Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: cognitive and behavioral deficits.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) refer to a group of clinical conditions that occur in a person exposed to alcohol before birth. Neuroimaging shows abnormalities in brain structure, cortical development, white matter microstructure, and functional connectivity in individuals with FASD. These abnormalities modify the normal developmental trajectories resulting in deficits in cognition and behavior across several domains, including general intelligence, memory, language, attention, learning, visuospatial abilities, executive functioning, fine and gross motor skills, and social and adaptive functioning.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: epidemiology.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a significant global challenge characterized by complex diagnosis and research. The diagnostic process is complicated due to overlapping symptoms with other conditions, as well as factors such as maternal nutrition, socioeconomic status, and mental health, which can affect the severity of FASD traits differently in individuals. Risky drinking behaviors are prevalent in young adults, especially those aged 20-24, which coincides with high rates of unplanned pregnancies, increasing the risk of FASD.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: prevention and health promotion.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy poses significant risks to maternal and fetal health, contributing to a range of adverse outcomes collectively known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This article reviews evidence-based preventive strategies aimed at mitigating the detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Drawing upon literature from various disciplines, interventions are categorized according to their level of prevention: universal, selective, and indicated.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: multimodal approaches of treatment and intervention.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are pervasive disorders that impact various domains of functioning, including self-esteem, familiar and peer relationships, and academic success. The high rate of comorbidity may contribute to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis and intervention that aim at primary symptoms may prevent secondary disabilities and improve the outcomes.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: international diagnostic criteria - differences and similarities.

The umbrella term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) brings together under its definition a heterogeneous continuum of disabilities linked by a common etiology and pathogenesis: exposure to alcohol during intrauterine life. Despite extensive research, definitive toxic thresholds remain elusive, underscoring the recommendation for complete alcohol abstinence during pregnancy and lactation. FASD poses diagnostic challenges due to its varied presentations and heterogeneous phenotype.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: clinical hallmarks.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a condition that arises when a person is exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. The main clinical manifestations include craniofacial anomalies, growth retardation, birth defects and change in brain structure and function. These alterations can result in deficits across various domains such as cognition, executive function, memory, vision, hearing, motor skills, behavior, and social adaptation.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: diagnostic criteria.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) encompass a spectrum of clinical manifestations resulting from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This condition presents with diverse anomalies including intrauterine and extrauterine growth retardation, phenotypic abnormalities, cerebral structural anomalies, cognitive delays, and behavioral abnormalities. Regrettably, FASD remains an irreversible and epigenetic condition, with total abstention from alcohol during pregnancy being the sole effective preventive measure due to the absence of a viable therapy.

Italian Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause congenital disabilities. J. Roquette, P.

Delay in the fine-tuning of locomotion in infants with meconium positive to biomarkers of alcohol exposure: a pilot study.

Introduction: Prenatal alcohol exposure causes a variety of impairments to the fetus called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Since it is very difficult to identify women that consume alcohol during pregnancy, different methods have been studied to evaluate alcohol exposure. Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG) and Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEEs) are commonly used to measure alcohol consumption in individuals at-risk for alcohol abuse, including pregnant women.

Behavioral dysregulations by chronic alcohol abuse. Motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy outcomes.

Patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) do not manifest homogeneous clinical symptoms. Various studies described both cognitive impairments and psychiatric disorders among people with AUD. This disorder is one of the most frequent mental disorders in developed countries, due to excessive alcohol consumption.

Markers of Neuroinflammation in the Serum of Prepubertal Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Background: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are the manifestation of the damage caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the extreme FASD manifestation, show both facial dysmorphology and mental retardation. Alcohol consumed during gestational age prejudices brain development by reducing, among others, the synthesis and release of neurotrophic factors and neuroinflammatory markers.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders awareness in health professionals: implications for psychiatry.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a plethora of malformative conditions leading to mental retardation that affect newborns and children who have been exposed to alcohol during pregnancy or breastfeeding. FASD is a relevant topic for public health in Europe: European area is first in ranking for alcohol use during pregnancy with a prevalence of 25.2%.

Behavioral responses in people affected by alcohol use disorder and psychiatric comorbidity: correlations with addiction severity.

Aim: In this study, we investigated in people suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) with or without dual diagnosis (concomitant psychiatric disability) how they feel their dependence condition. We predicted that AUD people with a dual diagnosis could feel potentiated their addiction.

Methods: Alcohol habits and psychiatric conditions of 183 AUD men and 62 AUD women were measured by using the DSM-5, the severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire (SADQ), the alcohol anamnesis and psychiatric examination by the symptom check list 90-R (SCL-90-R).

Fetus morphology changes by second-trimester ultrasound in pregnant women drinking alcohol.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of negative conditions occurring in children exposed to alcohol during gestation. The early discovery of FASD is crucial for mother and infant follow-ups. In this study, we investigated in pregnant women the association between urine ethylglucuronide (EtG-a biomarker of alcohol drinking) and indicators of the physical characteristics of FASD by prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester of gestation.

Dual diagnosis: an intriguing and actual nosographic issue too long neglected.

Background: The term “dual diagnosis” (DD) has been used in clinical practice for years. However, there is confusion about these medical cases, which consist in the presence of both a psychiatric disorder and a substance abuse disorder (in this case, alcohol). There are evidences that in the alcohol use disorder (AUD) population, 50.

Drafting a dual diagnosis program: a tailored intervention for patients with complex clinical needs.

Background: Clinical practice of mental health services changed in 1978 after the Basaglia Law was passed, and it is now characterized by usually voluntary treatments offered by community-based services. That broadened the interventions’ focus from the single subject to their environment. Dual diagnosis is defined by WHO as «the co-occurrence in the same individual of a psychoactive substance use disorder and another psychiatric disorder».

Treatment of alcohol use disorder from a psychological point of view.

The development of a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a crucial and complex moment. Indeed, the information gathered by a team of professionals (physicians, psychologists and social workers) (bio-psycho-social model of AUD) interact to choose the most appropriate cure. As for AUD psychological treatment, it is of considerable importance to avoid clinical treatments leading to drop-out for improving the patients quality of life.

Diagnosis of alcohol use disorder from a psychological point of view.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common psychiatric disease in the general population, characterized by having a pattern of excessive drinking despite the negative effects of alcohol on the individual’s work, medical, legal, educational, and/or social life. Currently, the bio-psycho-social model describes properly AUD as a multidimensional phenomenon including biological, psychological, and socio-cultural variables affecting the nature, maintenance, and expression of the disorder. The AUD diagnostic process is crucial since the treatment success depends heavily on the accuracy and the adequacy of the diagnosis.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome: diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a medical emergency, rare in the general population, but very common among alcoholic individuals, which can lead to severe complications when unrecognized or late treated. It represents a clinical condition which can evolve in few hours or days following an abrupt cessation or reduction of alcohol intake and is characterized by hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system resulting in the development of typical symptoms. According to DSM-5 criteria, the alcohol withdrawal syndrome is defined as such: if patients present at least two of typical signs and symptoms.

Virtual Morris task responses in individuals in an abstinence phase from alcohol.

The present study was aimed at examining spatial learning and memory, in 33 men and 12 women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) undergoing ethanol detoxification, by using a virtual Morris task. As controls, we recruited 29 men and 10 women among episodic drinkers without a history of alcohol addiction or alcohol-related diseases. Elevated latency to the first movement in all trials was observed only in AUD persons; furthermore, control women had longer latencies compared with control men.

[Gambling Disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis, interpretative models and intervention].

Gambling disorder is a frequently underdiagnosed and disabling disorder with a prevalence greatly increased in recent decades. For various reasons, only a small part of pathological gamblers seek a support making difficult an early identification and delaying the administration of appropriate treatment. In DSM-5, the disorder has been reclassified from an "Impulse-Control Disorder not elsewhere classified" to one of the "Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders" with the intention of improve the diagnosis, to better targeting the treatment and to stimulating further research efforts directed to the disorder.

Being alexithymic: Necessity or convenience. Negative emotionality × avoidant coping interactions and alexithymia.

Objectives: We aimed to clarify the associations between negative emotionality, avoidant coping, and alexithymia. We hypothesized that negative emotionality and avoidance strategies would interact negatively in associating with alexithymia.

Design: We examined, in one study conducted in Italy and another in the US (total N = 415), the associations among avoidant coping, negative emotionality, and alexithymia, using cross-sectional designs.