must be implemented to accommodate to this increase in presentations.

None Declared

Psychiatric patients have a higher risk of premature mortality primarily due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). One significant contributing factor is the presence of dyslipidemias . Current studies are shifting focus towards lipoprotein ratios, believed to better reflect cardiovascular risk. These studies have demonstrated that ratios associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) are stronger predictors for CVD compared to traditional lipid parameters. One of these ratios is the logarithmic transformation of the triglyceride (TG) to HDL ratio, known as the plasma atherogenic index (PAI).

Our study aimed to compare the PAI between patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders who presented to our outpatient clinic and healthy control groups.

Fifty patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders, including 50 residing in a nursing home and 50 outpatient in such facilities, presented to our psychiatric outpatient clinic and were included in our study. Additionally, a healthy control group consisting of 49 individuals was recruited. A socio-demographic data form was administered to all groups. Peripheral blood levels of HDL, Triglycerides (TG), and LDL were recorded for each participant included in the study. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the local ethics committee.

The patient groups were compared in terms of age and gender. While there was no statistically significant difference in gender between the groups, a significant difference was observed in terms of age (p=0.099, p=0.004). When examining the age distribution of the groups, it was observed that the care facility group was older compared to the other groups. The age and gender distributions of the groups are shown in Table 1 and Table 2.

Psychotic patients in the outpatient group and the nursing home group were compared in terms of age and atherogenic index. Age was statistically significant, indicating that thenursing home group was significantly older (p=0.001, p=0.478). In the comparison of the control group with psychotic patients, there was no statistical difference in age, but a significant difference was found in terms of the atherogenic index (p=0.510, p=0.001). The statistical analysis and data between psychotic patients and the control group are presented in Table 3.

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This study, examining the comparison of Plasma Atherogenic Index (PAI) in patients diagnosed with psychosis with healthy controls, represents a significant step in understanding the cardiovascular health profile of this population and developing appropriate treatment strategies. Future research will further contribute to a deeper understanding of the impact of psychiatric disorders on cardiovascular health and aid in the development of effective interventions to minimize these effects.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.

None Declared

In recent years, there is a growing interest in microbiota and how certain dietary patterns affect our brain.

We know that diet has an important impact in physical and mental health. The mecanism that underlies is already unknown, but there is emerging evidence that diet modulates brain gut microbiota and has implications in mental problems.

The aim of this poster is highlight the importance of diet in mental health and the link with microbiota.

Review of recent literature about diet, microbiota and psychiatry. The studies were collected of the electronic databases PubMed.

New researches highlight the importance of adequate nutrition for mental health. Several studies link healthy diet with a minor risk of mental illnesses or with the improvement of depressive symptoms. Likewise, poor dietary habits could aggravate cognitive decline and increased risk of developing anxiety, depression or other mental illnesses.

It has been shown that a diet rich in fiber, polyphenols and micronutrients improve gut microbial composition and can reduce metabolic endotoxemia and neuroinflammation, and this has been associated with improvements in brain health. Also, prebiotic and probiotics have positive effects.

Therefore, dietary interventions could be a complementary therapeutic approach for patients with mental problems. This is what nutritional psychiatry focuses on.

Microbiota as a potential therapeutic target for mental illness is a hot topic in psychiatry, but also, its interaction with dietary change or the use of probiotics and prebiotics. This action is easy to implement in our clinical practice and could be part of a biopsychosocial treatment to improve or prevent some psychiatric disorders.

Nutritional psychiatry is a new field that needs to be developed and the knowledge in microbiota, diet and mental health could help. Hopefully, the research about this topic continues expanding.

None Declared

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) among adolescents has become a hot topic in psychiatry. Despite the consensus that the prevalence of SIB is high, 26-22% among adolescence, there are conflicting results about whether it has increased in the 21st century and about the global distribution of the prevalence.

The aim of the current study was to make a systematic search and meta-analysis of publications from the last 5 years on the prevalence of SIB in adolescents and to examine definitions and assessments of SIB, gender, continental, and year differences. The hypotheses were the following: 1) the prevalence of SIB did not change over time between the examined period for both girls and boys; 2) girls reported a higher prevalence of a history of SIB than boys.

The systematic search was made in June 2020. Six databases were used. The main search terms were “self-injurious behavior”, “prevalence” and “adolescence”. First the titles and abstracts of the relevant articles were checked, then the full texts were read and collected those papers that met the inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were the following: published between 01/01/2015, and 06/18/2020, focused on community sample, and written in English. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used to conduct the analyses.

In sum, a total of 97 articles were included in the meta-analysis with data from 439 818 participants. The overall average SIB prevalence was 16.0% in these studies. The first hypothesis was only partially confirmed. When all data that were published between 2015 and 2018 were considered, x significant increase was found in the prevalence of SIB between 1998 and 2018. However, when the analysis was restricted to the time frame between 2013 and 2018, no change in prevalence was found. The second hypothesis was fulfilled, girls reported a significant higher prevalence than boys (19.4% and 12.9%, respectively). A significantly higher prevalence was found when suicidal intent was excluded (18.3%), than when it was not excluded (11.3%) from the definition of SIB. The largest prevalence was found when measurement instruments were used that had been validated for SIB (18.9%). A significantly higher SEB prevalence was found among Asian articles than those from other continents (19.5% and 14.7% respectively).

The current systematic review and meta-analysis draw attention to the high prevalence of SIB among adolescents, especially among girls and those living in Asia. It is important to address this behavior, in terms of prevention and intervention as well.

None Declared

The development of oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia is associated with changes in the level of activity of antioxidant enzymes. It is likely that catalytically active antibodies (abzymes) can take on these functions. Abzymes are antibodies with enzymatic activity. Catalase and SOD activity of abzymes was previously detected in patients with schizophrenia. But NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity has not been studied. The present work discusses the protective role of abzymes against reactive oxygen species within the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

The aim of the study was to investigate the NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity of IgG in patients with paranoid schizophrenia in the exacerbation phase and in the remission phase.

A total of 124 patients were examined during the work. Of them, 82 patients with paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) had a mean age of 33.6±5.12 years (52 males, 30 females), disease duration averaged 8.9± 4.62 years. Patients with schizophrenia included 42 patients with acute schizophrenia and 40 patients with schizophrenia in therapeutic remission. The control group included 42 sex- and age-matched patients. IgG was purified by affinity chromatography on columns with proteinsepharose on an AKTA purifier chromatograph (GE). The homogeneity of isolated IgG preparations was checked by Lemilly electrophoresis in a gradient of 4-18% PAAG. Gel filtration under pH-shock conditions was performed on a Superdex-200 HR 10/30 column. NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity of IgG was determined on a SPECORD M-40 spectrophotometer (Carl Zeiss) at 340 nm by NADPH oxidation in the conjugated glutathione reductase reaction of tertiary butyl hydroperoxide reduction. Statistical processing of data was performed in Statistica 12.0 program.

It was proved that IgG from patients with schizophrenia had NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity, and this activity is an intrinsic property of the investigated antibodies. The NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity in IgG patients in the exacerbation stage was increased 3-fold (p=0.0001) compared to the studied activity in the group of healthy individuals, and it was increased 2-fold (p=0.017) in the group of patients in therapeutic remission compared to the activity in healthy individuals. Also NADPH-dependent IgG peroxidase activity in patients in remission was 1.7 times lower than in patients during the exacerbation period (p=0.012).

It was established for the first time that abzymes from patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals have NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity and can decompose lipo and hydroperoxides. We hypothesize that these abzymes help cope with generalized oxidative stress. Under the influence of neuroleptic therapy in patients in remission, the level of oxidative stress and NADPH-dependent peroxidase activity of abzymes decrease.

None Declared

Older individuals constitute a significant portion of the population, and concerted efforts are underway to enhance the quality of this life stage by minimizing health issues and maximizing opportunities.

This study aims to investigate the impact of psychosomatic exercises, including practices like yoga, meditation, and tai chi, as an alternative approach to promoting healthy aging and ultimately enhancing the quality of life among elderly individuals.

The study comprised 84 participants, with 51 individuals engaging in various forms of psychosomatic exercises and 33 serving as the control group, having no prior exposure to such practices. Data collection was carried out electronically, with the initial section gathering socio-demographic information and health-related details about the participants. The second part consisted of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life scale, consisting of 26 questions, which assessed six domains: Overall Quality of Life and General Health, Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships, and Environment. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 26.

The average age of the participants was 66.7 years. A statistically significant positive correlation was identified within the first subscale of the tool, “Overall Quality of Life and General Health,” with scores of 74.3/100 for those engaging in psychosomatic exercises and 66.7/100 for those who did not (t(82) = -2.513, p = 0.014). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the remaining subscales.

Psychosomatic exercises, including yoga, meditation, and tai chi, hold promise as a means to improve the overall quality of life and general health of elderly individuals. These practices could serve as valuable components of strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging. Further research is needed to explore their effects in greater detail and across various dimensions of well-being.

None Declared

Cannabis use has been increasing among women of reproductive age in the last few decades. In-utero cannabis exposure could be associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and intellectual disability (ID) during childhood and adolescence; however, existing evidence was generated based on maternal self-report of cannabis use in pregnancy. We conducted a large-scale with data linkage cohort study, in which both exposure and outcome of interests were confirmed using diagnostic tools, ICD-10-AM.

This study aimed to examine the association between prenatal cannabis use disorder (CUD) and neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring using a large-scale cohort study.

We conducted an administrative health data-based cohort study of 222,569 mother-offspring pairs using linked data obtained from health registries in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Data were drawn from the NSW Perinatal Data Collection (PDC), which included all live births in the Australian state of NSW between January 2003 and December 2005. These were linked with the NSW in-patient and ambulatory data collections for mothers and offspring. The prenatal cannabis use disorder (exposure) and neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring (outcomes of interest) were measured by using ICD-10-AM. Generalized linear regression with a binomial family model was used to explore the association. We also carried out a modification/interaction effect of low birth weight (LBW), smoking and premature births (PTB), which enhanced the methodological robustness of the study.

This study found that offspring from mothers with prenatal CUwD had a 98%, 94% and 46% increased risk of ADHD [aRR = 1.98: 95 % CI 1.36 – 2.88], ASD [aRR = 1.94: 95 % CI 1.34 – 2.82], and ID [aRR = 1.46: 95 % CI 1.01 – 2.63] compared to those non-exposed offspring, respectively. We observed a significant interaction effect between CUD during pregnancy and maternal smoking on the risk of childhood ADHD, ASD and ID [CUD*smoking: RR = 5.62: 95 % CI 3.77 – 8.39, RR = 2.72: 95 % CI 1.78 – 4.18, and RR = 2.84: 95 % CI 1.54 – 5.22, respectively]. Furthermore, we also found significant associations between PCUD and ADHD, ASD and ID when interacting with LBW, and PTB.

Maternal prenatal CUD is associated with a higher risk of ADHD, ASD, and ID in offspring. The effect of maternal CUD on neurodevelopmental disorders was also found to be stronger when mothers also reported smoking during pregnancy, compared to the individual effects of cannabis use or smoking alone. The findings highlight the importance of implementing preventive strategies to reduce cannabis use in pregnancy.

None Declared

Antipsychotics effectively manage psychotic symptoms but may have side effects. Patients with schizophrenia often lack insight into their condition, leading to nonadherence. Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics aim to overcome this, reducing relapse risks. Paliperidone LAI, a second-generation antipsychotic, has a lower side effect profile when compared to first-generation counterparts. Blood dyscrasias, like neutropenia and lymphopenia, increase infection susceptibility. This case report describes an instance of leukocytopenia arising during paliperidone LAI treatment, which quickly resolved after the discontinuation of the medication.

This case report describes an instance of leukocytopenia arising during paliperidone LAI treatment, which quickly resolved after the discontinuation of the medication.

While cases of agranulocytosis have been reported in association with the use of other antipsychotics these antipsychotics do not require the same monitoring as clozapine. Our case emphasizes the need for vigilant blood dyscrasia monitoring during antipsychotic therapy.

None Declared

Hospital employees are at high risk of developing mental health issues during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Indeed, several studies have shown increased rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health issues but existing studies show inconsistencies, and each country has some local specificities.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on various aspects of the mental health of hospital employees (health workers and non-health workers) from Croatia.

This cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted from February to April 2023 period. A validated, anonymous questionnaire that contained questions regarding demographic data, as well as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale was self-administered to a convenient sample of hospital employees from one general hospital in northwestern Croatia.

The study sample included 360 subjects with a median age of 42 years (interquartile range 35-50), 24.7% males, and 75.3% females. According to the PSQI, 21.1% of subjects presented sleep disturbances. According to the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, there were 39.4% of subjects with anxiety while according to the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, there were 6.4% of subjects with depression. Sleep disturbances were more frequent among subjects who considered their socioeconomic status as under average (p=0.040), and among health workers in comparison to non-health workers employed in hospital (p=0.040). Anxiety was more frequent among females (p=0.010), and subjects with lower levels of education (only elementary school) (p=0.040). Depression was more frequent among females (p=0.030).

The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative influence on the mental health of hospital employees where health workers in comparison to non-health workers, females, subjects with lower levels of education, and subjects who considered their socioeconomic status as under average are more prone to the development of investigated mental health issues. The development of appropriate supportive programs that enhance the mental health of all hospital employees during pandemics is needed to address mental health issues in this vulnerable population.

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Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality that encompasses applying scientific and clinical expertise in legal contexts. As a field of psychiatry, forensic psychiatry has continued to evolve in various jurisdictions. Several journal publications continue to highlight the contributions and works of various psychiatry researchers in this area on scientific development and trends in practice. However, a quantitative assessment of these publications using a bibliometric analysis has yet to be done. Thus, the present study.

Provide a qualitative assessment of the bibliometrics of peer-reviewed research in forensic psychiatry.

In this bibliometric analysis, we used Web of Science (the most frequently used database) to identify research articles in forensic psychiatry from inception to December 2023. Analysis was done using citespace and VOSviewer software.

Five thousand six hundred ninety articles were identified with 115 countries, 4144 institutions and universities, and 1660 authors. The articles were published in 1022 journals (most are specific to the field), and 4707 unique keywords were used to identify relevant articles. Risk assessments, violence, recidivism, psychopathy, and schizophrenia are the main areas researched. Sixteen funding agencies have funded ten or more articles in the field. The studies were mainly from high-income countries and a relatively scant number from low-income countries, especially African countries. Publications with themes on risk assessment tools – such as the HCR-20- appeared predominant across the analyzed publications.

Research in forensic psychiatry has continued to grow over time. While many jurisdictions across the globe have embraced the field, more effort is needed to promote forensic psychiatry and research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The themes or keywords that emerged from the publications included in this analysis suggest that forensic psychiatry mainly deals with offenders with schizophrenia or psychopathy.

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Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe and chronic psychiatric disorder, resulting from a voluntary food restriction, vomiting, use of laxatives and excessive exercises, leading in dramatic weight loss and high mortality. AN is a multifactorial disease involving genetic and epigenetic factors supporting that AN is a metabo-psychiatric disorder. The molecular mechanisms involved in the etiology of AN remain unclear. One work reported gene expression by RNA sequencing in peripheral blood before and after weight restoration in 6 AN patients (Kim 2013), and one RNA sequencing in human iiPSC-derived neurons from 4 patients and 4 controls (Negraes 2017). To date, the profile of expression of genes and proteins in AN is undetermined.

In this study, our goal is to identify specific gene expression signatures from circulating blood nuclear cells to decipher the pathophysiology of AN and characterize biomarkers that can be used for diagnostic or prognostic of AN.

All consented participants are recruited at Sainte-Anne Hospital, Paris, France, using DSM5 criteria. They had a blood draw in Paxgene tube for the collection of RNAs. Total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 15 patients suffering of AN and 15 healthy controls. All messenger RNAs are sequenced on a Novaseq plateform. Reads are aligned to the human genome 19 and statistical analyses on the read counts for differentially expressed genes are computed with DESeq2.

The total RNA sequencing allows us to identify 673 dysregulates genes (p adjusted value <0.01, fold change >1,5). Among them, 248 are down-regulated and 425 are up-regulated genes in AN patients compared to controls. From them, 151 transcripts are annotated as pseudogene and 45 are referenced as antisense RNA. Of the 522 remaining transcripts, 424 correspond to a transcript or protein annotated by HGNC and ENSEMBL and 93 are known pseudogenes. A large number of proteins resulting from the expression of deregulated genes interact with each other and form a statistically enriched network impacting biological processes. They are mainly increased and acting in the cellular machinery allowing protein synthesis (biological process: transcription, ribosome, spliceosome and mitochondria). In contrast, down-regulated genes present an enrichment in genes involved in immunity pathways. Finally, several genes are also expressed in the brain. We observed a significant enrichment of genes expressed in the blood and brain tissues.

We identify specific profiles of gene expression in AN. Several genes are both blood and brain tissue expression. Some genes are good candidates for biomarker of the diagnostic in AN that need to be investigated in a longitudinal study to evaluate their useful as prognostic biomarker of AN.

This work is supported by Fondation de France & Fédération Recherche sur le Cerveau.

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Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that has a lifetime prevalence worldwide of about 1% regardless of culture, social class and race. This implies that it affects a large number of families. Family therapy has been used for years as a promising approach to intervene with people suffering from such pathology. It has been shown that families with a high level of hostility, critical comments and over-involvement are related to a higher number of relapses in the family member diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The objectives are to examine whether systemic interventions could help to decrease the emotion expressed in these family members and thus decrease the number of relapses of patients as an alternative to pharmacological treatment.

A case report and a literature review on the impact of family therapy in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The search strategy included keywords such as “family intervention”, “schizophrenia” and “systemic therapy”. Selection criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2021. Studies focused on the impact of family intervention on symptom management, relapse prevention and general functioning were included.

The findings consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of family intervention in improving outcomes for people with schizophrenia. These interventions generally involved psychoeducation, communication skills training, problem-solving techniques, and emotional support for family members. Results showed significant reductions in symptom severity, decreased relapse rates, improved adherence to pharmacological treatment, and better overall functioning among people who received family intervention compared with those who received only standard care. In addition, family intervention was associated with reduced caregiver burden, improved family communication, as well as increased knowledge about schizophrenia and its management.

Family intervention has become a valuable adjunctive treatment for people with schizophrenia. The findings of this review highlight its positive impact on symptom management, relapse prevention, and overall functioning. Family intervention offers a holistic approach that recognizes the importance of involving and supporting the family system in the treatment process. This intervention provides families with the tools and resources necessary to effectively cope with the challenges associated with schizophrenia and promotes a supportive and nurturing environment for the individual. Future research should focus on long-term outcomes and implementation of the family intervention in routine clinical practice.

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