Depression Thoughts Research Articles

Help-seeking intention for depression and suicidal ideation during pregnancy and postpartum in rural Sri Lanka, a cross-sectional study.

Suicides are a leading cause of maternal deaths. Depression, the commonest mental illness during pregnancy, amidst its numerous morbidities, can precipitate suicides. So, early detection and treatment of maternal depression and suicidal thoughts are important for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Pregnant women's help-seeking patterns play a crucial role in this. Limited availability and accessibility of potential sources, poor knowledge, and perceptions of the condition and the help-seeking process itself ,would act as barriers for help-seeking, especially in resource-constrained settings. This study explores the help-seeking intention, preferred sources, and factors influencing help-seeking for depression and suicidal thoughts among pregnant women in rural Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. A multistage cluster sampling technique with probability proportionate to size was used. A self-completed, vignette-based questionnaire was developed, validated and pretested for the study. The vignette described the experience of a postpartum mother with symptoms of peripartum depression without suicidal ideation (part A) and the same mother developing suicidal ideation (part B). Out of 624 participants, 202 (33.8%, 95%CI 30.0-37.7%) and 206 (36.7%, 95%CI 32.7-40.8%) reported they would seek help soon if they experienced symptoms of depression and suicidal ideations, respectively, while 181 (30.3%, 95%CI 26.6-34.1%) and 161 (28.6%, 95%CI 24.9-32.6%) said they would so if symptoms or suicidal thoughts did not resolve with time. Women were most likely to seek help from their husbands for symptoms of depression (n=445, 72.6%) and for suicidal thoughts (n=406, 71.1%). A public health midwife (n=346, 57.9%) was preferred over other formal or semiformal sources. If they were to seek help, 467 (49.2%) would contact a doctor or midwife specifically. The majority did not perceive that the described emotions could be symptoms of an illness (n=300, 50.1%) or that having suicidal ideation can be a threat to the life of the affected person (n=308, 52.1%) or that there was a probability for them to develop a mental illness during a current pregnancy (n=379, 65%). The majority perceived that positive responses were likely to be received, and negative responses were less likely to be received, if they were to seek help from their husband, another family member and midwife. Using a vignette approach allowed an exploration of how the 'at risk population' would construct meaning to symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and what their actions would likely be if they were in a similar situation. It was observed that symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts were regarded as normal by the pregnant women in this rural community, and they also perceived a low threat of getting a similar condition. This is a crucial point to intervene at for improving help-seeking. Informal and semiformal sources of help preferred by these women, especially husbands and public health midwives, should be empowered to respond effectively and facilitate further help-seeking from mental health professionals.

Students’ societal mattering as a protective factor against depression and suicidal thoughts

Suicide ideation or suicidal thought has been reported to be one of the major mental wellbeing issues among university students following the increase of the depressive symptoms. The implication of social distancing in the form of lockdown did not help to reduce the aforementioned cases. While we know that reducing depressive symptoms among university students might be almost impossible to be done without any drastic change to the educational system, we would like to investigate whether the sense of mattering to the university might moderate the development of suicide ideation when the students have developed depressive symptoms. We recruited 435 university students and had they voluntarily responded to the Beck’s depression inventory, satisfaction with life scale, societal mattering scale, and the suicidal ideation attributes scale. The data was analyzed by bias-free bootstrap analysis with 5,000 samplings and 95% confidence interval in PROCESS Macro model 59 and model 1, and the results reported that high university mattering levels might moderate the link between depression symptoms and suicide ideation through life satisfaction. In other words, in the situation where the students were locked-down, the chance of develop depression and the idea to end their own life tend to be higher. However, the more they believe that they matter to their university as a society, the less they will develop depression symptoms and the suicide ideation.

Social stigma and mental health impairment in people with leprosy: An integrative review

Objective To analyze the evidence as to how social stigma compromises the mental health of people with leprosy. Method Integrative review, searching the following databases: Pubmed/Medline, Cinahl, Scopus, Web of Science, Lilacs, BDENF and IBECS by VHL. The sample consisted of five primary studies, without temporal or language delimitation, following the PRISMA tool, and the analysis was synthesized and presented in synoptic tables. Results Mental suffering, anxious and depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, intense distress and social isolation were found as a result of the stigma suffered, which can be aggravated in the presence of sequelae, affecting work capacity and activities of daily living. Conclusion Social stigma acts as a psychosocial stressor, affecting emotional health, causing psychic damage to well-being and self-esteem.

Sexual Orientation, Mental Illness, and Substance Use Disorders Among Criminal Legal System-Involved Individuals.

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of mental illness, substance use disorders, and access to treatment among individuals from sexual minority groups who have been involved with the criminal legal system. This study used data from 195,239 heterosexual adults and 14,995 sexual minority adults ages ≥18 years surveyed in the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The authors compared mental illness, substance use disorders, and access to treatment between sexual minority and heterosexual adults by using multivariable logistic regression models and controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Approximately 9% of legal system-involved adults identified as belonging to a sexual minority group. Among legally involved individuals, sexual minority individuals were more likely than heterosexual individuals to have a serious mental illness, suicidal ideation, or depressive thoughts and to use inhalants, hallucinogens, alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine. Legally involved sexual minority individuals were also more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to receive treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders. The increased probability of receiving treatment for mental illness and substance use among sexual minority individuals was also observed when comparing sexual minority and heterosexual adults not involved with the criminal legal system. This study adds new population-based research to a limited body of evidence on the health disparities and mental health needs of legally involved sexual minority populations. More research and programmatic and policy interventions are needed to better support legally involved sexual minority groups in order to achieve mental health equity for this vulnerable population.

Network and Exploratory Factorial Analysis of the Depression Clinical Evaluation Test.

Depression is a highly prevalent disorder with a wide range of symptomatology. Existing instruments for its assessment have only a few items for each factor. The Depression Clinical Evaluation Test (DCET) has been created to cover all depression symptoms at different times (month, year, and always) with several items for each facet. The content validity of this instrument has been judged by experts and, in this paper, we analyse its factorial structure and make a network analysis of it. The test (196 items) was administered to 602 adults without psychological disorders (Mage = 24.7, SD = 8.38, 72% women) both online and on paper. A network was estimated for each time point, using the absolute minimum selection and shrinkage operator. From the factor analysis, 12 factors were established for month, 11 for year, and 10 for always, leaving 94 items. The network analysis showed that the facets of depressive mood, anhedonia, and thoughts of Death, are central to all the estimated networks. The DCET is proposed as a valid and reliable multifactorial instrument to detect the variability of depressive symptoms in adults, guaranteeing its diagnostic usefulness.

Task sharing and stepped referral model for community mental health promotion in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC): insights from a feasibility study in India

BackgroundThis study is a low-cost community mental health task-sharing model driven by university students to strengthen the mental health workforce in poor resource settings. This article presents the feasibility of a stepped referral model using the community health workforce and university students. The primary feasibility objective is to detect and refer people with mental illness from the community using a task-sharing approach.MethodsWe tested the model using a cross-sectional, one-phase door-knock survey in three geographically defined locations in Kerala, India, between May and July 2019. Students surveyed 549 residents above 18 years of age who consented to participate in the study to detect depressive symptoms and suicidality. The feasibility of the current model was evaluated based on four criteria: (a) identification and deployment of untapped human resources, (b) coordination of community health resources, (c) the acceptability of stepped referral pathways, and (d) identification of implementation challenges.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 38.8, and more than 62% of the respondents were women. The results showed that 11.29%, 8.38%, and 4.91% of people reported mild, moderate, and severe levels of depression, respectively, and suicidal thoughts were found in 6.9% and suicidal ideation in 1.8%. The odds of depression were higher among females compared to males (OR: 1.64 (0.75–2.52), poor people (OR: 2.01 (1.14–2.88), and people with chronic illnesses (OR: 2.03 (1.24–2.81). The agreement of the findings with professional-administered research validated the strategy’s efficiency. Twenty-seven patients with severe/extreme degrees of depression were sent for high-intensity interventions led by the mental health team, whereas 135 individuals with mild and above depression were referred for low-intensity interventions.ConclusionsThe newly recruited mental health workforce-driven screenings were acceptable and effective in detecting mental illness in the community population. We tested the care coordination systems and processes in creating referral pathways for the detected patients. Further, task-sharing stepped referral model will be tested in five panchayats (the lowest tier of local self-government) before replicating the model across India through Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) scheme.

The role of metacognition, negative automatic thoughts and emotions in migraine-related disability among adult migraine patients

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between problematic metacognitions, negative cognitive content and emotional distress, and migraine-related disability among adult migraine patients. The migraine group consisted of 74 patients. Forty-seven healthy volunteers with similar sociodemographic characteristics were selected as the comparison group. Sociodemographic form, Migraine Disability Assessment Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Automatic Thought Questionnaire, and Metacognition Questionnaire-30 were administered. Our results showed that higher depression, anxiety, stress levels, and negative automatic thoughts are significantly associated with more significant migraine disability. Our data also showed that high levels of depression and increased headache frequency predict migraine-related severe disability. We found that the frequency of headaches over three months and positive beliefs about worry significantly predicted the presence of chronicity in migraine. Our findings may help determine different approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques in treating migraine.

Mental health service availability for autistic youth in New York City: An examination of the developmental disability and mental health service systems.

Autistic children and adolescents experience high rates of co-occurring mental health conditions, including depression and suicidality, which are frequently identified by stakeholders as treatment priorities. Unfortunately, accessing community-based mental health care is often difficult for autistic youth and their families. The first obstacle families confront is finding a provider that offers mental health treatment to autistic youth within the many service systems involved in supporting the autism community. The mental health and developmental disability systems are two of the most commonly accessed, and previous work has shown there is often confusion over which of these systems is responsible for providing mental health care to autistic individuals. In this study, we conducted a telephone survey to determine the availability of outpatient mental health services for autistic youth with depressive symptoms or suicidal thoughts or behaviors in New York City across the state's mental health and developmental disability systems. Results showed that while a greater percentage of clinics in the mental health system compared with in the developmental disability system offered outpatient mental health services to autistic youth (47.1% vs 25.0%), many more did not offer care to autistic youth and there were very few options overall. Therefore, it is important that changes to policy are made to increase the availability of services and that mental health care providers' knowledge and confidence in working with autistic youth are improved.

Anxiety and social relationship among middle school adolescents in denpasar: a cross sectional study

Introduction: Mental health is a critical aspect of the adolescence period. Several symptoms, such as anxiety, loneliness, depression, sleep disturbance, and self-harming thoughts, are likely to emerge among adolescents with mental health issues. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the level of anxiety and social relationship in middle-school adolescents in Denpasar. Methods: This descriptive study enrolled a cross-sectional design. Eighty-eight middle-school adolescents in public and private junior high schools in the Denpasar City area were included as study participants. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and social relationship questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted by univariate statistical analysis. Results: Findings revealed that 43.5% of participants were experiencing a moderate level of anxiety. The moderate anxiety responses on the physical, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral aspects were also documented. The level of social relationships was identified as moderate, high, and low, with a total percentage of 45.7%, 27.2%, and 27.2%, respectively. These social relationships were characterized by moderate responsiveness, effective communication, and responsibility. Conclusions: Many participants were experiencing a moderate level of anxiety and social relationship. Thus, their skills in constructing good social relationships and managing issues were still insufficient. We suggest organizing a program that actively engages the role of parents and schools to prevent and promote mental health awareness and issues among adolescents.

Adolescents with substance use problems in outpatient treatment: a one-year prospective follow-up study focusing on mental health and gender differences

BackgroundAlthough several studies have found a high incidence of coexisting mental health problems among adolescents with substance use problems, follow-up studies addressing how these conditions change over time are rare. The study will describe and analyze indications of mental health problems and how various risk factors predict outcomes 1 year after initial treatment contact. In addition, gender-specific risk factors are explored.MethodsA clinical sample of 455 adolescents (29% girls, median age 17 years) answered a structural interview at baseline and were followed up using official records 1 year after initiated treatment. Bivariate associations and logistic regressions were conducted to analyse the links between risk factors at the individual, social, and structural levels as well as links between various mental illness symptoms at treatment start and indications of mental health problems 1 year later were analysed.ResultsThe results show that mental health problems among adolescents largely persisted 1 year after start of outpatient care for substance use problems. Forty-two per cent of the sample displayed indications of mental health problems at follow-up, and registrations for both outpatient treatment and psychiatric medication were more common among the girls. Girls also reported more mental illness symptoms at treatment start than boys did, especially anxiety. Depression and suicidal thoughts had predictive values regarding indications of mental health problems and small cumulative effects were found for 6–10 co-occurring risk factors.ConclusionsAdolescents with depression and suicidal thoughts at treatment start should yield attention among clinicians as these general risk factors could predict indication of mental health problems at 1 year follow-up effectively. Also, patients with more than six co-occurring risk factors seem more vulnerable for continued mental health problems. Generally, girls displayed a greater mental health and psychosocial burden at treatment initiation and were more likely to show indication of mental health problems at follow-up. These results suggests that girls are more likely to get psychiatric out-treatment parallel to, or after, substance abuse treatment. We recommend further investigation of gender differences and gender-specific needs in substance use treatment.

Association of Dietary Inflammatory Index With Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Older Adult: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2005-2018.

BackgroundThe relationship between diet and psychological disorders in older adults has attracted considerable attention as the global trend of aging. This study examines the relationship between Dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the risk of depression and suicide in older adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) as a large cross-sectional study.MethodsThe data were extracted from NHANES from 2005 to 2018, and cross-sectional studies were conducted on older adults (age ≥ 60 years). According to their median DII, participants were classified into High-DII (DII ≥ 1.23) and Low-DII (DII < 1.23) groups. Depression was the primary outcome, and suicidal ideation was a secondary outcome. Utilizing multi-factor logistic regression to correlate DII with outcomes.ResultsThere were 10,956 elderly participants included in the analysis. In comparison to Low-DII group, High-DII group exhibited a higher rate of depression (8.9% vs. 6.7%; P < 0.001) and higher ideation to commit suicide (3.7% vs. 3.0%; P = 0.039). Moreover, in terms of gender ratio, men accounted for 44% of the High-DII group, which was significantly lower than 56.2% of the Low-DII group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression revealed that High-DII group had a higher risk of depression in the previous 2 weeks (OR = 1.358, 95% CI: 1.180–1.564; P < 0.001) and a higher risk of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.244, 95% CI: 1.010–1.532; P = 0.040). Additionally, after adjusting for demographic covariates such as age, gender and race, High-DII group still had a higher risk of depression (OR = 1.293, 95% CI: 1.121–1.493; P < 0.001) and suicidal ideation (OR = 1.261, 95% CI: 1.021–1.55; P = 0.031). Furthermore, after adjusting for various covariates like demographic, social factors, and comorbidities, the High-DII group remained at higher risk for depression (OR = 1.178, 95% CI: 1.019–1.363; P = 0.027), and the risk of comorbid suicidal ideation remained high (OR = 1.136, 95% CI: 0.917–1.408), but the difference was not significant (P = 0.243).ConclusionIn older adults, high levels of DII are associated with depression and suicidal ideation. Multiple factors affect the mental health of older adults, and it is unknown to what extent a pro-inflammatory diet contributes to depression and suicidal thoughts in older adults. Nonetheless, daily dietary management in older adults should be emphasized.

Premenstrual Syndrome and Childbirth Fear Prior to Pregnancy in Young Women: An Association and Cross-Sectional Study.

SUMMARYOBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to determine the association between premenstrual syndrome and the childbirth fear prior to pregnancy.METHODS:This was an association and cross-sectional study conducted on 327 university students. Data were collected using “Participant Information Form,” “Premenstrual Syndrome Scale,” and “Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale.”RESULTS:It was found that the childbirth fear had increased in students with premenstrual syndrome. The Women Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale score was statistically significantly higher among students who preferred caesarean section than those who preferred vaginal delivery. There was a weak, positive, and statistically significant correlation between the students’ depressive sensation, anxiety, fatigue, nervousness, depressive thoughts, pain, appetite changes, sleep pattern changes, and bloating subscales of Premenstrual Syndrome Scale and Women Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale.CONCLUSION:The score of the Women Childbirth Fear-Prior to Pregnancy Scale increases with an increase in the score of the Premenstrual Syndrome subscale. It should be evaluated whether or not women experiencing premenstrual syndrome have the childbirth fear prior to pregnancy.

Affective Domain in Learning Taxonomy at Institution of Higher Education

In the new era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, students must equip themselves holistically with knowledge, values, and skills to be relevant to current job market requirements. This requires students to be empowered in the affective domain to achieve balance with the cognitive and psychomotor domains. Student involvement in substance abuse, as well as an increase in mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, are among the signs of a void in the affective or psychological aspects. The purpose of the paper is to highlight scholars’ discourse concerning the position of the affective domain and its challenge in integrating it into the learning taxonomy. This study involves utilizing content analysis of library documents. Data were processed using an analytical-synthetic descriptive method followed by deductive and inductive analysis. The results obtained showed that the cognitive domain was more dominant in the learning taxonomy, even though the affective domain has received more discussion. Accordingly, this study recommends conducting further research to incorporate appropriate elements from the existing taxonomy models with the main principle of Islamic education that emphasizes both psychological and spiritual development. Discourse on akhlaq and tasawuf in Muslim society is most noteworthy when it comes to applying the affective domain, allowing for complete conscious awareness of the mind (mindfulness) in human beings. A balance integration of cognitive and affective domains can be achieved to create a holistic human being as outlined in the Malaysiuan National Education Policy. As such, this will indirectly contribute to achieving quality tertiary education to ensure a prosperous society in this Industrial Revolution 4.0 era.

Мобильные приложения для поддержания психического здоровья: обзор оценок пользователей.

Aim of the study. Analysis of users’ reviews of mobile applications for mental health and self-management of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Material and methods. We have searched for applications containing at least 50 reviews in Russian and downloaded at least 5000 times in Google Play. In the study reviews of 7 domestic and 5 English-language applications were analyzed using the principles of thematic analysis. Results. Positive reviews prevailed over negative ones, the greatest interest of users is directed towards emotion diaries and chat-bots. The main topics of negative reviews concerned technical inconveniences, interfering advertising and poor design. However, a lot of critical comments have been revealed regarding the content – formulations, tests, recommendations and methods of assistance. Conclusions. Mental health apps represent a growing group of apps with a significant potential. Their development requires high professionalism and understanding specific features of the user group they are aimed at.

The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and common mental disorders among pregnant women living with HIV in Malawi

IntroductionAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to common mental disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depressive thoughts. We examined the prevalence of ACEs and their association with CMDs among pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) in Malawi—an HIV endemic resource-limited setting. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of 798 PWLHIV enrolled in the VITAL Start trial in Malawi (10/2018 to 06/2021) (NCT03654898). ACE histories were assessed using WHO's Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) tool. Depressive symptoms (somatic complaints, reduced vital energy, anxiety, and depressive thoughts) were assessed using WHO's Self Reporting Questionnaire 20-Item (SRQ-20) tool. Log-binomial regressions were used to examine the association between cumulative ACEs and each depressive symptom, as well as identify ACEs driving this association. ResultsThe mean age of our sample was 27.5 years. Over 95 % reported having experienced ≥1 ACE. On average, each participant reported four ACEs; 11 % reported sexual abuse. About 52 % and 44 % reported anxiety and depressive thoughts, respectively. In regressions, cumulative ACE scores were significantly associated with depressive symptoms—even after adjusting for multiple testing. This association was primarily driven by reports of sexual abuse. LimitationsData on maternal ACEs were self-reported and could suffer from measurement error because of recall bias. ConclusionsACEs are widespread and have a graded relationship with depressive symptoms in motherhood. Sexual abuse was found to be a primary driver of this association. Earlier recognition of ACEs and provision of trauma-informed interventions to improve care in PWLHIV may reduce negative mental health sequelae.

Stress Factors in Multicultural Adolescents

This study aimed to identify the level of stress in teenagers from multicultural families in Korea and examine the factors influencing this stress. This cross-sectional study utilized the 15th (2019) Korea Youth Risk Bsehavior Web-based Survey. Of the 57,303 survey participants, 749 reported that their father, mother, or both parents were born outside of Korea. These 749 multicultural individuals were selected as study participants. We examined general characteristics (sex, grade, parental education level, academic performance level, foreign nationality, residence type, economic status, exposure to violence, and frequency of physical activity), health risk behaviors (sexual activity, drug use, and drinking), and mental health factors (sleep, depression, and presence of suicidal thoughts) to determine whether these factors may contribute to multicultural adolescent stress. Multicultural adolescents who reported insufficient sleep, depression, or suicidal thoughts were more likely to experience stress than those who did not report these factors. Moreover, participants with insufficient sleep were 3.73 times more likely to feel stress than those with good sleep. Among general characteristics, health risk behaviors, and mental health factors, mental health factors were observed to significantly predict an increase in multicultural adolescents’ stress levels. Considering the increase in the number of multicultural adolescents in Korea, it is important to address the difficulties they experience to provide appropriate interventional programs. Such programs should include techniques to help with the management of stress.

Students’ perceptions and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pharmaceutical education in Bulgaria: A pilot project

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that impacted different aspects of daily life. Under such circumstances, digital learning emerged and was adopted by all institutions worldwide to ensure continued education. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the pandemic on pharmacy education in Bulgaria and present the perceptions and experiences of the students. Methods: This survey was conducted between April and June 2021. For the purpose of the study, a questionnaire with 13 open and closed-ended questions was developed and 115 pharmacy students completed the survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results: The challenges of the distance learning process mentioned by the students were: lack of teacher-student interaction, lack of laboratory practical classes and lower motivation to study. About 51 students (44%) reported they had good concentration during the online courses and 32% answered they had depressive thoughts. Conclusion: The lack of interpersonal communication, lower motivation and concentration are the most significant issues faced by pharmacy students during the pandemic.

Comparison of Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Among the Adult Population in Bangladesh, Before and During the COVID-19 Lockdown

AimsThe aims were to determine and compare the prevalence of possible psychiatric disorders among Bangladeshi adults before and during lockdown. It was hypothesized that prevalence of possible psychiatric disorders would increase during the lockdown. In Bangladesh, lockdown was implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in conditions where those prone to developing psychiatric disorders were more vulnerable in an environment where the mental healthcare infrastructure is already lacking. Although many studies outlined the devastating impact on mental health that the lockdown measures created, this unique study specifically uses a World Health Organization developed research instrument for a lower-middle-income country.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative study with one stage design to determine possible psychiatric cases. Initially, 603 adults were randomly contacted using Facebook messenger &amp; groups and email. Questionnaires including the validated Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ)-20 in Bangla, for screening psychopathology of the cases, and a structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic and other related variables, were inputted into Google Forms and hyperlinks were distributed. Eventually, 570 participants, from 18 to 77 years, with Internet access, who completed the questionnaires, were included in the study through purposive and consecutive sampling. The SRQ variables were divided into four categories: (1) depressive/anxious; (2) somatic symptoms; (3) reduced vital energy; and (4) depressive thoughts. Using IBM SPSS Statistics, paired sample t-tests were used during data analysis.ResultsThe mean age of cases was 34.69 ± 13.02 years; male: female = 1.41:1. The prevalence of possible psychiatric disorders was 43.9% during lockdown compared to 23.3% before lockdown (t = 19.497, P = 0.000). Before lockdown, sex and employment status were significant factors for the SRQ positive cases. After lockdown, in the SRQ positive cases, sex, educational status, COVID-19 positive cases and death due to COVID-19 among family members were highly significant (p = 0.0001) factors. Somatic symptoms and depressive thoughts were approximately double in prevalence among the SRQ positive cases during lockdown compared to before lockdown.ConclusionThere was a significant impact on mental health where a reduction in psychological and socioeconomic support occurred. These findings are in line with those in the literature where somatic symptoms have been identified as most commonly experienced during the pandemic. Increased depressive thoughts are associated with increased feelings of possible impending death and fear of an uncertain situation. Clearly, the mental health infrastructure of Bangladesh is in even greater need of rapid change to ensure resilience to the survivors of the lockdown.

Narrative Therapy Interventions for Depressive Symptomatology

Problems with depression are among the most common and most debilitating psychological issues for which professional help is sought. Narrative therapy offers practices that have been found useful in assisting individuals with depressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This article aims to contribute to the relatively limited literature by presenting a descriptive illustration of narrative therapy in the case of a client experiencing depressive symptoms. In particular, this article aims to demonstrate how the narrative therapeutic practices of externalization and documentation can be helpful for clients whose depressive symptoms have arisen as a result of the implicit acceptance and internalization of problematic norms, standards, and expectations. The article concludes that narrative therapy deserves serious consideration as an intervention for individuals who experience symptoms associated with depression.

Lurasidone-induced mania: A case report

IntroductionLurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic agent with potential antidepressant effects through its antagonist activity at the 5-HT7 receptor. Although treatment-emergent affective switch (TEAS) induced by second-generation antipsychotics are not frequent, several cases have been reported. To our knowledge, there is no evidence of lurasidone-induced TEAS.ObjectivesTo describe a case of lurasidone-induced mania.MethodsWe describe a clinical case of a patient admitted to our psychiatric outpatient unit who developed a manic episode, presumably induced by the introduction of lurasidone. We also conduct a review of the literature on this subject.ResultsA 37-year-old man diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and an alcohol use disorder was hospitalized due to OCD decompensation with depressive symptomatology and suicidal thoughts, and for alcohol detoxification process. Since he had a previous history of clomipramine-induced TEAS, he was started on lurasidone up to 111mg to avoid the use of antidepressants, showing a progressive improvement of depressive symptoms. Thus, the patient was discharged when alcohol detoxification process was completed. Eight days after discharge, the patient began to show manic symptoms, so he had to be readmitted. Lurasidone was discontinued and valproic acid up to 1000mg/day as mood stabilizer was added, presenting a positive remission of manic symptoms.ConclusionsAccording to our experience, lurasidone may have induced an affective switch in this patient. Based on our findings, patients and psychiatrists should monitor possible lurasidone-induced mood switching. However, further research is needed in order to back-up this one case report findings.DisclosureNo significant relationships.