The 2020 year was the first year of Covid19 pandemy in Serbia. Epidemiological measures introduced to prevent the spread of the infection have shaped both the everyday life of citizens and the way the health system of our country functions. A large number of those infected required the redistribution of health personnel to work in covid zones and therefore the work with non covid patients suffered.

The aim of the study is to process and present the epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized patients at the Clinic for Psychiatry of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina in Novi Sad in 2020.

A retrospective analytical study of the epidemiological type was conducted.

During 2020, a total of 1345 patients were hospitalized at our Clinic, which is over 30% less than during the previous year. Several males, aged 19 to 45, with a predominant diagnosis of psychosis, were hospitalized. Hospitalizations lasted significantly shorter than during the previous year. The number of relapses was significantly lower. Patients with other diagnoses of mental disorders are significantly less often hospitalized, except for those with addiction diseases who are hospitalized in a reduced percentage.

Restrictive epidemiological measures led to a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations at our Clinic, primarily because patients were prevented from exercising their right to health care, but also because of the mobilization of all healthy defense mechanisms in a collective crisis situation and consequently reduced psychopathological manifestations.

No significant relationships.

After Russia decided to start COVID-19 vaccination of international students who are getting their education on its territory, they received an opportunity to get a single dose of COVID-19 Sputnik Light vaccine. What motives can such international students have for being vaccinated in the situation of uncertainty?

Our goal is to define the structure of motivation for COVID-19 vaccination among international students who are getting education at different departments of the university.

In October 2021, we surveyed 409 international students getting education at Ulianov Chuvash State University in Cheboksary, who agreed to COVID-19 vaccination.

Those who applied for vaccination were mostly 3rd year students (32.03%) and 4th year ones (21.52%). 8 students out of the surveyed (1.96%) had been vaccinated outside Russia, 4 – in Russia (0.98%). 8.56% of the pool had had COVID-19, 57.7% had not, 33.74% could not give a certain answer. Main motives for COVID-19 vaccination were: unwillingness to be ill (57.21%), unwillingness to have any limitations imposed (22.98%), unwillingness, especially of medical students, to have problems in their studies (12.22%), inclination towards following their relatives’ advice (5.13%), desire to follow the surrounding people’s example (1.98%). In personal conversations, the students often expressed their wish for being vaccinated with a 2-component Sputnik V vaccine for a better protection from illness.

The survey of the international students’ motives showed that most of them have positive attitude to COVID-19 vaccination and feel inclined to be vaccinated with a Russian vaccine in order to reduce the risk of getting ill.

No significant relationships.

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric illness with periods of remission and relapse. Patients vary in the frequency and severity of relapse, time until relapse and time in remission. Discontinuation of antipsychotic medication is by far the most important reason for relapse. A possible method to optimize medication adherence is to treat patients with long-term, depot medication rather than oral medication.

Primary objective is to compare all cause discontinuation rates in patients with schizophrenia randomized to either one of the two depot medications (aripiprazole depot or paliperidone palmitate) with patients randomized to either one of the two oral formulations of the same medication (aripiprazole or paliperidone) over an 19 month follow-up period.

Pragmatic, randomized, open label, multicenter, multinational comparative trial consisting of a 19 month treatment period. Patients aged 18 years or older, having experienced the first psychosis 1-7 years ago, currently meeting DSM-IV-R criteria for schizophrenia. Patients are randomized 1:1:1:1 to paliperidone palmitate, aripiprazole depot, oral aripiprazole or oral paliperidone. The primary outcome is all cause discontinuation.

In the Intent to Treat sample (n=511), no difference was found in time to ACD between the combined oral and combined depot treatment arms, nor between the four individual treatment arms.

Even though the scientific evidence comparing oral and depot medication has been inconsistent, most studies were conducted in rigorous clinical settings, which may have biased those results. In contract, given the pragmatic, open label design of the current trial, the results may be more representative of common daily practice.

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic can affect the mental health of health and social care workers (HSCWs) who are frontline workers in this continuous crisis. Following exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) that undermine deeply held moral beliefs and expectations, HSCWs might experience moral injury (MI) and deleterious psychiatric consequences such as depression and anxiety symptoms.

To examine associations between exposure to PMIEs, MI symptoms, depression, and anxiety symptoms. We also aim to assess the moderating role of thwarted belongingness in these associations.

A sample of 243 Israeli HSCWs completed online validated self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional designed survey in February and March 2021.

About one-third (33.6%) of the sample met the criteria for major depressive disorder, 21.5% met the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, and 19.1 % reported comorbidity of depression and anxiety. A moderated-mediation model shows that high thwarted belongingness intensified the relations between exposure to PMIEs and MI symptoms, and between MI symptoms and depression and anxiety symptoms. Importantly, the indirect effect of exposure to PMIEs on both depression and anxiety symptoms via MI symptoms existed only among those with high levels of thwarted belongingness.

The study’s findings highlight the mental burden of HSCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the contribution of MI to possible mental health consequences. Clinicians should be aware of the importance of high thwarted belongingness in depression and anxiety sequelae of exposure to PMIEs among HSCWs.

No significant relationships.

Eating disorders are associated with suicidal behavior in adolescents. But the relationship between subthreshold eating disorders and suicidality is not well understood.

To examine suicidal behavior in adolescent girls with eating disorders (ED) and subthreshold eating disorders (SED).

The study of 917 girls aged 12–17 used the Body Image and Eating Distress scale (Koskelainen et al., 2001) and questions about intentional self-harm (burns or cuts), suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. Adolescents were divided into three groups: girls with ED (n = 20); girls with SED (n = 88); and control group (CG, n = 809).

Self-harm was reported by 55% of girls with ED, 35.2% of girls with SED and 20.2% of CG girls (χ2 = 15.82, p <0.001). Suicidal ideation was reported by 65% of girls with ED, 51.1% of girls with SED and 27.2% of CG girls (χ2 = 21.86, p <0.001). Suicidal attempts were reported by 45% of girls with ED, 17.1% of girls with SED and 7.5% of the CG. There were no differences in the prevalence of self-harm and suicidal ideation between the ED and SED groups, rates of suicide attempts were 2.6 times higher in the ED group.

Girls with both ED and SED have a high risk of suicidal behavior: 2.7-4.5 times higher rates of self-harm, 1.9-2.4 times higher rates of suicidal ideation, and 2.3-6 times higher rates of suicidal attempts. Management of such adolescents should include assessment of the risk of suicide.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant # 21-15-00033.

We present the case of a 36-year-old male with depressive states, impulsive traits and fits of anger (including episodes of self and heteroagressiveness) since early childhood, in the context of traumatic family history and the beginning of an epileptic disease. These symptoms have been maintained over the years, in addition to other variable and recurrent symptoms, such as severe anxiety, somatizations or serious depressive symptoms.

To highlight the possible influence of epilepsy in the course of mental illnesses, especially depression, as well as the increased difficulty in management.

We collected the complete medical history of a patient with an important history of mental health in addition to epileptic disease since childhood and we carried out a review of the comorbidity between these diseases and their treatment.

The epileptic disease of our patient may have influenced the behavioural alterations and the depressive symptoms since childhood, as well as the personality traits with aggressiveness and impulsiveness. There is an added difficulty in treating this case given the possible interactions between antiepileptic and antidepressant medications.

This case highlights the importance of taking into account the influence of this comorbidity on the prognosis of patients. Knowing the interactions and side effects of drugs is essential for good clinical management.

No significant relationships.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused multilevel changes worldwide. Everyday life of all people has been altered drastically. Children with ASD seem to face difficulties due to their heightened sensitivity to unpredictable and complex changes in their lifestyle. Our presentation aims to reveal the effects of Covid-19 on school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The main thematic areas of this research, concerning the social workers’ questionnaire, focused on the routine, psycho-emotional field, school performance, sociability and school environment of children with ASD.

Between June 22nd and August 16th, 2021, social workers (n=38) and parents (n=25) administrated a questionnaire -through google form platform- which investigated issues around routine, psycho-emotional field, school performance, sociability, school, and family. Descriptive statistics were used for statistical analysis of the data.

The routine and psycho-emotional conditions of children with ASD were found to have a negative shift. Moreover, the degree of change on school performance was moderate, while sociability change was minimal. The significance of the school’s contribution and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the family functionality was highly observed. Another interesting finding was that children with ASD did not display discomfort for the mandatory social limitations or fear for the virus transmission.

Lastly, it is important to implement appropriate practices for the protection of children with ASD, through the mobilization of the responsible parties and thus, social policy transformations are vital for this vulnerable population.

No significant relationships.

We will present experience developing a system for monitoring training placements in psychiatry and community paediatrics, and how this was expanded to provide an automated anonymised MSF for trainers for annual appraisal and will identify trainers in need of additional support and other post/training programme issues. The session will be of interest to educators and medical education leads with practical tips and lessons learnt over the last 8 years since the system was first developed.

The system was also used to identify trainers in need of additional support and other post/training programme issues.

We used an electronic system to gain the infromation as stated in the introduction.

Over the last 8 years we have collected data using this system. the results for our trust will be displayed annoymously but the system is the ficus of this presenation.

The advantages of the system are that it runs throughout the year (so covers each post and placement), has high trainee response rates, has no selection bias (compared with some other MSF systems) and the results are embedded within local quality systems and individual consultant appraisals. The data that the system collects can help provide robust evidence when investigating concerns that might only arise periodically (for example through the annual GMC trainee survey in the UK). We believe that this system will be applicable for doctors providing training in other countries and empowers the improvement of psychiatric training for the profession.

No significant relationships.

Chronic pain has a significant impact on individuals’ daily lives, and its control is essential for improving quality of life. In this sense, the practice of Mindfulness is a useful non-pharmacological technique for self-management of chronic pain.

This study aims to identify the level of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of Mindfulness for self-control of pain by people with chronic pain.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 23 adults with chronic pain. The online survey assessed sociodemographic characterization, Brief Pain Inventory, and knowledge/opinion about the effectiveness of mindfulness strategies.

The sample consisted mostly of middle-aged women, with family support, employed and with higher academic qualifications. 47.8% of the sample had experienced pain for over 20 years with the most prevalent diagnosis being fibromyalgia. The average intensity of chronic pain corresponded to moderate pain and the level of acceptance of it was low, interfering in instrumental activities of daily life. Although they had never tried the technique, most of the sample knew what mindfulness consisted of, considering it as a viable option for self-management of chronic pain. Moderate and positive correlations were found between the level of acceptance of pain and greater availability for the practice of mindfulness (rho=.137; p<.001), the same happened between satisfaction with the practice of mindfulness and self-control of pain (rho=.259; p<.001).

Our findings outline the need to include non-pharmacological measures such as mindfulness in therapeutic schemes for chronic pain management, given the manifest interest of this population.

No significant relationships.

Thomas Gargot was paid by the French ministry of research (Doctoral school), French ministry of health (médaille d’argent, CCA-AHU) for a PhD and CCA position. During his PhD, he prepared several scientific presentations with Dr Asselborn. This work led

We report a case of a 56-year old woman with a history of depressive disorder between 2012 and 2017 achieving full remission after treatment with antidepressants and anxiolytics. In the year 2021 was presented to the emergency department manifesting alteration of behavioral patterns, ataxia, mental confusion and horizontal nystagmus. A chronic alcohol abuse was also discovered while interviewing. She also exhibited low mood, anterograde amnesia and confabulations that improved rapidly after following treatment with thiamine.

Reviewing clinical manifestations and treatment of Wernicke encephalopathy and the development of Korsakoff syndrome.

We systematically reviewed articles using PubMed.

Wernicke encephalopathy is a well-known complication of thiamine deficiency, mostly associated with alcohol use disorder. Classically, the syndrome comprises changes in mental status, gait ataxia and ophthalmoplegia. However, the full triad has been described in only 10-17 % of cases, which in our the case is report. After the diagnosis was established and was treated with thiamine, a rapid improvement in the patient´s clinical status was observed. Cognitive impairment was later identified, taking into account the possibility of a Korsakoff syndrome characterized by irreversible brain damage and subsequent loss of anterograde memory. In our patient, this specific diagnosis was dismissed due to the clinical improvement after thiamine treatment.

It is relevant to emphasize the importance of a precise diagnosis and treatment of patients with Wernicke Encephalopathy to avoid the development of a Korsakoff syndrome.

No significant relationships.

Cushing’s syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by chronic exposure to excess glucocorticoids, either exogenous or endogenous. The bronchial carcinoid tumor is an extremely rare origin, described in less than 1% of cases. The most frequent psychiatric symptoms are depression and anxiety, with manic and psychotic symptoms being less frequent. Psychotic symptoms are difficult to manage, as they are usually resistant to antipsychotic treatment, which is why it is considered an indication for medical treatment of Cushing’s syndrome.

To give visibility to this type of psychotic disorders of organic origin to deepen their study as well as raise awareness among professionals dedicated to clinical care with the intention of improving their prevention.

A description of a clinical case is made, accompanied by a bibliographic review on psychosis of endogenous corticosteroid origin.

We describe the case of a 44-year-old woman who was admitted to the charge of Internal Medicine due to Cushing’s syndrome. During her admission, she presented a debut of positive psychotic symptoms, so the liaison psychiatry team followed her up. She was diagnosed with an ACTH-secreting lung carcinoid tumor.

This entity should be taken into account in cases of atypical psychosis in patients with compatible phenotypic characteristics.

No significant relationships.

The many negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic especially on vulnerable groups like patients suffering from drug addiction have been anticipated by experts early on. While drug consumption patterns of patients in opioid substitution treatment (OST, N=24) seemed hardly influenced at the early stage of the pandemic in Austria, the impact on the mental health of this population remained unclear.

The main goal was to investigate long-term consequences of the pandemic in terms of PTSD and clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among patients in OST between December 2020 and February 2021.

In a cross-sectional survey study (N=123) an adapted version of the impact of event scale (IES-R) was applied to evaluate PTSD symptoms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical symptoms were assessed by the depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21), and respective changes due to the pandemic were documented. Sociodemographic and COVID-19 related factors, as well as data on drug consumption patterns were collected.

A binary logistic regression analysis confirmed the negative long-term consequences of psychological and economic COVID-19 related factors on a higher risk for PTSD due to the pandemic. The high-risk PTSD group also demonstrated higher levels and a deterioration of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms since the pandemic.

Among our sample of patients in OST, 27% were at risk of PTSD due to the pandemic, and 30 to 50% reported concerning levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Health care facilities might use these findings as a valuable source of information, when special attention is needed.

No significant relationships.

Bipolar disorder is a multifactorial disorder influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors.There is limited understanding of how non-genetic factors may impact the age of onset of bipolar disorder

To study the age of onset of bipolar disease in Tunisia (where the average duration of sunshine is 8 hours/day) and compare it to the age of onset in countries with a lower duration of sunshine (Germany 0.17h/day; Norway 1.40h/day).

We conducted a retrospective study of 100 patients with bipolar disorder type I followed at the psychiatric department Aziza Othmana at Razi hospital.The data collection was done using a pre-established paper form exploring sociodemographic and clinical data.The duration of sunshine was estimated according to the average number of hours of sunshine per day in each country collected through meteorological sites.

Our population was predominantly male (60%) with a mean age of 48.7 years.The first episode was manic in 76% of cases. The mean age of onset in our sample was 25.86 years, with extremes ranging from 13 to 49 years.An early onset (threshold age=21 years) was found in 36% of the Tunisian population. The age of onset was earlier in patients with a family history of bipolar disorder: 22.76 years vs 28.23 years. A late onset (threshold age=37 years) was found in 13% of the Tunisian population.

The study confirmed that there is an inverse relationship between the degree of sunlight and the age of onset of the disease, especially in the presence of a family history of mood disorders

No significant relationships.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented detrimental impact on mental health in people around the world. It is therefore important to examine factors that may buffer or heighten the risk of mental health problems in this context.

This study explores the buffering effects of different flows of compassion (for self, for others, from others) and the magnifying effects of fears of compassion on the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and stress, and social safeness.

4057 adult participants collected from the general community population across 21 countries from Europe, Middle East, North America, South America, Asia and Oceania, completed self-report measures of perceived threat of COVID-19, compassion, fears of compassion, depression, anxiety, stress, and social safeness.

Self-compassion moderated the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on depression, anxiety and stress, whereas compassion from others moderated the effects of fears of COVID-19 on social safeness. Fears of compassion moderated the impact of perceived threat of COVID-19 on psychological distress. Only fears of compassion from others moderated the effects of fears of COVID-19 on social safeness. These effects were consistent across countries.

Our findings highlight the universal protective role of compassion, in particular self-compassion and compassion from others, in promoting resilience by buffering against the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness. Furthermore, our results reveal that fears of compassion have a magnifying effect on the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social safeness.

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Imposing quarantine as a measure to manage the coronavirus pandemic is a stressful event that is often associated with negative psychological effects. Eating habits seemed to be significantly affected during the quarantine, while strong negative emotions were triggered as the feeling of loneliness increased at the same time.

This study aims to investigate the eating habits of individuals during quarantine and the role of positive and negative emotions and loneliness in shaping these habits.

An online cross-sectional study was performed using 3 validated scales, EAT-26 (3 subscales: Dieting, Bulimia and Food Preoccupation, Oral Control), Modified Differential Emotions Scale and UCLA Loneliness Scale. Data was collected between April and May 2021 mainly from social media platforms. Statistical analyses included linear regression and mediation analyses.

Abnormal eating habits were detected in 25% of the participants (N= 450, ages 18-74) while the majority reported medium rates of negative/positive emotions and loneliness. Female sex is associated with abnormal eating habits (p=0.010) and mainly dietary behaviors (p=0.029). Negative emotions (p=0.032) and loneliness (p=0.001) seem to be predictive factors of eating habits in general and bulimic behaviors. Negative emotions correlate directly with eating habits. However, we found a significant mediation of loneliness (p=0.032). Furthermore, the observed association between negative emotions and bulimia is partly mediated by loneliness (p=0.018).

Negative emotions and loneliness seemed to play an important role in shaping eating habits during quarantine. Multilevel public health interventions are needed to address the negative effects of quarantine and pandemic in general.

No significant relationships.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that frequently persists throughout adulthood. Binaural Beats (BB) are auditory perceptions occurring when two soundwaves of slightly different frequency are carried separately to the ears; they might modulate brain activity and performance.

To evaluate BB efficacy on studing performance, mind-wandering, and core symptoms of a sample of adult ADHD outpatients

In this randomized-controlled trial we recruited a sample of University students in pharmacological treatment for adult ADHD. A track with 15 Hz BB (415 Hz to right and 400 Hz to the left ear) was delivered to the intervention group; whereas, a placebo track consisting of two identical frequencies (400 Hz) was administered to control group. The RCT consisted of a baseline assessment (T0) and two fortnightly follow-ups (T1-T2). Each time, the patient filled the ADHD-RS-5 (ADHD Rating Scale-5) and the MEWS (Mind Excessively Wandering Scale) and executed an online version of SART (Sustained Attention to Response Task). The effect of self-administered acoustic stimulation during individual studying sessions was estimated by a subjective studying performance (SSP) evaluation questionnaire.

A significant improvement of SSP from baseline assessment (T1) to the last observation (T3) was detected in BB group only (mean differences= 2.7, p<.001). A significant between-group contrast for SSP was also found at T3. No other significant changes were detected for ADHD-RS, MEWS and SART at p<.05 level.

BB seem to improve subjective studying performance and ADHD symptoms severity. These preliminary findings must be confirmed in larger sample.

No significant relationships.

Early life stress (ELS) is a significant risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies using face emotion processing paradigms have found altered blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the cortico-limbic network both in individuals exposed to ELS and in patients with MDD. Thus, early life stress may have a long-lasting impact on brain areas responsible for the processing of socio-affective cues.

By applying a facial emotion recognition (FER) fMRI paradigm, we examined the long-term effect of childhood adversity on brain activity in MDD patients with and without ELS.

MDD patients without ELS (MDD, N=19), those with ELS (MDD+ELS, N=21), and healthy controls (HC, N=21) matched for age, sex, and intelligence quotient underwent fMRI scanning while performing a block design FER task with faces expressing negative emotions. The severity of ELS was assessed with the 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

Both MDD and MDD+ELS patients were slightly impaired in recognizing sad faces. Statistical analysis of brain activity found that MDD+ELS patients had significantly reduced negative BOLD responses in the right anterior paracingulate gyrus, subcallosal cortex accumbens compared to HCs. Moreover, the MDD+ELS group had a significantly increased negative BOLD signal in the right postcentral and precentral gyri relative to the HC group. MDD+ELS patients had reduced negative BOLD response in their anterior paracingulate gyrus compared to the MDD group.

Our results support that adult MDD patients with significant ELS are impaired in facial emotion recognition and they display functional alterations in the frontostriatal circuits.

This work was financially supported by the Hungarian Brain Research Program (2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-00002)