Autistic symptoms and clinical features of individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and first-episode psychosis.

Introduction: Autistic symptoms in schizophrenia are reportedly associated with cognitive and social functions. However, few studies have investigated the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in individuals with a clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). We aimed to determine the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in a cohort of individuals with CHR-P or FEP.

Mental Health Problems among University Students under the Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey.

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health among university students within a year of its onset, but few have examined the impact of a prolonged pandemic on university life. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of students in a large university community. Online questionnaire surveys were conducted on students from March 24 to April 14 (first survey, n = 3,357) and December 2-23, 2021 (second survey, n = 2,604).

Real-Time Prediction of Medical Demand and Mental Health Status in Ukraine under Russian Invasion Using Tweet Analysis.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine (February 24, 2022) has begun and there are concerns about the impact on health care supply and mental health. This study analyzed tweets in the Ukrainian language to capture the medical needs and mental health conditions in wartime Ukraine by focusing on ostensibly relevant words. The number of tweets containing the keywords and their overall proportion was compared before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Review of Mental Health Consequences of the Great East Japan Earthquake through Long-Term Epidemiological Studies: The Shichigahama Health Promotion Project.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tohoku University began to provide mental health services during the acute phase of the disaster in cooperation with Shichigahama Town, one of the municipalities located in the coastal area of the Miyagi Prefecture that was severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami; it continued to be providing long-term mental health activities, incorporating annual surveys for affected residents in the town for 10 years. Ten years of combination of surveys and outreach activities first depicted detailed longitudinal alterations in the mental health conditions of communities affected by a catastrophe. While posttraumatic stress reaction had recovered year by year after the year following the Great East Japan Earthquake, recovery from psychological distress retreated between 2014 and 2017, probably due to the relocation from temporal to eternal housing conditions.

Open-label study of cognitive behavioural therapy for individuals with at-risk mental state: Feasibility in the Japanese clinical setting.

Aim: To date, most cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) trials for individuals with at-risk metal state (ARMS) have been conducted in few Western countries and its feasibility in other regions, including Japan, has not been established.

Methods: We designed an open-label pilot study. Fourteen ARMS participants received CBT over 6 months and were followed-up for 6 months.

The associations between quality of life and clinical symptoms in individuals with an at-risk mental state and first-episode psychosis.

Quality of life (QOL) is strongly associated with severity of clinical symptoms and is often compromised in patients with chronic or first-episode psychosis (FEP). However, it remains unclear whether baseline QOL in individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis is higher or lower than that in patients with FEP, or what specific clinical symptoms relate to a decreased QOL in individuals with ARMS and FEP. The World Health Organization's WHOQOL-BREF, an instrument assessing QOL, was administered to 104 individuals with ARMS and 53 with FEP.

The relationship between cognitive insight and cognitive performance among individuals with at-risk mental state for developing psychosis.

Impairments in cognitive insight-the capacity to appraise and modify one's own distorted beliefs-are believed to be associated with the formation of psychosis. Nevertheless, the association between cognitive insight and cognitive function among people with at-risk mental state (ARMS) for developing psychotic illness has not been made clear. In this study, we used the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) to assess cognitive insight and the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to assess cognitive functions.

Deficits of cognitive theory of mind and its relationship with functioning in individuals with an at-risk mental state and first-episode psychosis.

Disturbance of theory of mind (ToM) and its relationship with functioning in schizophrenia is well documented; however, this is unclear in spectrum disorders like at-risk mental state (ARMS) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). To assess mental state reasoning ability, the total score of the Theory of Mind Picture Stories Task questionnaire was compared among 36 Japanese individuals with ARMS, 40 with FEP, and 25 healthy controls (HC). Pearson's correlations between ToM performance and global and social functioning indices were examined.

Correction: Criticism and Depression among the Caregivers of At-Risk Mental State and First-Episode Psychosis Patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Criticism and Depression among the Caregivers of At-Risk Mental State and First-Episode Psychosis Patients.

Expressed emotion (EE), especially criticism, is an important predictor of outcomes for the patient for a wide range of mental health problems. To understand complex links between EE and various relevant variables in early phase psychosis, this study examined criticism, distress of caregivers, other patients', and caregivers' variables, and links between criticism and these variables in those with at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis and first-episode psychosis (FEP). The participants were 56 patients (mean age 18.

The association between cognitive deficits and depressive symptoms in at-risk mental state: a comparison with first-episode psychosis.

Cognitive deficits and a high prevalence of depressive symptoms have been reported in at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis, but the relationships between these variables remain unclear. The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) was administered to 50 individuals with ARMS, 50 with first-episode psychosis (FEP), and 30 healthy controls (HC). Clinical symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd edition (BDI-II).

[Application of cognitive behavioral therapy to early phase of psychosis].

Attempts to apply cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat patients in the early stage of psychosis, including those with First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) and those with an At-Risk Mental State (ARMS), have recently attracted considerable attention. Such CBT for FEP focuses on promoting the recovery process and relapse prevention, although evidence on its efficacy is currently limited. Further, studies on CBT for ARMS have not consistently demonstrated its effectiveness.

[Natori EI project: the early intervention project for psychiatric disorders by the Miyagi Psychiatric Center].

Attempts to promote early intervention (EI) for psychiatric disorders are becoming accepted worldwide. Although several attempts at EI have begun in Japan, this movement is still limited, and the development of concrete EI services suited to individual regions is required. At the Miyagi Psychiatric Center, the "Natori EI project" is being carried out with the aim of improving the mental health of young people.