Aims
Source monitoring (SM) is the metacognitive ability to determine the origin of one's experiences. SM is altered in primary psychiatric psychosis, although relationships between SM subtypes, ...other cognitive domains and symptoms are unclear. Our aims were to synthesize evidence comparing psychosis ‐with and without hallucinations‐ and healthy controls classifying SM subtypes by source discrimination (internal/external/reality monitoring) and stimulus modality (visual/auditory/imagined/performed).
Methods
This systematic review adopted Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses, Meta‐analyses Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes guidelines. Core demographical and clinical parameters were extracted. Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale was used as quality check. SM differences between (i) psychosis patients versus healthy controls and (ii) patients with versus without hallucinations were investigated via random‐effect model meta‐analysis. The primary effect size measure was standardized mean difference (SMD) in each SM subtype performance (error or accuracy). Heterogeneity, publication biases and meta‐regressions were assessed.
Results
Five thousand two hundred and fifty‐six records were screened to finally include 44 studies (1566 patients, 1175 controls). Mean Newcastle‐Ottawa score was 7.41 out of 9. Few studies measured SM associations with cognition (n = 9) and symptoms (n = 19), with heterogeneous findings. SM performance across all measures was reduced in psychosis versus healthy controls (SMD = 0.458). Internal SM (SMD: errors = 0.513; accuracy = 0.733) and imagined stimuli (SMD: errors = 0.688; accuracy = 0.978) were specifically impaired. Patients with versus without hallucinations showed SM deficits only for externalizing (SMD = 0.410) and imagined/auditory (SMD = 0.498/0.277) errors.
Conclusion
The proposed classifications highlight specific SM deficits for internal/imagined stimuli in psychosis, providing evidence‐based indications to design and interpret future studies.
Abstract A large array of studies has investigated peripheral oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (ADH) as potential biomarkers of psychiatric disorders, with highly conflicting and heterogenous findings. ...We searched Web of KnowledgeSM and Scopus® for English original articles investigating OT and/or ADH levels in different biological fluids (plasma/serum, saliva, urine and cerebrospinal fluid) across several psychiatric disorders. Sixty-four studies were included. We conducted 19 preliminary meta-analyses addressing OT alterations in plasma/serum, saliva, urine and cerebrospinal fluid of 7 psychiatric disorders and ADH alterations in plasma/serum, saliva, urine and cerebrospinal fluid of 6 psychiatric disorders compared to controls. Hedge's g was used as effect size measure, together with heterogeneity analyses, test of publication biases and quality control. None of them (except serum OT in anorexia nervosa) revealed significant differences. There is no convincing evidence that peripheral ADH or OT might be reliable biomarkers in psychiatric disorders. However, the lack of significant results was associated with high methodological heterogeneity, low quality of the studies, small sample size, and scarce reliability of the methods used in previous studies, which need to be validated and standardized.
Empirical evidence indicates a significant bidirectional association between mental disorders and physical diseases, but the prospective impact of mental disorders on clinical outcomes of physical ...diseases has not been comprehensively outlined. In this PRISMA‐ and COSMOS‐E‐compliant umbrella review, we searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, up to March 15, 2022, to identify systematic reviews with meta‐analysis that examined the prospective association between any mental disorder and clinical outcomes of physical diseases. Primary outcomes were disease‐specific mortality and all‐cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were disease‐specific incidence, functioning and/or disability, symptom severity, quality of life, recurrence or progression, major cardiac events, and treatment‐related outcomes. Additional inclusion criteria were further applied to primary studies. Random effect models were employed, along with I2 statistic, 95% prediction intervals, small‐study effects test, excess significance bias test, and risk of bias (ROBIS) assessment. Associations were classified into five credibility classes of evidence (I to IV and non‐significant) according to established criteria, complemented by sensitivity and subgroup analyses to examine the robustness of the main analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using a new package for conducting umbrella reviews (https://metaumbrella.org). Population attributable fraction (PAF) and generalized impact fraction (GIF) were then calculated for class I‐III associations. Forty‐seven systematic reviews with meta‐analysis, encompassing 251 non‐overlapping primary studies and reporting 74 associations, were included (68% were at low risk of bias at the ROBIS assessment). Altogether, 43 primary outcomes (disease‐specific mortality: n=17; all‐cause mortality: n=26) and 31 secondary outcomes were investigated. Although 72% of associations were statistically significant (p<0.05), only two showed convincing (class I) evidence: that between depressive disorders and all‐cause mortality in patients with heart failure (hazard ratio, HR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.26‐1.65), and that between schizophrenia and cardiovascular mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases (risk ratio, RR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.36‐1.75). Six associations showed highly suggestive (class II) evidence: those between depressive disorders and all‐cause mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus (HR=2.84, 95% CI: 2.00‐4.03) and with kidney failure (HR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.31‐1.51); that between depressive disorders and major cardiac events in patients with myocardial infarction (odds ratio, OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.36‐1.70); that between depressive disorders and dementia in patients with diabetes mellitus (HR=2.11, 95% CI: 1.77‐2.52); that between alcohol use disorder and decompensated liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C (RR=3.15, 95% CI: 2.87‐3.46); and that between schizophrenia and cancer mortality in patients with cancer (standardized mean ratio, SMR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.41‐2.15). Sensitivity/subgroup analyses confirmed these results. The largest PAFs were 30.56% (95% CI: 27.67‐33.49) for alcohol use disorder and decompensated liver cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C, 26.81% (95% CI: 16.61‐37.67) for depressive disorders and all‐cause mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus, 13.68% (95% CI: 9.87‐17.58) for depressive disorders and major cardiac events in patients with myocardial infarction, 11.99% (95% CI: 8.29‐15.84) for schizophrenia and cardiovascular mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases, and 11.59% (95% CI: 9.09‐14.14) for depressive disorders and all‐cause mortality in patients with kidney failure. The GIFs confirmed the preventive capacity of these associations. This umbrella review demonstrates that mental disorders increase the risk of a poor clinical outcome in several physical diseases. Prevention targeting mental disorders – particularly alcohol use disorders, depressive disorders, and schizophrenia – can reduce the incidence of adverse clinical outcomes in people with physical diseases. These findings can inform clinical practice and trans‐speciality preventive approaches cutting across psychiatric and somatic medicine.
The two most used semi‐structured psychometric instruments that define criteria for being at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis are the Comprehensive Assessment of At‐Risk Mental States (CAARMS) ...and the Structured Interview for Psychosis‐Risk Syndromes (SIPS). Although very similar there are important differences between these two measures. Developing harmonized psychometric criteria for defining CHR and associated outcomes would be beneficial for future research. This article describes the first step in this process by reporting on a NIMH workshop held in Washington DC, in February 2019 that was attended by experts in the field. The aim of this workshop was to examine the similarities and differences between the two measures and consider how the harmonization process could proceed.
Background Oxytocin (OXT) plays a prominent role in social cognition and may have clinical applications for disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and social anxiety. The neural basis of its ...mechanism of action remains unclear. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review of placebo-controlled imaging studies using OXT as a pharmacological manipulator of brain activity. Results We identified a total of 21 studies for inclusion in our review, and after applying additional selection criteria, 11 of them were included in our fMRI voxel-based meta-analysis. The results demonstrate consistent alterations in activation of brain regions, including the temporal lobes and insula, during the processing of social stimuli, with some variation dependent on sex and task. The meta-analysis revealed significant left insular hyperactivation after OXT administration, suggesting a potential modulation of neural circuits underlying emotional processing. Limitations This quantitative review included only a limited number of studies, thus the conclusions of our analysis should be interpreted cautiously. This limited sample size precluded a more detailed exploration of potential confounding factors, such as sex or other demographic factors, that may have affected our meta-analysis. Conclusion Oxytocin has a wide range of effects over neural activity in response to social and emotional processing, which is further modulated by sex and task specificity. The magnitude of this neural activation is largest in the temporal lobes, and a meta-analysis across all tasks and both sexes showed that the left insula demonstrated the most robust activation to OXT administration.
Background
Self‐reported psychotic experiences (PEs) are associated with psychopathology of all kinds, not just psychoses. However, systematic reviews on the relevance of this for health services are ...unavailable. Furthermore, whether association with service use is confounded by other psychopathology is unknown, and is relevant to prevention and treatment.
Objectives
Literature examining associations between PEs and service use was systematically reviewed. Study quality and the direction and extent of any associations were assessed, and meta‐analysis conducted.
Methods
Systematic review and meta‐analysis was carried out as per PRISMA guidelines. A search of electronic databases was performed based on free‐text and structured terms. Included studies were evaluated by two raters using a structured tool and estimates extracted for reporting.
Results
Thirteen studies were returned. We found two prospective studies, and a minority of studies accounted for concurrent psychopathology, limiting our ability to test our main hypotheses. Five studies reported associations by different types of service use. Almost all studies assessed service use by self‐report. Meta‐analysis suggested that people who reported PEs were around twice as likely to report service use compared to those who did not (pooled OR for all included studies: 2.20,95% confidence intervals (95%CI): 1.66,2.91).
Conclusions
There was consistent evidence of association between PEs and mental health service use at the general population level. However, evidence for causation was poor due to a limited number of studies. Whether increased service use in this group is solely attributable to PEs, and therefore whether interventions aimed at limiting/preventing PEs might be effective, requires studies focusing on the relationships between PEs, psychopathology and service use.
Psychotic disorders are associated with widespread reductions in white matter (WM) integrity. However, the stage at which these abnormalities first appear and whether they are correlates of psychotic ...illness, as opposed to an increased vulnerability to psychosis, is unclear. We addressed these issues by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study subjects at ultra high risk (UHR) of psychosis before and after the onset of illness.
Thirty-two individuals at UHR for psychosis, 32 controls, and 15 patients with first-episode schizophrenia were studied using DTI. The UHR subjects and controls were re-scanned after 28 months. During this period, 8 UHR subjects had developed schizophrenia. Between-group differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity were evaluated cross sectionally and longitudinally using a nonparametric voxel-based analysis.
At baseline, WM DTI properties were significantly different between the 3 groups (P < .001). Relative to controls, first-episode patients showed widespread reductions in FA and increases in diffusivity. DTI indices in the UHR group were intermediate relative to those in the other 2 groups. Longitudinal analysis revealed a significant group by time interaction in the left frontal WM (P < .001). In this region, there was a progressive reduction in FA in UHR subjects who developed psychosis that was not evident in UHR subjects who did not make a transition.
People at UHR for psychosis show alterations in WM qualitatively similar to, but less severe than, those in patients with schizophrenia. The onset of schizophrenia may be associated with a progressive reduction in the integrity of the frontal WM.
We provide here the first bottom‐up review of the lived experience of depression, co‐written by experts by experience and academics. First‐person accounts within and outside the medical field were ...screened and discussed in collaborative workshops involving numerous individuals with lived experience of depression, family members and carers, representing a global network of organizations. The material was enriched by phenomenologically informed perspectives and shared with all collaborators in a cloud‐based system. The subjective world of depression was characterized by an altered experience of emotions and body (feeling overwhelmed by negative emotions, unable to experience positive emotions, stuck in a heavy aching body drained of energy, detached from the mind, the body and the world); an altered experience of the self (losing sense of purpose and existential hope, mismatch between the past and the depressed self, feeling painfully incarcerated, losing control over one's thoughts, losing the capacity to act on the world; feeling numb, empty, non‐existent, dead, and dreaming of death as a possible escape route); and an altered experience of time (experiencing an alteration of vital biorhythms, an overwhelming past, a stagnation of the present, and the impossibility of the future). The experience of depression in the social and cultural context was characterized by altered interpersonal experiences (struggling with communication, feeling loneliness and estrangement, perceiving stigma and stereotypes), and varied across different cultures, ethnic or racial minorities, and genders. The subjective perception of recovery varied (feeling contrasting attitudes towards recovery, recognizing recovery as a journey, recognizing one's vulnerability and the need for professional help), as did the experience of receiving pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and social as well as physical health interventions. These findings can inform clinical practice, research and education. This journey in the lived experience of depression can also help us to understand the nature of our own emotions and feelings, what is to believe in something, what is to hope, and what is to be a living human being.
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