Developing STEP-SE: A Qualitative Usability Study of a Novel Patient-Reported Outcomes Tool for Managing Side Effects in Shared Decision-Making for Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder Care.

Background: Schizophrenia treatment with antipsychotics often results in side effects that impact adherence and quality of life. Managing these effects remains challenging, as it requires balancing efficacy and tolerability. The Schizophrenia Technological Evaluation of Patient Side Effects (STEP-SE) app aims to aid side effects monitoring and management through shared decision-making (SDM).

Disability and Adverse Effects of Oral Versus Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia-Spectrum and Bipolar Disorder: A Comparison Based on Data-Driven Taxonomy.

Background: Patients undergoing antipsychotic treatment for psychiatric disorders may experience challenges in functioning, either stemming from the severity of the illness or from the tolerability issues of prescribed medications.

Objectives: The aims of this cross-sectional study are to investigate the impact of adverse effects of antipsychotic drugs on patients' daily life functioning, comparing oral and long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics, and further dividing antipsychotics by receptor-binding profiles based on recently defined data-driven taxonomy.

Methods: This study involved patients with schizophrenia and bipolar spectrum disorders taking oral or LAI antipsychotics.

Personality dimensions, depression, and eating behavior in individuals seeking bariatric surgery: a cluster analysis.

Introduction: Psychiatric comorbidity is frequent in bariatric surgery candidates. This study aimed to classify bariatric surgery patients according to patterns of preoperative measures of the severity of the eating disorder (ED), depression, and personality traits.

Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, 115 adult candidates for bariatric surgery (75 females, 65.

COVID-19 and Mental Health: A "Pandemic Within a Pandemic".

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes in daily life for humanity and has had a profound impact on mental health. As widely acknowledged, the pandemic has led to notable increases in rates of anxiety, depression, distress, and other mental health-related issues, affecting both infected patients and non-infected individuals. COVID-19 patients and survivors face heightened risks for various neurological and psychiatric disorders and complications.

Combined Effect of Red Wine and Mocha Pot Coffee in Mild Vascular Cognitive Impairment.

Objectives: Moderate daily mocha pot coffee intake has been associated with better mood and cognition in patients with mild vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Similarly, moderate red wine consumption has shown protective effects on cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The aim of this study was to explore the synergistic relation between red wine and coffee intake on mood and cognitive status in mild VCI patients at risk for dementia.

Targeting the adenosinergic system in restless legs syndrome: A pilot, "proof-of-concept" placebo-controlled TMS-based protocol.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder characterized by an urge to move the legs that is responsive to movement (particularly during rest), periodic leg movements during sleep, and hyperarousal. Recent evidence suggests that the involvement of the adenosine system may establish a connection between dopamine and glutamate dysfunction in RLS. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive electrophysiological technique widely applied to explore brain electrophysiology and neurochemistry under different experimental conditions.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Background: Gambling Disorder (GD) is a behavioral addiction listed within the diagnostic category of substance-related and addictive disorders. Recently, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which non-invasively stimulates the brain and has neuromodulatory properties, has emerged as an innovative treatment tool for GD, thus offering a new option for the management of this complex disorder. The present review explored the efficacy of TMS as a possible non-pharmacological treatment for GD.

PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF M-HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA.

The growing influence of technology in the realm of mental health presents promising prospects for patients with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. The objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder regarding the utilization of technology and social media. The qualitative methodology used consists of an individual structured interview and the data were subjected to thematic analysis.

Personality Traits and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: A Narrative Review.

(1) Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative autoimmune disease. Fatigue is a prevalent and debilitating symptom that significantly impacts the quality of life of these patients. A relationship between personality traits and fatigue in MS has been hypothesized but not clearly defined.

The association between polygenic risk scores for mental disorders and social cognition: A scoping review.

People with mental disorders, such as psychosis or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often present impairments in social cognition (SC), which may cause significant difficulties in real-world functioning. SC deficits are seen also in unaffected relatives, indicating a genetic substratum. The present review evaluated the evidence on the association between SC and the polygenic risk score (PRS), a single metric of the molecular genetic risk to develop a specific disorder.

Exploring Personal Recovery in Schizophrenia: The Role of Mentalization.

Recovery is a broadly debated concept in the field of psychiatry research and in schizophrenia. Our study aims to understand the correlation between personal recovery from schizophrenia and factors such as mentalization, disability, quality of life, and antipsychotic side effects; Methods: Participants with schizophrenia (according to DSM-5 criteria) were consecutively recruited from the Psychiatry Unit of the University of Catania, Italy. Participants were assessed with the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS), the Multidimensional Mentalizing Questionnaire (MMQ), the brief version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS), the EuroQoL-5 dimensions-5 levels, the Insight Orientation Scale (IOS) and the Glasgow Antipsychotic Side Effect Scale (GASS); Results: 81 patients were included.

Is It Time for a Paradigm Shift in the Treatment of Schizophrenia? The Use of Inflammation-Reducing and Neuroprotective Drugs-A Review.

Comprehending the pathogenesis of schizophrenia represents a challenge for global mental health. To date, although it is evident that alterations in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission underlie the clinical expressiveness of the disease, neuronal disconnections represent only an epiphenomenon. In recent years, several clinical studies have converged on the hypothesis of microglia hyperactivation and a consequent neuroinflammatory state as a pathogenic substrate of schizophrenia.

Challenging the Pleiotropic Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Geriatric Depression: A Multimodal Case Series Study.

Background: Although the antidepressant potential of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), the pleiotropic effects in geriatric depression (GD) are poorly investigated. We tested rTMS on depression, cognitive performance, growth/neurotrophic factors, cerebral blood flow (CBF) to transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD), and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) to TMS in GD.

Methods: In this case series study, six drug-resistant subjects (median age 68.

Neurobiology and Applications of Inositol in Psychiatry: A Narrative Review.

Inositol is a natural sugar-like compound, commonly present in many plants and foods. It is involved in several biochemical pathways, most of them controlling vital cellular mechanisms, such as cell development, signaling and nuclear processes, metabolic and endocrine modulation, cell growth, signal transduction, etc. In this narrative review, we focused on the role of inositol in human brain physiology and pathology, with the aim of providing an update on both potential applications and current limits in its use in psychiatric disorders.

Family functioning and personal growth in Italian caregivers living with a family member affected by schizophrenia: Results of an add-on study of the Italian network for research on psychoses.

To date, the role of family members in caring for relatives affected by schizophrenia has focused largely on the negative aspects of impact of the illness. The present study aimed to: (1) assess family functioning and burden of care in caregivers living in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy who looked after subjects affected by chronic schizophrenia; (2) evaluate the relationship between aspects of family functioning and burden of care, in particular personal growth (PG) of caregivers; and (3) identify variables capable of affecting PG of caregivers. A total of 136 caregivers (mean length of illness of family member more than 20 years) were recruited from 9 Italian research sites and evaluated in terms of "positive" family functioning-problem-solving, communication skills and personal goals Family Functioning Questionnaire (FFQ), burden of care, and PG Family Problems Questionnaire (FPQ).

Flourishing or Languishing? Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students were burdened with high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The objective of the present study was to investigate predictors of positive mental health among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey from September 2021 to March 2022.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Control Measures on the Mental Health of the General Population : A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis.

Background: To what extent the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures influenced mental health in the general population is still unclear.

Purpose: To assess the trajectory of mental health symptoms during the first year of the pandemic and examine dose-response relations with characteristics of the pandemic and its containment.

Data Sources: Relevant articles were identified from the living evidence database of the COVID-19 Open Access Project, which indexes COVID-19-related publications from MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase via Ovid, and PsycInfo.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for post-traumatic stress disorder: Lights and shadows.

We have read with interest the publication that describes the available data related to the use of neuromodulation strategies for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite treatment advances, however, a substantial proportion of PTSD patients receiving psychological and/or pharmacological treatment do not reach an adequate clinical response. In their paper, the authors draw attention to the current understanding of the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a potential treatment for PTSD.

A Systematic Review on the Effect of Nutraceuticals on Antidepressant-Induced Sexual Dysfunctions: From Basic Principles to Clinical Applications.

Sexual dysfunctions are common side effects reported by patients during antidepressant treatment. When they occur, patients often discontinue psychopharmacological therapy, with a negative impact on the underlying psychiatric disease. Recently, great attention has been paid to the use of nutraceuticals in the management of psychiatric disorders, although a systematic review on their effects as a treatment option for antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunctions (AISD) is lacking.