Common Psychiatric Symptoms Research Articles

Prevalence and risk factors of psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the ELSA-Brasil COVID-19 mental health cohort.

There is mixed evidence on increasing rates of psychiatric disorders and symptoms during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. We evaluated pandemic-related psychopathology and psychiatry diagnoses and their determinants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Health (ELSA-Brasil) São Paulo Research Center. Between pre-pandemic ELSA-Brasil assessments in 2008-2010 (wave-1), 2012-2014 (wave-2), 2016-2018 (wave-3) and three pandemic assessments in 2020 (COVID-19 waves in May-July, July-September, and October-December), rates of common psychiatric symptoms, and depressive, anxiety, and common mental disorders (CMDs) were compared using the Clinical Interview Scheduled-Revised (CIS-R) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Multivariable generalized linear models, adjusted by age, gender, educational level, and ethnicity identified variables associated with an elevated risk for mental disorders. In 2117 participants (mean age 62.3 years, 58.2% females), rates of CMDs and depressive disorders did not significantly change over time, oscillating from 23.5% to 21.1%, and 3.3% to 2.8%, respectively; whereas rate of anxiety disorders significantly decreased (2008-2010: 13.8%; 2016-2018: 9.8%; 2020: 8%). There was a decrease along three wave-COVID assessments for depression [β = -0.37, 99.5% confidence interval (CI) -0.50 to -0.23], anxiety (β = -0.37, 99.5% CI -0.48 to -0.26), and stress (β = -0.48, 99.5% CI -0.64 to -0.33) symptoms (all ps < 0.001). Younger age, female sex, lower educational level, non-white ethnicity, and previous psychiatric disorders were associated with increased odds for psychiatric disorders, whereas self-evaluated good health and good quality of relationships with decreased risk. No consistent evidence of pandemic-related worsening psychopathology in our cohort was found. Indeed, psychiatric symptoms slightly decreased along 2020. Risk factors representing socioeconomic disadvantages were associated with increased odds of psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatric manifestations of anti-NMDAR encephalitis

IntroductionAnti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by neuropsychiatric symptoms before progressing to seizures, complex movement disorder, autonomic dysfunction and hypoventilation.ObjectivesPresenting a review of the psychiatric manifestations of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.MethodsSearch on Pubmed® and Medscape® databases with the following keywords: “psychiatric”, “anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis” and “anti-NMDAR encephalitis”. We focused on data from systematic reviews and meta-analyzes. The articles were selected by the authors according to their relevance.ResultsStudies show that 77% to 95% of patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis initially present psychiatric manifestations. Age and sex distribution are young women, and the frequency of cases is lower after 40 years of age. The most common psychiatric symptoms are agitation (59%) and psychotic symptoms (54%). The psychotic symptoms more common are visual (64%), auditory (59%) hallucinations and persecutory delusions (73%). Catatonia is described in 42% of patients. Antipsychotic treatment induces an adverse drug reaction (33%), the neuroleptic malignant syndrome represents 22% of the cases. Delays in distinguishing this disease from a psychiatric disorder can have serious complications, with a mortality of up to 25% in patients receiving limited or delayed immunotherapy.ConclusionsIt’s important to consider anti-NMDAR encephalitis in the differential diagnosis of patients with an acute onset psychosis or unusual psychiatric symptoms. Antipsychotic treatment should be use with caution when suspected or confirmed anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Without appropriate treatment, patients may suffer a protracted course with significant long-term disability or death. A clinical index of suspicion is required to identify patients who would benefit from cerebrospinal fluid testing and immunotherapies.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Clinical Correlates of Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults With Chronic Tic Disorder.

Tics are the hallmark feature of Tourette syndrome (TS), but psychiatric and sensory symptoms are widely prevalent and increasingly recognized as core manifestations of the disorder. Accumulating evidence suggests that these psychiatric and sensory symptoms exert greater influence on quality of life (QOL) than tics themselves. However, much remains uncertain about determinants of QOL in TS due to the complexity of the clinical presentation. Here, we sought to clarify the association between health-related QOL (HRQOL) and common psychiatric and sensory symptoms in adults with TS and other chronic tic disorders. To do so, we prospectively recruited 52 patients from a tertiary care clinic to complete self-report measures assessing HRQOL (Gilles de la Tourette-Quality of Life Scale, GTS-QOL), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, GAD-7), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, DOCS), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms (Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5, ASRS-V), and premonitory urge (Premonitory Urge to Tic Scale, PUTS). All participants were also administered the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) to quantify tic severity. Using correlational analysis and multivariable linear regression modeling, we found that GTS-QOL score was significantly associated with scores from all other rating scales, with the exception of the PUTS. GTS-QOL was most strongly associated with PHQ-9, followed by ASRS-V, GAD-7, DOCS, and YGTSS total tic score. The regression model including these five independent variables, as well as sex, explained 79% of GTS-QOL score variance [F(6,40) = 29.6, p < 0.001]. Specific psychiatric symptoms differentially impacted physical, psychological, and cognitive HRQOL. Systematic assessment of psychiatric comorbidities is imperative for clinical care and clinical research efforts directed at improving QOL in adults with chronic tic disorders.

The significance of anxiety symptoms in predicting psychosocial functioning across borderline personality traits.

Emotion regulation is a central task of daily life. Difficulty regulating emotions is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), one of the most common and impairing personality disorder diagnoses. While anger and symptoms of depression are instantiated in the criteria for BPD, anxiety is not, despite being among the most common psychiatric symptoms. In a sample of online respondents (N = 471), we explored the interactions between anxiety symptoms and BPD traits in predicting well-being (WHO-5) as well as poorer work and social adjustment (WSAS), while controlling for anger and depression. We hypothesized that anxiety would lead to more impairment (i.e., lower well-being and poorer work and more difficulties with work and social adjustment) as BPD traits increased. BPD traits and symptoms of anxiety both contributed to overall lower levels well-being and higher levels of psychosocial dysfunction. However, contrary to our expectations, at higher (vs. lower) levels of BPD traits, symptoms of anxiety were less conducive to lower well-being on the WHO-5. For the WSAS, there was no consistent evidence for an interaction between BPD traits and anxiety in predicting functioning. By and large, our results do not support the idea that anxiety contributes to more impairment at higher levels of BPD traits.

ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE POSSIBILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LUNG, COLORECTAL AND HEAD-NECK CANCER

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety and depression are common psychiatric symptoms, and an increased risk of suicide is also seen in cancer patients. It was aimed to evaluate clinical features, anxiety and depression prevalence, and suicide probability in patients with lung, colorectal and head-neck cancer, also to compare these psychological factors with those with a healthy control group.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients with 82 lung cancer, 99 colorectal cancer and 79 head-neck cancer and a control group of 98 healthy individuals were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Suicide Probability Scale (SPS) were administered to all the participants.RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 29.2% and depression was 52.7% in cancer patients. HADS anxiety and depression subscales and SPS mean scores were higher in cancer patients than healthy controls. The patients with head-neck cancer were more anxious, more depressed, and suicidal than the healthy controls. The patients with lung cancer were only more depressed than the healthy controls. Additionally, it was found that female gender, fatigue, and pain experience in cancer patients were seen as factors that increased the frequency of anxiety and depression; advanced stage disease was only related to the frequency of depression, and a history of psychiatric treatment affected only the frequency of anxiety.CONCLUSIONS: Psychological factors varies in different types of cancer. The cancer patients should be evaluated in terms of psychiatric problems by the clinicians to determine the level of anxiety, depression, and suicidality.

Study of Prevalence of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Elderly Dementia Patients

Introduction: Prevalence of dementia is increasing with rapidly ageing population. Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) are common in certain types of dementia and increases with duration of dementia in Alzheimer’s disease and are causes significant psychosocial and management issues. Aim: To study the prevalence and type of NPS in patients of dementia presenting to a Tertiary Care Hospital and to find out the association between NPS and the type of dementia and to assess the association of the caregiver stress in this setting. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Tertiary Care Government Hospital of Western Maharashtra. All patients with suspected dementia were initially screened by a Mini-Cog questionnaire and patients with a score of three or less were assessed with Hindi Mental Status Examination (HMSE). The inclusion criteria were patients with HMSE of less than or equal to 23. All the diagnosed patients with dementia were screened for common psychiatric symptoms using Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The presence of NPS was noted based on either presenting complaint of the patient or as per the history given by the primary caregiver for these symptoms in last one month. These questions were administered in focused group discussion form to the primary caregiver by the physician. The data was collected and analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test with SSPS 20. Results: The most common neuropsychiatric manifestation was sleep and night-time behavioural disorder (51.5%). It was followed by depression (44%). Neuropsychiatric manifestations were much more common in demented patients of probable Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and dementia with B12 deficiency. More than 50% of the patients had two or more psychiatric symptoms. The most common psychiatric symptom in patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease was sleep and night-time disturbance in 54.9%. Common neuropsychiatric manifestations seen in DLB were visual hallucinations (100%), followed by irritability (88%). More than 90% of the caregivers were not aware of the psychiatric manifestations of dementia and did not know how to cope up with these symptoms. Conclusion: NPS were more common in patients with DLB dementia and dementia with B12 deficiency, with depression been more common symptom in patients with Parkinson’s related dementia. It is therefore, very important to look for NPS in all elderly patients which can help us to diagnose dementia earlier.

Suicidality among medical students

Medical training involves intense academic pressure and competition. Understandably, the prevalence of mental distress and suicidal behaviors is high among medical students. This article discusses the recognition and management of suicidal behavior at an individual as well as service/systems level. At the individual level, identification of common psychiatric symptoms, recognition of suicidal warning signs, adequate assessment, and appropriate referrals can prevent potential suicides. Various strategies have been successfully implemented at the population and high-risk group level. The introduction of technological methodologies may increase the reach of these preventive strategies. Student Wellness Centers can serve a significant role in preventing suicidal attempts and at-risk behaviors.

Chinese adolescents’ mindfulness and internalizing symptoms: The mediating role of rumination and acceptance

Internalizing problems during adolescence are common psychiatric symptoms. Previous research has demonstrated that mindfulness was significantly and negatively associated with and mindfulness-based interventions would be efficacious for aiming at adolescents' internalizing problems. However, research about how mindfulness could improve internalizing symptoms among Chinese adolescents is sparse and its potential mechanism is still unclear. The present study adopted rumination and acceptance to examine their mediation effects between Chinese adolescents' mindfulness and internalizing symptoms. A final sample of 1,554 adolescents (aged from 10 to 18 years old, M=15.58, SD =1.25) were recruited from schools in South China. Participants were asked to complete a package of questionnaires measuring mindfulness, internalizing problems (indicated by generalized anxiety and depression), rumination, and acceptance. Structural equation model confirmed our hypothesis and showed that rumination, as well as acceptance, significantly mediated the relationship between Chinese adolescents' mindfulness level and internalizing symptoms (generalized anxiety and depression). a) only cross-sectional design was employed in the study; b) most of participants were normal adolescent students, without a diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder; c) all the measures were self-reported by adolescents. Mindfulness not only directly impacted on adolescents' internalizing problems, but also indirectly improved their anxious and depression emotions via the reduction of rumination and the increase of acceptance. Hence, mindfulness training as well as the application of emotion regulation skills may be useful for adolescents exposed to the likelihood of suffering from internalizing problems.

COVID-19 patients managed in psychiatric inpatient settings due to first-episode mental disorders in Wuhan, China: clinical characteristics, treatments, outcomes, and our experiences

Data are scarce regarding the comorbid mental disorders and their management among COVID-19 patients. This study described the clinical characteristics and management of COVID-19 patients treated in psychiatric inpatient settings due to comorbid first-onset mental disorders in Wuhan, China. This electronic medical records-based study included 25 COVID-19 patients with first-onset mental disorders and 55 patients with first-onset mental disorders without COVID-19 (control group). Data collected included ICD-10 diagnoses of mental disorders, psychiatric and respiratory symptoms, treatments, and outcomes. Adjustment disorder (n = 11, 44.0%) and acute and transient psychotic disorders, with associated acute stress (n = 6, 24.0%) were main clinical diagnoses in the COVID-19 group while serious mental illnesses (i.e., schizophrenia, 24.5%) and alcohol use disorders (10.9%) were overrepresented in the control group. On admission, the most common psychiatric symptom in COVID-19 patients was insomnia symptoms (n = 18, 72.0%), followed by aggressive behaviors (n = 16, 64.0%), delusion (n = 10, 40.0%), and severe anxiety (n = 9, 36.0%). In addition to respiratory treatments, 76.0% COVID-19 patients received antipsychotics, 40.0% sedative-hypnotics, and 24.0% mood stabilizers. At the end of inpatient treatment, 4 (16.0%) COVID-19 patients were transferred to other hospitals to continue respiratory treatment after their psychiatric symptoms were controlled while the remaining 21 (84.0%) all recovered. Compared to the control group, COVID-19 group had significantly shorter length of hospital stay (21.2 vs. 37.4 days, P < 0.001). Adjustment disorder and acute and transient psychotic disorders are the main clinical diagnoses of COVID-19 patients managed in psychiatric inpatient settings. The short-term prognosis of these patients is good after conventional psychotropic treatment.

423 - Visual Hallucinations in Parkinson Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies: a review

Visual Hallucinations (VH) are a common psychiatric symptom of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). According to the Perception-Attention Deficits Model, VH stem from impaired perceptual (bottom-up), including dorsal (DVS) and ventral visual streams (VVS), and attentional (top-down) processes, with a persistent Default Mode Network (DMN) activity and a dysfunctional imbalance of Dorsal (DAN) and Ventral Attentional Networks (VAN).We review the literature on the neurobiological underpinnings of VH in DLB and PD, concerning overlapping and different mechanisms.In DLB hallucinators, PET-scan findings of disconnection between higher and primary visual areas and dysfunctional recruitment of the VVS, corroborate other imaging and neuropathologic studies which document inferior longitudinal fasciculus damage and increased temporal lobe Lewy body (LB) pathology. The alteration of network topography is more pronounced in the DAN and DMN. The involvement of anterior cortical regions, clustering around attentional networks, is demonstrated in neuropathologic, volumetric and perfusion studies. VH severity closely correlates with anterior cingulate cortex and inferior temporal cortex hypoperfusion, structural changes in the DVS (superior parietal gyrus and precuneus) and increased diffusivity of the right thalamic projections to parieto-occipital cortices. Thalamocortical dysfunction alongside decreased cholinergic activity in reticular nucleus, which receive projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert, seems to play a crucial role.Both DLB and demented PD hallucinators have more frontal cortical atrophy, yet greater in DLB, supporting top-down mechanisms.Regarding PD hallucinators, findings of cortical atrophy in inferior parietal lobule, cuneus, lingual lobule, and precentral gyrus correlated with hallucination scores. However, some studies did not evidence volumetric cortical differences between hallucinators and non-hallucinators. Moreover, LB are not necessarily present in hallucinators, suggesting other neuropathologic mechanisms in the genesis of VH, namely altered neurochemical circuitry. Volume loss in pedunculopontine nucleus and right-thalamus support the hypothesis of a dysfunctional cholinergic brainstem control of the cortex. PET-scan studies discovered higher 5-HT2A receptor levels in the inferolateral temporal and prefrontal cortices. A greater nigrostriatal impairment is documented in the right-caudate of hallucinators. Therefore, VH may arise from an inability to activate DAN (in which caudate is involved) and consequent faulty visuo-perceptual processing by DMN and VAN.

330 - Depression and Anxiety among Older people in Central Africa: Results of the EPIDEMCA population-based study

Introduction:Depression and anxiety are two very common psychiatric disorders in late-life. They are markers of poor quality of life and are strongly associated with death among older people. Yet, few studies on these comorbidities have been conducted in the African population. This study aims to present the epidemiology of depression and anxiety among older people in Central Africa.Method:A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out in Republic of Congo (ROC) and Central African Republic (CAR) between 2011 - 2012 among older people aged ? 65 years (EPIDEMCA study). Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and participants underwent a brief physical examination. Depression and anxiety symptoms were ascertained using a community version of the Geriatric Mental State (GMS-B3) and the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy diagnostic system (AGECAT), probable cases were defined as having a GMS-AGECAT level of 3 or more. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between potential risk factors collected and each symptom.Results:Overall 2002 participants were included in the EPIDEMCA study (500 in Brazzaville and 529 in Gamboma in ROC, 500 in Bangui and 473 in Nola (473) in CAR). Median age of the participants was 72 years [interquartile range: 68 – 78 years] and females were mostly represented (61.8%). Prevalence was 38.1% (95% Confidence Interval: 35.9% - 40.2%) for depression, 7.7% (95% CI: 6.5% - 8.9%) for anxiety and 5.7% (95% CI: 4.6% - 6.7%) for the co-occurrence of both disorders. For all three outcomes, prevalence was significantly higher among females and in rural areas. Only depression increased with age. Preliminary analyses showed that female sex, living in a rural area, and living without a partner were associated with the three outcomes (Odds Ratios from 1.59 to 3.27; p&lt;0.01). In-depth results regarding correlates of depression, anxiety and the co-occurrence of both will be presented.Conclusion:The prevalence of depression and anxiety was high among Central African older people. Evidence on the epidemiology of these common psychiatric symptoms are of importance for care management and also emphasize the need to maintain and/or strengthen social support around older people in the region.

COVID-19 and mental health in Brazil: Psychiatric symptoms in the general population

Public health interventions at general population level are imperative in order to decrease the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but they may contribute to widespread emotional distress and increased risk for psychiatric illnesses. We report on the results of an investigation into the occurrence and determinants of psychiatric symptoms among the Brazilian general population (N = 1996). We assessed sociodemographic variables and general mental health (DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure), depression (PROMIS depression v.8a), anxiety (PROMIS anxiety v.8a), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-IES-R scale) using an online web-based survey. Anxiety (81.9%), depression (68%), anger (64.5%), somatic symptoms (62.6%) and sleep problems (55.3%) were the most common psychiatric symptoms. Younger age, female gender, low income, lower level of education, longer period of social distancing, and self-reported history of previous psychiatric illness were strongly associated with higher severity of symptoms. Our results support the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the Brazilian population. The high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms observed in our sample indicates that the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic should be considered a public health problem in Brazil. The health systems and individual clinicians must be prepared to offer and implement specific interventions in order to identify and treat psychiatric issues.

Sports Psychiatry: An Update and the Emerging Role of the Sports Psychiatrist on the Sports Medicine Team.

Sports Psychiatry: An Update and the Emerging Role of the Sports Psychiatrist on the Sports Medicine Team.

Associations between aversive learning processes and transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms in a general population sample

Symptom expression in psychiatric conditions is often linked to altered threat perception, however how computational mechanisms that support aversive learning relate to specific psychiatric symptoms remains undetermined. We answer this question using an online game-based aversive learning task together with measures of common psychiatric symptoms in 400 subjects. We show that physiological symptoms of anxiety and a transdiagnostic compulsivity-related factor are associated with enhanced safety learning, as measured using a probabilistic computational model, while trait cognitive anxiety symptoms are associated with enhanced learning from danger. We use data-driven partial least squares regression to identify two separable components across behavioural and questionnaire data: one linking enhanced safety learning and lower estimated uncertainty to physiological anxiety, compulsivity, and impulsivity; the other linking enhanced threat learning and heightened uncertainty estimation to symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Our findings implicate aversive learning processes in the expression of psychiatric symptoms that transcend diagnostic boundaries.

Effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Symptoms such as depression and anxiety are common psychiatric symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is still controversial in the treatment of anxiety and depression in patients with COPD. We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate the effect of CBT on anxiety and depression in patients with COPD, with a view to providing some guidance for clinical application. Computer search Web of Science, EMbase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, search time limit from the establishment of the library to August 2019. Collect the randomized controlled trial (RCT) for this topic. Two investigators independently screened the literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. Meta-analysis using RevMan5.3 software. A total of 10 studies were included in a total of 1278 patients. Meta-analysis shows that CBT can improve depression and anxiety in patients with COPD. Subgroup analysis showed that intervention time≥8weeks had significant differences in improving anxiety, while intervention time<8weeks had significant differences in improving depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy may possibly relieve depression in COPD patients in a short period of time, and it takes longer to improve anxiety. Therefore, clinical practice can choose the appropriate intervention time according to the patient's psychological condition.

The P2X7 receptor in activated microglia promotes depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in lithium -pilocarpine induced epileptic rats

Depressive and anxious behaviors are the most common psychiatric symptoms of epilepsy, and may aggravate the epileptic condition and affect the patient's quality of life. Accumulating data obtained from both experimental animal models and patients have convincingly shown a critical role of P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) during depression and anxiety. Our study showed for the first time that the P2X7R is involved in promoting depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in lithium pilocarpine-induced epileptic rats. More importantly, direct anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects were produced by the P2X7R antagonist Brilliant Blue G (BBG) is in this study, and the effect was similar to that of the classic anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drug fluoxetine. We also found that BBG did not affect the development of spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) and had a neuroprotective effect via inhibition of microglial activation after status epilepticus (SE). Thus, our data provide evidence that the P2X7R in activated microglia promotes depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in lithium-pilocarpine induced epileptic rats. Since previous studies have indicated that some anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs may exacerbate seizures, our data support that the P2X7R is a promising therapeutic target for epilepsy associated with depression and anxiety.

Mood disorders and outcomes in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery: a brief summery.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Literature reports depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric symptoms in cancer patients. Notably, lung cancer is associated with major depressive disorder in 5-13% of cases. The present article aims to give an overview regarding the impact of mood disorders on the outcomes of patients affected by lung cancer. Our review showed that pharmacological treatment and psychotherapy can be useful to improve the quality of life of patients with lung cancer. Moreover, the treatment of depression and anxiety can be associated with a reduced mortality. In conclusion, it is important to consider psychiatric care as important as other adjuvant oncologic therapies in patients with cancer.

Depressive Symptom Severity-Related Clinical Characteristics in Korean Male Patients with Methamphetamine Use Disorder

Objectives : Methamphetamine (MA) use continually increases in world wide. MA users present diverse psychiatric comorbidities. The presence of these comorbid symptoms is positively correlated with poorer treatment outcomes and greater utilization of health care services. Depressive symptoms, in particular, are considered to be some of the most common psychiatric symptoms in this population Our study aimed to investigate depressive symptom severity-related clinical characteristics in male Korean methamphetamine (MA) users. Methods : The inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) male; (ii) age iI 18 years; (iii) a diagnosis of stimulant use disorder, especially for amphetamine-type substances, according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); and (iv) positive urine test for MA at the time of admission. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (i) patients who were diagnosed with cognitive disorders, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorders; and (ii) patients who were diagnosed with significant physical illnesses, such as cerebrovascular, cardiovascular , or neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, a total of 200 Korean male patients with MA use disorder were included in our study. By reviewing the medical records of 200 male MA users hospitalized in a substance addiction treatment center of South Korea, the clinical characteristics in a MA abstinent state, including scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Symptom Checklist-90-R Revised (SCL-90-R), and Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (KWAIS) were collected. Analyses of covariances (ANCOVAs) for continuous variables and binary logistic regression analyses for discrete variables were used to compare the clinical characteristic scores among four groups that were defined by the severity of their depressive symptoms (i.e., minimal, mild, moderate, and severe). Results : After adjusting for the effects of age, marital status, employment status, monthly income, age of first MA use, pursuit of euphoria, gastrointestinal symptoms, insomnia, hallucination, and cigarette smoking, a greater severity of depressive symptoms was significantly correlated with greater prevalence of aggression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.065, P = 0.004) and irritability (aOR = 2.051, P = 0.001), greater scores on the BAI (F = 22.480, P < 0.0001) and all the items of SCL-90-R, and lower scores on the verbal intelligence quotient (F = 2.699, P = 0.047) of the KWAIS. Conclusions : Our findings demonstrate a potential relationship between depressive symptom severity and other clinical characteristics among male patients with MA use disorder. Thus, depressive symptoms may be an important clinical concern for psychiatric treatment of MA users.

The Role of Hypothalamic Pathology for Non-Motor Features of Huntington's Disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic neurodegenerative disorder. It has mainly been considered a movement disorder with cognitive symptoms and these features have been associated with pathology of the striatum and cerebral cortex. Importantly, individuals with the mutant huntingtin gene suffer from a spectrum of non-motor features often decades before the motor disorder manifests. These symptoms and signs include a range of psychiatric symptoms, sleep problems and metabolic changes with weight loss particularly in later stages. A higher body mass index at diagnosis is associated with slower disease progression. The common psychiatric symptom of apathy progresses with the disease. The fact that non-motor features are present early in the disease and that they show an association to disease progression suggest that unravelling the underlying neurobiological mechanisms may uncover novel targets for early disease intervention and better symptomatic treatment. The hypothalamus and the limbic system are important brain regions that regulate emotion, social cognition, sleep and metabolism. A number of studies using neuroimaging, postmortem human tissue and genetic manipulation in animal models of the disease has collectively shown that the hypothalamus and the limbic system are affected in HD. These findings include the loss of neuropeptide-expressing neurons such as orexin (hypocretin), oxytocin, vasopressin, somatostatin and VIP, and increased levels of SIRT1 in distinct nuclei of the hypothalamus. This review provides a summary of the results obtained so far and highlights the potential importance of these changes for the understanding of non-motor features in HD.

Adaptation to the Suicidal Niche

Primarily a precis of the book The Evolution of Suicide (Soper 2018), this article argues that behaviorally modern humans are specifically adapted to survive in what the author calls the “suicidal niche,” an ecological arena characterized by the endemic fitness threat of deliberate self-killing. A “pain-and-brain” model of suicide’s evolution is proposed, which explains suicide as a noxious by-product of two adaptations combined: the aversiveness of pain, which demands that the organism act to end or escape it, and the cognitive sophistication of the mature human brain, which offers self-killing as an effective means to satisfy that demand for escape. These “pain” and “brain” primary adaptations are posited to be both sufficient conditions for suicide and universal among mature humans, which suggests that the fitness threat of suicide would have posed a predictable and severe adaptive problem in the evolution of our species. Adaptive solutions, which emerged to address the problem, are hypothesized to be psychological and sometimes culturally informed mechanisms that either dull the “pain” motivation for suicide or deny the “brain” means to conceive and enact suicide—or, most likely, a combination of the two strategies. Evolved antisuicide defenses may account for many otherwise puzzling aspects of human behavior and psychology, including susceptibilities to depression, addictions, self-harm, and certain other common psychiatric symptoms, which the author posits to be protective, autonomic responses to suicidogenic pain. The precision of human adaptation to the suicidal niche makes it unlikely that deliberate self-killings can, even in principle, be predicted with useful accuracy at the individual level.