It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the fourth issue of 2015.
In our first article Otani and colleagues present a review and meta-analysis on the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for the treatment of auditory hallucinations (AH) in refractory schizophrenic patients. The authors concluded that rTMS appeared to be effective for treating AH. However, owing to the variability of the sample sizes, further studies are needed to confirm the findings.
De Fazio et al. investigated the impact of religiousness and spirituality (R/S) on patients with bipolar disorder (BD). It emerged that R/S serve as a psychosocial variable in the course of BD. The hypothesis that R/S provided either a protective factor as well as a provocative element in depressive or hypomanic phases could not be fully supported.
Gopalakrishna and colleagues explored the relationship between demographics, diagnosis and treatment on the length of stay (LOS) in psychiatric hospitals. While substance abuse was associated with a shorter LOS, mood disorders lengthened the stay. Similarly demographic variables like age and education resulted in longer stays, whereas marital status and employment were predictive of shorter stays.
Kim et al. sought to assess the difference in cognitive function and daily living skills between early- and late-stage schizophrenia. The authors concluded that significant differences were observed between patients with early- and late-stage illness with regard to social cognition and performance-based skills. Early-stage patients scored higher in social domains while the late-stage group had higher scores in performance-based domains.
Concerto and colleagues evaluated the long-term efficacy of rTMS in patients with treatment resistant depression. It emerged that high-frequency rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was a useful add-on treatment for mood disorders.
Peltzer and Pengpid sought to determine the prevalence of demographic, social and health risk variables and depressive symptoms among university students. The authors concluded that severe depressive symptoms were associated with demographic and social variables like female gender and lack of social support, traumatic life events like sexual violence and health risk behavior like tobacco use and irregular sleep patterns.
Doose and colleagues investigated the effect of physical exercise on patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). It emerged that depressed patients benefited from physical exercise programs. However, further studies are warranted to determine the optimal exercise mode, duration and intensity for MDD patients.
Ira et al. explored the possibility of an association between prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits and neurological soft signs (NSS) with negative symptoms. The results supported the hypothesis that NSS are trait markers and PPI deficits state markers, however their putative common biological substrate was not sufficient to confirm an association between them.
Atmaca and colleagues examined the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the hippocampus of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It emerged that CBT increased the level of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), a marker of neuronal integrity.
Sansone and Wiederman provide a short report on the efficacy of the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) as a proxy measure in diagnosing borderline personality disorder. The authors concluded that in comparison with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4 (PDQ-4), the SHI is a useful tool for measuring borderline personality symptoms.