Affective Symptoms Research Articles

Concurrent symptom domains and associations with recovery timelines among collegiate athletes with sport-related concussion

ObjectiveConcussion symptoms can be clustered into domains and understanding how multiple symptom domains present clinically may guide more accurate interventions. We investigate the associations between concurrent symptom domains and clinical...

Clinical, psychopathological and neurobiological aspects of affective disorders in children and adolescents with epilepsy

In order to study the clinical and psychopathological characteristics of affective disorders in childhood and adolescence and their relationship to neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies, clinical and psychopathological (using scales of comprehensive assessment of mental state and the Kovach M child depression questionnaire) and instrumental methods (MRI, VEM) examined 134 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years, diagnosed with epilepsy. Differences in the frequency of affective symptoms according to the SWAPS data were revealed, depending on the gender of patients and the form of epilepsy, as well as neurophysiological and neuromorphological changes that increase the likelihood of developing comorbid epilepsy affective disorders in childhood and adolescence.

More Positive Attitudes to Aging are Associated with Lower Subjective Cognitive Decline: Moderating Roles of Affective Well-Being.

This study cross-sectionally examined associations between older adults' aging attitudes and subjective cognitive decline as well as moderating effects of current positive affect and depressive symptoms. Data were collected via an online survey among U.S. adults 65+ (N = 339, 55.5% female, Mage = 71.7, SD ± 4.78) with no self-reported diagnosis of dementia. SCD was measured with the Everyday Cognition scale; attitudes to physical change, psychological growth, and psychosocial loss in aging were measured with the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire. A Poisson regression analysis showed that overall aging attitudes, attitudes to physical change, and psychosocial loss were associated with SCD, but attitudes to psychosocial growth were not. More positive attitudes to physical change were associated with lower SCD; more negative attitudes to psychosocial loss were associated with higher SCD. The association between more positive attitudes to physical change in aging and lower SCD was accentuated with lower current positive mood and higher current depressive symptoms.

Driving after Concussion: Symptom Clusters and Neurocognition Uniquely Relate to Post-Concussion Driving Performance.

To identify clinical concussion assessment outcomes that uniquely capture simulated driving performance among acutely concussed individuals, relative to controls. Cross-sectional design. Twenty-eight college students within 72-hours of concussion and 46 non-concussed controls participated in the study. We collected the following clinical concussion assessment outcomes: 4 concussion symptom clusters, 7 computerized neurocognitive domain scores, Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) total score, Balance Error Scoring System total score, and tandem gait completion time. The following simulated driving outcomes were included (count): total collisions, speed exceedances, centerline crossings, and road edge excursions. We used separate generalized linear mixed regression models fit using a Poisson distribution with group, assessment, and interaction effects. Higher migrainous symptoms (p < 0.001), cognitive-fatigue symptoms (p = 0.041), poorer visual memory (p = 0.015), and slower reaction time (p = 0.023) in concussion group were associated with higher risk of committing speed exceedances, relative to controls. Conversely, better performance on the continuous performance test (p = 0.046) and SAC (p = 0.045) in concussion group were associated with higher risk of committing speed exceedances relative to controls. Poorer performance on psychomotor speed (p = 0.001), reaction time (p = 0.031), cognitive flexibility (p = 0.004), and executive function (p = 0.003) were associated with higher risk of committing centerline crossings in concussion group, relative to controls. Conversely, better performance on the continuous performance test (p = 0.035) and higher affective symptoms (p = 0.013) were associated with higher risk of committing centerline crossings and road edge excursions, respectively. relative to controls. Our results highlight key symptom clusters and computerized neurocognitive outcomes that uniquely inform poorer simulated driving performance in acutely concussed individuals. Symptom clusters and computerized neurocognitive function might be helpful when discussing with patients about return to driving decisions post-concussion.

Measuring Emotional Reactivity: Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Versions of the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS) and its Short Form (PERS-S)

Objective: Individual differences in emotional reactivity are generally investigated using psychophysiological measures and self-report scales. This study aimed to adapt the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale (PERS) and its short form (PERS-S), which assess individual differences in emotional reactivity to positive and negative emotions with three subscales (activation, intensity, and duration), into Turkish. Method: Participants (N=393, 73% female; for usable data) completed the PERS and other related measures including positive and negative affect, emotion dysregulation, and psychological distress symptoms. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses supported the 6-factor structure of both the PERS and PERS-S. Results also showed that the Turkish versions of the scales can be used as 6- or 2-factor scales, depending on the research interest (PERS: χ2/df = 4.15, CFI=0.9, NFI= 0.9, RMSEA= 0.09 [0.085 - 0.094]; PERS-S= χ2/df = 3.19, CFI=0.96, NFI=0.94, RMSEA= 0.075 [0.067 - 0.083]). The positive and negative emotional reactivity subscales showed satisfactory internal consistencies (all ’s &gt; .63) and two-week test-retest reliability levels (all r’s &gt; .62) and were correlated with emotion dysregulation, psychopathology, and positive/negative affect. Conclusion: The Turkish versions of PERS and PERS-S are reliable and valid tools for measuring individual differences in emotional reactivity.

Trajectory, interactions, and predictors of higher symptom burden during induction therapy for multiple myeloma

BackgroundPatients with multiple myeloma (MM) experience disabling symptoms that are difficult to manage and may persist after induction therapy. Monitoring disease-related and induction therapy–induced symptoms and identifying patients at greater risk for high symptom burden are unmet clinical needs. The objective of this study was to examine the trajectories of symptom severity over time and identify predictors of high symptom burden during MM induction therapy.MethodologyEligible patients with MM rated their symptoms by completing the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory MM module repeatedly during 16 weeks of induction therapy. Group-based trajectory modeling identified patient groups with persistently high-severity (versus low-severity) symptom trajectories over time. Quality of life (QOL) and affective and physical functioning status were assessed. Predictors of high symptom burden were examined by regression analysis.ResultsSixty-four MM patients participated. Most patients (89%) received bortezomib-based therapy. The five most-severe symptom trajectory groups were pain (59%), muscle weakness (46%), numbness (42%), disturbed sleep (41%), and fatigue (31%). Patients in the high-severity trajectory group for the five most-severe symptoms (31% of the sample) were more likely to have high-severity cognitive and affective symptoms. Patients in the high-severity trajectory groups for fatigue, muscle weakness, disturbed sleep, and bone aches were more likely to have high pain scores (all p < 0.05). Significant increases over time were observed in scores for pain (estimate: 0.026), numbness (0.051), muscle weakness (0.020), physical items (0.028), and affective items (0.014) (all p < 0.05). A higher baseline composite score of the five most-severe symptoms predicted worse QOL (− 6.24), and poor affective (0.80) and physical (1.10) statuses (all p < 0.01). Female sex predicted higher risk for being in the high-severity trajectory group for muscle weakness.ConclusionAlmost one-third of MM patients suffer from up to 5 moderate to severe symptoms persistently, including pain, muscle weakness, numbness, disturbed sleep, and fatigue. Importantly, these results identify a group of symptoms that should be monitored and managed as part of routine patient care during MM induction therapy and suggest that pre-therapy pain management is necessary for better symptom control.

Beyond larks and owls: Revisiting the circadian typology using the MESSi scale and a cluster-based approach.

Chronopsychological research typically applied the morningness-eveningness dimension, resulting in a distinction between morning, intermediate, and evening chronotypes. However, in recent years, new measures have been developed that transcend the traditional "morning larks" vs. "night owls" dichotomy and better capture the complexity of individual differences in circadian rhythmicity. One such measure that addresses the multidimensional character of the circadian rhythm is the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability Scale improved (MESSi) which comprises three dimensions: morning affect, eveningness, and distinctness. However, delineating specific chronotypes using the cut-off points, as was commonly done for other established scales, is not possible in the case of MESSi due to its multidimensionality. In the present paper, we provide a first attempt to introduce a cluster-based approach to deal with MESSi scores. For this purpose, we determined the number of clusters to be extracted using data from our previous study conducted in Poland (N = 1106). Next, we attempted to replicate this cluster solution in another Polish sample (N = 768) and a German sample (N = 637). Finally, we also intended to illustrate how individuals assigned to the established clusters differ in terms of sleep parameters and other differential variables such as positive and negative affect, personality traits, depressive and anxiety symptoms, self-regulation, and self-efficacy. After segmenting MESSi scores by cluster analysis in the three samples we found support for a four-cluster solution, including four circadian profiles which we propose to label "intermediate-finches", "hardy larks", "night owls", and "vulnerable larks". This is the first attempt to introduce a cluster-based, multi-dimensional approach to dealing with MESSi scores.

The relationship between cognitive and affective control and symptoms of depression and anxiety across the lifespan: A 3-wave longitudinal study

IntroductionThe association between cognitive functioning and mental health symptoms across the lifespan remains poorly understood. Understanding the directional associations between mental health and cognition is important as most gold-standard psychological therapies, such as cognitive-behaviour therapy, are cognitively demanding. Here, we examined the directionality of the association between cognitive and affective control with symptoms of depression and anxiety across the lifespan. Methods1002 participants (87.2 % female, age range: 11–89 years) completed self-report measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms and an affective backward digit span task thrice at 3-month intervals. Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) were used to model the longitudinal relationships between affective and cognitive control with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Multiple-group CLPMs were applied to test the model invariance between adolescents and adults. ResultsThe results supported a unidirectional relationship, where symptoms of depression and anxiety predicted impaired affective control across time points, over and above cognitive control. There was no evidence for affective or cognitive control capacity predicting emotional disorder symptomatology. In addition, multiple-group analysis revealed that depressive symptoms also predicted impaired cognitive control among adolescents only. There were no age-related differences in the associations between cognitive and affective control with anxiety symptoms. ConclusionsOur findings support depression and anxiety as antecedents, but not consequences, of impaired affective control, suggesting that timely management of emotional disorders, in particular for adolescents, is essential to prevent deterioration in cognitive functioning. The results further signal that practitioners should consider impaired affective control capacity in therapeutic contexts.

Imaging the Unseen: Charting Amygdalar Tau’s Link to Affective Symptoms in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease

Imaging the Unseen: Charting Amygdalar Tau’s Link to Affective Symptoms in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease

THE CHOICE OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS: CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE

Antipsychotics are a group of psychoactive drugs that eliminate delusions and hallucinations, improve the ability to test reality and lead to the reintegration of psychological functions and enable a return to reality. In addition to antipsychotic, they also have sedative, anxiolytic, antidepressant, antimanic stabilizing, anti-suicidal and antiemetic effects, therefore the drugs are used in the treatment of various other non-psychotic disorders. The objective of this paper is to point out the contemporary findings in the best choice of antipsychotics.We live in the period of psychopharmacology’s rapid progress and our possibilities in the treatment of psychotic disorders are increasing. In recent decades, treatment with antipsychotics has been significantly improved due to the development of new antipsychotics with better therapeutic effect and safer profile of side effects. The basic mechanism of action of antipsychotics is dopamine receptors, with an effect on the noradrenaline, serotonin, histamine, adrenergic, and cholinergic systems, and indirectly on the gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamine system. All this makes the mechanism of action of antipsychotics extremely complex. There are several different subdivisions of antipsychotics, and in clinical practice the most common division is the so-called typical and atypical. Typical antipsychotics that achieve their mechanism of action by blocking the D2 receptor show effectiveness in the treatment of positive symptoms of schizophrenia, but have a much lower effect in the treatment of negative, affective and cognitive symptoms. They often have significant side effects. Atypical antipsychotics work on both positive and negative symptoms of psychosis. In severe forms of psychosis, they are often insufficient in the treatment of positive symptoms, so we are forced to use a combination of antipsychotics. Although antipsychotic monotherapy is the ideal therapy, in practice we are often forced to combine two or more antipsychotics, as well as combine antipsychotics with other groups of psychopharmaceuticals. It is not easy to answer whether combinations of antipsychotics are useful or not. The key to success is an individual approach, careful selection of the type and dose of antipsychotics, and the inclusion of psycho and socio-therapeutic methods that are indicated in each case individually. Keywords: antipsychotics, choice, contemporary knowledge.

The Association Between Change in Symptom Severity and Personal Recovery in Patients With Severe Mental Illness

Abstract This study examined the relationship between change in symptom severity and personal recovery in patients with severe mental illness (SMI). Forty-nine outpatients at Mentrum/Arkin, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, were assessed at baseline and 3 years later, using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Mental Health Recovery Measure. Correlation coefficients and linear regression analyses were used. Further, the impact of severity of symptoms at baseline on change in personal recovery was evaluated. Results show that change in symptom severity explained 31.8% of the variance of change in personal recovery. Change in depression/anxiety explained 27.3% of the variance of change in personal recovery. Higher affective symptom severity at baseline significantly predicted positive change in personal recovery. In conclusion, besides change in symptom severity, other potential determinants of personal recovery should be addressed in treatment of patients with SMI, for example, self-esteem and social functioning. Treatment of depression/anxiety symptoms may increase personal recovery.

Negative affect and pain catastrophizing link borderline personality disorder to pain: Replicating and extending the borderline personality disorder-pain association.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is commonly comorbid with chronic pain and associated with pain symptoms and interference. BPD features are associated with negative affect, which is associated with pain catastrophizing and/or pain anxiety, and finally pain severity or interference. We extended models of the BPD-pain associations in a chronic pain sample (N = 202), highlighting the role of negative affect (depression and anxiety) and pain catastrophizing, and exploring the potential benefit of emotional suppression/distraction as a component of these associations. BPD symptoms were positively associated with pain severity, mediated by negative affect and pain catastrophizing, supporting a cognitive-affective pathway linking BPD to pain experiencing. There was only minor evidence for the benefit of incorporating emotional suppression/distraction into research or treatment on the BPD-pain association. We provide clinical implications based on targeting affective symptoms and catastrophizing among individuals with co-occurring chronic pain and BPD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in Private Psychiatric Outservice Related to SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which began in late 2019, initially manifested with acute respiratory symptoms, including bilateral pneumonia, and later emerged as a systemic disease. This brief report assesses changes in the clinical profiles of psychiatric outpatients before, during, and after the pandemic’s most severe periods, focusing on mood, anxiety, and cognitive symptoms. Data from a private psychiatric facility in Rome reveal that both pandemic-related stressors and SARS-CoV-2 infection itself may contribute to enduring affective and cognitive symptoms in both older and younger adult subgroups. Notably, during the pandemic, older patients showed elevated psychopathology scores (BPRS-24) compared to younger individuals. In the post-pandemic period, younger adults exhibited increased positive symptoms on the PANSS Positive subscale, suggesting a gradual worsening in symptoms post-pandemic ( = 0.47). Cognitive assessments (MMSE and PM38) further highlighted fluctuating performance over time, with older adults showing two distinct declines during the pandemic and in 2024. This work underscores the importance of sustained mental health interventions to address the pandemic’s psychosocial and neuroinflammatory legacy. This perspective also considers new data on the CNS effects of “toxin-like peptides” synthesized by microbiome bacteria.

The impact of affective and negative symptoms on the development of psychosis in a six-year follow-up of a community-based population.

The Clinical High Risk (CHR) concept has a limited transition risk to psychotic disorders (PD). This study investigates the association between affective and negative symptoms, currently not included in the CHR concept, and the risk of transition to PD in a community-based population of 2185 participants in Turkey. Participants were assessed twice over six years using a multistage sampling technique. Two separate linear regression analyses were conducted on data from both assessments, investigating the relationship between affective and negative symptoms, subclinical and clinical psychotic experiences (PE) and progression to PD. The overall transition rate to PD was 1.3%. The analysis showed no increased risk of developing PD for the 'subclinical PE only' group at follow-up, compared to the 'no PE' group. However, being classified as having 'clinical PE only' (OR: 6.23; p = 0.010) and 'clinical PE + affective/negative symptoms' (OR: 8.48; p = 0.001) at baseline was associated with an increased risk of developing PD at follow-up. The presence of 'affective/negative symptoms' at baseline was associated with an increased risk of incident subclinical PE (RR: 1.98; p = 0.001), incident clinical PE (RR: 3.14; p = 0.001), and incident PD (RR: 4.21; p = 0.030) at follow-up. The results confirm the significance of the baseline severity of positive symptoms in predicting the transition to PD and suggest that both positive and affective/negative symptoms impact the transition risk to PD and incident psychotic symptoms. This highlights the potential utility of defining CHR groups based on a combination of positive, affective, and negative symptoms.

Changes in Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Cognitive-Affective Symptoms in Patients With Post-Concussion Syndrome Treated With N-Acetyl Cysteine.

Concussion accounts for more than 80% of people experiencing traumatic brain injury. Acute concussion is associated with characteristic cognitive and functional deficits that may persist for weeks to months. A subgroup of these patients (from 10% to 50%) have persistent symptoms referred to as chronic post-concussion syndrome (PCS). There are limited treatment options for these patients and the pathophysiology is poorly understood, though oxidative stress is thought to be a contributing factor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), might be beneficial in patients with PCS. Outpatient medicine center. Fifty patients with chronic PCS for at least 3 months post injury. The patients with PCS were enrolled in this randomized unblinded clinical trial to receive the antioxidant NAC as a combination of daily oral and weekly intravenous infusions, or assigned to a waitlist control group where they would continue to receive standard of care. Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) magnetic resonance imaging (rsFC-MRI) was performed pre and post either NAC or the waitlist period along with cognitive, emotional, and sensory symptom assessments. The results demonstrated significant (P <.05) improvements in symptoms as determined by the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Profile of Mood Scale in the PCS group receiving NAC as compared to patients receiving ongoing standard care. Importantly, there were significant (P<.01) changes in FC in the NAC group, particularly in networks such as the default mode network, salience network, and executive control network. These changes in FC also correlated with improvements in symptoms. In patients with chronic PCS, NAC treatment was associated with significant changes in resting state FC and improvement in a variety of symptoms, particularly cognitive and affective symptoms.

Interoceptive disturbances in patients with functional movement disorders

Abstract. Functional movement disorders (FMD) are frequently encountered in the clinical practice of a neurologist. They are on the border of neurology and psychiatry, but the pathogenesis of the disease is still an open question. One of the causes of FMD development is considered to be interoception disorder.Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate interoceptive awareness in patients with FMD and its relationship with the severity of motor, affective, and other somatic disorders and quality of life.Material and methods. The study included 34 patients with FMD and 31 healthy volunteers, in whom interoceptive awareness was assessed using the MAIA-R scale, quality of life (SF-36), concomitant somatic symptoms (PHQ-15), and affective symptoms (HADS). The severity of FMD was assessed using the PMDRS scale. Results. The findings revealed that patients with FMD exhibit less trust in the sensations of their own bodies and tend to focus primarily on discomfort sensations. Patients with FMD also showed greater expression of concomitant somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depression. Quality of life was reduced due to the physical component of health.Conclusion. Interoceptive awareness is related to patients’ emotional characteristics and is not associated with the severity of motor impairment. The results demonstrate changes in the processing of an interoceptive information.

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial.

The cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) encompasses cognitive and affective symptoms in patients with cerebellar disorders, for which no proven treatment is available. Our primary objective was to study the effect of cerebellar anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive performance in CCAS patients. Secondary effects on ataxia severity, mood, and quality of life were explored. We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. Thirty-five patients with CCAS were included and received 10 sessions of 20 minutes sham (n = 17) or real (n = 18) tDCS, with a current of 2 mA. Cognitive performance was assessed using executive function subtests of the computerized Test of Attentional Performance (TAP), with the composite as primary endpoint. Secondary outcomes were ataxia severity, mood, and quality of life. Outcomes were evaluated 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-intervention. Cerebellar tDCS was well tolerated and no serious adverse events related to the intervention occurred. No significant tDCS effect was found on cognitive performance. Improvement on the TAP was observed in the sham group 1 month post-treatment (estimate = -0.248, 95% CI, -0.49 to -0.01), but not clinically relevant. A positive tDCS effect was observed for ataxia severity 1 month post-treatment (estimate = -0.985, 95% CI, -1.94 to -0.03). Ten sessions of 20 minutes cerebellar anodal tDCS did not prove efficacious for CCAS-related cognitive impairment, but a significant positive effect of tDCS was found for ataxia severity, aligning with previous findings indicative of tDCS as a therapeutic neuromodulation tool in cerebellar disorders. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Brain-targeted autoimmunity is strongly associated with Long COVID and its chronic fatigue syndrome as well as its affective symptoms

IntroductionAutoimmune responses contribute to the pathophysiology of Long COVID, affective symptoms and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). ObjectivesTo examine whether Long COVID, and its accompanying affective symptoms and CFS are associated with immunoglobulin (Ig)A/IgM/IgG directed at neuronal proteins including myelin basic protein (MBP), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), synapsin, α + β-tubulin, neurofilament protein (NFP), cerebellar protein-2 (CP2), and the blood–brain-barrier-brain-damage (BBD) proteins claudin-5 and S100B. MethodsIgA/IgM/IgG to the above neuronal proteins, human herpes virus-6 (HHV-6) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were measured in 90 Long COVID patients and 90 healthy controls, while C-reactive protein (CRP), and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) in association with affective and CFS ratings were additionally assessed in a subgroup thereof. ResultsLong COVID is associated with significant increases in IgG directed at tubulin (IgG-tubulin), MBP, MOG and synapsin; IgM-MBP, MOG, CP2, synapsin and BBD; and IgA-CP2 and synapsin. IgM-SARS-CoV-2 and IgM-HHV-6 antibody titers were significantly correlated with IgA/IgG/IgM-tubulin and -CP2, IgG/IgM-BBD, IgM-MOG, IgA/IgM-NFP, and IgG/IgM-synapsin. Binary logistic regression analysis shows that IgM-MBP and IgG-MBP are the best predictors of Long COVID. Multiple regression analysis shows that IgG-MOG, CRP and AOPP explain together 41.7 % of the variance in the severity of CFS. Neural network analysis shows that IgM-synapsin, IgA-MBP, IgG-MOG, IgA-synapsin, IgA-CP2, IgG-MBP and CRP are the most important predictors of affective symptoms due to Long COVID with a predictive accuracy of r = 0.801. ConclusionBrain-targeted autoimmunity contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of Long COVID and the severity of its physio-affective phenome.

Mindfulness Meditation Improves Mental Health in Flood Survivors and Disaster Volunteers: A Randomized Wait-List Controlled Trial

ObjectivesBeing affected by a natural disaster or helping victims can impact mental health. This study aimed to examine whether a digital mindfulness intervention positively affects self-compassion, life satisfaction, and positive affect, and alleviates negative affect, perceived stress, and pathological symptoms in victims and volunteers of the flood disaster in Germany in July 2021.MethodParticipants were 146 people affected by the flood (via house, n = 88; friends, n = 100; workplace, n = 54) and/or volunteered after the disaster (n = 86). After the randomized assignment, 74 received a 6-week application-based mindfulness intervention, and 72 were allocated to the wait-control condition. The control group received the same intervention 6 weeks later. Before (T1) and after (T2) the intervention of the first group and after the intervention of the control group (T3), participants filled out questionnaires regarding different aspects of mental health.ResultsWe found significant interaction effects of time and intervention for all variables (self-compassion, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, perceived stress, and pathological symptoms), indicating effectiveness of the digital mindfulness intervention. No deterioration were found between T2 and T3 in the intervention group for any of the variables.ConclusionsThe 6-week digital mindfulness program positively affected the mental health of both disaster victims and volunteers. Therefore, a digital mindfulness intervention could be a good alternative in situations where group programs or face-to-face meetings are infeasible.

New precursors of ill mental health and the “at risk” adolescent brain: Implication for prevention

Precursors are evoked upstream of the Capgras’ syndrome. Then, an analogy is suggested between the need for prognostic classification linked to the saturation of the asylum population at the dawn of the 20th century, and the current overflow of the psychiatric healthcare system. The contemporary situation justifies the search for information useful to mitigate ill mental health in at-risk adolescents. The article presents recent research reports on adolescents at-risk of emotional dysregulation, stemming from a longitudinal cohort database of European adolescents. The database analyses have revealed new brain and psychometric predictors of emotional dysregulation in adolescents. New early indicators were derived from easy-to-administer questionnaires, exploring emotions, affective symptoms and traits, sleep, early adversity and stress, puberty. Findings suggest that the physiology and stages of brain development could be taken into account for decisions regarding Mental Health. Studies on adolescent brain development have implications for public health, in terms of the age of protection for adolescents, and targeted prevention upstream of care.