Eating disorders are a group of mental illnesses determining general health consequences. Several studies suggest that social media influence body image concerns, considered the core of eating disorder pathology. Thin idealization has become an increasing cultural focus, leading young people to pursue body image as a symbol of success.

Aim of this study is to assess the quality and quantity of Social Network (SN) use and their influence on body uneasiness in individuals with Disordered Eating Behaviours (DEB) or Eating Disorders(ED)

69 individuals suffering from Disordered Eating Behaviours (Grazing, Sweeteating, Food Addiction) or Eating Disorders (Night Eating Syndrome, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa or Binge eating disorder) were enrolled. Mean age was 34 (SD ±11,33), mean BMI 28,68 (SD ±12,23). 93% of individuals were females. 20,29% (14) of the sample suffered from ED and 79,71% (55) from DEB. A social network self-administered questionnaire was used to investigate which SN was most used and what contents were most shown in users’ feed; domains investigated by the questionnaire are reported in fig. 1

Questionnaire analysis allowed to investigate individuals preferences about social media use and the kind of contents they consumed the most. The data showed the most frequently used social network are Facebook (42%), Instagram (33%) and Tiktok (22%). Healthy and/or fit contents were frequently displayed on SN feed 57.9% (40), but only 26,08% (18) of users were influenced in their lifestyle and food habits. 39,13% (27) of the individuals also felt like this kind of contents increased their sense of body uneasiness.

The study emphasize that 42,85% of the individuals diagnosed with an ED answered that SN content influenced their lifestyle and 71,42% that it increased their feeling of body uneasiness. In individuals with DEB only 21,8% were influenced in their lifestyle and 30,9% describe a worsening of their body uneasiness, as is shown in Tab.1.Tab 1

Image 1:

Social media contents about health, diet and sport impact on individuals body image, diet and body uneasiness, mostly in individuals diagnosed with ED. This evidence stresses the importance to take into account every component of ED and DEB for a global approach to individuals including an assessment on interests, hobbies and use of social media.

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Opioid dependence is a complex condition that often requires long-term treatment and care. Methadone, a synthetic full opioid agonist, and buprenorphine, a partial agonist at the opioid receptor, are commonly used in substitution therapy for opioid dependence, typically administered as an oral liquid or sublingual tablet. Transitioning from high-dose methadone to buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) poses a risk of precipitated withdrawal. This risk arises from introducing a high-affinity partial agonist (buprenorphine) at the mu-opioid receptor after it has been occupied by a lower-affinity full agonist (methadone). As a result, this transition is usually only performed for patients on low doses of methadone (<30-40 mg). Microdose induction has been proposed as a potential solution to facilitate a smoother transition to buprenorphine.

To present a case report of a rapid transition from high-dose methadone to buprenorphine depot, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of this process.

This case report describes a patient who was switched from 150 mg of methadone to 32 mg of sublingual buprenorphine using microdosing, and subsequently transitioned to a weekly 160 mg buprenorphine depot injection.

The patient was successfully transitioned to sublingual buprenorphine and later to buprenorphine depot without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Even later, the patient reported no signs of withdrawal and was satisfied with the buprenorphine dosage. The patient attended monthly check-ups with the doctor; however, 15 days after the transition, he began consuming alcohol and soon after, started using cocaine.

This report supports the use of microdose induction for initiating buprenorphine, particularly for patients stabilized on high doses of methadone who may struggle with traditional buprenorphine induction methods. Although the patient remained abstinent from opioids, he quickly relapsed with alcohol and cocaine, issues that had not been present during his methadone treatment. Regular and more frequent therapeutic assessments are very important for many patients to prevent relapse.

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The rapid increase in smartphone usage among minors raises significant concerns about problematic smartphone use in children and adolescents. As the first generations immersed in high-tech media, today’s youth may be more vulnerable to its negative effects compared to older age groups. Understanding these impacts is essential as smartphones become integral to daily life.

This study seeks to assess the prevalence of problematic smartphone usage among a group of children, explore its impact on social, emotional, and academic outcomes, identify associated risk factors, and above all evaluate parental awareness and intervention strategies.

An online questionnaire was administered to parents of children aged from 1 to 18 years. It included sociodemographic information, the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS) and additional questions designed to explore various aspects of smartphone use.

In total, 100 parents participated in the study. The preliminary results revealed that 60% of children started using smartphones before the age of 6 years and displayed signs of problematic smartphone use, with a notable negative correlation between high usage and academic performance. Additionally, half of parents expressed concerns about their children’s social skills, reporting that excessive smartphone use often diminished social interactions, communication and attention. Withdrawal symptoms were common, with 30% of parents indicating that their children experienced anxiety or restlessness when separated from their devices. Finally, 86% of parents expressed interest in receiving expert advice on healthy and balanced smartphone use for their children.

The results indicate a troubling trend of smartphone addiction among children.This highlights the urgent need for greater parental awareness and active strategies to manage smartphone use. Future research should focus on developing and evaluating intervention programs aimed at fostering healthier technology habits in children.

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Several authors have demonstrated that COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity (Wang et al., Int JERPH 2020; 17, 1729) Emotions and affective states as nervous, apprehension, despair, preoccupation was also studied (de Sousa et al., PSYCH 2024; 6(1), 163-176). Therefore, affective but also cognitive factors were important to the perception of the pandemic threat and its impact. In accordance, it seems important to understand if the perception of each one vulnerability to COVID-19 is related with the development of high levels of stress, depression and anxiety symptoms.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the relation between the perception of vulnerability, stress, depression and anxiety in public health threats, as COVID 19.

This study followed a cross-sectional design and its sample consisted of 600 participants, distributed between two countries (N Brasil=300; N Portugal=300). The instrument used to assess the three dimensions: stress, anxiety, and depression, with seven items each were the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item version (DASS-21) (Lovibond & Lovibond; BHV, 1995; 33, 335-43 ) presented in a four-point response scale (0-Not applied to me; 3- Applied to me most of the time). To assess the perception of vulnerability to COVID-19 a 5 item Likert Scale were used (1-Not vulnerable; 5-Extremely vulnerable). The protocol was developed online, presenting the objectives of the study, and ensuring the anonymity and confidentiality of data. A non-probabilistic sampling technique of convenience and snowball were used. The data was collected in 2023 and referred to COVID-19.

The results suggest that perception of vulnerability to COVID-19 are very similar in both countries (M Brazil= 3.20, DP Brazil= .98; M Portugal= 3.13, DP Portugal=.91). The values in Brazil of stress (M=7.40), depression (M=5.73) and anxiety (M=4.01) are higher compared to Portugal, with the following values of stress (M=4.07), depression (M=2.62) and anxiety (M=1.6). The perception of vulnerability is related with the three dimensions studied (stress, anxiety and depression) in both countries, with the following values in Brasil: Stress (r=.341; p< .01); depression (r=.270; p<.01) and anxiety (r=.316; p<.01). In Portugal the values of correlation were: Stress (r=.284; p< .01); depression (r=.252; p<.01) and anxiety (r=.350; p<.01). These results emphasized that relation between the perception of vulnerability and anxiety presented higher levels in both countries.

In conclusion, our study have shown significative relations between the perception of vulnerability to COVID-19 with levels of stress, depression and anxiety in the countries studied. Therefore, our data emphasized the relevance to study the perception of vulnerability in public health events to better manage and prevent psychopathological symptoms.

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Iimpaired cognitive functions are an urgent problem of modern neurology and psychiatry. Cognitive failure appears to be as etiologically heterogeneous syndrome, characterized by a decrease in memory indicators below the age norm, with unimpaired intellectual functioning and well-preserved activity. The wide prevalence of affective disorders and the leading role of the cognitive component in the process of personal self-development determine the undoubted relevance of studying the frequency and severity of cognitive impairment in affective disorders.

The purpose of this work was to study the cognitive impairment frequency and features in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA).

The study included 25 patients with an established diagnosis of GAD and 20 patients PDA. The control group consisted of 20 conditionally healthy volunteers. Cognitive function was assessed based on complaints, a study of visual-constructive skills, naming, memory, attention, praxis, speech, abstraction, orientation, using the Mini-mental State Examination scale and the Montreal Cognitive Function Rating Scale. The severity of anxiety disorders symptoms was determined during a clinical interview by a psychiatrist, as well as using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HDRS), Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI).

All patients in contrast to the healthy participants showed signs of cognitive impairment of varying severity. When studying cognitive function, the following was found:

1. patients with PDA were characterized by mild non-dementia cognitive impairment and showed signs of rumination - a tendency to think through the same stressful event over and over again. No memory or attention impairments were identified;

2. in patients with GAD moderate cognitive impairment was observed, the severity of which was obvious to both patients and their relatives in the form of impaired attention and memory, also in the absence of signs of dementia. The spectrum of cognitive impairment manifestations included impaired attention, executive functions and memory disorders. These patients were characterized by perfectionism, decreased confidence in their own memory, anxious doubts and double-checks.

Our data indicate that in all patients with affective disorders impaired cognitive functions are detected. GAD is characterized by a greater severity of cognitive deficits compared to those in PDA.

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The treatment landscape for mental health has transformed significantly with the emergence of digital platforms, which offer a promising public health solution by expanding access to mental health services. Despite their potential, further research is needed to evaluate both the usability and clinical effectiveness of these online interventions.

To investigate the usage patterns of an online mental health app and the effectiveness of chat-based emotional support (ES) in reducing psychological distress and achieving therapeutic goals.

The analysis included data from 3,751 users of ifeel app onboarded in 2023, 58% of whom were female and 42% male. Two main modalities were studied: chat-based therapy,( N= 3,170) and video therapy,( N=1,942), with some overlap as users could engage in both modalities. Key metrics for analysis included session frequency, session timing, session duration, and user demographics. The study also explored chat-based ES therapy by evaluating 113 individuals at two points in time: after one week of therapy, and after three weeks. Psychological distress levels were measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), and goal attainment was measured through self-reports over the two time points.

Usage data showed a strong preference for chat-based therapy, with 85% of users engaging in chat therapy compared to 52% who used video therapy. Younger users, particularly those aged 25-34, were the most active in engaging with chat-based therapy. On average, chat therapy users send between 14 to 17 messages per month, whereas video therapy users take 2 sessions per month. These results underscore the higher frequency of engagement in chat therapy, particularly among younger demographics. In terms of clinical effectiveness, psychological distress was reduced significantly at both one week and three weeks of therapy. After one week of treatment, participants showed a significant reduction in distress symptoms (F(1) = 5.10, p = .03*) this was evident also after three weeks (F(1) = 24.25, p = .000***). Goal attainment showed substantial progress over time, with significant improvements in both groups (F(1) = 5.03, p = .03*; F(1) = 31.61, p = .000*), indicating that users were making meaningful strides toward their therapeutic goals.

This study underscores the usage pattern and clear preference for chat-based therapy, particularly among younger users. Chat-based emotional support therapy was found effective in reducing psychological distress, suggesting that online platforms, especially those offering chat-based therapy, are both accessible and clinically effective. Further research should focus on refining these services to maximize clinical outcomes, adapt to diverse user demographics, and ensure long-term engagement.

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A case series of patients diagnosed with comorbid ASD and ADHD in adulthood is presented.

To make a comparison between the situation and social difficulties before and after specific ADHD treatment, in order to reinforce that it is not only a treatment for academic functioning, but also helps social interaction and therefore general functioning.

Four clinical cases are presented, three females and one male, with a mean age of 45 years. All of them were diagnosed with ASD and comorbid ADHD, with a predominance of impulsive component, in 2023.

All of them, prior to the diagnosis of ASD, were diagnosed with GAD, social phobia or even avoidant personality disorder. For these diagnoses, from a very early age, they received different SSRIs and benzodiazepines with little response.

In the consultation, after taking a complete clinical history, and fundamentally a biographical history, the examination was complemented with ADOS and CPT.

Due to the results obtained in CPT, it was decided to start treatment with lisafentamine between 50 and 70mg DMD.

CPT was performed again, obtaining better results in all cases, with a decrease in impulsivity and attention, mainly. At a subjective level, patients reported a substantial improvement, especially at a social level, which favoured their functioning in basic activities of daily living.

In adults, a correct diagnosis is important given that many of them present symptoms compatible with one or more neurodevelopmental disorders not diagnosed in childhood. Likewise, treatment in accordance with these disorders improves functionality and avoids polypharmacy and side effects of unnecessary treatments.

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In psychopathology, a dualistic approach often refers to the conceptual separation of the mind and body as distinct entities, which can influence how mental disorders are classified and diagnosed. This separation may lead to biased judgments and contribute to the stigmatization of mental health conditions. It can also encourage alternative conceptualizations of mental health disorders and promote new methods of classifying mental health issues beyond traditional biomedical or behavioral frameworks.

The goal of our research was to examine the impact of psychiatrists’ and psychologists’ dualistic perspectives on the biological model of depression using the PLS-SEM model.

This cross-sectional study carried out in the Republic of Croatia in 2018, involved 238 participants, comprising 122 psychiatrists and 116 psychologists. We applied the Maudsley Attitude Questionnaire to examine the preferences of psychiatrists and psychologists in choosing the biological model of depression. Their dualistic perspectives were assessed using the Stanovich Mind-Body Dualism Scale. In the PLS-SEM modeling, dualism and monism were observed as exogenous latent variables in the model, and their impact on the biological model, which represents the endogenous latent variable, was analyzed. All model indicators are reflective.

Psychiatrists (M = 14.71, SD = 2.27) and psychologists (M = 13.77, SD = 2.69) predominantly support the biological model out of Harlands’ 8 models of mental disorders in defining depression. The PLS-SEM initial reflective model is significant (p = 0.002) even though the fit indices provided mixed results. The GFI (0.963) and SRMR (0.059) suggested a good or acceptable fit, but the CFI (0.862) and RMSEA (0.095) indicated that the model requires further refinement. The R² value revealed that the model explained 61.3% of the variance in the endogenous variables.

Mental health professionals prefer the biological approach in explaining the etiology, classification, research, and treatment of depression. Supporting a dualistic perspective had a significant negative total effect (p < 0.05) on the choice of the biological model of depression.

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Depressive disorders among healthcare workers (HCWs) exhibit a range of clinical manifestations, from mild to severe forms, leading to significant consequences such as hospitalization, extended sick leave, and suicide attempts. Understanding these clinical features is essential for the implementation of effective mental health interventions and support services.

This study aims to analyze the clinical features of depressive disorders among HCWs, and to assess the relationships between these factors.

A retrospective descriptive study was conducted over an 11-year period on HCWs in Sousse, Tunisia, who took long-term sick leave for depressive disorders. Data were collected from medical records, and completed with a telephone questionnaire.

Out of 650 cases examined, 48% were classified as having severe depression, while 50% experienced moderate depression, and 2% had mild forms. Anxiety was the predominant clinical feature, occurring in 71.4% of cases and showing a significant correlation with depression severity (p = 0.001). Melancholic features were identified in 33% of the cohort and were also significantly linked to severe depression (p = 0.005). Hospitalization due to depression was necessary for 11.2% of cases, with 4.2% requiring multiple hospitalizations; notably, all hospitalized patients exhibited severe depression (p = 0.001). Additionally, 1.2% of the study population reported a history of suicide attempts, all of whom presented severe depression, although this finding did not attain statistical significance.

This study highlights the importance of understanding the clinical specifications of depressive disorders in HCWs, as severe forms are often associated with hospitalizations and a higher risk of suicide attempts. The results emphasize the need for early intervention and targeted support strategies to address these severe outcomes.

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Bipolar disorder features recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, and depression, with first-episode mania serving as an early indicator. The biological and psychological factors involved are not fully understood. Thyroid hormones play a vital role in brain metabolism, and their dysregulation has been linked to mood disorders, indicating potential abnormalities during manic episodes.

This study aims to evaluate the presence of thyroid dysfunction in drug-naive patients experiencing their first episode of mania compared to a healty control group.

This study included forty-eight drug-naive patients diagnosed with first-episode mania, who were hospitalized for treatment, and a control group of forty-eight healthy individuals. The healthy control group was matched for age and sex and had no history of psychiatric illness or treatment. There were no physical illnesses in either group. Symptom severity was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Serum T3, T4, TSH levels were measured in both groups. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of Selcuk Üniversity.

There were no differences in sex and age distribution between the groups. In the patient group, 54.2% (n=26) were female, with a mean age of 24.98 (±7.38). Additionally, 16.7% (n=8) had a history of depression, and 49.7% (n=23) exhibited psychotic features. Analysis of serum TSH, T3, T4, and the T3/T4 ratio showed no significant differences between groups (TSH: t=-0.466, p=0.642; T3: t=1.258, p=0.212; T4: t=-0.874, p=0.382; T3/T4: t=-1.291, p=0.200). T3 levels were higher in males overall and in the control group (t=-3.000, p=0.004; t=-3.753, p<0.001), but not in the patient group (p>0.05). Among patients, T4 levels were significantly higher in those with psychotic features (t=-2.410, p=0.020). Correlation analysis showed no significant relationships between thyroid function tests and clinical variables.

This study found no significant differences in thyroid function parameters between drug-naive patients with first-episode mania and healthy controls, suggesting that thyroid dysfunction may not be present at the onset of mania. While T4 levels were higher in patients with psychotic features, overall results indicate that thyroid abnormalities do not play a critical role in the immediate presentation of this disorder. These findings highlight the need for further research to explore the long-term relationship between thyroid function and bipolar disorder.

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Fahr’s syndrome/disease is a rare neurological disorder characterized by calcification in brain areas such as the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and subcortical white matter. The disorder may manifest with both neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Fahr’s syndrome has a genetic basis and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. It may also develop as a result of injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, or hormonal disturbances. If the calcification is idiopathic, the term Fahr’s disease is used.

The neurological symptoms of the condition include motor disorders, delirium, and dementia. However, it may also manifest in psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, cognitive decline, psychotic symptoms, and mood disorders. Available data indicate that the early onset of Fahr’s syndrome symptoms is associated with a worse prognosis compared to the later onset.

Our work aims to emphasize the necessity to look for/exclude the neurological basis of early forms of psychosis.

Herein, we present a case report of a thirteen-year-old patient hospitalized in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Poznań because of persistent psychotic symptoms. Due to severe headaches, episodes of vomiting, balance disorders, and hallucinations experienced before psychiatric hospitalization, the patient was referred to a neurological ward where imaging tests were performed revealing calcifications in both globi pallidi. Consequently, Fahr’s syndrome was diagnosed.

During the patient’s hospitalization in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, her mother reported that the patient had exhibited aggressive and self-aggressive behavior. Moreover, the patient’s school performance had been deteriorating for approximately two years before being admitted to the hospital. The girl described visual hallucinations (seeing figures) and auditory hallucinations (thought echo and hearing voices telling her to harm herself) that had been occurring for over a year. She expressed delusions of reference and delusions of thought insertion.

Interestingly, during the further diagnostic process, similar neurological changes as in the patient were found in her mother’s brain. This was unexpected because it was the patient’s father who was treated for schizophrenia (for formal reasons, it was not possible to check whether he also had neurological changes).

The patient was diagnosed with both schizophrenia and Fahr’s syndrome. Pharmacotherapy was implemented (olanzapine and then additional aripiprazole), and she was also provided with psychotherapeutic care. The implemented treatment has led to only partial improvement.

Further studies on Fahr’s syndrome are needed to better understand the disease course across the lifespan. Neuroimaging seems essential in early-life psychosis to exclude possible neurological basis of the condition.

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The scientific literature recognizes the Gut-brain axis (GBA) as a crucial connection between gastrointestinal health and mental well-being. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at a disproportionately higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders due to factors including gut dysbiosis and chronic inflammatory changes. Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, provide novel opportunities to predict the comorbid psychiatric outcomes in patients with IBD by analyzing complex datasets including but not limited to the gut microbiome and neuroimaging data.

This systematic review discusses the current evidence for AI-driven models to aid in the prediction of psychiatric disorders in IBD patients, with a focus on their performance and potential challenges around their clinical implementation.

A systematic search on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane databases, identified 28 studies utilizing AI-based models to examine gut microbiota and neuroimaging data in patients with IBD. Data extraction illuminated the following artifacts: classification thresholds (i.e. predictive), relevant supervised learning or deep learning modeling (e.g. random forest classifiers, convolutional neural networks, and unsupervised models like attention-based learning), sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and both accuracy measures and AUC-ROC curve values.

A pooled analysis of the included studies demonstrated an estimated sensitivity of 81% (95% CI: 77-85%) and specificity of 78% (95% CI: 73-82%) to predict psychiatric disorders in patients with IBD with the highest predictive accuracy elicited by studies based on microbiome and neuroimaging data. Yun et al. (2024), for instance, demonstrated a predictive accuracy of 86% using microbiome profiles and structural brain imaging data while Fil et al. (2024) elucidated the positive correlation between gut dysbiosis and psychiatric symptoms based on microbial signature models. Additionally, the variability noted in the predictive performance of the models was found to be based on the patient population, quality of data, and machine learning strategy.

AI models present promising evidence in predicting psychiatric disorders in IBD patients by leveraging microbiome and neuroimaging datasets. Overall, the meta-analysis reports strong predictive strength with high sensitivity and specificity. Future work in this field should focus on the validation of these prediction models in various clinical populations, improving their generalizability and standardization to enable widespread use and integration in the field of personalized psychiatry, especially in patients with IBD.

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Medical improvisation, or HPTI (Health Professional Training Improv), enhances critical skills in healthcare professionals. These skills include communication, empathy, time pressure management, and creative problem-solving. Our presentation aims to showcase a practical application of HPTI, demonstrating its relevance and effectiveness in mental health training.

In this presentation, we will demonstrate our training method, including a short session with exercises adapted to healthcare professions. The session is divided into four parts. Each part is designed to maximize engagement and learning, with debriefing sessions to clarify teaching objectives and foster reflective practice.

Warm-Up Exercises: Physical and vocal exercises to optimize communication and awareness. Improvisation Techniques: Exercises focused on mastering emotions and various forms of communication, allowing participants to explore their strengths and limitations. Medical Scenario Applications: Short clinical scenarios to emphasize the cognitive and affective dimensions of empathy. Review of Existing Workshops and Research: Presentation of current workshops and research to encourage further exploration and application in training. Each part includes a debriefing session to clarify teaching objectives, develop a reflective approach, and identify areas for improvement.

For our ongoing comparative study we have implemented the following questionnaires for our training participants: IUS (uncertainty intolerance scale) and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQII). A total of 50 students participated in our research in both countries.

Hungarian training participants included medical school students in Hungary and fourth-year speech therapy students in France and included professional scenarios based on stress and emotion management, interdisciplinary collaboration and collaboration with the patient, and communication, with debriefing on their performance. The data is currently being collected.

Applied improvisation through HPTI offers a valuable approach to improving mental health training. By enhancing communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills, healthcare professionals can provide better patient care and navigate their roles more effectively. Our presentation demonstrates these techniques and encourages their integration into regular training programs.

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Psychosis is characterized by hallucinatory and delusional experiences. Although, it was mostly considered to be present among clinical populations, there is strong evidence it can also be found in the general population. Limited reviews currently exist on the quality of the assessment methods designed to evaluate psychotic-like experiences in the general population. None of them assessed whether the existing instruments measure the same construct and, consequently, neglected problems associated with the “jingle-jangle fallacy” (Weidman et al., 2017; Flake and Fried, 2020). This fallacy might account for contradictions in the literature, as well as, issues with generalizability of the results.

The goal of our study is to better understand the agreement between various instruments used to assess hallucinations and paranoia-like experiences.

We conducted a systematic search of the scales assessing hallucinations and paranoia-like experiences among the general population. Labels for the content analysis were created based on their definition in literature by the first authors and revised by another researcher. Three researchers coded each item independently of each other. We then estimated to which extent any item overlaps with any item from the other scale included in the analysis. We used Jaccard index to assess similarities between sets (from 0 with no overlap among scales) to 1 (complete overlap). The analysis was done in R and Excel.

For 263 items from 11 hallucination scales, we estimated 38 labels with a mean overlap of 0.19 (very weak). CAPS demonstrated the highest mean overlap of 0.26. The highest overlaps were observed between MUSEQ and CAPS (0.5), MUSEQ and SPQ (0.4), and between LSHS-R and RHS (0.4). For the paranoia scales, the analysis of 183 items drawn from 12 scales resulted in 18 labels. The mean overlap across these labels was 0.30 - a weak association. The PIQ exhibited the highest mean overlap at 0.42, whereas the PSQ displayed the weakest overlap with a value of 0.17.

The overlap between hallucination scales was very weak. This disparity may be due to different instruments adopt varying interpretations of the hallucination continuum (Laroi, 2012). The weak overlap in paranoia scales may be less problematic, as theoretical models and empirical data suggest a more clear continuum of suspiciousness within the general population (Freeman et al., 2005) that maps our results. It is necessary to establish certain common grounds regarding what experiences represent which sides of the continuum, both in their variability, and severity in the field.

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It is well established that user behavior does not align with clinical recommendations regarding using medication in psychotic disorders, particularly bipolar disorder (BD). Nonadherence to treatment carries a high risk of relapse due to the recurrent nature of the illness and is influenced by multiple factors

The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of medication adherence among BD patients and to explore the various factors contributing to poor adherence.

This cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted with patient diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the Psychiatry “A” Department of Hedi Chaker University Hospital. Data on clinical and sociodemographic variables were collected between March and September 2023 using a questionnaire, alongside the Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) to evaluate treatment adherence.

A total of 37 patients with BD completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 45.4 ± 13.9 years, with a sex ratio (M/F) of 1.46.

In this study, 73 % of patients had BD type I and 27% had BD type II.

The mean MARS score was 7.14 ± 2.13 and 62.2% were adherent to their treatment.

Only 16.2% of bipolar patients discontinued their medication due to side effects, while 51.4% present unintentional poor adherence.

A significant association was found between treatment adherence and socio-economic status (p = 0.05).

The MARS score was negatively correlated with the number of hospitalizations (p = 0.05, r = -0.315)

This study highlights that treatment adherence in bipolar disorder is influenced by various factors, with socio-economic status being a significant determinant. The negative correlation between MARS scores and the number of hospitalizations suggests that better adherence is associated with fewer hospitalizations. Improving treatment compliance is crucial to reducing the risk of recurrence and hospitalization in BD.

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Childhood sexual abuse, a serious issue for all societies, is a complex experience that requires many legal and professional initiatives(Odacı et al. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar,2023).It is a widespread, multidimensional problem worldwide, with physical, mental, social, moral, cultural, and legal aspects(İşeri et al. Çocuk ve Ergen Psikiyatrisi Temel Kitabı,2008).

This study aimed to evaluate risk factors and medicolegal assessment results in children who were sexually abused.

The records of children who were victims of sexual abuse retrospectively reviewed at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, between January 2010 and December 2023.Sociodemographic, clinical, psychometric, and medicolegal evaluation data were analyzed.

Of the 537 cases that underwent medicolegal evaluation, 80.3% were male and 19.7% were female.The mean age at the time of sexual abuse incident was significantly higher in females(12.5±3.4) than in males(9.8±3.4).Before the incident, 63.0% of cases had at least one psychiatric diagnosis(most commonly Mental Retardation or Developmental Delay(57.5%), MDD(5%), and Conduct Disorder(4.7%)).The period after the incident, 77.1% had at least one psychiatric diagnosis(most commonly PTSD(57.9%) and MDD(49.7%)), most of which occurred after the incident.22.7% of the cases were victims of incest, 77.3% were victims of extra-familial abuse.The most common abuser was the father in incest(7.1%) and a familiar person(neighbor, etc.) in extra-familial abuse(22.4%).51.4% of cases experienced simple sexual abuse, while 48.6% faced sexual penetration.In 42.7% of the cases, sexual abuse was first disclosed to family members. In incest victims, compared to cases of extra-familial sexual abuse; the rates of being female(86.9%-78.3%), having successful-average academic success(55.2%-43.3%), having normal-borderline intelligence(77.7%-67.7%), having an unemployed father(25.5%-16.2%), being subjected to simple sexual abuse(63.1%-48.0%), being subjected to sexual abuse by a single perpetrator(90.2%-81.2%), being subjected to repeated sexual abuse(69.7%-45.8%), living in a broken family(66.7%-38.9%), not having a psychiatric diagnosis before the incident(50.8%-34.2%), and withdrawing the abuse allegation/complaint(18.9%-6%) were statistically significantly higher.The age at the date of the incident was significantly younger(median:11-13), and the time taken to apply to judicial authorities (months) was significantly longer(median:18.5-12).Predictive variables of incest have also been evaluated using logistic regression analysis.

In this study, the findings found in cases that underwent medicolegal evaluation support the literature findings regarding risk factors for sexual abuse and the negative effects of sexual abuse on children and adolescents.

None Declared

The CLUMP (CLinical Utility of early intervention including the 5-Step Precision Medicine (5SPM) Method) project is a translational research initiative that aims to improve adherence to antipsychotic (AP) medications and therapeutic outcomes in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). CLUMP seeks to apply an early intervention model of Personalised Precision Psychiatry, based on pharmacogenetics, to this clinical group. In this specific analysis, we examine time to discontinuation of the first prescribed oral AP treatments before the implementation of the CLUMP project in Salamanca, Spain, in order to determine the impact the new Personalised Precision Psychiatry model might have on it. Indeed, given the high AP treatment discontinuation rates already identified in pragmatic, randomised controlled trials including FEP patients, these data would offer additional information about such rates in real-world clinical scenarios.

1. 1. To assess time to discontinuation for the first prescribed oral AP treatments in FEP.

2. 2. To identify specific AP with higher retention rates, which might reflect better tolerability and/or effectiveness.

This study includes a consecutive, retrospective cohort of 42 patients with FEP treated immediately before the CLUMP project implementation, who were followed for at least one year. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess AP time to discontinuation during the first year post-treatment initiation.

Table 1 (Image 1) summarises median times to discontinuation and confidence intervals (CIs) for each AP. Survival curves (Image 2 and 3) depict treatment retention trends. The overall median time to discontinuation was 36 days (95% CI: 25-153 days), suggesting an overall high early AP treatment discontinuation. Results also showed very high variability across AP, with Paliperidone (264 days) and Risperidone (72 days) having longer retention times. However, most of the sample was initiated on Risperidone (71.2%), which affects the generalisability of these results.

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Concurring with previous randomised controlled trials, we identified a high rate of early AP treatment discontinuation in FEP treated in routine clinical practice. For most patients, the first prescribed AP was discontinued within the first month post-treatment initiation. These results emphasise the need for a more personalised AP treatment choice for patients with FEP.

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Psychiatry focuses on disorders of affect, behavior, and cognition (ABC), with half of all psychiatric disorders emerging by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24. Disorders are categorized into four types: Type 1 (affective disorders like depression and anxiety), Type 2 (behavioral disorders like ADHD and ODD), Type 3 (developmental disorders like mental retardation and speech/language issues), and Type 4 (dysfunctional disorders, including psychotic illnesses and mood disorders). These categories—emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and dysfunctional—form the ABCD framework in child psychiatry.

The study aimed to categorize childhood and adolescent mental and behavioral disorders into four groups: developmental, disruptive, emotional, and dysfunctional. It also sought to examine intra- and inter-group comorbidities, and analyze the clinical variables of these groups and their comorbidities by age and sex.

This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Guwahati, Assam, from September 7, 2018, to September 6, 2019. Existing diagnostic systems do not distinguish between child/adolescent and adult mental health, and there is a lack of a unified “common language” for childhood and adolescent mental and behavioral disorders. The study aimed to address this gap, particularly in the local geo-cultural context, where data for a new classificatory system is scarce. Participants included children and adolescents admitted to the Child Psychiatry Unit or attending the Child Guidance Clinic. Demographic (age, sex) and clinical variables (ICD-10 diagnoses) were studied, with diagnoses categorized into types 1–4.

Total sample size was 137. Adolescents (ten to 18 years of age) were almost double in numbers to that of children (below ten years of age). Boys outnumbered girls. Adolescents were more than children in both among girls and boys (even the single third gender was an adolescent). Most of the children and adolescents were having type 3 disorders, followed by type 1 and type 2 disorders. While majority had type 3 disorders below ten years of age (children), type 1 disorders were highest in the adolescents. Type 1 and type 3 disorders were almost equally distributed among girls, while boys predominantly had type 3 disorders. Within group comorbidity was maximum with type 3 disorders. Across group comorbidity was found mostly in type 2-type 3 disorders.

John Lennon “imagined” of having no countries and no religion too; thus, there will be nothing to kill and die for! Bono of U2 wanted to be there “where the streets have no name”! Likewise, we too dream of a land for child and adolescent psychiatry where if we cannot live without names then let us at least have a few and simple ones: ABCD!

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an under-diagnosed disease. Screening for this disease, assessing quality of life and combating smoking are key factors in the overall management of this pathology.

Our study aims to assess the effect of COPD on quality of life in smoking electrical technicians and their motivation to quit smoking.

We conducted a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional survey to assess the impact of COPD on quality of life among smoking electrical technicians and their motivation to quit smoking. A questionnaire was administered during a COPD screening day. Smoking cessation motivation was assessed using the Richmond questionnaire. COPD screening was carried out using COPD screening self-questionnaire from the French National Authority for Health. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) was used to determine the presence and severity of respiratory symptoms.

Our population comprised 24 male smokers. Motivation to quit smoking was low in half of the participants. Eleven participants (45.8%) were identified as being “at risk” of developing COPD. Cough, sputum and chest tightness were more frequent in participants at risk of developing COPD than in those not at risk, with a significant difference. The mean CAT score in participants at risk of developing COPD was 12.2 ± 9.7. The impact on quality of life in participants at risk of developing COPD was low and moderate to high in 45.5% and 54.6% of participants respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that motivation to quit smoking was not correlated with either the COPD self-screening score or participants’ quality of life.

COPD impairs the quality of life of workers at the electricity and gas company. Training sessions on breathing and anti-smoking actions in the electricity and gas company must be directed towards smoking employees by ensuring comprehensive management will serve to prevent the onset of COPD.

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Case-based learning holds a crucial place in psychiatric education. Through methods such as written scenarios, video presentations, patient simulations, or observing real patients, students are expected to gain clinical reasoning skills by observing psychiatric cases.

This study aims to generate case scenarios using ChatGPT-4 and create multiple-choice questions based on these cases.

A prompt was developed based on the literature to generate case scenarios for 12 psychiatric diagnoses, along with five related questions for each case (Figure) (Kıyak. Rev esp educ méd 2023; 4(3)). The scenarios and questions were organized into six forms, each containing two cases and ten questions.

A total of 12 psychiatrists, (5.33 ± 1.31 years of practice) evaluated each form in pairs. The results of the case evaluations are presented in Table 1, and the question evaluations in Table 2.

The evaluation confirmed that the case scenarios were typical for the respective disorders and included appropriate mental status examinations for diagnosis (23/24). The cases were deemed suitably challenging for medical students (20/24) and effective in assessing clinical reasoning skills (21/24). However, the questions did not meet certain criteria, such as appropriate difficulty (75/120), the presence of a single correct answer (86/120), and the plausibility of distractors (91/120). It is suggested that further work on the prompt is needed to improve the quality of the questions. While ChatGPT is suitable for generating case scenarios, the questions should be reviewed before use.

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