Mental illness through the perspective of undergraduate medical students in Greece: a cross-sectional study at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Introduction: Numerous studies reveal that mental health-related stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices negatively affect the patients, jeopardizing their health, prognosis, and social opportunities. Healthcare professionals, who are in the first line of combating mental disease, are expected to play a significant role in drastically changing discriminatory and stigmatizing attitudes toward psychiatric patients and in diminishing the existing healthcare and social disparities. In this study, we aimed to explore and highlight the views of Greek medical students-that is of the future physicians-toward mental illness and people suffering from it.

Mental health-related stigma discrimination and prejudices among Greek healthcare professionals.

Introduction: Research shows that mental health-related stigma, stereotypes, and prejudices have a negative impact on the patients themselves as well as on their families and social entourage. Healthcare professionals, whose expertise and professional ethos are historically acknowledged by public opinion, are expected to play a major role in combating discrimination against psychiatric patients. In this study, we aimed to assess the attitudes of Greek healthcare professionals toward mental illness and people suffering from it.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for the Hallucinations in Patients with Dementia. A Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Hallucinations is a core characteristic symptom in Lewy Body Dementia (DLB) and Parkinson's Dementia (PDD). It may also appear at the late stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). They are not easily managed, and they are associated with cognitive decline, earlier institutionalization, increased mortality, and increased caregivers' burden.

Assess of Combinations of Non-Pharmacological Interventions for the Reduction of Irritability in Patients with Dementia and their Caregivers: A Cross-Over RCT.

Introduction: Dementia is a very common disorder that affects people over 65 years old all over the world. Apart from the cognitive decline, Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are a crucial matter in dementia, because they affect up to 90% of the patients during the course of their illness. Irritability has been found to be a common BPSD and one of the most distressing behaviors for the caregivers.

Adherence to facemask use in public places during the autumn-winter 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Greece: observational data.

Background: Wearing facemasks is of proven efficacy as a public health protective measure against COVID-19. Currently there are no observational data concerning the wearing of facemasks and the adherence to guidelines concerning their handling.

Methods: Registration of the way passers-by were wearing facemasks at 26 different locations of five major cities in Greece.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Wandering/Aberrant Motor Behaviour in Patients with Dementia.

Background: Aberrant motor behaviour or wandering refers to aimless movement without a specific purpose. Wandering is common in patients with dementia and leads to early institutionalization and caregivers' burden. Non-pharmacological interventions should be also considered as a first-line solution for the wandering because current pharmacological treatment has serious side-effects.

Mental health and conspirasism in health care professionals during the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Greece.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate mental health and conspiracy theory beliefs concerning COVID-19 among health care professionals (HCPs).

Material And Methods: During lockdown, an online questionnaire gathered data from 507 HCPs (432 females aged 33.86 ± 8.

Improvement of Medical Students' Empathy Levels After an Intensive Experiential Training on Empathy Skills.

Background: EMPATHY IN HEALTHCARE is an intensive 20-hour experiential training program based on mediation techniques and specialized healthcare role-play for clinicians and medical students. It is hypothesized that the training will improve empathy via the intensive experiential techniques implemented.

Methods: A total of 50 medical students (25 males/25 females) took the course voluntarily.

Gender, age at onset, and duration of being ill as predictors for the long-term course and outcome of schizophrenia: an international multicenter study.

Background: The aim of the current study was to explore the effect of gender, age at onset, and duration on the long-term course of schizophrenia.

Methods: Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries representing all continents participated in the study that included 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.

Clinical Profiles and Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Adults with Specific Learning Disorder in Northern Greece.

The manifestation of Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) during adulthood is one of the least examined research areas among the relevant literature. Therefore, the adult population with SLD is considered a "rare" and "unique" population of major scientific interest. The aim of the current study was to investigate, describe, and analyze the clinical, academic, and socio-demographic characteristics, and other everyday functioning life-skills of adults with SLD, in an attempt to shed more light on this limited field of research.

Psychopathology, psychosocial factors and sexuality of incarcerated sexual offenders in Greek prison.

There are few studies in Greece on sexual offenders. The research aims to contribute knowledge and information related to psychopathology, psychosocial factors and the sexuality of this particular category of convicts for sexual offenses. The search took place in the Greek prison in Grevena, where the largest number of sexual offenders are being held.

Non-Pharmacological interventions for the anxiety in patients with dementia. A cross-over randomised controlled trial.

Background: Behavioural and Psychiatric Symptoms in dementia (BPSD) tend to be a crucial and big problem in dementia. Anxiety several times remains under-diagnosed because it is often considered to be a psychological response to cognitive decline. As only the 10 % of patients were correctly treated, the pharmacological treatment should be well- considered.

Modeling psychological function in patients with schizophrenia with the PANSS: an international multi-center study.

Background: The aim of the current study was to explore the changing interrelationships among clinical variables through the stages of schizophrenia in order to assemble a comprehensive and meaningful disease model.

Methods: Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries participated and included 2358 patients aged 37.21 ± 11.

Staging of Schizophrenia With the Use of PANSS: An International Multi-Center Study.

Introduction: A specific clinically relevant staging model for schizophrenia has not yet been developed. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the factor structure of the PANSS and develop such a staging method.

Methods: Twenty-nine centers from 25 countries contributed 2358 patients aged 37.

Nilvadipine in mild to moderate Alzheimer disease: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: This study reports the findings of the first large-scale Phase III investigator-driven clinical trial to slow the rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease with a dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blocker, nilvadipine. Nilvadipine, licensed to treat hypertension, reduces amyloid production, increases regional cerebral blood flow, and has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-tau activity in preclinical studies, properties that could have disease-modifying effects for Alzheimer disease. We aimed to determine if nilvadipine was effective in slowing cognitive decline in subjects with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.

Development and validation of the Greek severe impairment battery (SIB).

Background: Most neuropsychological batteries, especially those most often used, are unsuitable for the assessment of patients with severe dementia. The Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) was developed for the evaluation of preserved cognitive functions in these patients. The aim of this study was to formulate a Greek version of the SIB and to conduct a first assessment of its use of patients with mild, moderate, or severe Alzheimer's disease (AD), compared to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

The impact of weight loss on depression status in obese individuals subjected to intragastric balloon treatment.

Background: Although depression is considered to be significantly related to morbid obesity disorder, no information exists on the evolution of depression status after weight loss, in particular when an intragastric balloon is used. This prospective 6-month study examines both the effect on depression status and the relation of weight loss to depression in morbidly obese patients treated by intragastric balloon.

Methods: One hundred consecutive females fulfilling criteria for balloon treatment were assessed for depression and divided into two groups (65 depressed, 35 non-depressed).