Psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia, are severe mental illnesses associated with high rates of disability and functional impairment, causing significant individual burden and incurring high societal costs. Typical onset of schizophrenia is in late adolescence or early adulthood and the complex management requires often life-long pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment. Early symptom recognition and timely intervention can improve the course of illness and result in better outcome and prognosis, effective management leads to a functional recovery. However, recent reports have identified significant gaps in access to timely assessment and shared decision-making interventions, with inadequate care pathways. In the face of an unprecedented demand for mental healthcare for young people, it can be challenging for health services to deliver high-quality mental healthcare which, according to the World Health Organization, should be timely, effective and evidence-based, safe and person-centered. The project covers nine countries in Europe.

Building on the European Brain Council Rethinking Schizophrenia Beyond The Voices Policy Report (2024), the survey and literature review aim to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of integrated models of youth mental healthcare on a broader range of outcomes, including both mental health outcomes, such as clinical symptoms, functioning and quality of life and health service outcomes, including access and satisfaction with care in young people; and (2) identify the common components of integrated care pathways for young people with first episode psychosis.

Using the care pathway as a tool at the first step of the research, a cross-country survey was co-designed with the Board of experts and anonymously launched earlier this year. By complementing the survey, the literature review on the care pathway will address quality and continuity of care from the first onset of psychosis and schizophrenia to long-term care in the selected countries including existing guidelines and overview country health situation assessments.

Patients and mental health professionals’ insights will be collected. Obtained data will also be analysed by the stakeholders and used to formulate recommendations for policy makers, care payers, mental health professionals, patients and their families (both country specific and at the EU level).

A policy report, based on the consensus, will be released at the Brain Awareness Week 2025 with results and recommendations which will provide valuable insight into understanding the needs of patients with first-episode psychosis and defining the optimal care pathways to engage with them. In order to show that there is a progress in the field of care for schizophrenia patients, the utilization of new technologies is included.

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Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental health condition characterized by alternating periods of mania, depression, and mixed states. The timing and recurrence of these mood episodes may be influenced by external factors, including seasonal variations. Previous research has highlighted potential seasonal patterns in the onset of manic episodes, with environmental factors such as changes in light exposure, temperature, and circadian rhythms playing a role. Comprehending these temporal patterns is paramount, as they provide critical insights into the underlying mechanisms of mood dysregulation and can inform the development of more targeted and effective clinical interventions for individuals with bipolar disorder.

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether manic and mixed episodes in bipolar disorder show a seasonal pattern. Specifically, this study aims to investigate whether specific times of the year are associated with a heightened incidence of hospitalizations for manic or mixed episodes.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on patient records from an inpatient psychiatric unit over four years. Inclusion criteria were a primary diagnosis of bipolar disorder and admission due to a manic or mixed episode. Data were categorized by month and season of hospitalization, and statistical analyses were performed to assess for significant seasonal variations.

Our study revealed a significant increase in hospitalizations for manic episodes during the spring and summer months, with 58% of manic episodes occurring during this period, and a secondary peak in autumn. Mixed episodes demonstrated less pronounced but still observable seasonal variation. Statistical analysis confirmed the presence of seasonality, with manic episodes more likely to occur during periods of increased daylight, while mixed episodes appeared more distributed across the year.

The findings indicate that manic episodes in bipolar disorder follow a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking in spring and summer. Although mixed episodes are less strongly correlated with seasonality, some seasonal trends were observed. These results highlight the significance of considering environmental and seasonal factors in the management of bipolar disorder. Further investigation into the underlying mechanisms of these patterns could improve preventative care and inform the development of personalized treatment strategies.

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Besides the traditionally studied group of young females, disordered eating occurs in all age groups (Eedena, Hoekena, and Hoek 2021). In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of eating disorders and symptoms in middle-aged and older women (40 years old and over) (Mangweth-Matzek and Hoek 2017).

Experts in eating psychopathology in special groups such as Samuels, Maine and Taltillo (2019) suggest the use of the Screen for Disordered Eating (SDE; Magen et al. 2018) in the psychometric assessment of women in middle age and older. The SDE was developed to allow the Eating Disorders (ED) screening in Primary Health Care in people of all ages and without excluding Binge Eating Disorder (BED).

The SDE is composed of five items (yes or no answers), extracted from other validated self-reported questionnaires for the assessment of eating psychopathology.

To analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese Version of the Screen for Disordered Eating in a sample of women from the general population aged 40 and over.

Participants were 516 women with a mean age of 50.28 of years old (± 8.063; range: 40-80). They answered an online survey including the preliminary Portuguese version of the SDE and the Portuguese version of the Eating Disorder Examination – Questionnaire (EDE-Q-7; Pereira et al. 2021).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the unidimensional model presented good fit indexes (χ2/df=1.502; RMSEA=.0311, p<.001; CFI=.987 TLI=.995, GFI=.965). The Cronbach’s alfa was .762. All the items contributed to the internal consistency, as they presented item-total correlations above .40 and the exclusion of each one would decrease the alpha. Pearson correlations between SDE and the EDE-Q-7 were significant (p<.01), positive and moderate/high, as follows: .516 with the total score and .318, .503 and .536 respectively with the dimensional scores of Dietary restraint, Shape/weight overvaluation and Body dissatisfaction.

As observed with the original English-language scale, the Portuguese version of the SDE has shown good validity (construct and concurrent) and internal consistency. As such, the SDE might be a useful tool to investigate disordered eating psychopathology in older women. In the near future we will determine the SDE cut-offs with the best combination of sensitivity and specificity to screen for eating disorders in this populational group.

None Declared

Contact heat is commonly used in experimental research to evoke brain activity, most frequently acquired with electroencephalography (EEG). Although magnetoencephalography (MEG) improves spatial resolution, using some contact heat stimulators with MEG can present methodological challenges. This systematic review assesses studies that utilise contact heat in MEG, their findings and possible directions for further research.

Eight electronic databases were searched for relevant studies, in addition to the selected papers' reference lists, citations and ConnectedPapers maps. Best practice recommendations for systematic reviews were followed. Papers met inclusion criteria if they used MEG to record brain activity in conjunction with contact heat, regardless of stimulator equipment or paradigm.

Of 646 search results, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies demonstrated effective electromagnetic artefact removal from MEG data, the ability to elicit affective anticipation and differences in deep brain stimulation responders. We identify contact heat stimulus parameters that should be reported in publications to ensure comparisons between data outcomes are consistent.

Contact heat is a viable alternative to laser or electrical stimulation in experimental research, and methods exist to successfully mitigate any electromagnetic noise generated by PATHWAY CHEPS equipment – though there is a dearth of literature exploring the post-stimulus time window.

Pregnancy and the postpartum are generally characterized by positive feelings and expectations but they may also disguise maternal stress and difficulties. These are typical periods for the onset or relapse of psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Even though suicide during pregnancy and postpartum is rare, it is among the leading causes of maternal perinatal mortality.

To provide an overview on the risk of suicide during pregnancy and postpartum.

PubMed database was searched using combinations of the terms “suicide”, combined with “pregnancy” and “depression”.

The major risk factors for suicidal ideation are previous suicide attempts, self-harm, current or past history of psychiatric disorder, young maternal age, being unmarried, an unplanned pregnancy, substance use disorders, lack effective psychosocial support and discontinuation of psychotropic drugs. Pregnant women with suicidality behavior have also an increased risk for various adverse obstetric outcomes, including miscarriage, preterm delivery, maternal hemorrhage, and stillbirth. Furthermore, the postpartum period is often associated with the onset of mood and psychotic disorders with an increased risk of both suicide and infanticide. Women who have suffered from serious psychiatric conditions either after childbirth or in other phases of life should be informed about the possibility of relapse after subsequent pregnancies, thus presenting a higher risk of suicide.

During pregnancy and postpartum, it is fundamental to investigate suicide risk, including suicidal ideation, thoughts, and intent, especially (but not only) in women affected by mental pathology. Moreover, maternal suicide behaviour affects the child’s neuropsychological development and can also increase the infant´s suicide risk.

No significant relationships.

Despite the multitude of clinical manifestations of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), studies applying statistical methods to directly investigate patterns of symptom co-occurrence and their biological correlates are scarce.

We assessed 30 symptoms pertaining to different organ systems in 749 adults (age = 55 ± 14 years; 47% female) during in-person visits conducted at 6–11 months after hospitalization due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including six psychiatric and cognitive manifestations. Symptom co-occurrence was initially investigated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and latent variable modeling was then conducted using Item Response Theory (IRT). We investigated associations of latent variable severity with objective indices of persistent physical disability, pulmonary and kidney dysfunction, and C-reactive protein and D-dimer blood levels, measured at the same follow-up assessment.

The EFA extracted one factor, explaining 64.8% of variance; loadings were positive for all symptoms, and above 0.35 for 16 of them. The latent trait generated using IRT placed fatigue, psychiatric, and cognitive manifestations as the most discriminative symptoms (coefficients > 1.5, p < 0.001). Latent trait severity was associated with decreased body weight and poorer physical performance (coefficients > 0.240; p ⩽ 0.003), and elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein (coefficient = 0.378; 95% CI 0.215–0.541; p < 0.001) and D-dimer (coefficient = 0.412; 95% CI 0.123–0.702; p = 0.005). Results were similar after excluding subjects with pro-inflammatory comorbidities.

Different symptoms that persist for several months after moderate or severe COVID-19 may unite within one latent trait of PASC. This trait is dominated by fatigue and psychiatric symptoms, and is associated with objective signs of physical disability and persistent systemic inflammation.

Conceptualising Schneider’s first-rank symptoms (FRS) as a diagnostic test whose performance can be measured in terms of sensitivity and specificity involves some issues that require reflection. The first formal proposal was contained in a 1939 monograph Schneider wrote, but little is known of their prehistory. In recent years there has been renewed interest in their clinical value.

This work aims to review the the diagnostic the evolution and diagnostic accuracy of FRS.

A non-systematic review was performed, searching Pubmed/MEDLINE for articles using the keywords “schizophrenia” and “first rank symptoms”.

From the beginning of Western descriptive psychopathology in the early 19th century, symptoms have been observed later described as first-rank by Schneider. When FRS are conceived as simple clinical indicators at a low level of inference, the results of the meta-analytic estimate of their diagnostic accuracy can be considered as a valid appraisal of their performance and usefulness. However, when FRS are conceptualised from a psychopathological perspective as strange and incomprehensible experiences that cannot be reduced merely to their propositional content and require substantial expertise and skill to be properly evaluated, the meta-analytic estimates can hardly be seen as a valid evaluation of their diagnostic significance, considering that some FRS are extremely difficult to assess properly.

The descriptions of these symptoms present substantial temporal and geographical continuity, over two centuries and in many countries. There is contradictory information concerning the validity of FRS as a clinical indicator. Phenomenologically informed studies are needed to address this research gap.