To assess the impact of a partial smoking ban followed by a total smoking ban in a psychiatric hospital in Switzerland. In this hospital in 2003, smoking was allowed everywhere except in bedrooms and dining rooms. In 2004, smoking was prohibited everywhere except in closed smoking rooms. In 2006, smoking rooms were suppressed and smoking was prohibited everywhere inside hospital buildings.

Patients and staff were surveyed in 2003 (n=106), 2004 (n=108), 2005 (n=119) and 2006 (n=134).

Most participants (55%) answered that the total ban was too strict and preferred the partial ban. Self-reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) improved in dining rooms, corridors and offices after the partial smoking ban and further improved after the total ban. Exposure to ETS in bedrooms improved after introduction of the partial ban, but was not further improved by the total ban. Among patients, more smokers reported having made a quit attempt during their hospital stay after (18%) than before the total smoking ban (2%, odds ratio=10.1, p=0.01), and more smokers said that hospital staff gave them nicotine replacement medications after (52%) than before the total ban (13%, odds ratio=7.6, p<0.001).

The partial smoking ban decreased exposure to ETS and the total ban further improved the situation, even though neither the partial nor the total bans were strictly enforced. The total ban increased the proportions of smokers who made a quit attempt and received nicotine medications.

Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of violence. The successful identification of the illness specific factors that contribute to that risk could lead to the development of novel therapeutic risk management strategies.

To identify cognitive and emotion processing deficits that are linked to violence risk in schizophrenia.

Fifty male patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia and thirty-nine healthy controls were assessed across a range of intellectual, executive, emotion and social processing domains. Lifetime propensity to violence was quantified in terms of frequency, severity and victim outcome.

General intellectual ability and memory were not significantly associated with violence propensity. Violent patients showed significantly poorer response inhibition, after accounting for relevant clinical variables. A greater lifetime propensity to violence was associated with an attentional bias towards anger, a heightened sensitivity to the recognition of fear, with poorer complex Theory of Mind performance.

Our results allow us to propose a hypothetical model of the risk of violence in schizophrenia. We suggest that heightened sensitivity to environmental negative emotional cues and poorer understanding of complex social situations, combined with a poorer ability both to quickly process but also inhibit pre-potent responses, results in a greater propensity to violence in schizophrenia. We propose that this model sits alongside risk associated with other factors such as illicit drug use. These findings need replication but could have implications for more effective treatment and management of patients with schizophrenia.

To find out clinical and social factors contributing to specific female crime – infanticide.

clinical, psychological, statistical.

A cohort of 12 females who had killed their children was examined. All women were victims of violence by their husbands or partners. Domestic abuse resulted in long-term mental problems of women. Clinical assessment has revealed depression, anxiety, fear, post traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse.

Women of the sample who had committed infanticide displayed pathological altruistic motivation of the crime. Alongside with clinical factors the research had revealed also social factors of infanticide. Women were often exposed to psychogenic situations with high level of stress (financial and housing problems, violence of the partner). In accordance with the Criminal Code of Russia the special article (106) governs infanticide. This law takes into account the psychogenic situation which caused the crime (battered women syndrome) and the fact that at the time of the child murder the mental state of mother was affected by childbirth.

In cases of infanticide the court is free to make verdict more lenient and its reflects more humane approach to such complicated phenomenon as child murder.

The study is supported by the grant 13-06-00127 of the Russian Humanitarian Scientific Fund

Test anxiety is a multidimensional phenomenon, including concerns about conflicts lead to negative emotional and behavioral responses in academic scores.

Current study examines the influence of educating time management on decreasing exam Anxiety and educational negligence of conditioned university students on Tehran.

The method of doing study is of testing in which statistical society includes conditioned university students of Tehran. Of general statistical society, we have selected 20 persons by in access sampling method. Gathering information instrument in this study is Solomon and Roth bloom's educational negligence questionnaire and sarason test anxiety in which has been in access of studied sample after testing its stability and narration.

After education, the result of t-test dependent and co-variance analysis has shown time management education does have meaningful influence on decreasing test stress and conditioned university students negligence on Tehran universities.

Dropped students compared to other students, provided a significant contingent of students had less time management and procrastination.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Two randomized, controlled trials of L-methylfolate augmentation of SSRIs for major depressive disorder (MDD) were conducted using a novel study design (sequential parallel comparison design- SPCD).

To evaluate the efficacy of L-methylfolate augmentation using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

In study one (TRD-1), 148 outpatients with SSRI-resistant MDD were enrolled in a 60-day, SPCD study, divided into two 30-day periods (phases 1 and 2). Patients were randomized 2:3:3 to receive L-methylfolate (7.5mg/d in phase 1, 15mg/d in phase 2), placebo in phase 1 followed by L-methylfolate 7.5mg/d in phase 2, or placebo for both phases. Study two (TRD-2) involved 75 patients and was identical in design to TRD-1 except for the dose of L-methylfolate (15mg only).

In the TRD-1 Study, L-methylfolate 7.5 mg/d was not found to be more effective than placebo. In phase 1 of the TRD-2 Study, 37% of patients on L-methylfolate 15mg/d responded and 18% of placebo patients responded, while in phase 2 among placebo non-responders, the response rates were 28% on L-methylfolate 15mg/d and 9.5% on placebo. When phases 1 and 2 were pooled according to the SPCD model, the difference in response rates was statistically significant in favor of L-methylfolate (p = 0.0399). The rates of spontaneously reported AEs and rates of study discontinuation appear r comparable between L-methylfolate and placebo in both studies. Rates of study discontinuation were also comparable

These studies suggest that L-methylfolate 15 mg/d may be a safe and effective augmentation strategy for inadequate response to SSRIs.

Interpersonal sensitivity can be explained as a personality trait in which there is an excessive and expanded awareness of the behavior and emotions of others. Individuals having high interpersonal sensitivity are sensitive to interpersonal relationships and self-deficiencies in comparison to others. Studies report that high interpersonal sensitivity can cause low self-esteem and feelings of insecurity.

The objective of this study was to examine the level of interpersonal sensitivity in individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis compared to the individuals not at risk for psychosis.

A total sample of 50 individuals was recruited from Bahria University, Karwan-e-Hayat and Karachi Psychiatric Hospital: 25 with ARMS for psychosis and 25 participants who were not ARMS, according to scores on Schizophrenia Proneness Inventory-Adult (SPI-A). All of the participants then responded to self-report questionnaire on Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure.

Results showed that the group with ARMS had a significantly higher interpersonal sensitivity on average (112.5) as compared to healthy individuals (91.8). Results show significant difference in both of the groups (t = –5.049; P < .0001) indicating that interpersonal sensitivity in people with ARMS was relatively high compared to those who were not at risk.

This study suggests that being ‘hypersensitive’ to interpersonal interactions is a psychological feature of the potentially prodromal phase of psychosis. Addressing difficulties in interpersonal relationships and offering early psychotherapeutic interventions can be beneficial, not only in averting serious illness, but preventing loss to individual and national productivity.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Differences in eating habits/behaviours and eating disorders (ED) symptoms in adolescents from rural and urban schools has not been very considered, particularly in Portugal.

explore differences between students who attend rural and urban schools in eating habits/behaviors and ED symptoms; verify if there are differences regarding Body Mass Index (BMI) by school area.

282 adolescents students (mean age = 14,5; SD = 1,69; variation = 12-18 years old; urban subsample = 126, 44,7%), studying in two schools, one from an urban area and another from a rural area answered sociodemographic questions, eating habits/behaviours items and EAT-25 (Eating Attitudes Test-25).

Most of the adolescents from both schools have breakfast and drink milk daily. Moreover, they eat vegetables and fruits daily or weekly and only rarely fast-food. Adolescents that practice a sport eat more fruits/vegetables. Adolescents attending a rural school ingest more vegetables and less fast-food. ED symptoms (EAT-25) present a lower prevalence, comparing to a young adults sample. There were no significant differences in all the EAT-25 dimensions, EAT total score and BMI by school area.

Eating habits/behaviours seem to be positive in both schools (e.g. most adolescents have breakfast daily). There were only some small differences between the two schools in particular eating habits but adolescents from the two areas do not seem to differ in ED symptoms and BMI, which is not in accordance with the literature that tends to signal urban areas as a “risk factor” for dysfunctional eating behaviors.

No significant relationships.

Family interventions in psychosis are well established through systematic reviews and meta-analysis of outcome studies. Such reviews report that family intervention might reduce the risk of relapse, benefits in general social functioning, and reduction in levels of expressed emotion and family burden. But most previous studies are conducted in caregivers with chronic schizophrenia. Thus, the effects of family interventions in the early stages are largely unknown.

The study evaluated the effectiveness of group intervention in improving social support and reduction in expressed emotion among caregivers of first episode psychosis.

Using a quasi-experimental comparison group design, we evaluated the effectiveness of an add-on seven sessions of group interventions with treatment as usual group among 59 caregivers of first episode psychosis. Intervention included support, psycho-education, and communication components. The samples were recruited during participants’ inpatient stay at the hospital. Follow-up assessments were carried out after one moth and three months of interventions. Standardized instruments were used to measure the outcomes. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the data.

Caregivers in group intervention reported significant reduction in expressed emotion (p<.007) and improvements in social support (p<.002) in one month follow-up assessment. But these benefits were not sustained at three months follow-ups. Overall, both groups showed significant changes on outcome variables over the time period.

Group intervention was effective for improving caregivers’ social support and reducing expressed emotion. Intervention need to provide longer period to sustain the benefits.

Anxious-depressive disorders are common among children with epilepsy. A recent Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Scott et al., 2020) reported that the overall pooled prevalence of anxiety disorders is 18.9% while of depressive disorders is 13.5%. COVID-19 pandemic has centralized the attention of governors and careers on the health emergency. As a result, the trajectory of the psychological care needs of this at risk population may have been neglected.

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence rate of depressive and anxiety symptoms among children with epilepsy during COVID-19 pandemic. Children were hospitalized in- and out-patients under a neurological and psychological follow up program in an Italian Children Hospital.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 38 hospitalized children and adolescents with epilepsy (21F; 17M, mean age: 14,5; range: 11-18) during COVID-19 pandemic. We performed face-to face interviews and assessed depressive and anxiety symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD-7) questionnaire during scheduled follow up checks.

Preliminary results showed a rate of mild-to-severe anxious depressive symptoms by 49.9% and 60.5% respectively. In detail: 21.1% mild, 15.7% moderate and 13.1% of severe anxiety, meanwhile 23.7% mild, 26.3% moderate and 10.5% of severe depression. The prevalence of comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms was 39.5% among the entire sample.

Depressive and anxiety rates among hospitalized children with epilepsy during COVID-19 outbreak are very high. Pediatric services should deserve special attention to those patients’ mental health. Regular screening protocols and empowerment interventions in Hospital should be promoted.

No significant relationships.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is most often associated with sexual problems in adult women. Specialized group therapy is often referred to as the treatment of choice targeting squeal in adults with a history of CSA, but the therapy as well as the outcome measures seldom addresses the sexual problems specifically.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of specialized group therapy on sexual function in women with a history of intrafamilial child sexual abuse (CSA).

This prospective multicentre pre-post study of women with a history of hands-on intrafamilial CSA referred to the psychiatric clinics for specialized group therapy included 158 women. Data concerning social and psychological functioning, body image, and current sexual life were collected using self-rating questionnaires and conducting a clinical interview before and after group therapy.

Data were available pre and post treatment for 132 women. There was some effect on unspecific sexual problems and sexual dysfunctions. Still, at the end of treatment nearly half of the women were unsatisfied with their sexual life, and among sexual active women half had still sexual dysfunction. Especially dyspareunia and orgasmic dysfunction were common.

The present study showed that women with a history of intrafamilial CSA who had completed specialized group therapy still have many sexual problems and may need psychosexual therapy. This need to be taken in consideration When designing treatment programs.

References: Lau M, Kristensen E. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 2007;116:96-104.

Kristensen E, Lau M. Sexual and Relationship Therapy 2011;26(3):229-241.

The prospective clinical study included 101 patients diagnosed in accordance with DSM IV criteria for AIPD. Patients were monitored for 3 months in hospital and outpatient conditions, according to specially designed protocol, which included MMSE, BPRS, CGI1-4 scales, and clock drawing test (CDT). Both the control and the experimental groups were treated with conventional therapy and in addition the experimental group treatment was supplemented with rivastigmine (3-12 mg/24 h).

The participants were in the same age range, predominantly male, with an similar average illness duration. Average daily rivastigmine dose was 9.76±2.014 mg. An average pretrial MMSE score was around 19, BPRS score was around 50, CGI1 score was around 4.6, and CDT score around 5. Statistically significant differences among the C and E group begin to show after 14th (in BPRS scores)and 28th day of therapy(in MMSE,CDT,and CGI1 scores) (p>0.1) and to become more apparently significant after two and three months of treatment (p>0.5).

MMSE and CDT scores are significantly higher, and BPRS, CGI1-3 scores significantly lower in rivastigmine group from 14th and 28thday of treatment. Rivastigmine has statistically significant effect in treatment of AIPD.

To estimate frequency, type and severity of the psychological trauma, severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms’ clusters and prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) refugee and internally displaced adolescents after the war 1992–1995.

The sample of 217 pupils (106 females) aged of 15.1 ± 2.1 years consisted from three groups of participants originated from different geographical regions from north-eastern BH: Srebrenica (n = 69), Zvornik (n = 79), and Bijeljina (n = 69), who were exposed to the war catastrophes in the 1992–1995 war and were forced to leave their homes and property during the whole war and after it. War trauma experiences, PTSD symptoms severity and PTSD prevalence of adolescents were evaluated with Bosnia-Herzegovina version of Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ).

The severity level of PTSD symptoms’ and social dysfunction was most severe in Srebrenica, than in Zvornik and finally in Bijeljina group.

The prevalence of PTSD statistically significantly differed between Srebrenica group (73.9%), Zvornik group (60.8%) and Bijeljina group of respondents (47.6%) (χ2test = 9.854, df = 2, p = 0.007).

There were regional variations in Bosnia-Herzegovina warfare. Refugee and internally displaced adolescents suffer very frequently from PTSD 3.5 years after war. The most difficult war trauma was in surviving adolescents from Srebrenica, than Zvornik and finally from Bijeljina. PTSD prevalence is highly reported and significantly differed between groups.