Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Women in Rural Areas of Greece in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

: Depressive and anxiety syndromes are associated with elevated disability and are more prevalent in women. Data on the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in the rural context are limited and contradictory. It is relevant to study common mental disorders in rural areas in the most vulnerable population of women, particularly in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

Difficult-to-Engage Patients with Severe Mental Illness in Rural Community Settings: Results of the Greek Hybrid Assertive Community Treatment Model of Mental Healthcare.

: Modified Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in rural settings may be effective in the care of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) that are difficult to engage in community care. The objective of the present study was to explore the impact of the care by a hybrid ACT team on SMI patients' hospitalizations, length of hospital stay, symptomatology and functioning in a rural community treatment setting in Greece. : The hybrid ACT team is an expansion of the services of the well-established generic Mobile Mental Health Unit in a rural area of Northwest Greece, and delivers home-based care for patients with SMI.

Length of hospital stay in involuntary admissions in Greece: a 10-year retrospective observational study.

Purpose: The treatment of mental disorders has shifted from inpatient wards to community-based settings in recent years, but some patients may still have to be admitted to inpatient wards, sometimes involuntarily. It is important to maintain the length of hospital stay (LoS) as short as possible while still providing adequate care. The present study aimed to explore the factors associated with the LoS in involuntarily admitted psychiatric patients.

Clinical Outcome in Persons with Severe Mental Disorders Attending a Mental Health Day Center during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Studies assessing the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations highlight the emergence of mental health difficulties, especially if a mental health disorder is already present. Patients with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) may be even more vulnerable to the psychosocial effects of the pandemic. However, little is known regarding the possible impact of the pandemic on SMI patients supported by community-based mental health day centers.

First-contact patients with a community mental health service in rural Greece: A 3-year prospective study of treatment attendance and its co-relations.

Background: Treatment continuation is essential for the optimal management of patients with mental disorders in the community, but treatment and outcome are often undermined by the high rates of service disengagement and treatment non-adherence across all psychiatric diagnoses. The phenomenon may be even more relevant in rural settings.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to explore attendance to treatment in first-contact patients in a community-based treatment setting in rural Greece and to explore the associations of treatment attendance with demographic and clinical factors.

Use of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in a Clinical Sample of Community-Dwelling Patients with Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders in Rural Greece.

Data on the use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in rural community mental healthcare settings are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns of LAIs in a clinical sample of patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders in rural Greece. All patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders who regularly attend the Mobile Mental Health Unit of the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia (MMHU I-T) in northwestern Greece were included in the study.

Smoking Habits and Attitudes toward Smoking in Patients with Severe Mental Illness in Residential Facilities in Insular Greece.

Smoking may contribute to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The objective of the present study is to explore the attitudes toward smoking in patients with severe mental illness in residential rehabilitation facilities in insular Greece. The patients (n = 103) were studied with the use of a questionnaire based on a semi-structured interview.

Mild Cognitive Impairment in Rural Areas: Research Advances and Implications for Clinical Practice and Healthcare Policy.

Mild cognitive or neurocognitive impairment (MCI) may be more prevalent in rural areas. Differences between rural and urban MCI patients in terms of risk factors, course and prognosis are rarely reported. The present review aims to summarize the latest research on MCI in rural areas.

The role of the Mobile Mental Health Units in mental healthcare delivery in rural areas in Greece: current challenges and prospects.

The present paper aims to highlight the importance of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) in the delivery of mental health services in remote areas in rural Greece. Since the foundation of the first MMHUs in the eighties till nowadays, those services have expanded in many rural areas and there is some evidence that they are effective in the management of patients with severe mental disorders. The care of those patients seems to contribute to a significant reduction in voluntary and involuntary acute admissions and in length of hospital stay.

Vaccination rates against COVID-19 in patients with severe mental illness attending community mental health services in rural Greece.

Background: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) may be at increased risk for COVID-19-related severe morbidity and mortality. There is limited research on the vaccination rates against COVID-19 in patients with SMI.

Aims: The objective of the present study is to explore vaccination rates and co-relations in patients with SMI, attending community mental health services, namely the Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) in rural Greece.

Who is coercively admitted to psychiatric wards? Epidemiological analysis of inpatient records of involuntary psychiatric admissions to a University General Hospital in Greece for the years 2008-2017.

Background: Involuntary psychiatric admissions are a widely used practice despite ethical concerns about coercion. There are particular concerns that vulnerable groups, such as single, unemployed or racial minorities, may be more subjected to such practices.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the social patterns of involuntary psychiatric admissions from 2008 to 2017 at University General Hospital in Ioannina, Greece.

Catatonia Associated with Hyponatremia: Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature.

Background: Catatonia is a syndrome of altered motor behavior that is mostly associated with general medical, neurologic, mood and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The association of newly onset catatonic symptoms with hyponatremia has been rarely reported in the literature.

Case Presentation: We present a rare case of a young female patient with schizophrenia, who presented with catatonic symptoms in the context of hyponatremia due to water intoxication.

Research on psychotic disorders in rural areas: Recent advances and ongoing challenges.

Background: Research on patients with chronic psychotic disorders in rural areas is scarce. Those patients may not receive adequate mental health care. Mental health disparities among rural and urban areas have been recognized.

A comparative study of two Mobile Mental Health Units in different catchment rural areas in Greece.

Background: Mental healthcare service delivery in rural and remote areas in Greece is challenging due to socioeconomic and geographical reasons, and distant facilities. To address the needs of the underserved areas, the Greek state has launched a number of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs).

Aim: The objective of the present study was to explore the differences among two MMHUs, one being run by a university general hospital (MMHU UHA) and the other being run by a nongovernmental organization (MMHU I-T).

Decrease of hospitalizations and length of hospital stay in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated in a community mental health service in rural Greece.

Background: The treatment of severe and chronic mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and related syndromes, is largely based on community mental health services.

Aims: The objective of the present study was to assess hospital admissions and length of hospital stay in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders, who are engaged to treatment with a Mobile Mental Health Unit (MMHU I-T) in a defined rural catchment area in Greece.

Method: Data were retrieved retrospectively for 76 patients with schizophrenia and related disorders.

Very long-term outcome of psychotic disorders.

Background: The outcome of schizophrenia and related psychoses is generally modest, and patients display high rates of disability.

Aims: The aim of the review is to present an up-to-date account of the research on the very long-term outcome of psychotic disorders.

Method: We conducted a search in the PubMed and Scopus databases for articles published since the publication of the very long-term data of the World Health Organization's International Study of Schizophrenia (the ISoS study), over the last 18 years (from 2002 to 2019).

Gambling Problems in Patients with Psychotic Disorders in Rural Greece.

There is a dearth of studies on gambling problems in patients with psychotic disorders. A retrospective chart review of treatment-engaged rural patients was performed. From a total of 79 patients that were included in the study, 6 had a history of gambling problems, whereas the 1-year prevalence was 5%.

Mental Health Care Delivery for Older Adults in Rural Greece: Unmet Needs.

Mental disorders may go unrecognized and undertreated in older adults. This is the rationale for the launch of specialized mental health services for the elderly in high resourced settings. Rural areas, however, do not receive adequate mental health care owing to socioeconomic and geographical reasons, and this is the case of rural Greece, where research on mental health of the elderly is scarce.

Very Long-Term Outcome of Community-Dwelling Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders in Rural Greece.

The objective of the present study was to measure the very long-term outcome in community-dwelling patients with a diagnosis of psychosis and to search for possible correlations of outcome with clinical factors. The sample included 55 psychotic patients with at least 15 years of disease duration (M = 32.1 years).

Functioning in community-dwelling patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in rural Greece.

Background: There is a dearth of studies on functioning in patients with psychotic disorders in rural areas.

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess functioning in a population-based sample of patients with psychotic disorders who live in rural, remote and deprived areas in Greece, and to explore the differences in functioning across ages.

Methods: The sample consisted of 61 patients with psychotic disorders that were engaged to treatment with a community mental health service.

Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Relatives of Intensive Care Unit Patients and the Perceived Need for Support.

Background: Admission of a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the recovery process may be stressful for family members.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the families' psychological symptoms and their evolution over the 1 week of patients' ICU stay. Additional objectives were the estimation of the families' need for support and the estimation of satisfaction regarding the information provided by ICU physicians.

Rates and Correlations of Psychiatric Drug Administration in a Rehabilitation Center.

Background: Physical injury has been associated with the development of several psychopathological manifestations. Less is known about the use of psychiatric medication in those patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the use of psychiatric medication by patients been admitted in a rehabilitation center in a tertiary care teaching hospital and to inquire for the correlations of such drug administration.

Mental Healthcare Delivery in Rural Greece: A 10-year Account of a Mobile Mental Health Unit.

Introduction: Patients living in rural and remote areas may have limited access to mental healthcare due to lack of facilities and socioeconomic reasons, and this is the case of rural areas in Eastern Europe countries. In Greece, community mental health service delivery in rural areas has been implemented through the development of the Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs).

Methods: We present a 10-year account of the operation of the MMHU of the prefectures of Ioannina and Thesprotia (MMHU I-T) and report on the impact of the service on mental health delivery in the catchment area.