The concept of Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is inherently multidimensional. However, the interrelationships among its various dimensions remain insufficiently elucidated. In recent years, the textual analysis of social media posts has emerged as a promising methodological approach for longitudinal research in this domain.

This study aimed to investigate whether temporal causal associations exist between recognition of mental illness (R), mental illness stigma (S), help-seeking efficacy (HE), maintenance of positive mental health (M), and help-seeking attitude (HA).

Tweets were collocted at three distinct time points: T1, T2, and T3, spanning the period from November 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. We employed a machine-learning approach to categorize the posts into five MHL facets. Using these facets, we trained a machine learning model, specifically Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), to determine the MHL scores. To be eligible, an account must have an R facet score at T1, and M, S, HE facet scores at T2, as well as an HA facet score at T3. In total, we retrieved 4,471,951 MHL-related tweets from 941 users. We further employed structural equation modeling to validate the causal relationships within the MHL framework.

In the evaluation, BERT achieved average accuracy scores exceeding 89% across the five MHL facets in the validation set, along with F1-scores ranging between 0.75 and 0.89. Among the five MHL facets—maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitudes—each demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation with the others. Conversely, mental illness stigma exhibited a statistically significant negative correlation with the remaining four facets. In the analysis using single-mediation models, each of the individual mediator variables—namely, mental illness stigma, help-seeking efficacy, and maintenance of positive mental health—exhibited significant indirect effects. In the multiple-mediation model, two mediator variables—help-seeking efficacy and maintenance of positive mental health—demonstrated significant indirect effects. These findings suggested that the recognition of mental illness exerted an influence on help-seeking attitudes through one or more of these mediators.

By leveraging machine learning techniques for the textual analysis of social media and employing a longitudinal research design with panel data, this study elucidates the potential mechanisms through which the MHL framework influences attitudes toward seeking mental health services. These insights hold significant implications for the design of future interventions and the development of targeted policies aimed at promoting help-seeking behaviors.

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Although there is an increasing interest in making mental health services (MHS) accessible to youths, there is limited ground-up involvement of youths while designing MHS in Asian settings.

This qualitative study sought to understand what youths considered as important elements of youth centric MHS and how these could be designed to improve access by youths in Singapore.

We conducted seven focus group discussions, and four semi-structured interviews with 50 multiracial youths aged 15-35 years in Singapore - a high-income Southeast Asian country. Purposive sampling allowed adequate representation of age, gender, and race (mainly Chinese, Malay, and Indian) groups. Participants reflected on the features of an ideal MHS for youths and how these could improve youths’ attitude and access to services. Participants also shared their preferences and additional opinions for culturally tailored and age appropriate MHS. Framework analysis using the ‘Conceptual Framework of Access to Healthcare’ (Levesque et al. Int J Equity Health 2013, 12:18) was used to code transcripts and identify the key themes (Ritchie & Spencer. In Analyzing qualitative data, 1994).

The average age of the participants was 24 years. About one third of the participants had accessed MHS in the past. Three key themes were identified – making facilities ‘approachable’, ‘available and appropriate’ and ‘affordable’. (i) Making facilities approachable related to having non-stigmatizing, non-threatening and welcoming aesthetics, organizational culture, and personnel. The participants also recommended a range of professional services, digital tools, and online features to enhance the approachability of MHS designed for youths. (ii) Flexible operating hours, easy appointment management, accessible location, and easy availability to youths with unique needs (e.g., employed youths) or socio-cultural backgrounds were necessary for making facilities available and accessible to youths. (iii) While sharing challenges of family involvement in the help-seeking process, most of the participants, particularly those in the lower ages, talked about tailoring MHS to the ability of youths to pay for the services. Preferences such as having cheaper services for teenagers and initial contacts, offering more non-medical but trained professionals, and considering shorter in-person counselling sessions, followed by free online options were brought up by the participants.

The study provided insights into multiple aspects of MHS and how these could be designed to cater to the needs of youths in Singapore from their perspective. MHS that incorporate non-stigmatizing, flexible, non-threatening and affordable design approaches could improve help-seeking and early interventions in youths.

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The Northern Territory (NT) has Australia’s highest mental health burden. It has a diverse and transient population, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and various multicultural communities. While peer support has been widely used nationwide, in the NT, peer support is poorly implemented in psychosocial support activities.

The NT Lived Experience Network (NTLEN), in allyship with a team of researchers from Flinders University, has secured multiple fundings aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a peer education and recovery program called Recovery Together (RT) for individuals with mental health and alcohol and drug use issues and related challenges.

The suitable evaluation approach was co-designed with live experience representatives from NTLEN and other local key stakeholders. It applied a mixed-method approach, including pre and post-program surveys (n=64) and individual interviews with program participants and the program delivery team (n=32). The evaluation findings were also informed by data collected by NTLEN via feedback forms n=38). We also used a co-design approach to develop survey instruments to ensure they were strengths-based and recovery-oriented.

Participants reported poor and fair self-perceived health, high stress levels, dissatisfaction with their relationships and relatively low recovery scores, which showed improvements at post-program completion. They discussed their journeys in the interviews and shared their experiences with local mental health services and the Recovery Together program. Many expressed that mental health professionals are not necessarily the care providers they feel comfortable engaging with. However, they described their experience with the peer program as highly positive, empowering, safe, non-judgmental, and beneficial, satisfying their support needs. The program gave them hope and tools to manage their mental health challenges and opportunities to gain insight into non-clinical aspects of recovery. Participants conceptualised personal recovery in their own words and described the facilitators and barriers to their recovery. They emphasised that recovery is being empowered, strong within themselves and the leader of their journey, living their best possible life, understanding themselves, having the necessary knowledge about mental health, and looking forward in a hopeful way.

Our findings highlighted the demand and need for ongoing delivery of the RT program in the NT, which was highly effective in supporting personal recovery, addressing the service delivery gap and complementing the available clinical and mental health practices. They also showed the importance of providing recovery-oriented and trauma-informed education for medical and mental health professionals.

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Several authors have demonstrated the relevance of the therapist sensitivity to the affective expression of his client (Merten & Schwab, 2005; 150-158), as well as to his own emotional experience (Haynal-Raymond et al., 2005;142-148) in order to build a more effective therapeutic relationship, and results. An important source of information to decode the emotional expression hints is the face, and its expression (Ekman & Friesen, 1975; Russel & Fernández-Dolls, 1997;275-294). Despite common sense saying that context is relevant to understand the meaning of the emotional facial expression, the literature review shows inconsistent results.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of clinical context over the perception of the emotional facial expression.

This study followed a within-subjects design, and its sample consisted of 60 clinical psychologists. 21 combinations of prototypical expression images with mixed emotional signals, and clinical information texts were presented to the participants. Then their judgement on the type of emotion displayed was requested. The presentation of the text-image pairs was randomized between three conditions: consistent, and non-consistent, and neutral.

The results suggest that emotions are more easily recognized in the presence of a concordant context than a non-concordant or neutral one, and that the greater the similarity between the facial expression of the image presented and the face prototypically associated with the context, the greater the influence of the context.

However, In the recognition of mixed emotional signs, there was greater recognition of signs of anger in the facial expression, as a non-dominant emotion, when in the presence of the neutral story than of the story that agreed with the dominant emotion (sadness). There was also greater recognition of sadness, as a non-dominant emotion, in the presence of a story in agreement with fear than in the presence of a neutral story. There was also a statistically significant increase in the attribution of anger to images in which it is not present and whose dominant emotion is fear, when associated with a context of aggression vs. a neutral context.

It was also found that there was a significant decrease in the attribution of fear to the sadness-anger image (25%-75%) in the presence of the aggression context compared to the neutral and panic contexts.There was also a statistically significant decrease in the attribution of sadness to an image of fear in the neutral context compared to the other contexts (panic and aggression).

In conclusion, our study have shown an impact of context over overvaluation or the undervaluation of the emotional facial expression as well as either with prototypical expressions or the mixed emotional signals when referring to sadness, fear, and anger. Thus, mental health clinicians should consider the influence of these contexts.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neuro-developmental condition. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), restricted interests and repetitive behaviors and difficulties with social communication and interaction characterize ASD. Different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention are related to the degree of impairments. By reducing environmental and social obstacles in school, work, and other areas of life, architecture could play a pivotal role in helping people on the spectrum become more independent and acquire more abilities.

The aim of this study was to outline the recommendations and guidelines of the inclusive architecture design for ASD.

We conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific literature using the following keywords: inclusive design, architecture, autism or ADS.

Our research found that the Autism ASPECTSS design index reported in 2013 by Magda Mostafa from Canada, which was based on the sensory design theory, is the world’s first set of evidence-based design guidelines for managing built environments to serve ADS individuals interaction, particularly in schools and workspaces. ASPECTSS conceptual framework delineate seven design concepts: acoustics, spatial sequencing, escape space, compartmentalization, transition spaces, sensory zoning, and safety. In 2023, the same author published an autism friendly design guide for the world’s first autism-friendly university. This guide is characterized by a better understanding of human-centered design and advocates beyond the mere inclusion, aspiring to a state where the boundaries between ‘normal’ and ‘special’ are blurred in order to treat all users as human beings with equal rights, thus calling for equal opportunities beyond the ADS spectrum.

With such well-established conceptual framework, it is nowadays imperative to expand our buildings in cities, schools, workplaces, hospitals, and public areas using the guidelines of autism-friendly environments. These buildings will enhance our individual and social well-being.

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Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a significant public health concern, and understanding the risk factors associated with OUD is crucial for effective prevention and management strategies. However, limited information is available regarding the role of sex differences in OUD risk factors. Women have often been excluded from clinical studies to create more homogeneous samples and simplify the analysis of treatment effects. The underrepresentation of women in clinical trials and the lack of sex stratification, typically limited to binary comparisons without considering gender dynamics, raise concerns about potential sex disparities. Given the emerging evidence suggesting the possibility of sex differences in the likelihood of developing OUD, further research is needed to investigate and understand these potential disparities to optimize the individualized management of OUD.

The primary objective of this study was to examine and identify any sex-related variations in OUD risk variables within the Lebanese community. By pinpointing sociodemographic, psychiatric, and other factors related to sleep and chronotype, we aim to elucidate their impact on the onset and progression of OUD in both males and females.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 581 Lebanese adults using an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic questions, validated scales for substance use disorders and sleep disorders, and assessments for depression and anxiety. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify associations between risk factors and OUD scores in both male and female populations.

Common risk factors for OUD were identified, including family and personal history of substance use disorder, co-occurrence of sedative and alcohol misuse, and psychiatric illnesses. Sex-specific risk factors were also observed. Among women, the ASSIST-opioids subscore was significantly associated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B=0.143) and Insomnia Severity Index (B=0.286) scores. Men demonstrated a correlation between ORT-OUD and younger age (B=0.882). Waterpipe consumption was negatively correlated with the ORT-OUD score in men (B=-0.018).

Our study emphasizes the importance of examining sex differences in risk factors for OUD, particularly within the Lebanese population. By acknowledging these gender-specific risk factors, interventions can be customized to address the distinct vulnerabilities of each sex. This approach could potentially improve prevention efforts, facilitate early identification, and implement treatment strategies tailored to the specific needs of individuals with OUD. Further research is needed to delve into the underlying mechanisms and develop targeted interventions for enhanced management of OUD.

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Pregnancy is a high-risk period for major affective disorders and can lead to a destabilizing period for our patients. Standard pharmacological strategies must be carefully evaluated due to potential teratogenic or side effects. We present a case of bipolar disorder type I with challenging-to-control maniac episodes during pregnancy, which has required Electroconvulsive Therapy for its management.

Presenting maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a safe and effective therapeutic strategy during pregnancy, with the presentation of a case in which it has been administered every 3 weeks from the second trimester until the baby’s birth at 37 weeks

This concerns a 28-year-old immigrant woman, married, with a 10-year-old child. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I at the age of 16 when she experienced her first manic episode in her country of origin. Subsequently, during her first pregnancy, she required hospitalization for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment, with a positive response after a single session. She remained stable for several years without maintenance pharmacological treatment or follow-up until the ninth week of her second pregnancy when she experienced a manic episode requiring hospitalization.

She was initially treated with Olanzapine and Lorazepam with a positive response, but three weeks later, she was readmitted with a similar episode. These decompensations occurred almost monthly, leading to the consideration of introducing mood stabilizers after the first trimester. However, due to the patient’s severe hyperemesis gravidarum, this stabilizing treatment was ruled out due to the difficulty in controlling its blood levels and the associated risk of intoxication. During the fifth admission at the 20th week of gestation, the decision was made to initiate ECT treatment, which yielded an excellent response and subsequent maintenance.

The indications for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) during pregnancy are the same as in the rest of adult patients. In individuals with a psychiatric history, it is possible for a relapse of mental illness to occur during pregnancy, although the risk is considerably higher during the postpartum period. ECT is considered an effective and safe treatment option in all three trimesters of pregnancy and the postpartum period. During the informed consent process, patients should be informed about the potential impact of ECT as well as alternative treatment options.

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrine disorder in adolescents. It affects brain maturation, specially in highly neuronal plasticity periods However, there is a lack of information about the impact of this exposure during brain plasticity windows.

Characterize the consequences of hyperandrogenism in emotional status and social cognition (SC) on adolescents daughters of women with PCOS (dPCOS).

Analytical cross sectional study. dPCOS and controls between ages of 12 to 25 years old were recruited. Participants underwent a complete clinical evaluation, plasmatic hormones determinations (including total testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione and 17-OH-progesterone) and ovarian ultrasound characterization. SC was estimated by: measurements of affects (PANAS), strength and difficulties (SDQ), self-reported empathy (EQ/SQ and AQ), and gaze patterns for autonomic response measurement via Eye-Tracking.

33 participants were recruited, 15 cases and 18 controls. Median age was 17 and 18 years, respectively. The dPCOS presented a larger anogenital distance (cm) (9.7 vs 7.8; p=0.014), Ferryman-Gallwey score mean (13.0 vs 2.0; p=<0.001) and free androgen index value (7.5 vs 4.1; p=0.004), suggesting hyperandrogenism exposure during intrauterine and adolescence periods. Regarding SC, dPCOS exhibited a predominantly negative affective status (PANAS 8.0 vs 2.0, p=0.049) and a higher score in socio-emotional problems (SDQ 2,5 vs 1,5; p=0,047). The eye-tracking registration showed that dPCOS presentes longer time to first fixation in areas of interest (s) (0,35 vs 0,28; p=0,037), which was associated with a worse endpoint in emotional recognition (aR2=-0,920; f=19,48; Pr >|t|=<0,049). Furthermore, the 2D:4D ratio (intrauterine marker of androgen exposure) was correlated with a predominance of negative affect (rho=0,51; p=0,019) and less prosocial behaviors (coef=-2,39; P>|t|=0,049).

Clinical and hormonal markers suggest that dPCOS are exposed to hyperandrogenism during the most critical neuroplasticity periods. This exposure is associated with negative affects, more social-emotional difficulties and less score on emotional recognition and prosocial behavior. Due to a high psychiatric comorbidity in PCOS patients, these findings are relevant and emphasize the importance of early mental health treatment in these patients.

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Discrimination is known to have different effects on health. In particular the mental health of affected people diminishes. Although it is known that marginalized groups are discriminated against more, at present only research on gender and ethnicity has been done. Further diversity domains like socioeconomic status, care responsibilities, sexual orientation, disability, mental and physical health, and their intersections have been scarcely looked at.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of discrimination on the mental health for employees and students of a university hospital taking diversity domains into account.

A web-based survey between June 22 to October 23 was conducted using the PHQ-4 and WHO-5 as well as innovative Diversity Minimal Item set to measure different diversity domains.

Preliminary data shows that discrimination among employees and students is common, widespread and most frequent based on gender, ethnicity and health. The mental health of those who feel discriminated against tends to be poorer, especially looking at the intersectionality of diversity domains.

The results of this study suggest that both more measures to prevent discrimination in a university hospital have to be implemented and individuals from marginalized groups need special psychosocial support to ensure a safer working environment. In addition, greater attention to diversity and inclusion in medical research is needed to develop appropriate responses and interventions, including diversity policies.

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Diogenes Syndrome (DS) is an uncommon neurobehavioral syndrome characterized by social isolation, extreme neglect of personal care and a tendency to excessively accumulate useless objects in the home, usually leading to unsanitary living conditions. It is further characterized by a lack of insight into the condition, leading to a refusal to seek assistance.

To outline the clinical features of primary DS, unassociated with other psychiatric conditions, emphasizing key risk factors contributing to its development.

Descriptive report of a case of DS, based on an interview with the patient, review of his clinical file, and a non-systematic literature review using the PubMed database.

We report a case of a 62-year-old man, widowed since the age of 33, without children, living alone in a rural area in the north of Portugal. Currently retired, he worked as a Philosophy Professor. He had no known psychiatric history until 2015, when he attended two psychiatric appointments, due to anxiety and changes in sleep pattern. He has since lost psychiatric follow-up and in May 2022 he was brought to the emergency department by his neighbor, due to changes in his behavior. He was seen several times rummaging trough trash and he didn’t leave the house for a few weeks, resulting in a cluttered and unsanitary living space. He looked malnourished, unkempt and dirty. Despite not recognizing his behavior as problematic, he accepted hospitalization. No obsessive-compulsive, depressive or psychotic symptoms were detected, nor were dysfunctional personality traits. Reversible causes of dementia were excluded, a cranioencephalic CT scan revealed no abnormal findings and a neuropsychological assessment showed no changes in cognitive functions. Post-discharge, local health services provided home support, with meal delivery and house cleaning. However, he did not buy the medication and canceled the home support service several times, ending up being hospitalized again. After this second hospitalization in August 2023, he went to live with his brother in another city and has remained stable, medicated with an SSRI and low dose Aripiprazole.

Primary Diogenes Syndrome is rare and and its etiopathogenesis remains poorly understood. It is known that there is no distinction between genders, profession or socioeconomic status, and that it is more common in the elderly, single people, widowers and people with poor or non-existent social links with their local community. Familiarity with DS characteristics enables earlier recognition of such individuals, thereby facilitating prompt provision of social and clinical support in order to reduce morbidity, mortality, and enhance public health.

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A person diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, must face labels and discriminiation most of the time. Fear of these undermines the motivation of people in need to seek help. A special example of this phenomenon is the case of people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder, avoiding the additional stigma of homelessness and therefore do not seek any help for their mental ill-health. Availability of the specific services complicates their problem.

Fear of stigma, trauma, and previous bad experiences of using services also keep people experiencing homelessness away from services.

In Hungary, the February Third Working Group (F3) Report on the 2020 Homelessness Survey After the Penal Code - Before the Pandemic Homelessness - Services Perspectives by Péter Győri shows in his summary paper that only 29% had received psychiatric treatment.

Methodology Center of Social and Its Institutions (BMSZKI), in collaboration with the Awakenings Foundation, developed a complex rehabilitation service for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder. This presentation aims to present this good practice.

Complex rehabilitation based on the methodology of community psychiatric care with the involvement of peer support.

• - provision of community psychiatric care for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder,

• - introduction of screening for effective care of undiagnosed persons with mental disorders,

• - provision of outpatient and day hospital care

• - focus of care in accommodation services on persons with mental disorders,

• - the involvement of peer-support work in the service,

• - building a network of contact points, organizing case conferences,

• - developing and organizing training on recovery-based rehabilitation for people with mental disorders in cooperation between the two organizations,

• - telemedicine, making digital mental health available

• - presence of resources represented by self-help groups

• - running a working group to promote improvements based on practical experience homelessness and mental disorder.

extra-institutional teamwork multiplies the resources for people experiencing homelessness and mental disorder.

mental disorder, homelessness, community psychiatric care, peer support, collaboration

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Many researchers are likely to use the BFI-2 as a measure of the Big Five personality factors. The HEXACO-60 Honesty-Humility factor has no direct counterpart in the Big Five system; however, it should show modest positive correlations with Big Five Agreeableness.

The study aimed to examine the BFI-2 in relation to a similar-length version of the HEXACO-60.

Participants were 1536 undergraduate students (960 women 576 men) at Kuwait university who completed the personality questionnaires. Participants aged 18–23-years-old mean age = 21.26 ± 1.20. The Arabic versions of HEXACO-60 and the BFI-2 instruments were administered in paper-and-pencil format in research laboratories.

Cronbach’s alphas ranged from 0.75 to 0.88 for the BFI-2 Domains and 0.70 to 0.75 for the HEXACO-60 Domains denoting good internal consistency. Regarding cross-inventory correlations, these were high for the two inventories variants of Openness (0.77), Conscientiousness (0.75), and Extraversion (0.71). BFI-2 Agreeableness correlated 0.56 with HEXACO-60 Agreeableness. The HEXACO-60 Honesty-Humility was weakly related to the BFI-2 scales, showing only modest correlation with Agreeableness (0.48). In addition, the BFI-2 Neuroticism correlated 0.53 with HEXACO-60 Emotionality, −0.33 with HEXACO-60 Extraversion, and −0.30 with HEXACO-60 Agreeableness.

The BFI-2 scales captured well the variance of the HEXACO-60 scales apart from Honesty-Humility. In particular, the BFI-2 accounted for about as much variance in the HEXACO Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness scales as the HEXACO-60 scales accounted for in the BFI-2 scales of the same names. The results confirm the BFI-2 and HEXACO-60 are heavily overlapping.

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Despite the high prevalence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the population, the evidence regarding approaches to therapy for BPD is inconsistent. No psychopharmacological medications are approved for the treatment of BPD, yet most patients with BPD are treated with pharmacotherapy. Meanwhile, psychotherapy is the method of choice for the treatment of BPD. Little is known about the clinical practice of BPD treatment in Russia, since most studies have been conducted in Western countries.

The aim of the study: analysis of approaches to treatment of BPD in real outpatient clinical practice in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

Fifty patients (72% female; n=36; mean age 22.4±4.3) who were treated in an outpatient community care were included in the study. Diagnosis was made according to the ICD-10 criteria (F60.31), as it does in clinical practice in Russia. Research methods included a clinical-catamnestic method.

All examined patients received pharmacotherapy. Twenty-four patients (48.0%) received monotherapy with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant. The remaining patients (52.0%) received two or more psychotropic medications simultaneously. The most frequent combination of psychopharmacotherapeutic agents was a combination of an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer. Analysis of therapy revealed that antipsychotics (always of the second generation) as well as mood stabilizers were prescribed to target emotional instability and impulsivity as symptoms of BPD, as well as increased self-harming behavior in order to reduce impulsivity. Despite the assumption that the simultaneous prescription of several medications to patients with BPD was due to the presence of a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, this was not confirmed (p>0.05). Most of the patients (n=42; 84.0%) received individual and group psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral with elements of dialectical-behavioral therapy). It was found that patients who received psychotherapy had a faster response to pharmacotherapy (p<0.05).

An analysis of approaches to the treatment of BPD in outpatient clinical practice in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, showed a predominance of medication-assisted psychopharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) over the frequency of prescription of psychotherapeutic care. In none of the cases was a first-line psychotherapy method (with proven efficacy for BPD) used. An assessment of the availability of psychotherapeutic care for patients with BPD is required. An earlier initiation of psychotherapeutic care after the BPD diagnosis is recommended, which may lead to an increase in the effectiveness of psychiatric care for patients with BPD in outpatient clinical practice.

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Psychotherapy serves as the foundation of care for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), with pharmacotherapy being regarded as a supplementary measure to be considered when necessary. In clinical practice, however, most of BPD patients receive medication.

A major problem in the treatment of BPD is the lack of compliance derived from the pathological impulsivity of BPD patients. The use of long-acting antipsychotics (LAI) may be an option.

This work aims to address the use of long-acting injectables in borderline personality disorder.

Non-systematic review of literature using the PubMed ® database, based on terms “Borderline Personality Disorder” and “Long-acting antipsychotics”. Only six articles were found.

Several studies have shown promising results in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics. A six-month study using IM risperidone demonstrated significant improvement, while LAI Aripiprazole also exhibited positive outcomes in individuals with BPD and Substance Abuse. Additionally, Palomares et al. (2015) found that palmitate paliperidone LAI reduced impulsive-disruptive behaviors and enhanced overall functioning in BPD patients. Carmona et al. (2021) compared oral and LAI antipsychotics and concluded that LAIs may have a role to play in the management of BPD.

Treatment with LAIs may play an important role in clinical and functional improvement in BPD patients.

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The diagnostic overlap between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), commonly referred to as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), presents a considerable challenge in psychiatric practice, particularly for young females. These complexities are amplified by gender biases in the healthcare system and can lead to misdiagnosis, affecting both treatment planning and long-term outcomes.

There are differences and similarities between ASD and EUPD/BPD which encompass its own challenges in diagnosis and treatment

The presentation seeks to:

1. 1. Offer an in-depth overview of the relationship between ASD and EUPD/BPD in young females.

2. 2. Evaluate the diagnostic challenges associated with distinguishing between these two conditions.

3. 3. Discuss the practical implications of misdiagnosis on treatment and quality of life.

Drawing from a rich corpus of evidence, including longitudinal studies (e.g., Kerns et al., 2015; Gunderson et al., 2018), meta-analyses, and patient case studies, the presentation adopts a multidisciplinary approach. It utilises clinical interviews, validated diagnostic tools such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), as well as direct observation to provide a nuanced understanding of ASD and EUPD/BPD characteristics.

Shared Characteristics: Both ASD and EUPD/BPD manifest challenges in social functioning and mood regulation, supported by studies indicating sensory sensitivities and affective dysregulation in both conditions (Zanarini et al., 2019; Happé et al., 2019).

Differentiating Factors: ASD individuals often struggle with verbal and non-verbal communication, whereas those with EUPD/BPD may excel in these areas but display emotional volatility and unstable relationships, substantiated by differing neurobiological markers (King-Casas et al., 2008; Minshew & Williams, 2007).

Misdiagnosis Risks: The failure to correctly diagnose these conditions may lead to ineffective or potentially harmful treatment plans (Zanarini et al., 2013; Solomon et al., 2012).

Necessity for Comprehensive Assessment: A multimodal and culturally sensitive diagnostic approach is essential for accurate clinical evaluation (Mandy et al., 2012; Betancur et al., 2009).

The complexities surrounding the accurate diagnosis of ASD and EUPD/BPD in young females necessitate a thorough and multifaceted approach. An incorrect diagnosis could have long-lasting implications, affecting not just the efficacy of therapeutic interventions but also the overall well-being and quality of life of the individual. This presentation underscores the critical importance of drawing from a robust body of evidence and utilising comprehensive diagnostic approaches to differentiate these conditions.

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Psychopathy encompasses the sub-dimensions of interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, and criminal tendencies. Most studies investigating this trait have traditionally utilized a variable-centered approach. However, in the current study, we have adopted a person-centered approach.

Our objective was to analyze distinct homogeneous subgroups of individuals characterized by specific psychopathy profiles and examine their relationship with risk-taking behavior.

Our sample consisted of 371 participants (26.4% men, aged 18 to 59 years), who completed the 34-item Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III to assess psychopathy and Risk-taking behaviors were assessed using the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale (DOSPERT-30).

Through cluster analysis, we identified four distinct groups: Low psychopathy, Low criminal tendencies, High erratic lifestyle, and High psychopathy group. The primary findings revealed that the High psychopathy group, characterized by elevated scores in all sub-dimensions, exhibited higher levels of Risk-Taking Behaviors and a lower Perception of Risk compared to the other groups. Furthermore, the Low criminal tendencies group, marked by high scores in all dimensions and low scores in criminal tendencies, demonstrated greater risk-taking behavior compared to the Low psychopathy and High erratic lifestyle groups.

These results stimulate the debate about whether it is appropriate to incorporate the dimension of criminal tendencies within the concept of psychopathy. Certain clinical implications emerge from this study that are deserving of a comprehensive and thoughtful discussion.

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Addiction to Instagram can have severe consequences at a psychological, physiological and social level. On the other hand, social networks can be useful tools for an individual’s daily life. Studies show that the problematic use of some social networks, namely Instagram, can have an impact on users’ self-esteem. This construct is considered a predictor of life satisfaction, which is why in the literature these two variables appear positively related.

To explore the relationship between addiction to Instagram, life satisfaction and self-esteem in young adult university students and to carry out a comparison between groups with and without probable addiction to Instagram.

The sample was composed by 241 Portuguese university students with a mean age of 22.03, (SD = 2.29, range 18-29), and who have an Instagram account. Subjects fulfilled a sociodemographic questionnaire, and the Portuguese version of the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, the Life Satisfaction Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.

The average score on the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale was of 13.37 (SD = 4.41), with 29.5% of the sample spending one to two hours a day (n = 71) on the social network and 29.1% showing a probable Instagram addiction (n = 70). Mean scores of 27.17 (SD = 5.34) were found on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and 16.31 (SD = 3.97) on the Satisfaction with Life Scale. A strong relationship was found between life satisfaction and self-esteem, with males tending to have an higher self-esteem comparing to females. A low negative correlation was found between self-esteem and the total score on the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, which was not maintained when analyzing groups with and without a probable Instagram addiction.

This study demonstrates the probable presence of instagram addiction and the potential role of low self-esteem. It also emphasizes the strong relationship between life satisfaction and self-esteem. Instagram updates, as well as habits developed during the pandemic period, may have worsened the instagram use. The study shows how paradoxical the impacts of using this social network can be. Furthermore, the present study raises awareness to new national investigations that explore the use of Instagram and how they are related to the impacts on users’ lives.

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Depression is common in schizophrenia and is correlated with suicide risk and poor long-term outcomes. However, the presence of depressive symptoms is often underestimated in both research and treatment, particularly at the illness onset.

The goals of this study were: (a) to longitudinally observe anxious-depressive symptom levels in patients with First Episode Schizophrenia (FES) during a 24 months of follow-up period, and (b) to examine their associations with other psychopathology and the intervention patients received in an “Early Intervention in Psychosis” (EIP) program during the follow-up period.

The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were completed by 159 FES patients both at baseline and across the follow-up. Data were analyzed by linear regression analysis and Spearman’s coefficients.

Anxious-depressive symptoms had significant longitudinal associations with GAF deterioration and PANSS “Positive Symptoms”, “Negative Symptoms” and “Disorganization” subscores. During the follow-up period, FES participants significantly improved the level of anxious-depressive symptoms. This was significantly associated with the number of case management and individual psychotherapy meetings the patient engaged in, as well as with lower antipsychotic doses prescribed during the follow-up period.

In conclusion, anxious-depressive symptoms are prominent in FES and at the initial entry into EIP programs. Anxious-depressive symptom severity tends to diminish overtime, especially with the provision of specialized EIP treatments. However, since we did not have a control population studied in parallel, we cannot say whether these results are specific to the protocols of EIP programs or just to the intensity of engagement in care.

None Declared

The Mental Health Test serves as the operationalized, comprehensive measurement of Maintainable Positive Mental Theory which defines mental health (for either the non-clinical or psychiatric population) as a high level of global well-being, psychological, social and spiritual functioning, resilience, effective creative and executive functioning, savoring capacities, coping and enjoyment, regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms of psychopathology.

To assist psychiatrists and clinical psychologists to assess their patients’ psychological immune competence–based capacities and resources, depending on the mental health disorder diagnosis and the severity of the symptoms, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample.

The research was carried out in four Hungarian healthcare facilities using a cross-sectional design. A total of 331 patients (140 male, 188 female, and 3 who preferred not to disclose their gender) completed the Mental Health Test, six well-being and mental health measures, and the Symptom Checklist-90. Clinical psychologists reported the mental disorder status of each participant.

Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the five-factor model to the data for the clinical version of the Mental Health Test (CFI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.034). High internal consistency coefficients (α: 0.70–0.84; ω: 0.71–0.85) and excellent external and content validity were reported. The Mental Health Test was not sensitive to sociodemographic indicators but was sensitive to correlates of well-being and symptoms of mental disorders in a psychiatric sample. Regression analyses demonstrated that unipolar depression and number of mental disorders were related to a lower overall Mental Health Test score. Personality disorders, unipolar depression, and the greater severity and higher number of mental disorders were associated with a lower global well-being score. Unipolar depression was related to lower savouring capacity. Self-regulation showed a correlation with the self-reported number of mental disorders only. Anxiety and somatization disorders, unipolar depression, and a higher number of self-reported mental disorders were related to a lower psychological resilience score. The regression model for the creative and executive efficiency subscale did not fit our data. The interaction of all combinations of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy was significantly related to the overall Mental Health Test score and to the subscales. These results can later serve as a basis for designing intervention studies.

Our preliminary findings suggest that the Mental Health Test is a suitable measure for assessing mental health capacities and resources in psychiatric samples.

None Declared

The premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a new distinct diagnostic entity in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). However, the severe premenstrual (PM) symptoms associated with PMDD result in functional impairment, globally, it remains highly underdiagnosed, underscoring the need for enhanced clinical recognition.

This ongoing study aims to assess the prevalence and symptom profile of PMDD in a sample of Hungarian women. It is part of a comprehensive research process aiming to validate a prospective PMDD diagnostic questionnaire (Daily Record of Severity of Problems, DRSP) in order to facilitate the diagnosis of the disorder.

The study was performed in three steps. Firstly, retrospective data were collected from 112 women. Probable PMDD was assessed using the DSM-5 Based Screening Tool, while anxio-depressive symptoms and well-being were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory, the state subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the WHO Well-Being Scale. Subsequently, prospective data were obtained from 9 women who completed the DRSP along with the aforementioned mood questionnaires during both their PM and follicular phases.

In the first research phase, the sample was divided into women with probable PMDD diagnosis (PMDD group, n=68) and women without probable PMDD diagnosis (nonPMDD group, n=45) based on the DSM-5-Based Screening Tool. The PMDD group reported significantly more severe depressive (F(1; 56.2) = 19.394, p≤0.001) and anxiety (F(1; 35.6)=17.714, p≤0.001) symptoms and lower well-being (F(1; 44.3)=4.288, p=0.04) compared to the non-PMDD group, irrespective of the menstrual phase they experienced.

In the second and third research phases based on the DRSP, the sample was divided into women with probable PMDD diagnosis (PMDD group, n= 3) and those without probable PMDD diagnosis (nonPMDD group, n=6). A statistically significant association was observed between the classifications according to the DSM-5 Based Screening Tool and the DRSP (p=0.048; Cramer’s V=0.79). The PMDD group showed a tendency of lower well-being and more severe anxio-depressive symptoms than the nonPMDD group (Well-being: between phases p=0.93, between groups p=0.06; BDI-II: between phases p=0.79, between groups p=0.07; STAI-S: between phases p=0.87, between groups p=0.17).

The prevalence of PMDD was high in our sample. Women with probable PMDD retrospectively reported substantial affective difficulties and a decline in subjective well-being, regardless of their menstrual cycle. Prospective preliminary findings suggest a trend toward differentiation associated with probable PMDD. These results highlight the need for prospective clinical studies addressing the psychological symptoms of women with PM issues and the importance of appropriate treatment of the clinical appearance of PMDD.

None Declared