Asomatognosia: Structured Interview and Assessment of Visuomotor Imagery.

Asomatognosia designates the experience that one's body has faded from awareness. It is typically a somaesthetic experience but may target the visual modality ("asomatoscopy"). Frequently associated symptoms are the loss of ownership or agency over a limb.

Acute and subacute psychoactive effects of Kambô, the secretion of the Amazonian Giant Maki Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor): retrospective reports.

Kambô, the secretion of the Amazonian Giant Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor) contains a plethora of bioactive peptides and was originally used by indigenous communities from the Amazon basin as medicine for improving hunting capacities. In the last 20 years, Kambô has spread to Western urban healing circles. To date it is still controversial whether the acute effects of Kambô include alterations of consciousness similar to known psychoactive substance like serotonergic psychedelics.

Multidisciplinary treatment plan for challenging behaviors in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Among symptoms that patients with neurodevelopmental disorders can exhibit, challenging behaviors (CBs) are some of the more complex to face, both for caregivers and the patients themselves. They are more frequent in individuals with severe autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability, and during the transition period from late childhood to young adulthood. Here, we offer an overview of the therapeutic approaches proven worthy in managing CB.

Modeling Incoherent Discourse in Non-Affective Psychosis.

Background: Computational linguistic methodology allows quantification of speech abnormalities in non-affective psychosis. For this patient group, incoherent speech has long been described as a symptom of formal thought disorder. Our study is an interdisciplinary attempt at developing a model of incoherence in non-affective psychosis, informed by computational linguistic methodology as well as psychiatric research, which both conceptualize incoherence as associative loosening.

Compressive Garments in Individuals with Autism and Severe Proprioceptive Dysfunction: A Retrospective Exploratory Case Series.

(1) Background: Compression garments (CGs) are an adjuvant treatment for generalized joint hypermobility (GJH), including the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome/hypermobility types. The effects of CGs are likely to be related to better proprioceptive control. We aimed to explore the use of CGs in individuals with autism and severe proprioceptive dysfunction (SPD), including individuals with GJH, to control posture and challenging behaviors.

The Relationship of Acculturation, Traumatic Events and Depression in Female Refugees.

Recent research has identified significant correlations between traumatic events and depression in refugees. However, few studies have addressed the role of acculturation strategies in this relationship. This study explored the relationship between cultural orientation, traumatic events and depression in female refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, and Somalia living in Germany.

The impact of parental psychopathology and sociodemographic factors in selective mutism - a nationwide population-based study.

Background: Selective mutism (SM) is nowadays considered a relatively rare anxiety disorder characterized by children failing to speak in certain situations. Research on risk factors for SM are limited in comparison to other psychiatric disorders. The aim of this study was to examine several potential risk factors for SM in a large nationwide cohort, namely parental psychopathology, parental age, maternal SES, urbanicity, maternal marital status and parental immigration status.

Structural brain abnormalities in adults with congenital heart disease: Prevalence and association with estimated intelligence quotient.

Background: Little is known about the prevalence of structural brain abnormalities and cognitive functioning in the growing population of patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Thus, our aim was to assess structural abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their association with intelligence quotient (IQ) in ACHD patients.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in ACHD patients and healthy controls as comparison group.

An Effective Treatment for Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in an Inpatient Setting: A 10-Year Retrospective Outcome Analysis.

Aim: Tinnitus and hyperacusis are phenomena with a considerable prevalence in the general population, leading to high levels of suffering. It is a symptom that can present itself comorbidly with a variety of psychiatric and medical illnesses. We established a treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis, which is based on a multimodal approach including a specific cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) method in an inpatient setting.

Between a rock and a hard place: Associations between Mentzos' "dilemma", self-reported interpersonal problems, and psychosocial functioning in individuals with non-affective psychoses.

Primary aim of this study was to determine the extent and type of self-reported interpersonal problems in patients with non-affective psychoses and their impact on psychosocial functioning. Furthermore, we aimed to explore potential links with the psychodynamic construct of Stavros Mentzos' "psychotic dilemma", which describes an insufferable inner tension caused by an individual's struggle of being torn between "self-oriented" and "object-oriented" tendencies. In a cross-sectional study among 129 patients with non-affective psychoses, measures of cognition, symptom load and social functioning as well as a tentative, psychodynamic assessment of Mentzos' "dilemma" were obtained during a clinical research visit.

Altered circulating endocannabinoids in anorexia nervosa during acute and weight-restored phases: A pilot study.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by a low food intake and often exceeding exercise, leading to a particularly low body × weight proportion. Patients with AN usually report less hunger than healthy controls. Endogenous endocannabinoids (eCBs), specifically the anandamide, have been associated to hunger, as a meal initiator, but research regarding AN and eCB and inconclusive.

Contribution of sexual desire and motives to the compulsive use of cybersex.

Background And Aims: Cybersex is increasingly associated with concerns about compulsive use. The aim of this study was to assess the roles of motives and sexual desire in the compulsive use of cybersex.

Methods: The sample consisted of 306 cybersex users (150 men and 156 women).

Interactive impact of childhood maltreatment, depression, and age on cortical brain structure: mega-analytic findings from a large multi-site cohort.

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) plays an important role in the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this study was to examine whether CM severity and type are associated with MDD-related brain alterations, and how they interact with sex and age.

Methods: Within the ENIGMA-MDD network, severity and subtypes of CM using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were assessed and structural magnetic resonance imaging data from patients with MDD and healthy controls were analyzed in a mega-analysis comprising a total of 3872 participants aged between 13 and 89 years.

Anti--methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis in an older patient presenting with a rapid onset of delusions and amnesia.

We present the case of a 77-year-old patient with a rapid onset of delusions, amnesia, agitation, insomnia and no previous psychiatric history, who was diagnosed with anti--methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis. This case report highlights the importance of including autoimmune encephalitis in the differential diagnosis of older patients presenting with rapid onset psychiatric episodes.

The Vitamins in Psychosis Study: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Effects of Vitamins B, B, and Folic Acid on Symptoms and Neurocognition in First-Episode Psychosis.

Background: Elevated homocysteine is observed in schizophrenia and associated with illness severity. The aim of this study was to determine whether vitamins B, B, and folic acid lower homocysteine and improve symptomatology and neurocognition in first-episode psychosis. Whether baseline homocysteine, genetic variation, sex, and diagnosis interact with B-vitamin treatment on outcomes was also examined.

A systematic review on the relationship between mental health, radicalization and mass violence.

Radicalization is a process, by which individuals adopt extreme political, social and religious ideation that leads to mass violence acts. It has been hypothesized that mental health characteristics might be associated with a risk of radicalization. However, a qualitative synthesis of studies investigating the relationship between mental health and radicalization has not been performed so far.

Comparative efficacy and tolerability of medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents, and adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: The benefits and safety of medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remain controversial, and guidelines are inconsistent on which medications are preferred across different age groups. We aimed to estimate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of oral medications for ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults.

Methods: We did a literature search for published and unpublished double-blind randomised controlled trials comparing amphetamines (including lisdexamfetamine), atomoxetine, bupropion, clonidine, guanfacine, methylphenidate, and modafinil with each other or placebo.

'I-as-We' - Powerful boundaries within the field of mental health coproduction.

To date, there is little research on personal crisis experiences of mental health professionals. The aim of this study was to explore some of the reasons for why self-disclosure is so difficult and how these difficulties may prevent productive forms of coproduction. These questions are addressed both from a psychiatrist's autoethnographic account and from the perspective of a peer worker who works in various coproductive relationships.

Near-death experiences, attacks by family members, and absence of health care in their home countries affect the quality of life of refugee women in Germany: a multi-region, cross-sectional, gender-sensitive study.

Background: The year 2016 has marked the highest number of displaced people worldwide on record. A large number of these refugees are women, yet little is known about their specific situation and the hurdles they have to face during their journey. Herein, we investigated whether sociodemographic characteristics and traumatic experiences in the home country and during the flight affected the quality of life of refugee women arriving in Germany in 2015-2016.

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Male Youth: The Interplay between Symptom Severity, Inflammation, Steroid Secretion, and Body Composition.

The morbidity and societal burden of youth bipolar spectrum disorders (BSD) are high. These disorders are multisystemic in that adult populations there are clear interactions with inflammatory processes and steroidal physiological systems. There are much less data concerning these areas of study in youth populations with BSD.