Dear colleagues,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the second issue of 2022.
In our highlighted article of this issue, Vismara et al. study the prevalence of cyberchondria (CYB) in individuals suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression (MD) and anxiety disorders (AD). Results from the assessment of CYB frequency and severity revealed higher scores in both frequency and severity in patients suffering from OCD, MD and AD as compared to healthy controls. Up to 20% of patients experience increased levels of anxiety with higher CYB frequency. These findings are especially important, as the internet is increasingly used to obtain health-related information and thus, special care should be devoted to CYB in clinical samples.
Peker et al. elucidate the effects of psychological resilience and coping with stress on COVID-19 fear, happiness and stress in adults by using various scales, such as the COVID-19 Fear Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale. Results show that psychological resilience and the successful coping with stress reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 on perceived stress and happiness levels.
In order to evaluate the long-term impact of first COVID-lockdown on emergency psychiatric consultations, Capuzzi et al. compared data on number of consultations, drug use and subjects with and without psychopathological disorders. Authors described an increased number of emergency consultations and higher amount of drug consumption during-lockdown phase as compared to post-lockdown. However, patients with anxiety disorders were more likely to require emergency psychiatric consultation during the post-lockdown period as compared to during-lockdown phase.
In a study by Miniksar et al., researchers investigate the phenomenology, comorbidity and family psychiatric characteristics of childhood trichotillomania (TTM) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Amongst other results, symptom severity was significantly higher in the TTM- OCD group as compared to the OCD-only group. This suggests that even though TTM is classified under the category of OCDs, examined differences might allude to equal differences in psychobiology.
Turna et al. examined characteristics of mental health during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, Canada, Italy and Brazil. Analysis showed that, despite the differences in infrastructure and mortality between the countries, mental health disorders were increasingly reported by healthcare practioners (HCP) compared to the pre-pandemic time period. Nevertheless, Canadian HCPs reported significantly higher anxiety and depression in patients, as well as increased cannabis and alcohol use in the patient population.
Pippal and colleagues investigate the relationship between telomere length (TL) and the efficacy of long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) and oral atypical antipsychotic (OAA) in patients with schizophrenia. Interestingly, researchers found that telomere length seems to be negatively associated with treatment outcome, as patients with shorter TL show greater responsiveness to antipsychotics with reduced negative syndrome scores on the Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). This reveals the potential of TL to be able to predict the improvement of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
In their systematic literature review Gerhand et al. examine the prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adult individuals with psychiatric disorders. Authors found that ADHD is significantly underdiagnosed amongst the psychiatric population. Intriguingly, researchers also noted that there is a great variability in the assessment of ADHD and possible comorbidities. This finding might arguably be a contributing factor to underdiagnosing ADHD in individuals suffering from psychiatric disorders and ought to receive special attention in clinical practice.
Thanigaivel et al. systematically reviewed clozapine medication during pregnancy and its relation to maternal and infant outcomes. Considering 481 studies in total, authors did not find any instance in which clozapine posed a significant health risk to either mother or infant. Regardless of this limited evidence, researchers still suggest close monitoring of mother and infant and a risk/benefit analysis ought to be conducted in relation to the continuation of clozapine treatment.
In their comprehensive overview, Martins et al. aimed at deepening the understanding on the relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and mood disorders (MD) and available therapeutic opportunities. Interestingly, authors found that anti-diabetic drugs seem to assist in the treatment of MD in patients suffering from DM, while anti-depressant medication does not affect glycaemic control in patients with DM. Nevertheless, more clinical research is needed to assess the potential of anti-diabetic drugs to function as anti-depressants.
In a meta-analysis by Lazzari and Rabottini, authors examined the effects of prolonged loneliness and social isolation in older people on the risk of developing dementia. This is especially relevant, as during the COVID-19 pandemic the older population was exposed to prolonged periods of social isolation. Remarkably, researchers found that aforementioned circumstances indeed lead to a 49–60% higher risk in older individual to develop dementia.
Oudman et al. investigate Korsakoff’s syndrome (KS) and the differences in confabulations between post-acute and chronic incidences of KS. Surprisingly, confabulations were existent in both patient groups as compared to traditional findings, where confabulations seemed to be apparent only in post-acute periods of the illness. Additionally, patients in long-term care facilities seemed to have significantly more confabulations than those in diagnostic centres.
In a longitudinal study, Ustohal and colleagues researched the hemodynamic and white blood cell parameters in patients with first-episode psychosis. Findings reveal a decline in cardiovascular (CVS) health over the course of one year. Since patients suffering from schizophrenia are at a greater risk of cardiovascular related mortality, special attention must be paid to CVS health markers in this patient sample population.
I hope you find this issue insightful.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).