Reconsidering the role of depression and common psychiatric disorders as partners in the type 2 diabetes epidemic.

Common psychiatric disorders (CPDs) and depression contribute significantly to the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We postulated a possible pathophysiological mechanism that through Bridge-Symptoms present in depression and CPDs, promotes the establishment of emotional eating, activation of the reward system, onset of overweight and obesity and, ultimately the increased risk of developing T2D. The plausibility of the proposed pathophysiological mechanism is supported by the mechanism of action of drugs such as naltrexone-bupropion currently approved for the treatment of both obesity/overweight with T2D and as separate active pharmaceutical ingredients in drug addiction, but also from initial evidence that is emerging regarding glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists that appear to be effective in the treatment of drug addiction.

Sense of agency and its disturbances: A systematic review targeting the intentional binding effect in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Sense of agency (SoA) indicates a person's ability to perceive her/his own motor acts as actually being her/his and, through them, to exert control over the course of external events. Disruptions in SoA may profoundly affect the individual's functioning, as observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. This is the first article to systematically review studies that investigated intentional binding (IB), a quantitative proxy for SoA measurement, in neurological and psychiatric patients.

Predictors of polysubstance use in patients with severe alcohol use disorder: the role of reward craving.

Background: Different craving typologies (i.e., reward, relief, obsessive) have been identified in alcohol use disorder (AUD) but have been less investigated in specific populations like AUD patients with polysubstance use (PSU).

Eco-emotions and Psychoterratic Syndromes: Reshaping Mental Health Assessment Under Climate Change.

Human activities like greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and deforestation are largely responsible for climate change and biodiversity loss. The climate is a complex system and scientists are striving to predict, prevent, and address the aforementioned issues in order to avoid reaching tipping points. The threat to humankind is not only physical (ie, heat waves, floods, droughts) but also psychological, especially for some groups.

The Nrf2 Pathway in Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review of Animal and Human Studies.

There is increasing interest in the involvement of antioxidative systems in protecting from depression. Among these, Nrf2 occupies a central place. We aimed to review the role of Nrf2 in depression.

Update on Pharmacological Treatment for Comorbid Major Depressive and Alcohol Use Disorders: The Role of Extended-release Trazodone.

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are major public health concerns because of their high prevalence and clinical and functional severity. MDD and AUD commonly co-occur, but effective therapeutic approaches for comorbidity are still scarce. Available evidence on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants held mixed results, and further pharmacological categories have been less investigated.

Depressive Symptoms during Pregnancy: Prevalence and Correlates with Affective Temperaments and Psychosocial Factors.

Pregnancy is a unique experience in women's life, requiring a great ability of adaptation and self-reorganization; vulnerable women may be at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms. This study aimed to examine the incidence of depressive symptomatology during pregnancy and to evaluate the role of affective temperament traits and psychosocial risk factors in predicting them. We recruited 193 pregnant women, collected data regarding sociodemographic, family and personal clinical variables, social support and stressful life events and administered the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A).

Defense Mechanisms and Parenting Styles in Patients With Anorexia and Bulimia.

Dysfunctional parenting styles are risk factors for eating disorders (EDs). In this observational study, we examined 57 women with ED, a psychiatric control group (n = 26), and healthy participants (n = 60). Several instruments were administered: Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) to examine the type of defense mechanism used, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) to investigate the perception of the relationship with parents, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Eating Disorder Inventory-3 to assess the severity of the ED, and Body Shape Questionnaire to investigate the perception of their body shape.

Use of Lithium in Pediatric Bipolar Disorders and Externalizing Childhood- related Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Lithium is the standard treatment for bipolar disorders (BD) in adults. There is a dearth of data on its use in the pediatric age. This review aimed to investigate the use of lithium in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) and other externalizing childhood-related disorders.

COVID-19 and New-Onset Psychosis: A Comprehensive Review.

Psychosis is a multifactorial condition that typically involves delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thought, speech or behavior. The observation of an association between infectious epidemics and acute psychosis dates back to the last century. Recently, concerns have been expressed regarding COVID-19 and the risk for the development of new-onset psychosis.

Evaluation of the prevalence of the most common psychiatric disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using the patient health questionnaire: results of the cross-sectional "DIA2PSI" study.

Aims: Common Psychiatric Disorders (CPDs) are associated with the development of overweight and obesity, the strongest risk factors for the onset and maintenance of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2D). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the prevalence of CPDs in patients with T2D in Italy.

Methods: This is a monocentric cross-sectional study; n = 184 T2D patients were screened for CPDs using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).

Depressive Symptoms in Expecting Fathers: Is Paternal Perinatal Depression a Valid Concept? A Systematic Review of Evidence.

Background: Since the identification of Couvade syndrome in the late 1950s, little attention has been dedicated to the issue of depression in expecting fathers.

Objective: To quantify the extent of depression in expecting fathers and find out if they match their pregnant partners' depression.

Methods: We conducted a PubMed and ClinicalTrials.

Evaluating Craving in Alcohol Use Disorder: Psychometric Characteristics of the Craving Typology Questionnaire-15 (CTQ-15).

Aims: The Craving Typology Questionnaire (CTQ) is a psychometric instrument used to assess alcohol craving in normal controls and subjects with alcohol use disorder (AUD). It allows a dimensional self-rating assessment of craving according to a three-pathway psychobiological model of craving distinguishing craving into a reward, relief and obsessive component. The aim of the present study is to evaluate psychometric properties of the CTQ-15, a revised version of CTQ with 15 items.

Impulsivity and alexithymia predict early versus subsequent relapse in patients with alcohol use disorder: A 1-year longitudinal study.

Introduction: Longitudinal psychopathological predictors of relapse in alcohol use disorder are unclear.

Methods: Relapses, sociodemographic and psychopathological risk factors were assessed in 171 alcohol use disorder outpatients within a 1-year follow up. Impulsivity and alexithymia were evaluated using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, respectively.

Why do we not reverse the path? Stress can cause depression, reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and increased inflammation.

The aim of this paper is to describe the direction of the link between stress, depression, increased inflammation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reduction. We hypothesize that severe stress or prolonged stress can be the driving factor that promote the onset of depression. Both stress and depression, if not resolved over time, activate the production of transcription factors that will switch on pro-inflammatory genes and translate them into cytokines.

Trazodone Prolonged-Release Monotherapy in Cannabis Dependent Patients during Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Series.

(1) Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, cannabis use increased relative to pre-pandemic levels, while forced home confinement frequently caused sleep/wake cycle disruptions, psychological distress, and maladaptive coping strategies with the consequent appearance of anxiety symptoms and their potential impact on substance use problems. (2) Aim: Long-acting trazodone (150 mg or 300 mg daily) has a potential benefit as monotherapy in patients with cannabis use disorder. The present work aims to investigate the effectiveness of trazodone in optimizing the condition of people with cannabis dependence under pandemic conditions.

Psychosis in Women: Time for Personalized Treatment.

Early detection and prompt treatment of psychosis is of the utmost importance. The great variability in clinical onset, illness course, and response to pharmacological and psychosocial treatment is in great part gender-related. Our aim has been to review narratively the literature focusing on gender related differences in the psychoses, i.

Heart rate variability and interoceptive accuracy predict impaired decision-making in Gambling Disorder.

Background And Aims: Gambling Disorder (GD) entails maladaptive patterns of decision-making. Neurophysiological research points out the effect of parasympathetic arousal, including phasic changes in heart rate variability (HRV), and interoceptive accuracy (IA, i.e.

Human Responses and Adaptation in a Changing Climate: A Framework Integrating Biological, Psychological, and Behavioural Aspects.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times. Its impact on human populations is not yet completely understood. Many studies have focused on single aspects with contradictory observations.