The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared SNT (Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy) for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults who have failed to achieve improvement from at least two prior trials of antidepressants. SNT protocol requires both structural and functional connectivity MRIs which is limited by high cost and lack of availability, its use without neuronavigation is still considered an off label use and need more investigation.

1-To investigate efficacy of SNT like accelerated off-label protocol without Neuronavigation in treating patients with TRD and suicidality.

2-To investigate durabiliy ( up to one month ) of SNT like accelerated off-label protocol without Neuronavigation in treating patients with TRD and suicidality

Two cases diagnosed as treatment resistant unipolar depression with suicidal ideations received accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (a iTBS); with figure of eight coil administered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DL-PFC) determined using Beam method. Stimulation was at 90% MT for 1800 pulses with an intersession interval of fifty minutes. Patients received ten sessions every day for five consecutive days for a total of fifty sessions (90,000 pulses). The following scales were applied at the baseline and at the end of each day of five treatment days:The Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) The Beck Depression Inventory, Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS).

The two cases at the end of the fifth day were completely improved regarding both suicidal ideations and depression without emerging of hypomania. Follow up was done weekly for one month with durable results.

SNT protocol without neuronavigation needs to be well investigated in suppressing both suicidality and depression in patients with TRD.

None Declared

Peripartum Depressive Disorder (PPD) is a Peripartum Mental Disorder (PMD) characterized as a Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), wherein the manifestation of depressive symptoms initiates either during pregnancy or within the first 12 months following childbirth.

PPD impacts both maternal well-being and infant health, resulting in unfavorable outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation (NIBS) is one of the rapidly expanding fields in medicine, using a range of techniques to modulate the brain.

This study aimed to summarize the latest evidence about the impact of NIBS (efficacy, tolerance, and safety) in PPD.

A review was conducted, drawing on reputable (PubMed and Web of Science databases).

Key brain stimulation modalities, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TES), and Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) were analyzed in the context of PPD.

Preliminary findings indicate promising positive effect of NIBS in reducing symptoms associated with PPD.

In the postpartum, the favorable outlook on the effectiveness of NIBS implies that, when feasible, women diagnosed with mild to moderate PPD, especially those reluctant to initiate pharmacological interventions, should be presented with TMS or TES as an alternative therapeutic approach.

However, some doubts persist about the safety of NIBS regarding fetus and preterm birth.

NIBS constitutes a viable option for pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions, and it can also be integrated into comprehensive treatment regimens.

Future research include large-scale clinical trials and longitudinal studies is needed to address the efficacy, security, and long-term effects of NIBS.

None Declared

The journey for the electroconvulsive therapy began in 1938, when convulsive seizures induced by electrical stimulus were used, for the first time, in the therapy of patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Over the time, this therapy remains an important one, due to its applicability and necessity in the therapeutic management of patients with psychiatric pathology.

Electroconvulsive therapy has evolved as a technique, nowadays being applied under induced intravenous anesthesia with the administration of oxygen on the mask, and from 2001, the sinus electrical stimulus has been replaced by the one in the form of a short pulse, upon the recommendation of professional organizations, in order to increase its therapeutic effectiveness. However, this form of therapy continues to be stigmatized, largely due to the way it is presented in the mass media. The objective of this work was to analyze how mental health professionals perceive electroconvulsive therapy.

We conducted a study in which we used a questionnaire applied to the Romanian professionals in the field of mental health.

The results were analyzed in accordance with the objective of the study.

Through this analysis we wanted to understand how electroconvulsive therapy is seen through the eyes of mental health professionals and to identify those aspects that can help us in carrying out information programs, with a major impact on mental health, in order to reduce stigma forasmuch the therapeutic benefits of electroconvulsive therapy outweigh the possible risks.

None Declared

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric intervention that has proven effectiveness and safety in various psychiatric conditions, such as major depressive disorder, prolonged or severe manic episodes and catatonia. Despite positive scientific evidence, ECT was always seen as controversial by patients, caregivers, and even some psychiatrists, which lead to a decrease in its use over the years.

To investigate the way young psychiatrists view the place of ECT in modern psychiatry by assessing their knowledge, attitude and access to training opportunities in ECT.

An anonymous survey was disseminated online among early career psychiatrists and psychiatric trainees. The questionnaire consisted of 36 multiple-choice and Likert scale questions.

Most of our respondents consider ECT both an effective and a safe treatment option and would recommend ECT to their patients when indicated. Early career psychiatrists who had access to ECT training are more knowledgeable about the indications, precautions and side effects of this method, but more than half of the participants mentioned ECT training was unavailable during their residency programme. Almost all respondents stated that they are interested in enhancing their theoretical and practical competencies in ECT.

Early career psychiatrists have a positive attitude towards ECT but express the need of targeted education aimed at improving levels of knowledge about ECT.

None Declared

VNS is a long-term adjunctive treatment option in patients with DTD. It has been shown that patients with VNS as add-on to treatment-as-usual (TAU) have higher response and remission rates than TAU alone. Data on the impact of VNS on the other complex concomitant treatments are limited.

In this study we evaluated changes in drug load from baseline to 12 months as well as the impact of previous ECT response status at baseline on changes in mean depression severity after 12 months of VNS.

We included n=20 DTD patients (mean age 52.6 years) in the prospective, observational, naturalistic Restore-Life study, who have been treated with adjunctive VNS as add-on to treatment as usual. The RESTORE-Life study is a multi-center study. In this analysis, we report on exploratory results from a single tertiary center. An index has been calculated for each drug by comparing the actual dose with the standard dose of the drug. The drug load for each patient has been constructed by summing up the indices of all agents prescribed for the patient.

We observed a slight decrease in mean drug load from 4.5 at baseline to 4.4 at 12 months (p=0.594). The drug load was lower in previous ECT-responders than in ECT-non-responders at both timepoints. There was a significant decrease in mean MADRS score from 27.3 at baseline to 15.3 at 12 months (p=0.001). Patients with a history of ECT response at baseline have experienced significantly greater improvement in mean MADRS score at 12 months (p=0.013). Number of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and esketamine sessions decreased from 37 ECT and 58 esketamine sessions in the first six months to 17 ECT (-54%) and 29 esketamine (-50%) sessions between months 6 and 12. VNS-related adverse events were present in 50 % of patients at 12 months (voice alteration/hoarseness 45%, dyspnea and pain during stimulation each 5%). There was no discontinuation of VNS due to adverse events.

Overall, VNS was associated with significant decrease in mean MADRS score at 12 months, whereas we did not detect any significant change in medication load. A more extended observation period might be necessary to observe changes in medication load. There was a reduction in the need of maintenance treatment sessions of ECT and esketamine. History of ECT response may be predictive for greater improvement of depression severity in VNS patients.

E. Kavakbasi Grant / Research support from: The Sponsor of the Restore-Life study is LivaNova. Our institution received fees from LivaNova for study visits of the Restore-Life study. LivaNova had no influence on the content of this work., H. Bauermeister: None Declared, L. Lemcke: None Declared, B. Baune: None Declared

Patients with difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) need multimodal treatment with combination of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and neuromodulation. In severe cases, combination of neuromodulatory techniques may be considered to achieve symptom relief.

To describe a novel treatment approach, which combines VNS in synchronization with accelerated intermittent Theta-Burst-Stimulation (aiTBS) over three weeks in two cases with difficult-to-treat depression.

In this presentation we describe two cases of DTD, which have been implanted with VNS and did not respond to aiTBS previously. Patients then were offered a synchronized treatment regimen, where each stimulus train of aiTBS was synchronized with ON-time of VNS. To start each train simultaneously with VNS ON-time, we set treatment cycle of each aiTBS and VNS to 19 sec. Patients received 2400-3000 TBS pulses daily for 3 weeks over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at 100% of resting motor threshold.

In the first patient the MADRS score decreased from 37 to 26 (-30%) and in the other patient there was a decrease of MADRS score from 20 to 9 (-55%), which corresponded to remission after 3 weeks of treatment. The synchronized treatment procedure was well-tolerated in both cases. As both patients experienced significant improvement, we planned maintenance treatment in both cases.

Synchronization of aiTBS with VNS is a novel treatment approach in patients with DTD, which can lead to improvement even if patients previously did not respond to aiTBS without synchronization with VNS.

None Declared

Background:

Somatic symptoms disorders are usually comorbid with depressive disorders despite that there is little evidence for effective treatment for it. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) have been approved by FDA for mildly resistance depression. From this point we hypothesized that rTMS delivered over the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may be useful in somatic symptoms disorder. Therefore, in our case report we want to shed light on the potential effectiveness of rTMS in somatic symptoms disorder.

case report

case report

Case Report:

A 65-year-old Omani female with multiple medical comorbidities on multiple medications. She presented complaining of multiple somatic complains in the last 2 years after visiting multiple clinics and underwent several specialists’ examinations, investigations and procedure for somatic treatments, all of them where normal.

Then patient was seen by different psychiatric clinic multiple anti-depressant and adjuvant anti-psychotic medication were try, patient still not improve.

Patient get admitted to hospital for observation and management. Initially she was preoccupying by her somatic complain kept on Fluoxetine and Olanzapine along with that topiramate was added, but still with minimal improvement. Then rTMS was added to her management plan following Intermittent theta burst (iTBS) rTMS protocol. After complete all sessions of rTMS patient was recovering from her all symptoms, no complain report from her.

Conclusion: our case highlights the important of investigated more thoroughly in rTMS as treatment option for Persistent Somatic symptoms Disorder.

None Declared

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a therapeutic method that induces artificial seizure by electrical stimulation to resolve various psychiatric symptoms. ECT is particularly effective in resistant schizophrenia and may improve response to medication despite the presence of potential adverse side effects. Post-ECT delirium and Headaches are some of the most frequent side effects presented in literature. Fever is yet another unexplained reaction, however there are a few case reports and retrospective studies that report on it.

We aim to illustrate through a clinical case and a review of literature the prevalence of post ECT fever as well as the possible explanatory mechanisms.

In this study we report the case of a man with ultra-resistant schizophrenia who was treated successfully with ECT despite the development of transient febrile reaction and we present a review of literature on pubmed using the following key words : ECT, fever,resistant psychosis, mechanisms.

Our patient is a 48-year-old man with a psychiatric history of schizophrenia evolving since the age of 34. He has a history of matricide in 2021 resulting in his hospitalisation in a forensic psychiatric ward. He underwent trials of classic and atypical antipsychotics that weren’t efficacious thus he was diagnosed with resistant schizophrenia in 2022. He was treated initially with clozapine 500 mg per day and then with the association (clozapine + amisulpride) yet it wasn’t effective on his persecutory delirium and fratricide ideas. Plus, there was no reduction in his PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) scores. The diagnosis of ultra-resistant schizophrenia was established. The staff indicated the adjunction of ECT to Clozapine. In the inpatient unit, hours after his fourth ECT session he developed a fever (40°C), his blood pressure (120/80 mm Hg), pulse(85 beats per minute),and respiratory rate(20 breaths per minute) were normal. Blood samples, including cultures, were drawn, which showed normal blood cell count and CPK(140U/L) but CRP was elevated (31 U/L), a chest x-ray showed no acute pulmonary disease, and his urinalysis result and Covid test were negative. His fever resolved then spontaneously after two hours. The same transient febrile reaction occurred again 3 times. It was postulated in literature that fever may be due to inadequate muscle reaction. Data also suggested the potential influence of ECT on the hypothalamus that is a key region in regulating body temperature.

Further studies are required in order to establish the real prevalence of this side effect and its possible causes.

None Declared

There is an increasing rate of treatment resistance in severe psychiatric disorders (SPDs), which indicates the necessity for finding new therapeutic interventions, because of the significant negative impact these disorders have on the patient’s quality of life, functionality, and other important parameters. In clinical practice, SPDs are estimated to represent up to 30-60% of all diagnosed cases. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorders (BDs) are associated with lower response to a large variety of therapeutic approaches. In this context, new technologies should be considered for SPDs, and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques can be explored as add-ons to ongoing therapeutic interventions.

A literature review was conducted to detect the available evidence to support recommendations for neuromodulation techniques in SPDs.

Three electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar) were searched for papers corresponding to the keywords “treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders” and “neuromodulation” or “electroconvulsive therapy” (ECT) or “transcranial magnetic stimulation” (TMS) or “transcranial direct current stimulation” (tDCS), published from the beginning of the respective databases up to July 2023.

After the initial search, 1258 papers surfaced, but only 72 remained to be included in the analysis, after filtering them according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. TMS may improve both depressive and manic symptoms, but also reports of polarity changes were found, indicating the need for careful monitoring of treatment-emergent affective switches (TEAS). TMS may also improve cognitive functions, although not sufficient evidence was found to support this observation clearly. The efficacy of temporoparietal TMS in schizophrenia has not been proven with certainty, although this intervention may improve positive symptoms. ECT was an effective and well-tolerated intervention for severe mood episodes, SSD, and BDs. Depressive symptoms responded to tDCS in bipolar/monopolar patients, but reports of TEAS in the BDs population have been reported.

Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques may represent an efficient option in patients with SPD, but more good-quality trials are needed before this recommendation is formulated in clinical guidelines.

None Declared

In Poland, the therapeutic modality of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) boasts a history spanning over seven decades. Despite its documented therapeutic efficacy and safety profile, its integration into clinical practice remains suboptimal. Recent data elucidates a marked paucity in the utilization rate of ECT in Poland. Therefore, it is imperative to discern the barriers impeding its broader adoption of this potentially life-saving treatment.

The aim of this study is to investigate the attitude of early career psychiatrists towards ECT and its place in clinical practice in Poland.

A web-based, anonymous survey was conducted, targeting early career psychiatrists in Poland. The questionnaire, part of an international study, consisted of 36 multiple-choice and Likert scale questions.

The majority of respondents emphasised the importance of further educational opportunities related to ECT, seeing it as a safe, effective, and possibly lifesaving procedure. Most of them benefited from ECT training during their residency, however less than a half had the opportunity to administer ECT themselves. They exhibited an interest to introduce ECT into their therapeutic repertoire, depending on the provision of requisite financial and infrastructural support.

There is a palpable eagerness among early career psychiatrists in Poland to enhance their proficiency in ECT. A robust curriculum, encompassing both theoretical discourse and hands-on ECT training, is paramount for all psychiatry trainees. Concurrently, there is a pressing need to formulate national ECT guidelines within Poland, which could potentially ameliorate apprehensions surrounding this procedure.

None Declared

Psychosurgical procedures gained an infamous reputation during the 20th century with the implementation of the lobotomy as treatment for several psychiatric illnesses. However, modern-day psychosurgery is a flourishing field that provides valid treatment alternatives to neuropsychiatric patients thanks to increasingly accurate and safe stereotactic procedures. As more than 80% of people with mental disorders reside in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), investigating the impact of psychosurgical procedures has a global relevance. People living in LMICs are exposed to a variety of stressors which could facilitate the development of psychiatric and neurological diseases. The immense gap that still exists between the population of LMICs and adequate medical and surgical care is an important obstacle to the reduction of global mental health burden. A scoping review will be conducted to investigate the extent of the existing literature and identify key themes, challenges and research gaps on the implementation and outcomes of psychosurgery in LMIC settings.

• - To comprehensively map the existing literature: Provide an extensive overview of the literature on the use of psychosurgery in low and middle-income countries.

• - To identify key themes: Recognize recurring themes and topics within the literature related to psychosurgery in these settings.

• - To assess challenges: Analyze the challenges and barriers associated with the implementation of psychosurgery in resource-constrained contexts.

• - To identify research gaps: Highlight areas within the existing literature where further research is needed to enhance our understanding of psychosurgery in low and middle-income countries.

The methodology consists of five stages, consistent with Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Using the PICO model, the Research Question, Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria and search methods were developed. Electronic Medical Databases (Medline OVID, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus) will be searched for relevant studies. The PRISMA-ScR framework is used to guide the reporting process. Quantitative and Qualitative data will be extracted, including key information such as study type, demographics and methods used to assess the outcomes of psychosurgical interventions. Data will be presented discursively, supported with statistics and graphs where appropriate. No ethical approval is required.

/

The results will be useful to healthcare professionals in LMICs involved in neuropsychiatric care, evaluating the current uses of psychosurgery and their potential benefit for the affected population whilst highlighting gaps in knowledge with the aim of propelling further research.

None Declared

In the context of treatment-resistant bipolar depression, the use of neuromodulation techniques, notably transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has been on the rise, particularly in the treatment of mood disorders. TMS involves the generation of a strong pulsed magnetic field through an electromagnet placed near the skull, thereby inducing an electrical field capable of depolarizing nerve cell membranes (Dolberg et al., 2001). The magnetic nature of TMS carries advantages compared to direct electric stimulation, such as fewer side effects, reduced invasiveness, and precise targeting. Nevertheless, it is not without its risks. Reported concerns include the induction of manic or hypomanic states, particularly in individuals with bipolar disorder, as well as unipolar depression (Sakkas et al., 2003; Ozten et al.,2013; Knox et al 2021).

This review aims to assess the safety and viability of TMS as a therapeutic option and how to best optimize its clinical use.

A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing resources from Pubmed, Researchgate, and Google Scholar.

Despite some inconsistencies and potential confounding factors, our findings suggest that TMS may not significantly elevate the risk of manic switching, especially when compared to conventional treatments like antidepressants. However, it may potentially induce manic episodes, particularly when used as monotherapy or in combination with other treatments. Variables such as treatment protocol and prior response to medication may contribute to mood switching risk. Proposed safety measures include personalized protocol design, close patient monitoring and the combination with mood-stabilizing medication.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been associated with manic and hypomanic episodes in mood disorder patients. While the evidence remains limited, it appears that certain individuals may be more susceptible to mood switching. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better elucidate variables influencing mood switching during TMS treatment and to develop effective preventative measures, especially for patients already predisposed to manic switching.

None Declared

The multifamily group that has been underway since April 2019 in Alcobendas, Madrid is described. A group that serves people diagnosed with mental disorder and their families, with the aim of improving their health and quality of life. It is about facilitating and improving the basic communication of relational aspects and healthy bonds. It is intended to offer a space where you can think together about the experiences lived in your own family with the rest of the group

Assess the evolution and improvement of the patient and family members with the Score 15 questionnaire, The Score is a way of giving users a voice about the therapy process, not about the contents of their problems, but about their perception of the effectiveness of therapeutic work and for professionals it is an opportunity to obtain important feedback from their work.

Using the Score !5 questionnaire on all participants in the group at time zero and after 12 sessions

Improvement in the family description items, and in the quantitative improvement in scoring of the following questions: What degree of severity would indicate? Do you think therapy will be helpful/has it been helpful to you?

Family therapy in the modality of Multifamily Groups provides an improvement in intrafamily communication, its links and therefore in the rest of social communication, facilitating the exit from loneliness and misunderstanding and in turn broadens the understanding and understanding by therapists

None Declared

Virtual Reality (VR) is a transformative technology that facilitates the development of immersive virtual environments. Its application is steadily growing within Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, notably in virtuo exposure therapy. This is particularly evident in the treatment of specific phobias, with a specific focus on addressing blood-injection-injury phobias.

The objective of our study is to design a treatment protocol for patients suffering from blood phobia based on VR.

We used the following scales:

• - Fear Survey Schedule-III (FSS-III) and the Injection Phobia Scale (IPS) for psychometric evaluation of the intensity of avoidance fear.

• - Questionnaire on cybersickness: to identify potential adverse effects of exposure to virtual reality.

To conduct a functional analysis of phobias, we used the SECCA grid and the SORC grid.

The therapeutic protocol stages of VR for a patient suffering from Blood-Injection-Injury Phobia (BIIP) are as follows:

1. 1. Collection of sociodemographic and clinical data.

2. 2. Functional analysis to identify triggering factors, contributing factors, and consequences of behavior. The SECCA or SORC grid can help in conducting this functional analysis.

3. 3. Psychometric evaluation of the intensity of avoidance fear using the three scales: FSS-III, IPS, and the cybersickness scale.

4. 4. Patient education on the mechanisms of the phobia.

5. 5. Setting of objectives.

6. 6. Therapeutic contract.

7. 7. The Protocol :

8. 8. Cognitive approach: identification of automatic thoughts and replacement with more rational thoughts.

9. 9. Behavioral approach: Progressive exposure, controlled immersion of the patient in virtual environments corresponding to situations that trigger their phobia. This exposure is coupled with relaxation.

The treatment continues with regular follow-up to ensure the consolidation of progress and to adjust strategies.

For relapse prevention, simple measures ,like personalized exercises to be done by the patient, can favor the long-term maintenance of the acquired skills.

Virtual reality exposure therapies (in virtuo) are as effective as in-vivo therapies. Besides, they offer a significant advantage over the latter as they facilitate access to stimuli or anxiety-provoking situations that are difficult to access or control in the real world.

None Declared

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) fundamentally posits that our thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations exert substantial influence over how we perceive and react to life’s occurrences. Central to REBT is the process of recognizing and disputing irrational, self-defeating beliefs, in favor of adopting rational and constructive perspectives.

This presentation endeavors to introduce the foundational principles of REBT, elucidate its applied techniques, demonstrate its efficacy through compelling case studies, and delineate its spheres of applicability.

Case Studies:

1. 1. Overcoming Social Anxiety: Illustrating the transformation from debilitating social anxiety to enhanced social functioning.

2. 2. Managing Work-related Stress: Exemplifying the alleviation of chronic stress in a high-pressure work environment.

3. 3. Overcoming Depression: Demonstrating the journey from persistent despondency to restored vitality and engagement.

In total, REBT furnishes a methodical and pragmatic approach to therapy, affording individuals agency in steering their emotional well-being towards positive and enduring transformation. It is imperative to acknowledge that the suitability of REBT hinges on the idiosyncratic needs, inclinations, and circumstances of each patient.

By internalizing and applying these foundational principles, REBT empowers individuals to identify and dispute irrational beliefs, paving the way for more adaptive emotional responses and an enhanced overall state of mental well-being. It equips individuals with tangible tools to navigate life’s challenges with heightened resilience and emotional equilibrium.

None Declared

Eating disorders are a group of pathologies in which negative beliefs about food, body type and weight are associated with conducts that include food restriction, binge eating, excessive exercise, induced vomiting and the use of laxatives. They can be really severe, affecting quality of life and lead to multiple physical and psychiatric complications, even with a deadly fate.

Presentation of a patient’s case with an eating disorder and the intervention with her family, as well as, doing a review of the family interventions in these kinds of patients.

Presentation of a patient’s case and review of existing literature, in regards to the use of family therapy in patients with eating disorders and its effects.

As in the patient’s case, there are a lot of studies that support the evidence of improvement using family therapy in patients with eating disorders. However, the difficulty to isolate the necessary variables in order to do studies about psychological treatments, complicates finding scientific evidence that supports the clinical evidence that we see in our patients day by day with these types of interventions.

There are studies that support the efficacy of these types of family interventions. However, there needs to be a more thorough investigation with the objective of finding the more precise optimal family intervention, and specifically, determining for who and under what conditions, certain types of family interventions would be more effective.

None Declared

Attendance at university can result in social support network disruption. This can have a negative impact on the mental health of young people. Demand for mental health support continues to increase in universities, making identification of factors associated with poorer outcomes a priority. Although social functioning has a bi-directional relationship with mental health, its association with effectiveness of psychological treatments has yet to be explored.

To explore whether students showing different trajectories of change in social function over the course of treatment differed in eventual treatment outcome.

Growth mixture models were estimated on a sample of 5221 students treated in routine mental health services. Different trajectories of change in self-rated impairment in social leisure activities and close relationships (Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) items 3 and 5) during the course of treatment were identified. Associations between trajectory classes and treatment outcomes were explored through multinomial regression.

Five trajectory classes were identified for social leisure activity impairment (Figure 1), and three classes were identified for close relationship impairment (Figure 2). For both measures the majority of students remained mildly impaired (Class 1). Other trajectories included severe impairment with limited improvement (Class 2), severe impairment with delayed improvement (Class 3), and, in social leisure activities only, rapid improvement (Class 4), and deterioration (Class 5). There was an association between trajectories of improvement in social functioning over time and positive treatment outcomes. Trajectories of worsening or stable severe impairment were associated with negative treatment outcomes.

Image:

Image 2:

Changes in social functioning impairment are associated with psychological treatment outcomes in students, suggesting that these changes may be associated with treatment effectiveness or recovery experiences. Future research should look to establish whether a causal link exists to understand if additional benefit for students can be gained through integrating social support within psychological treatment.

None Declared

Functional pathological crying is a complex psychic phenomenon which poses both diagnostic and management challenges to the psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Apart from treatment with medications when clinically indicated, psychodynamic psychotherapy can be useful to understand the aetiology and to address these psychological issues faced by patients.

In this case report, psychodynamic psychotherapeutic techniques are employed to examine and manage functional pathological crying.

Ms L was a 33-year-old Chinese single woman who presented with mixed depressive and anxiety symptoms associated with frequent severe bouts of wailing. She had a history of parental neglect and childhood sexual abuse. Following psychiatric assessment, she was diagnosed with Mixed Depressive and Anxiety Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder. She was treated with Sertraline 50mg every morning and was referred for psychodynamic therapy.

Building trust and rapport with Ms L was crucial so that the therapeutic relationship could be utilized as a vehicle for change through earned attachments. Helping her appreciate how present experiences reflect conflicts from her past and addressing her defence mechanisms with the aims of expression of emotions, exploring her wishes and fantasies to access unconscious conflicts were important. These build greater self-awareness which helped her to develop the capacity for emotional self-regulation, bringing about an increase in her level of adaptation to stressors.

During the early phase of therapy, Ms L would be wailing throughout most of the therapy hour. As therapeutic rapport and trust were established, she began to open up about her abuse for us to explore her conflicts and complex emotions associated with it.

The key themes that emerged were her chronic low self-esteem with fears of authorities and abandonment, the tendency to take up a defended regressive helpless child-like position whenever feelings related to the abuse were rekindled, as well as the manifestation of these complicated psychic experiences in the form of a complex wailing phenomenon.

The functional pathological crying was a mixture of an expression of her challenging conflictual painful feelings, symbolic expression of her cry for help, repressive and regressive child-like emotional states as well as having a defensive function to avoid coming in touch with painful feelings.

Through therapy, Ms L was able to make better sense of her wailing, develop the capacity for emotional self-regulation by adopting a healthier adult position in responding to difficult feelings when triggered, learning to forgive herself and others, assume better self-care and improved relationships with others.

Through psychodynamic psychotherapy, complex functional pathological crying can be better understood and managed to bring about intra-psychic and interpersonal functional improvements.

None Declared

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness that has a lifetime prevalence worldwide of about 1% regardless of culture, social class and race. This implies that it affects a large number of families. Family therapy has been used for years as a promising approach to intervene with people suffering from such pathology. It has been shown that families with a high level of hostility, critical comments and over-involvement are related to a higher number of relapses in the family member diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The objectives are to examine whether systemic interventions could help to decrease the emotion expressed in these family members and thus decrease the number of relapses of patients as an alternative to pharmacological treatment.

A case report and a literature review on the impact of family therapy in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The search strategy included keywords such as “family intervention”, “schizophrenia” and “systemic therapy”. Selection criteria included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2021. Studies focused on the impact of family intervention on symptom management, relapse prevention and general functioning were included.

The findings consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of family intervention in improving outcomes for people with schizophrenia. These interventions generally involved psychoeducation, communication skills training, problem-solving techniques, and emotional support for family members. Results showed significant reductions in symptom severity, decreased relapse rates, improved adherence to pharmacological treatment, and better overall functioning among people who received family intervention compared with those who received only standard care. In addition, family intervention was associated with reduced caregiver burden, improved family communication, as well as increased knowledge about schizophrenia and its management.

Family intervention has become a valuable adjunctive treatment for people with schizophrenia. The findings of this review highlight its positive impact on symptom management, relapse prevention, and overall functioning. Family intervention offers a holistic approach that recognizes the importance of involving and supporting the family system in the treatment process. This intervention provides families with the tools and resources necessary to effectively cope with the challenges associated with schizophrenia and promotes a supportive and nurturing environment for the individual. Future research should focus on long-term outcomes and implementation of the family intervention in routine clinical practice.

None Declared

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are among the ten most disabling disorders, yet only 30-40% of people with the condition seek specialist care (WHO). Considered a relatively new tool in the treatment of OCD and MDD, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was first used by our team 1 year ago. Based on current literature cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in 60% of OCD cases, with MDD also having a good response rate of 50-60%. The efficacy of SSRI’s has been demonstrated, but side effects can have a negative impact on adherence in the long term. Prolonged use of certain drugs has adverse reactions that lead specifically to memory impairment, which compromises suitability for psychotherapy. The same problem applies to the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a major depressive episode.

Our aim was to study the efficacy of combining rTMS with CBT, to gather clinical experience on how these two different methods work in practice when combined.

Patients diagnosed with therapy resistant MDD received rTMS treatment using 50Hz theta burst over 10 sessions. Therapy resistant OCD patients were treated by a 15 sessions rTMS using 1Hz single pulse. These rTMS sessions were combined with CBT, of which we would like to highlight two cases: one of them is a 34 years old woman, who has wide range of sexual, checking and contamination-related OCD symptoms and only received SSRI treatment so far. The other one is a 29 years old man, who suffers from religious obsessions, cleaning compulsions and other repetitive behaviours.

The positive effects of rTMS treatment on working memory functions, attentional capacity and cooperative skills without significant additive effects suggest exciting possibilities for combining the two treatments, thus the combined treatment has been tested in clinical practice. In our own patient care, an important experience was that patients were committed to the therapy, felt safe and, unlike with medications, did not have to worry about side effects. While medication and ECT can make psychotherapy more difficult in the long term - mainly because of memory problems - rTMS facilitates it. Patients appreciate that we approach their problems in a complex way, and they perceive that the combination of the two very different methods reflects professionalism. Our poster attempts to present the experience of combining rTMS and CBT from the therapist’s perspective through two case studies.

Based on our experiences it is an effective approach to combine rTMS with CBT in therapy resistant MDD and OCD patients. In the light of these results the revision of the existing guidelines are considerable.

Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by the Human Resource Development Operating Programme 5.2.6 grant.

None Declared