Abstract Background While Croatia shared COVID-19 pandemic with other countries, its capital area was also hit by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake. The simultaneous impact of these two disasters on ...psychiatric patients is largely unknown, and we addressed those knowledge gaps. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted during the pandemic’s first peak, in the aftermath of earthquake, by telephonic survey. Measurements included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Perceived Stress Scale and the semi-structured interview to evaluate the impact of pandemic stress and earthquake. Overall 396 patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders (DAD), 229 participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and 205 healthy controls were enrolled. Results Both patient groups had higher depression and stress levels than controls, independent of sex, age and the presence of somatic comorbidity. After controlling for the same covariates, patient groups had higher COVID-19- and earthquake-related fears than controls. In patients with DAD, both fears were greater than among SSD patients. When comparing the two fears, the fear from earthquake was higher in DAD and control groups, whereas in SSD patients there was no such difference. Conclusions Patients with DAD were the most vulnerable group during disasters, while earthquake seems to be associated with more fear than the pandemics, at least in DAD patients and healthy individuals. Future longitudinal studies should determine if early psychological support might alleviate stress levels after disasters and prevent further worsening of mental health, particularly among DAD patients.
A commentary on "The proposed ICD-11 gender incongruence of childhood diagnosis: A World Professional Association for Transgender Health Membership Survey" by Winter et al is presented.
Suicidal behavior in schizoaffective disorder is a serious problem and suicide risk during lifetime ranges between 5%–10%. Neurobiology of suicidal behavior has not been studied sufficiently, and a ...high number of studies are oriented toward lipid investigation. The aim of our study was to investigate whether there were differences in the level of lipids (cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) in hospitalized suicidal (
n
=
20) and non-suicidal (
n
=
20) patients with schizoaffective disorder. The study also included male healthy control subjects (
n
=
20). Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to confirm the level of psychopathology in patients with schizoaffective disorder. Severity of suicidality was measured by Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) at time of admission. Results of the study indicated significantly lower concentrations of cholesterol (
p
<
0.001), LDL-cholesterol (
p
<
0.01) and HDL-cholesterol (
p
<
0.01). There were no differences in the number of previous hospitalization and previous suicide attempts between suicidal and non-suicidal patients (
p
>
0.05). Duration of the illness was significantly (
p
<
0.05) shorter in suicidal patients. Suicidal patients also had a significantly higher score on HDRS-17 (
p
<
0.001) and PANSS (
p
<
0.01) compared to non-suicidal patients.
Standard (qualitative) electroencephalography (EEG) is routinely used in the diagnostic evaluation of psychiatric patients. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) findings differ between patients with ...schizophrenia, patients with depression, but results are not consistent. The aim of our study was to determine the differences in qEEG parameters between patients with schizophrenia, patients with depression, and healthy subjects.
The study included 30 patients with schizophrenia, 33 patients with depression, and 30 healthy subjects. All study participants underwent standard EEG. Artifact-free 100-second epochs were selected from the recorded material and analyzed with Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) analysis.
The results are presented as absolute spectral power values (μV2) of delta, theta, alpha, and beta components of the EEG spectrum. EEGs were recorded from 12 locations including Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, F7, F8, T3, T4, P3, P4, O1, and O2. In comparison with healthy subjects, patients with schizophrenia showed increased delta, theta, and beta activity and decreased alpha activity. Similar results were obtained in patients with depression, but in fewer regions. In patients with schizophrenia, delta power over Fp1, Fp2, F4, and F8 regions was increased in comparison with those in patients with depression. Interhemispheric asymmetry was found in patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects, but not in patients with depression.
The finding that patients with schizophrenia differed from patients with depression in delta power values could be potentially used in differential diagnosis between schizophrenia and depression. The role of qEEG in clinical differentiation between these two mental disorders may be especially important in cases of negative-symptom schizophrenia.
Spavanje je fiziološki, privremeni, periodični i ritmični prekid budnosti. Iako uloga spavanja nije još potpuno objašnjena, ono je važno za oporavak organizma i njegova metabolizma. Poremećaji ...spavanja i danas su veliki problem zbog sve veće učestalosti, njihova neprepoznavanja i neadekvatnog liječenja. Poremećaji spavanja svrstavaju se u poremećaje nagona za spavanje, a dijele se na kvantitativne i kvalitativne. Najvažniji kvantitativni poremećaji nagona za spavanje jesu nesanica i pretjerana pospanost, a kvalitativni poremećaji ovog nagona jesu hodanje u snu, noćno mokrenje, noćni strah, noćna mora, škripanje zubima u spavanju, paraliza spavanja, govorenje u spavanju, klimanje glavom u spavanju te kronična paroksizmalna glavobolja, sindrom gutanja, povrat želučanog sadržaja i kardiološki simptomi povezani sa spavanjem. Poremećaji spavanja većinom su samo simptom, a ne zaseban entitet. Terapija je poremećaja spavanja kompleksna, a obuhvaća higijenu spavanja, farmakoterapiju i psihoterapijske postupke. Higijena spavanja jest skup mjera i postupaka koji omogućuju lakše usnivanje i prosnivanje. Tu se ubrajaju preporuke o načinu prehrane, fizičkoj aktivnosti, temperaturi i vlažnosti zraka te ostalim karakteristikama prostora za spavanje, ali i same postelje te o mnogim drugim značajkama. Od psihofarmaka prvo se rabe hipnotici benzodiazepinskog ili nebenzodiazepinskog tipa. Oni se trebaju davati u ograničenu vremenu odnosno intermitentno. Osim ovih lijekova, mogu se davati preparati melatonina, sedirajući antipsihotici i antidepresivi. Česta je pogreška pri liječenju poremećaja spavanja da se lijekovi daju prebrzo, predugo, uz nepotrebno povišenje doze. Ako je poremećaj spavanja simptom, onda adekvatnu terapiju treba primijeniti u tretmanu osnovne (psihijatrijske i/ili tjelesne) bolesti. Psihoterapijske metode koje su se pokazale učinkovitima u tretmanu poremećaja spavanja jesu kognitivno-bihevioralne tehnike.
The incidence of aggression and violent behavior in combat veterans varies and can be observed with regard to the presence or absence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Significantly greater ...occurrence of aggression was observed in combat veterans with PTSD compared with those without PTSD. There are various types of aggressive behavior that frequently are combined. Autoaggressive (suicidal) and heteroaggressive (interpersonal violence) behaviors predominate, with dominating verbal aggression and impulsive somatic reactions. Impulsive reactions are more frequently directed toward unknown persons, whereas verbal aggression is mostly aimed at known people. In the occurrence of aggressive behavior in combat veterans with PTSD, important roles are played by education level, low socioeconomic status, maltreatment in childhood, and previous types of violent behavior (before participation in war events).
Various investigations prove the biological basis for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are only a few quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) studies of patients with PTSD. The aim of ...this investigation is to find out whether there are differences in qEEG parameters between PTSD patients and healthy subjects. The experimental group was comprised of 18 veterans with PTSD, and 20 healthy non-veterans were included in the control group. After informed consent was obtained, they were investigated by qEEG recordings. The artifact-free EEG epoch was analyzed by fast Fourier transformation (FFT). Power values of particular frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha 1, alpha 2, beta 1, beta 2) were observed on the regions: Fp I, Fp2, F3, F4, F7, F8, C3, C4, T3, T4, T5, T6, P3, P4, O1 and O2. PTSD patients had increased theta activity over central regions, and increased beta activity. Beta 1 activity increased over frontal, central and left occipital regions; beta 2 activity increased over frontal regions. No significant differences were noted between the PTSD and control group in delta and alpha activity. These results suggest a neurobiological basis for PTSD. Increased theta activity may help to explain changes in hippocampal volume. Various explanations (cortical hyperexcitability, prolonged wakefulness, or attention disturbances) have been offered for the beta activity increase observed in PTSD subjects.
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