The use of assistive technology to promote practical skills in persons with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities: A systematic review.

Persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID) have difficulties in planning, organising and coping with change, which impedes the learning of daily living skills (DLSs), social participation and self-management across different environmental settings. Assistive technologies (ATs) is a broad term encompassing devices and services designed to support individuals with disabilities, and if used in a self-controlled manner, they may contribute inclusion in all domains of participation. This comprehensive literature review aims to critically assess and unify existing research that investigates the use of assistive technology within the practical domain for individuals with ASD and/or ID.

Maintenance Therapy of Psychosis Spectrum Disorders in a Real-World Setting: Antipsychotics Prescription Patterns and Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use.

Background: Maintenance therapy of patients with primary psychosis spectrum disorders (PSD) in the Western Balkans has received limited interest so far. The present study aimed to investigate long-term prescription patterns among outpatients with PSD.

Methods: Information about prescription of antipsychotics (AP), benzodiazepines (BZD) and other psychotropic medication over a 6-month period was collected from outpatients ( = 134; ICD-10 diagnosis F20-29) recruited by a larger multi-site study, to find mean daily number of psychotropic drugs, AP prescription patterns (including AP daily dose, route of administration, monotherapy .

Psychopathology in psychotic disorders: Congruency between self-reported and observer-rated measures highest for affective symptoms and lowest for negative symptoms.

Considering that both observer ratings and patient self-reports on severity of psychopathological symptoms are being used in research and clinical settings, this paper aims to explore the degree of congruence between these two sources. Eighty-two adult outpatients diagnosed with psychotic disorders rated their symptoms using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Observers assessed patients' functioning using the Brief Psychiatry Rating Scale (BPRS).

Psychometric Characteristics of the Macedonian Version of Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS).

Background: Despite the importance of effective assessment and treatment of negative symptoms among patients with psychosis, no validated instruments are available in the Republic of North Macedonia. The aim of this paper was to explore psychometric properties, namely factorial structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity of the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS).

Subjects And Methods: In this cross-sectional study 82 outpatients diagnosed with psychosis (64 with schizophrenia and 18 with bipolar disorder; female=34, mean age=41.

Predictors and moderators of outcome of psychotherapeutic interventions for mental disorders in adolescents and young adults: protocol for systematic reviews.

Background: Adolescence and young adulthood is a risk period for the emergence of mental disorders. There is strong evidence that psychotherapeutic interventions are effective for most mental disorders. However, very little is known about which of the different psychotherapeutic treatment modalities are effective for whom.

Rare Pathogenic Copy Number Variation in the 16p11.2 (BP4-BP5) Region Associated with Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Review of the Literature.

Copy number variants (CNVs) play an important role in the genetic underpinnings of neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders. The chromosomal region 16p11.2 (BP4-BP5) harbours both deletions and duplications that are associated in carriers with neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions as well as several rare disorders including congenital malformation syndromes.

Analysis of EEG Characteristics and Coherence in Patients Diagnosed as Borderline Personality.

Borderline personality disorder is a clinically important psychiatric diagnosis that is distinct from major depressive, bipolar and posttraumatic stress disorders, despite the overlapping symptoms. The diagnosis is mainly clinical and must follow the DMS 5 (or ICD 10) characteristics. The most common age at first presentation is in late adolescence, but the disorder frequently can be stay as misdiagnosed.

Inter- and Intra-Hemispheric EEG Coherence Study in Adults with Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

Functional connectivity between different regions of the brain in the resting state has been a recent topic of interest in neurophysiological research. EEG coherence happened to be an useful tool for measuring changes in neuro-psycho-physiological functioning which are not detectable by simply measuring amplitude or power spectra. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in the EEG coherence in groups of different mental disorders such as: depression, general anxiety disorder, ADHD, Asperger syndrome and headaches, compared to control group.

Mental Health Legislation and Involuntary Hospitalization in the Republic of Macedonia.

As psychiatrists, we are often obliged to provide non-consensual treatment. This institute comprises the rights of the patients with mental health disorders. The aim of this paper is to explain the contemporary mental health legislation in our country the Republic of Macedonia and the problems with the implementation of involuntary hospitalisation.

Analysis of independent components of cognitive event related potentials in a group of ADHD adults.

In the last decade, many studies have tried to define the neural correlates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The main aim of this study is the comparison of the ERPs independent components in the four QEEG subtypes in a group of ADHD adults as a basis for defining the corresponding endophenotypes among ADHD population. Sixty-seven adults diagnosed as ADHD according to the DSM-IV criteria and 50 age-matched control subjects participated in the study.

Quantitative EEG in Children and Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Comparison of Absolute and Relative Power Spectra and Theta/Beta Ratio.

In recent decades, resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) measures have been widely used to document underlying neurophysiological dysfunction in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although most EEG studies focus on children, there is a growing interest in adults with ADHD too. The aim of this study was to objectively assess and compare the absolute and relative EEG power as well as the theta/beta ratio in children and adults with ADHD.

Attitudes of the autism community to early autism research.

Investigation into the earliest signs of autism in infants has become a significant sub-field of autism research. This work invokes specific ethical concerns such as use of 'at-risk' language, communicating study findings to parents and the future perspective of enrolled infants when they reach adulthood. This study aimed to ground this research field in an understanding of the perspectives of members of the autism community.

Use of early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder across Europe.

Little is known about use of early interventions for autism spectrum disorder in Europe. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder aged 7 years or younger (N = 1680) were recruited through parent organisations in 18 European countries and completed an online survey about the interventions their child received. There was considerable variation in use of interventions, and in some countries more than 20% of children received no intervention at all.

Anxiety and personality characteristics in children undergoing dental interventions.

Anxiety about and fear of dental treatment have been recognized as sources of problems in the management of child dental patients. It has been suggested that some individuals who are fearful of or anxious about dental treatment have a constitutional vulnerability to anxiety disorders as is evidenced by the presence of multiple fears, generalized anxiety or panic disorders. Concerning the child population, maternal anxiety is considered to be a major factor affecting the behaviour of young children expecting dental intervention.

Perceived stress in dental practice.

Stress is a normal physiological response to events that make us feel threatened, or upset our balance in some way. In medicine, it is known that stress, as an emotional state, can be a trigger for many psychosomatic disorders. Work stress and burnout are considered to be serious professional risks in dentistry.

Machine learning approach for classification of ADHD adults.

Machine learning techniques that combine multiple classifiers are introduced for classifying adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes based on power spectra of EEG measurements. The analyzed sample includes 117 adults (67 ADHD, 50 controls). The measurements are taken for four different conditions: two resting conditions (eyes open and eyes closed) and two neuropsychological tasks (visual continuous performance test and emotional continuous performance test).

Quantitative EEG Spectrum-weighted Frequency (Brain Rate) Distribution in Adults with ADHD.

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the applicability of brain rate (fb) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), analyzing the spatial distribution of fb through analysis of its values in sagittal and lateral electrodes' positions, recorded in four conditions (eyes closed, eyes opened, visual continuous performance task and emotional continuous performance task).

Methods: Sixty-seven adults diagnosed with ADHD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria and 50 age-matched control subjects participated in the study. The brain activity of the subjects was recorded by 19 channel quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) system and fb was calculated with the fb software.

Simultaneous EEG and EMG biofeedback for peak performance in musicians.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of alpha neurofeedback and EMG biofeedback protocols for improvement of musical performance in violinists. The sample consisted of 12 music students (10 violinists and 2 viola players) from the Faculty of Music, Skopje (3 males, mean age of 20 +/- 0 and 9 females, mean age = 20.89 +/- 2.