The macro-social and environmental conditions in which people live, such as the level of a country’s development or inequality, are associated with brain-related disorders. However, the relationship between these systemic environmental factors and the brain remains unclear. We aimed to determine the association between the level of development and inequality of a country and the brain structure of healthy adults.

We conducted a cross-sectional study pooling brain imaging (T1-based) data from 145 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in 7,962 healthy adults (4,110 women) in 29 different countries. We used a meta-regression approach to relate the brain structure to the country’s level of development and inequality.

Higher human development was consistently associated with larger hippocampi and more expanded global cortical surface area, particularly in frontal areas. Increased inequality was most consistently associated with smaller hippocampal volume and thinner cortical thickness across the brain.

Our results suggest that the macro-economic conditions of a country are reflected in its inhabitants’ brains and may explain the different incidence of brain disorders across the world. The observed variability of brain structure in health across countries should be considered when developing tools in the field of personalized or precision medicine that are intended to be used across the world.

Lithium was the first mood stabilizer and today continues to be a first-line treatment in the treatment of bipolar disorder despite its adverse effects, which make it important to monitor blood levels and control kidney function.

Presentation of a case of litium withdrawal and relapse in bipolar disorder. Literature review relating to the risk of relapse when lithium treatment is interrupted.

We present a clinical case of a patient who suffers a deterioration in renal function that requires the withdrawal of lithium and who consequently suffers a relapse. We conducted a bibliographic research of articles in Pubmed on this topic.

A 49-year-old male, with a history of multiple admissions to UHB since the age of 18 with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and treatment with lithium. Decompensations towards the manic pole have always been related to interruptions in lithium treatment. On several occasions when the patient was feeling well emotionally, he believed himself to be “cured” and abandoned the treatment, triggering a manic episode, showing verbal aggression, increased self-esteem and delusional ideation of harm. Remission was usually achieved with the reintroduction of lithium and the addition of high-dose quetiapine. Between episodes, constant overvalued ideas of economic scarcity seemed to persist, which were accentuated in the form of delusional ideas of ruin in depressive decompensations. After 7 years of stability, control analysis showed blood litemia of 2.2 mEq/L with deterioration of kidney function and generalized tremor was observed, without improvement after serum therapy. He was admitted for dialysis and lithium was suspended. Treatment with valproate was started and a consultation scheduled in a week to adjust the dose. The patient did not attend that consultation and was admitted three days later to Psychiatry Hospitalization showing a challenging attitude, evident dysphoric mood, accelerated speech, with derailments and echolalia. Delusional ideation of harm with auditory hallucinations. Insomnia and hyporexia. Chronic renal failure persisted.

Lithium is a very effective drug but with a narrow therapeutic range that requires adequate monitoring due to the possible consequences of its use at different organs and systems of the body. when lithium is found in the blood at toxic levels with deterioration of kidney function and glomerular filtration fails to recover, lithium treatment should be suspended. Sudden withdrawal of lithium significantly increases the risk of relapse due to rebound effect. More than 50% of patients experience a recurrence within 10 weeks of withdrawal.

None Declared

Individuals with schizotypal personality disorder are characterized by tendencies to magical thinking, unusual perceptions, discomfort in social situations, and restricted affect. It is frecuent that they have social anxiety and have difficulty in understanding the motivations and thoughts of others.

Presentation of a case of a patient who was first diagnosed with adjustment disorder, but on a closer study, was discovered to have a schizotypal personality disorder.

We conducted a bibliographic review by searching for articles about schizotypal personality disorder and theory of mind in Pubmed.

We present the case of a 39-year-old woman, diagnosed with adjustment disorder after a conflict at work with a colleague that caused her anxiety-depressive symptoms. In consultations, the patient shows verbiage without expansiveness or euphoria, with rambling speech. She expresses feelings of indignation and injustice, she is irritable, with contained anger. She refers that she prefers to be distrustful of others because she does not understand their intentions. Her thoughts are very rigid, which leads her to have avoidant and phobic attitudes, having no relationships of friendship throughout her life.

A neuropsychological evaluation is carried out, resulting in a surprising WAIS with a TIC of 128. However, the Mayer‐Salovey‐Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) shows difficulties in Perception, Comprehension and Emotional Management

Considering the patient’s symptomatology as a whole, it is noteworthy:

• – Sustained social isolation throughout their life history

• – Superficiality of interpersonal relationships

• – Distrust and slight self-referentiality. Deficit in inferring the feelings and thoughts of others

• – Peculiar speech with ideas of magical content, superstitions and rituals…

Which together supported a diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. From this point we started to work on her self-esteem, modification of irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions, interpersonal communication and metacognitive therapy, with good results.

The type of schizotypal patients who come to consultations most frequently are the actively isolated/timorous profile due to their intense social anxiety and difficulties in understanding and adapting to the social world around them. Initial therapy should be empathic support. The theory of mind is the ability to infer the other’s mental states and therefore predict their behavior, this ability being diminished in the schizotypal patient. Mentalization tasks, metacognitive therapy, cognitive flexibility training, social skills training, and promoting self-worth are useful. On some occasions it may be necessary to start psychopharmacological treatment to control anxiety and unusual perceptions when they cause discomfort.

None Declared

Pregnancy and puerperium are two critical stages for women’s mental health due to the biological stress of pregnancy itself, as well as the emotional stress that surrounds this vital moment. (1) Debut and aggravation of psychiatric symptoms may occur, as well as relapse in women previously diagnosed with Severe Mental Disorder (SMD).

Symptoms of the anxious spectrum are the most frequent within the perinatal mental pathology, being impulse phobias an entity that appears in about 25% of women previously diagnosed with OCD and up to 10-15% of women without previous psychopathology (2)

Exposing the importance of Perinatal Mental Health from the presentation of a clinical case.

Review of the literature available in PubMed. Presentation of the pathobiography and evolution of the patient.

Our case is about a 37-year-old woman, 30 weeks pregnant with her first child and history of having required admission to Psychiatry with subsequent follow-up in Mental Health for anxious-depressive symptoms with the presence of self-injurious ideas who, after two weeks with multiple life stressors, came to the Emergency Department for the presence of impulse phobias focused on pregnancy with significant internal anguish and ideas of death as a resolution to it, which is why it was decided to hospitalize her. During admission, and taking into account the patient’s gestational state, treatment was started with diluted Mirtazapine and Aripiprazole solution at minimal doses, which in this case were sufficient for symptom control.

The latest guidelines addressing psychopharmacology during pregnancy and lactation point to sertraline among the antidepressants and Lorazepam among the benzodiazepines as the safest drugs during pregnancy (3).

• - The exacerbation of anxious symptomatology and the presence of gestation-focused impulse phobias are frequent during pregnancy and their intensity increases as the time of delivery approaches.

• - Sertraline, Lorazepam, Mirtazapine and Aripiprazole are safe drugs during pregnancy.

• - In these women, a close and multidisciplinary follow-up by Psychiatry and Gynecology is advisable.

None Declared

Adult ADHD diagnosis sometimes represents a challenge for the clinician, due to the comorbid psychiatric diseases that are often associated and which complicate de recognition of the primary symptoms of ADHD. The prevalence of ADHD in adult populations is 2’5% and it is a relevant cause of functional impairment.

Presentation of a clinical case of a male cocaine user diagnosed with adult ADHD.

Literature review on adult ADHD and comorbid substance abuse.

A 43-year-old male who consulted in the Emergency Department due to auditory hallucinosis in the context of an increase in his daily cocaine use. There were not delusional symptoms associated and judgment of reality was preserved. Treatment with olanzapine was started and the patient was referred for consultation. In psychiatry consultations, he did not refer sensory-perceptual alterations anymore, nor appeared any signals to suspect so, and he was willing to abandon cocaine use after a few appointments. He expressed some work concerns, highlighting that in recent months, in the context of a greater workload, he had been given several traffic tickets for “distractions.” His wife explained that he had always been a inattentive person (he forgets important dates or appointments) and impulsive, sometimes interrupting conversations. In the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale he scored 32 points.

He was diagnosed with adult ADHD and treatment with extended-release methylphenidate was started with good tolerance and evolution, with improvement in adaptation to his job and social environment. Since then, the patient has moderately reduced the consumption of drugs, although he continues to use cocaine very sporadically.

Early detection of ADHD and its comorbidities has the potential to change the course of the disorder and the morbidity that will occur later in adults. Comorbidity in adult ADHD is rather the norm than the exception, and it renders diagnosis more difficult. The most frequent comorbidities are usually mood disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. Treatment of adult ADHD consists mainly of pharmacotherapy supported by behavioral interventions. When ADHD coexists with another disorder, the one that most compromises functionality will be treated first and they can be treated simultaneously. The individual characteristics of each patient must be taken into account to choose the optimal treatment.

None Declared

Both in consultations with the general practitioner and with the psychiatrist, antidepressants are one of the most used drugs (1). These have multiple indications, and there are different groups according to their mechanism of action. In relation to this case, we are going to talk about Venlafaxine, a dual-type antidepressant, that is, it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. One of the most common side effects is digestive discomfort, which usually resolves after a few weeks (2). However, we should not ignore these symptoms, since they can hide something more serious.

Presentation of a clinical case on a patient who presented an increase in pancreatic amylase after starting treatment with Venlafaxine.

Bibliographic review including the latest articles in Pubmed on side effects of antidepressant treatment, and more specifically at the gastrointestinal level (in this case we will talk about pancreatitis).

We present the case of a 49-year-old woman, who was hospitalized 2 years ago, due to a first depressive episode. During this admission, psychopharmacological treatment was started for the first time, on that occasion with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), treatment of first choice (3). The patient had no side effects at that time, but the response was very modest, so it was decided to replace that antidepressant with Venlafaxine (with dual action), up to 150mg. The depressive symptoms improved markedly, however the patient began to feel digestive discomfort (which at first did not seem to be of great importance). A general analysis was performed, in which an increase in lipase (978 U/L) and amylase (528 U/L) was detected. An echoendoscopy, an abdominal scan, and a magnetic resonance cholangiography were performed; Pancreatitis secondary to drugs was suspected (a severe condition). Luckily, no significant lesions were found in the tests, and the levels of amylase and lipase decreased when Venlafaxine treatment was withdrawn (without reaching the normal range). The patient was discharged and continued to attend consultations. In the last control, amylase had dropped to 225 U/L. His abdominal pain disappeared. Treatment with Vortioxetine (a multimodal antidepressant) was started, however the amylase levels continue to be monitored, and the patient continues to see the gastroenterologist.

Gastrointestinal side effects are very common when taking antidepressant treatment, and in most cases they do not usually represent a serious problem.

However, it is described in the scientific literature that in some cases, acute pancreatitis secondary to some drugs, including Venlafaxine, can occur (4). In order to detect it, it is necessary to perform a blood test and sometimes also other complementary tests.

For its treatment, the fundamental thing is to withdraw the causing drug, trying to find other alternatives, and carry out a control to monitor possible complications

None Declared

Adults may continue suffering AHDH symptoms after this condition is recognized and typified in children. Different works provide evidence that adults have an even more complicated variety of psychiatric disorders than children, as an increased risk of problems stemming from substance abuse, depression, anxiety, increased risk of traffic accidents, and also sexual transmission diseases.

There was known that adults could continue suffering symptoms derived from his infantile ADHD. We wonder if the majority of the young males derived to our consultation present compatible symptoms with adult ADHD. This condition promotes the onset of substance use and may lead to latent psychosis onset.

We analyzed 39 patients derived by suspicion of psychiatric pathology, aged between 17 and 35. They stem to clinical psychology for study of features of personality (Million Questionnaire). Another questionnaire was used also autoapplied for sifted of the ADHD in adults (ASRS_V1:1). According to the criteria DSM-IV TR, the patient had moderate symptoms of ADHD if it was fulfilling 6 or more diagnostic criteria according to their answers in the screening questionnaire.

The results supported the existence of impulsivity, aggression, irritability, problems with compliance and substance abuse.

ADHD is not only a problem of distractibility or worry, but a deeper and extensive alteration caused by the deterioration of a set of cerebral activities. An early treatment in the childhood could prevent devastating consequences for their development, since they include the majority of the functional areas of the patient and it impedes their later social and labor adjustment.

No significant relationships.

Longitudinal data on the mental health impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic in healthcare workers is limited. We estimated prevalence, incidence and persistence of probable mental disorders in a cohort of Spanish healthcare workers (Covid-19 waves 1 and 2) -and identified associated risk factors.

8996 healthcare workers evaluated on 5 May–7 September 2020 (baseline) were invited to a second web-based survey (October–December 2020). Major depressive disorder (PHQ-8 ≥ 10), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD-7 ≥ 10), panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-5 ≥ 7), and alcohol use disorder (CAGE-AID ≥ 2) were assessed. Distal (pre-pandemic) and proximal (pandemic) risk factors were included. We estimated the incidence of probable mental disorders (among those without disorders at baseline) and persistence (among those with disorders at baseline). Logistic regression of individual-level [odds ratios (OR)] and population-level (population attributable risk proportions) associations were estimated, adjusting by all distal risk factors, health care centre and time of baseline interview.

4809 healthcare workers participated at four months follow-up (cooperation rate = 65.7%; mean = 120 days s.d. = 22 days from baseline assessment). Follow-up prevalence of any disorder was 41.5%, (v. 45.4% at baseline, p < 0.001); incidence, 19.7% (s.e. = 1.6) and persistence, 67.7% (s.e. = 2.3). Proximal factors showing significant bivariate-adjusted associations with incidence included: work-related factors [prioritising Covid-19 patients (OR = 1.62)], stress factors [personal health-related stress (OR = 1.61)], interpersonal stress (OR = 1.53) and financial factors [significant income loss (OR = 1.37)]. Risk factors associated with persistence were largely similar.

Our study indicates that the prevalence of probable mental disorders among Spanish healthcare workers during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was similarly high to that after the first wave. This was in good part due to the persistence of mental disorders detected at the baseline, but with a relevant incidence of about 1 in 5 of HCWs without mental disorders during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Health-related factors, work-related factors and interpersonal stress are important risks of persistence of mental disorders and of incidence of mental disorders. Adequately addressing these factors might have prevented a considerable amount of mental health impact of the pandemic among this vulnerable population. Addressing health-related stress, work-related factors and interpersonal stress might reduce the prevalence of these disorders substantially. Study registration number: NCT04556565

We believe the currently accepted indications for frontal osteoma surgery are inappropriate. We propose a new osteoma classification system, below, in order to standardise surgical decisions.

Osteomas were classified based on: relationship of tumour mass to sinus size; tumour proximity to the infundibulum, destruction of sinus walls, and complications. Forty-five osteoma cases were thus classified (1971–2007), 29 of which underwent surgery (64.44 per cent).

Three stages were thus derived: I, tumour/air fraction less than one-third, tumour distant from the infundibulum, no sinusitis, and no complications (18 patients (40 per cent)); II, tumour/air fraction one-third to one-half, no infundibular obstruction, no bone destruction, no sinusitis, and no complications (six (13.33 per cent)); and III, tumour/air fraction more than one-half, partial or total infundibular obstruction, sinusitis, bone destruction, and/or complications (21 (46.67 per cent)).

Study findings suggest the following surgical indications: stage I, no surgery required, implement monitoring protocol; stage II, implement monitoring protocol, surgery may be required depending on tumour severity and general patient condition; and stage III, surgery always required. This system provides a method of standardising osteoma surgical decisions.

There is a lack of consistent evidence regarding associations of neurological soft signs (NSS) with illness-related variables in schizophrenia. This study examined NSS in first-episode psychotic patients with respect to their factor structure and associations with risk factors, pre-morbid characteristics, psychopathology and spontaneous extrapyramidal syndromes.

First-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (n=177) were assessed for NSS using the Neurological Evaluation Scale, and its 26 constituting items were factor analysed. The identified neurological dimensions were then entered into hierarchical regression models as outcome dependent variables of a set of predictors including risk factors (familial loading for schizophrenia, obstetric complications), pre-morbid characteristics (neurodevelopmental delay, symptoms of attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder, pre-morbid functioning), psychopathological domains (reality distortion, disorganization, negative symptoms, mania, depression, catatonia) and spontaneous extrapyramidal syndromes (parkinsonism, dyskinesia, akathisia).

Five neurological domains were identified: sequencing, release signs, sensory integration, abnormal movements and coordination. Multivariate analyses showed independent associations (p<0.01) of sequencing with familial liability to schizophrenia, deterioration of pre-morbid adjustment and parkinsonism; release signs with obstetric complications, catatonic symptoms and parkinsonism; sensory integration with familial liability to schizophrenia; abnormal movements with familial liability to schizophrenia, obstetric complications, parkinsonism and dyskinesia; and coordination with neurodevelopmental delay. The empirically derived factors explained additional variance over and above that explained by subscale scores across the examined variables.

Familial liability to schizophrenia, obstetric complications, neurodevelopmental delay, deterioration in pre-morbid functioning and observable motor disorders appear to contribute independently to domains of neurological dysfunction. The findings support a neurodevelopmental model of NSS in schizophrenia.

Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders is highly prevalent and notably influences functional outcomes.

To characterise the cognitive effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotic drugs.

One hundred consecutive and previously unmedicated patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were admitted. Seventy-seven completed baseline, 1-month and 6-month psychopathological and neuropsychological assessments. Patients were randomised to risperidone or olanzapine treatment. Four final treatment allocation groups were defined since patients continued treatment in their normal setting: risperidone, olanzapine, mixed and no-antipsychotic groups.

There were no differences in cognitive effectiveness between the four treatment groups. Reliable change index methods demonstrated that nearly a half of patients showed an improvement in Global Cognitive Score at the 6-month assessment. Improvement on the neuropsychological tests ranged from 17 to 54%.

A strong predictor of cognitive response was poor performance on baseline neuropsychological tests; response was moderately influenced by a low premorbid scholastic performance and IQ.

Cognitive improvement related to second-generation antipsychotic drugs appeared within the first 4 weeks of treatment and persisted at 6 months irrespective of treatment group. Greater cognitive dysfunction at baseline and lower premorbid cognitive background predicted cognitive improvement in our sample.