Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms have been increasingly reported after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, developing soon after infection and possibly persisting for several months. We aimed to study this syndrome and start implementing strategies for its assessment.

Consecutive patients, referred by the infectious disease specialist because of cognitive complaints after COVID-19, were neurologically evaluated. Neurological evaluation included a cognitive screening test (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA). Moreover, patients were invited to fill out a general symptom questionnaire and a self-administered multidimensional assessment of psychiatric symptoms, followed by a full psychiatric assessment if scores were above validated cutoffs.

Of 144 referred patients, 101 (mean age 55.2±13.1, 63.4% females) completed the cognitive screening and the self-administered psychiatric questionnaire. Acute infection severity was low for most patients and the most common persisting symptoms were fatigue (92%), sleep problems (69.5%), and headache (52.4%). MoCA outlined cognitive deficits in ≥1 cognitive domain in 34% of patients, mainly in memory and attention. About 60% of patients presented depressive, anxiety, or stress-related symptoms. Psychiatric scale scores significantly correlated with overall symptom burden and MoCA score. No significant correlation was found between MoCA scores and overall symptom burden.

We hypothesize that persistent cognitive complaints after COVID-19 might reflect a concomitant or reactive psychopathological condition, possibly coupled with an infection-related impact on cognitive functions. The application of a combined neurological and psychiatric assessment seems crucial to appraise the nature of post-COVID-19 condition.

Cognitive and psychiatric symptoms are frequently reported after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but their interplay has been only partially explored. We investigated frequency and severity of psychiatric symptoms in patients with persistent cognitive complaints after COVID-19.

We conducted a cross-sectional study. Neurologists assessed 101 patients reporting cognitive symptoms after COVID-19. Patients were invited to fill a screening battery with self-reported psychometric scales (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Insomnia Severity Index). Patients scoring above validated cut-offs in ≥1 scale were referred to psychiatrists who administered the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) rating scales and asked to complete the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF).

Out of the 57 referred patients, 38 (64.4%) accepted to undergo the psychiatric examination. Among these, 18 (47.4%) were diagnosed with adjustment disorder (23.7%), anxiety disorder (10.5%), major depressive disorder (7.9%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (2.6%). Pharmacologic treatment before post-COVID condition (present in 12 patients, 31.6%) was associated with a score above cut-off on the HAM-A and HAM-D scales. A longer duration of untreated psychiatric illness after COVID-19 was associated with worse scores on the same scales. Patients with a higher PID-5-BF total score had a higher probability of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis.

Almost half of patients with post-COVID-19 conditions reporting cognitive symptoms were found to suffer from a psychiatric condition after psychiatric evaluation. The application of a psychiatric screening in a population suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19 can lead to early diagnosis and timely treatment.

Childhood trauma (CT) increases rates of psychiatric disorders and symptoms, however, the lasting effect of CT into adulthood has little exploration using large-scale samples.

This study estimated the prevalence of CT in a large sample of Chinese young adults, examining the risk factors of current psychological symptoms among those with CT experiences.

117,769 college students were divided into CT and non-CT groups. The propensity score matching method balanced the confounding sociodemographic factors between the two groups, compared to 16 self-reported psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder), and seven current psychiatric symptoms. Hierarchical regression employed the significant risk factors of the seven current psychiatric symptoms.

The prevalence of CT among young adults was 28.76% (95% CI: 28.47–29.04%). Youths with CT experiences reported higher psychiatric disorder rates and current symptom scores (P < 0.001). Sociodemographic factors (females, family disharmony, low socioeconomic status, poor relationship with parents, lower father’s education level) and lifestyle factors (smoking status, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise) were significantly associated with current psychiatric symptoms.

Public health departments and colleges should develop strategies to promote mental health among those who have experienced CT.

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis commonly begins with a prodromal phase characterized by flu-like symptoms, subsequently the patients experience a rapid deterioration with psychiatric symptoms that may include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, auditory or visual hallucinations, sexual disinhibition, mania, cognitive disorder, and psychosis; seizures; motor and autonomic dysfunction. The triggers of the disorder comprise viral infections, tumors, and other unknown factors. Taking in count the prominence of psychiatric symptoms, it is relevant to rise the question whether patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis are being misdiagnosed with psychiatric disorders.

Non-systematic literature review of the relationship between anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and psychiatric disorders.

From the review performed, 2 studies stand out: In one study, 459 serum samples for NMDA receptor antibodies were evaluated. The analysis compared samples from patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and borderline personality disorder with nonpsychiatric controls. In another study, serum was obtained prospectively from a cohort (n = 46) of patients at first presentation of psychosis and NMDA receptor antibodies were measured.

In the first study, the authors found that 9.9%, 2.8%, and 0% of patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and borderline personality disorder, respectively, were antibody positive. In the second study, it was found that 7% of the patients were serum NMDA receptor antibody positive.

It is unclear yet if patients with primary psychotic disorders have higher rates of pathogenic NMDA receptor antibodies. More evidence is needed to study this relationship.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents symptomatic heterogeneity, so the differential diagnosis is even more relevant and more in patients with mental disorders. COVID-19 is a new disease that is under study and affects people over 65 with the greatest severity worldwide. The most frequent psychiatric symptoms are behavioral disturbances and confusional syndrome among those affected.

The objective is to demonstrate the importance of differential diagnosis in patients with psychiatric symptoms and covid-19.

Patients aged 71 and 77, admitted to psychiatry. They present drowsiness that alternates with episodes of psychomotor agitation in which they verbalize fear of the coronavirus. Personal history: bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Psychopathological exploration: Spatial-temporal disorientation, uncooperative, fluctuating state of consciousness, verborrheic, salty and incoherent speech at times. Dysphoric mood. Psychomotor restlessness predominantly at night, verbal heteroaggressiveness. Negative to ingestion due to odynophagia. Sensory-perceptual alterations and nihilistic delusions “the virus has killed me, I’m already dead.” Upon admission, they present a cough and fever and are treated with azithromycin and dexamethasone for suspected COVID-19. Complementary tests: chest X-ray bilateral pleural effusion. Cranial CT: Diffuse cortical and subcortical brain parenchyma retraction pattern. PCR positive coronavirus.

After overcoming the infection and with psychopharmacological treatment the confusional syndrome remitted.

Confusional syndrome can present with different psychiatric symptoms, so the differential diagnosis is very important and even more so in patients older than 65 years who present somatic pathologies or acute infections. The differential diagnosis of confusional syndrome is key to adequate treatment and favor the prognosis.

Studies on psychiatric patients have shown that the presence of autistic traits affects the effectiveness of the treatment, decreasing the likelihood of positive clinical outcomes.

The aim of the present study is to investigate which are the areas of overlap between psychiatric symptoms and the traits of the autism spectrum using a bayesian approach.

A sample of 190 adult psychiatric patients, diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and personality disorder participated in the study. The RAADS-R questionnaire was used to assess the presence of autistic traits. The severity of psychiatric symptoms was measured with the BPRS and PANSS scales, the perceived well-being and disability using the Whodas and Whoqol scales, the TOL and STROOP for the measurement of executive functions, the attentional matrices for visual-spatial attention, the Raven for general cognitive skills.

No difference emerged between the diagnoses regarding the presence of symptoms of the autism spectrum, which affects 64% of subjects. Logistic regression showed that the severity of symptoms measured as BPRS and PANSS predicted the probability of having autistic traits. Bayesian regression showed that specific autistic traits are indicative of executive functions deficits. Namely, motor impairment severity measured at RAADS is strongly predicted by rule violation with number of correct moves measured at TOL. The other executive functions seemed to be only moderately linked to autistic traits.

These results provide new information about the expression of comorbidity with autism in psychiatric patients.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, that typically manifests in adulthood, clinically characterized by progressive motor, cognitive and psychiatric/behavioural symptoms. Psychiatric symptoms are common in HD. The presentation of these symptoms is highly variable, and their course does not correlate with motor or cognitive disease progression. Psychiatric symptoms often precede motor onset by many years.

The authors intend to review the literature the most frequent psychiatric disorders in patients with HD.

Non-systematic review of the literature.

Psychiatric symptoms have been a core feature of HD. Pre-symptomatic HD patients exhibit a greater prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, particularly affective disorders. This symptoms are presenting symptoms of HD in up to half of all people. In symptomatic HD patients, it is estimated that up to 73–98% of patients will have a major psychiatric disorder or psychiatric symptoms. Psychiatric manifestations in HD include depression, irritability, apathy, anxiety, mania, perseverations, obsessions and psychosis. Cognitive changes include progressive deficits in attention, learning, executive and sensory functions, resulting in dementia. Depression, diagnosed in half of patients with HD, is the most common and earliest symptoms prior to the motor onset. There are likely multiple causes of the psychiatric symptoms, with underlying factors including a combination of neurobiological, cognitive, psychological, social and environmental factors.

Patients with HD have high psychiatric comorbidity, that causes significant functional impairment and affect quality of life. Thus, they require a multidisciplinary approach in the recognition and treatment of psychiatric symptoms.

SARS-CoV-2 is having an important direct impact, and also due to treatments used such as corticosteroids. Among its effects, we have focused on psychosis.

The objective of this paper is to study, from following case, incidence of steroid-induced psychosis in context of COVID-19.

A bibliographic search was performed from different database (Pubmed, TripDatabase) about psychiatric symptoms associated with use of corticosteroids during pandemic. 64-year-old woman with no psychiatric history, who is hospitalized for pneumonia secondary to SARS-Cov2 and treated with antibiotics, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids. At 4 days she began with injury and nihilistic delusions. The corticosteroids were progressively reduced, adding 2.5 mg Risperidone, resolving after ten days.

Corticosteroids are currently being used to treat the systemic inflammatory response associated with COVID-19, but they can produce other effects such as psychiatric symptoms (3-6%): 75% affective (mainly hypomanic symptoms); and 25% psychotic. Steroid-induced psychosis are characterized by confusion, delusions, and hallucinations, and they usually begin 3-4 days after onset, and resolve within a week. They are associated especially with oral systemic steroids and high doses: 1.3% with 40mg of prednisone, and 18% with 80mg; increased this incidence due to the greater use that is being made to treat COVID-19 and the higher doses used in severe cases (up to 120 mg).

To conclude, we need to know characteristics of these episodes in order to be able to prevent and treat them properly (minimum effective dose and less time), since they will probably occur more frequently at this time.

Traumatic experiences has a key role on the mental health of individuals. Turkish Armed Forces has been involved in various combat in and out of the country over the years. Individuals who are able to find meaning after a negative life events are better overcome their issues and return to their positive functioning. Unhealthy attachment styles has been observed more in clinical samples than healthy attachment styles.

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive role of attachment styles and meaning in life on psychiatric symptoms among wife of military personel who lost their lifes.

74 women who lost their husband in combat to the study. Their age was between 21 and 74, with the mean of 46.93. 60 (75.9%) participants had a child when they lost their husband. 63 (79.7%) of them hasn’t been married again. Brief Symptom Inventory, Meaning in Life Scale and Relationship Scales Questtionnare were used to collect the data. Five different regression analysis was conducted.

Finding meaning in life, dismissing and preoccupied attachment sytles predicted depression (R2= 51.8%). Finding meaning in life and fearful attachment styles predicted anxiety (R2= 46.2%). Finding meaning in life and fearful attachment styles predicted negative identity (R2= 51.1%). Finding meaning in life and dismissing attachment styles predicted hostility (R2= 50.4%) and somatization (R2= 57%).

Meaning in life has a protective role in the development of any psychopathologies whereas insecure attachment styles are risk factor.

No significant relationships.

Findings on the relationship of psychiatric symptoms with performance-based and self-reported cognitive function post-stroke are inconclusive. We aimed to (1) study the relation of depression and anxiety to performance-based cognitive function and (2) explore a broader spectrum of psychiatric symptoms and their association with performance-based versus self-reported cognitive function.

Individuals with supratentorial ischemic stroke performed neuropsychological examination 3 months after stroke. For primary analyses, composite scores for memory and attention/executive function were calculated based on selected neuropsychological tests, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used. Psychiatric symptoms and self-reported cognitive function for secondary aims were assessed using the Symptom-Checklist-90 – Revised (SCL-90-R).

In a sample of 86 patients [mean (M) age: 64.6 ± 9.2; Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 3–7 days post-stroke: M = 28.4 ± 1.7; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) after 3 months: M = 0.7 ± 1.6] depressive symptoms (HADS) were associated with poorer memory performance after controlling for age, sex, and education (p ≤ .01). In a subsample (n = 41; Age: M = 65.7 ± 8.1; MMSE: M = 28.4 ± 1.8; NIHSS: M = 1.0 ± 1.9), symptoms of phobic anxiety (SCL-90-R) were associated with poorer performance-based memory and attention/executive function, and symptoms of anxiety (SCL-90-R) with lower attention/executive function. Higher levels of self-reported cognitive difficulties were associated with higher scores in all psychiatric domains (p ≤ .05).

Even in relatively well-functioning stroke patients, depressive symptoms are associated with poorer memory. The results also suggest that various psychiatric symptoms are more related to self-reported rather than to performance-based cognitive function. Screening for self-reported cognitive difficulties may not only help to identify patients with cognitive impairment, but also those who need psychological treatment.

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses that can be life-threatening. Stage of illness models and early intervention strategies could be informed by a better understanding of symptomatology that precedes the onset of an ED. This review aims to explore which symptoms (both ED and other psychiatric disorder-related) exist prior to the onset of an ED and whether there any prospective associations between these symptomatologies.

A systematic literature review was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO for large, longitudinal, prospective studies in nonclinical cohorts of children/adolescents that report symptoms prior to the onset of an ED. A quality assessment of included studies was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale.

A total of 22 studies were included, and over half were assessed to be of good quality. Studies identified the presence of a broad range of ED and other psychiatric disorder-related symptoms prior to ED onset. Possible prospective associations were identified, including early eating and feeding difficulties in childhood, to ED-related symptoms (e.g., dieting and body dissatisfaction) and other psychiatric disorder-related symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression) in childhood/early adolescence, progressing to severe symptomatology (e.g., extreme weight control behaviors and self-harm) in mid-adolescence/emerging adulthood.

The trajectory of symptoms identified to precede and possibly predict onset of an ED may inform early intervention strategies within the community. Suggestions for further research are provided to establish these findings and the clinical implications of these discussed, in order to inform how best to target prodromal stages of EDs.

To test whether firstly, different parental rearing components were associated with different dimensions of psychiatric symptoms in adulthood, secondly BDNF-Val66Met polymorphism moderated this association and thirdly, this association was due to genetic confounding.

Perceived parental rearing according to Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), psychiatric symptoms evaluated with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the BDNF-Val66Met polymorphism were analyzed in a sample of 232 adult twins from the general population.

In the whole sample, paternal care was negatively associated with depression. Maternal overprotection was positively associated with paranoid ideation, obsession-compulsion and somatization. Gene-environment interaction effects were detected between the BDNF-Val66Met polymorphism and maternal care on phobic anxiety, paternal care on hostility, maternal overprotection on somatization and paternal overprotection also in somatization. In the subsample of MZ twins, intrapair differences in maternal care were associated with anxiety, paranoid ideation and somatization.

Met carriers were, in general, more sensitive to the effects of parental rearing compared to Val/Val carriers in relation to anxiety and somatization. Contra-intuitively, our findings suggest that high rates of maternal care might be of risk for Met carriers regarding anxiety. Results from analyses controlling for genetic confounding were in line with this finding.

Institutional violence in state hospitals is a public health problem that has been severely understudied. Given the personal (ie, staff and patients) and fiscal harms associated with institutional violence, more research into contributing factors for violence is needed. The overarching aim of this study then was to examine associations among psychiatric symptoms, criminal risk factors, and institutional violence.

Participants were 200 male, female, and transgender forensic mental health inpatients adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity and committed to the California Department of State Hospitals. Participants completed a psychiatric symptom measure, and measures of and associated with criminal risk. Institutional violence was recorded from file review and includes physical violence toward staff or patients for 6-months prior to and post patient participation in this study.

After adjusting for previous institutional violence, results indicated that psychiatric symptoms were not associated with follow-up institutional violence; however, criminal risk was associated with follow-up institutional violence. Unexpectedly, 2 aspects of criminal risk, antisocial cognitions and associates, were not associated with follow-up institutional violence after adjusting for previous institutional violence. Results also provided a tentative cutoff score on the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire for predicting follow-up institutional violence.

These results have important implications for treating and managing patients at risk for institutional violence, including the need to assess criminogenic risk and leverage treatments that target these risk factors as a best practice approach.

Patients receiving treatment for opioid-use disorder (OUD) may experience psychological symptoms without meeting full criteria for psychiatric disorders. The impact of these symptoms on treatment outcomes is unclear.

To determine the prevalence of psychological symptoms in a cohort of individuals receiving medication-assisted treatment for OUD and explore their association with patient characteristics and outcomes in treatment.

Data were collected from 2788 participants receiving ongoing treatment for OUD recruited in two Canadian prospective cohort studies. The Maudsley Addiction Profile psychological symptoms subscale was administered to all participants via face-to-face interviews. A subset of participants (n = 666) also received assessment for psychiatric disorders with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. We used linear regression analysis to explore factors associated with psychological symptom score.

The mean psychological symptom score was 12.6/40 (s.d. = 9.2). Participants with psychiatric comorbidity had higher scores than those without (mean 16.8 v. 8.6, P<0.001) and 31% of those with psychiatric comorbidity reported suicidal ideation. Higher psychological symptom score was associated with female gender (B = 1.59, 95% CI 0.92–2.25, P<0.001), antidepressant prescription (B = 4.35, 95% CI 3.61–5.09, P<0.001), percentage of opioid-positive urine screens (B = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01–0.03, P<0.001), and use of non-opioid substances (B = 1.92, 95% CI 0.89–2.95, P<0.001). Marriage and employment were associated with lower psychological symptoms.

Psychological symptoms are associated with treatment outcomes in this population and the prevalence of suicidal ideation is an area of concern. Our findings highlight the ongoing need to optimise integrated mental health and addictions services for patients with OUD.