Towards a global partnership model in interprofessional education for cross-sector problem-solving.

Objectives: A partnership model in interprofessional education (IPE) is important in promoting a sense of global citizenship while preparing students for cross-sector problem-solving. However, the literature remains scant in providing useful guidance for the development of an IPE programme co-implemented by external partners. In this pioneering study, we describe the processes of forging global partnerships in co-implementing IPE and evaluate the programme in light of the preliminary data available.

Nicotine use and non-pathological alcohol use and their relationship to affective symptoms and sleep disturbances in bipolar disorder.

Background: The use of alcohol and nicotine can negatively impact the course of bipolar disorder (BD), but there is limited knowledge about how symptoms and sleep disturbances are related to concurrent nicotine use and non-pathological use of alcohol.

Methods: We investigated how nicotine use and non-pathological use of alcohol relates to affective symptoms and sleep disturbances in 453 participants with BD without substance use disorders. Manic symptoms were assessed with the Young Mania Rating Scale, and depressive symptoms with The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician-Rated (IDS-C).

COVID-19 lockdown - who cares? The first lockdown from the perspective of relatives of people with severe mental illness.

Background: Informal care is vital to many people with severe mental illness under normal circumstances. Little is known about how extraordinary circumstances affect relatives with a family member with mental illness. This study investigated the consequences of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Norway from the perspective of relatives of persons with psychotic- and/or bipolar disorders: What were the challenges and for whom?

Method: Relatives were invited to complete an online survey shortly after the first lockdown was initiated.

The COVID-19 pandemic impact on wellbeing and mental health in people with psychotic and bipolar disorders.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affects people globally, but it may affect people with psychotic and bipolar disorders disproportionally. Our aims were to investigate the pandemic impact on perceived wellbeing and mental health in this population, including which pandemic-related factors have had an impact.

Methods: People with psychotic and bipolar disorders (N = 520; female = 81%; psychotic disorders n = 75/bipolar disorder n = 445) completed an online survey about wellbeing and mental health in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (June 5-July 5, 2020).

Locked out during COVID-19 lockdown-an online survey of relatives of people with psychotic and bipolar disorders in Norway.

Background: Many relatives of people with psychotic and bipolar disorders experience a high caregiver burden normally. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, mental health services partly shut down in many countries. The impact on relatives is unknown.

Characterizing the Genetic Overlap Between Psychiatric Disorders and Sleep-Related Phenotypes.

Background: A range of sleep disturbances are commonly experienced by patients with psychiatric disorders, and genome-wide genetic analyses have shown some significant genetic correlations between these traits. Here, we applied novel statistical genetic methodologies to better characterize the potential shared genetic architecture between sleep-related phenotypes and psychiatric disorders.

Methods: Using the MiXeR method, which can estimate polygenic overlap beyond genetic correlation, the shared genetic architecture between major psychiatric disorders (bipolar disorder [N = 51,710], depression [N = 480,359], and schizophrenia [N = 77,096]) and sleep-related phenotypes (chronotype [N = 449,734], insomnia [N = 386,533] and sleep duration [N = 446,118]) were quantified on the basis of genetic summary statistics.

The Influence of Mental Health Literacy, Migration, and Education on the Duration of Untreated Psychosis.

Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is associated with outcome in psychotic disorders and influenced by contextual factors such as immigration. Here we aimed to investigate the effect of mental health literacy (MHL) on duration of untreated psychosis considering the influence of migration and education. A total of 269 participants who received their first adequate medical treatment for a psychotic disorder within the current or past year were included to the Thematically Organized Psychosis study in Oslo, Norway.

Substance Misuse Trajectories and Risk of Relapse in the Early Course of Bipolar Disorder.

Substance misuse is highly prevalent in bipolar disorder even in the early illness phases. However, the trajectories of misuse of different substances after treatment initiation is not well-studied. Also, knowledge on how substance misuse trajectories influence the early course of bipolar disorder is limited.

Neurodevelopment outcomes in infants born to women with Zika virus infection during pregnancy in Mexico.

Background: Few studies have assessed neurodevelopmental outcomes in normocephalic infants born to women with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy in Mexico. We sought to evaluate ZIKV exposed infants in Yucatan, Mexico, with performance-based and eye-gaze measures of neurodevelopment, removing observer bias.

Methods: We enrolled 60 infants about 6-month old born to women with PCR + test for ZIKV during pregnancy.

Opening the curtains for better sleep in psychotic disorders - considerations for improving sleep treatment.

Background: Sleep disturbances are prevalent in people with psychosis and are related to several negative outcomes. Recent research indicates that sleep disturbances contribute to the development of psychosis and is therefore an important treatment target. Despite this, a study found that sleep problems in people with psychosis were mostly assessed informally and treated with non-recommended interventions.

Sleep disturbance mediates the link between childhood trauma and clinical outcome in severe mental disorders.

Background: The experience of childhood trauma is linked to more severe symptoms and poorer functioning in severe mental disorders; however, the mechanisms behind this are poorly understood. We investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and sleep disturbances in severe mental disorders including the role of sleep disturbances in mediating the relationship between childhood trauma and the severity of clinical symptoms and poorer functioning.

Methods: In total, 766 participants with schizophrenia-spectrum (n = 418) or bipolar disorders (n = 348) were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Do sleep disturbances contribute to cognitive impairments in schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders?

Sleep disturbances and cognitive impairments are both frequent across psychotic disorders, with debilitating effects on functioning and quality of life. This study aims to investigate if sleep disturbances are related to cognitive impairments in schizophrenia spectrum (SCZ) and bipolar disorders (BD), if this relationship varies between different sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia or delayed sleep phase (DSP)) and lastly, if this relationship differs between clinical groups and healthy controls (HC). We included 797 patients (SCZ = 457, BD = 340) from the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT) study in Norway.

Sleep disturbances in schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders - a transdiagnostic perspective.

Background: Sleep disturbances are prevalent in severe mental disorders but their type and frequency across diagnostic categories has not been investigated in large scale studies.

Methods: Participants with Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ, (N = 617)), Bipolar disorders (BD, (N = 440)), and Healthy Controls (HC, (N = 173)) were included in the study. Sleep disturbances (insomnia, hypersomnia and delayed sleep phase) were identified based on items from the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms - Clinician rated scale.

Validity of the Birchwood insight scale in patients with schizophrenia spectrum- and bipolar disorders.

The aim of this study is to investigate the validity of the Norwegian version of the Insight Scale (IS) in large and representative samples of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar I disorder and bipolar II disorder. A total of 997 participants were included (schizophrenia spectrum disorders: 557; bipolar I disorder: 282; bipolar II disorder: 138). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the construct validity and bivariate correlational analysis was applied to investigate convergent validity.

Elicitation of Minimum and Maximum Fundamental Frequency and Vocal Intensity: Discrete Half Steps Versus Glissando.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of elicitation method, either discrete half steps or glissando, on the minimum fundamental frequency, maximum fundamental frequency, minimum vocal intensity, and maximum vocal intensity.

Method: Fifty-six healthy-voice participants (28 males and 28 females) ranging from 18 to 25 years of age participated in the study. Each participant performed both the discrete half steps and the glissando procedure.

Psychosis: clinical insight and beliefs in immigrants in their first episode.

Aim: Lack of insight into illness is frequent in psychotic disorders and seen as part of their primary pathology. The recognition of symptoms as psychotic, and beliefs about treatment alternatives, is also influenced by socio-cultural factors. Here we examined clinical insight into illness and beliefs about psychosis in immigrants in their first episode of psychosis compared with a reference group.

Quantitative high-speed laryngoscopic analysis of vocal fold vibration in fatigued voice of young karaoke singers.

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine whether there were physiological differences in the vocal fold vibration between nonfatigued and fatigued voices using high-speed laryngoscopic imaging and quantitative analysis.

Methods: Twenty participants aged from 18 to 23 years (mean, 21.2 years; standard deviation, 1.

Apathy, poor verbal memory and male gender predict lower psychosocial functioning one year after the first treatment of psychosis.

Background: Apathy is a negative symptom associated with poor psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia but has not been sufficiently studied as predictor of poor functioning in first episode psychosis (FEP).

Objective: The main aim of the current study was to evaluate if apathy predicts poor functioning after 1 year in FEP patients in the context of other clinical variables with influence on outcome.

Method: Sixty-four FEP patients completed an extensive clinical and neuro-psychological test battery at baseline and 1-year follow-up.

The use of screening instruments for detecting alcohol and other drug use disorders in first-episode psychosis.

The high rate of drug abuse among patients with psychosis represents a challenge to clinicians in their treatment of the patients. Powerful screening tools to detect problematic drug use in an early phase of psychotic illness are needed. The aim of the present study was to investigate prevalence of drug use disorders and psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT) in 205 first-episode psychosis patients in Oslo, Norway.

Depression and depressive symptoms in first episode psychosis.

The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence and pattern of lifetime Diagnostic and Structural Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth version) major depressive episodes, and the relationship between patient characteristics and current severity of depressive symptoms in first episode psychosis patients (FEPP). A total of 122 FEPP from the ongoing longitudinal thematically organized psychosis research study were included at first treatment. A total of 58 patients (48%) had experienced one or more major depressive episodes; 21 (17%) before onset of psychosis and 37 (30%) during or after onset of psychosis.

Apathy in first episode psychosis patients: one year follow up.

Introduction: This study describes how the negative subsyndrome of apathy develops over the first year in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients, with an emphasis on the prevalence of enduring apathy and the relationship between apathy, other symptoms and functioning.

Methods: Eighty four FEP patients were assessed both at baseline and after one year with the abridged clinical version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-C-Apathy). Other symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative syndrome scale (PANSS) and functioning with the split version of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF-F).

Apathy and functioning in first-episode psychosis.

Objective: This study aimed to determine which patient characteristics are associated with higher levels of apathy, to what degree first-episode psychosis patients are apathetic compared with a healthy control group, and to what degree apathy and other symptoms (including negative subsymptoms) influence functioning in first-episode psychosis.

Methods: The Norwegian Thematically Organized Psychosis research study included 103 first-episode psychosis patients and a healthy control group of 62 persons. Apathy was assessed with the clinician-rated abridged version of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES-C-Apathy).

Apathy is associated with executive functioning in first episode psychosis.

Background: The underlying nature of negative symptoms in psychosis is poorly understood. Investigation of the relationship between the different negative subsymptoms and neurocognition is one approach to understand more of the underlying nature. Apathy, one of the subsymptoms, is also a common symptom in other brain disorders.

Assessing apathy: the use of the Apathy Evaluation Scale in first episode psychosis.

Background: Recently there has been a renewed interest in defining the boundaries and subdomains of the negative syndrome in schizophrenia and new scales have been asked for. Apathy is one of the symptoms in focus. The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) with its clinical version (AES-C) is one of the most used scales in an interdisciplinary context, but it has never previously been used in a population with first episode psychosis.