Mental health problems (MHP) are common among elite athletes (EA) and have received increased attention recently, revealing the need to assess them properly. Although EA are increasingly speaking out on their own MHP in public, research-informed approaches for practitioners are still lacking.

We aim to perform an overview of the MPH among EA, emphasizing the potential risk factors and interventions.

We conduct a non-systematic review of the recent evidence on the topic using PubMed/Medline database.

Although EA have comparable prevalence rates of MHP to the general population, they are exposed to various sports-related stressors. Studies reveal that 50% of EA face MHP during their career, with onset peak around 19 years. Therefore, there is a need for early detection and intervention. Burnout, alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression, insomnia and eating disorders are some MHP reported. Their management should address psychosocial and environmental aspects. Psychoeducation and psychotherapy are considered the first line treatment. Moreover, EA may encounter barriers to seeking mental healthcare. Therefore, it is important to promote positive attitudes about MHP, create an environment that supports mental well-being, resilience, psychological flexibility, self-compassion and coping skills. Screening tools may facilitate the process, so there is a need for validated athlete-specific questionnaires for MHP screening and measuring.

Mental health is an integral dimension of EA wellbeing and performance and should be assessed. Specific programs to support EA mental health are recommended and research targeting common MHP for athletes are needed to better understand how to minimize their distress.

No significant relationships.

Having a mental disorder is associated with increased vulnerability to the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the prevalence of HIV is higher in people with a severe mental disorder. People with psychiatric comorbidities such as bipolar affective disorder and depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (physical or sexual abuse) and/or psychoactive substance use have a higher risk of HIV infection.

This work is intended to expose the importance of integrating mental health care with the care of HIV patients.

The authors conducted a non-systematic review of the literature, conducting research through Pubmed and Medscape using the keywords ‘Preexposure prophylaxis’, ‘HIV’, ‘Mental health problems’.

Several factors may contribute to the high comorbidity between HIV and Mental Disorders, including socio-demographic factors, weak social and environmental structures, as well as internalized stigma, social and experienced discrimination. Mental health problems may interfere with the care needed for prevention, including regular HIV testing and/or adherence to Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP); and influence access to and adherence to antiretroviral treatment.

This compelling evidence makes the necessary contribution of integrating mental health into an assessment and continuous treatment of the HIV patient, on the other hand, the assessment and treatment of mental disorders should address sexual health.

Hair loss resulting from childhood irradiation for tinea capitis has been linked to mental health effects in women. However, the association of hair loss severity with mental health in this population is unknown.

The aim of this study is to examine the association between hair loss severity and mental health outcomes in women irradiated for tinea capitis in childhood and to identify contributing factors to these outcomes.

Medical records, held at the archives of Israel National Center for Compensation of Scalp Ringworm Victims, were retrospectively reviewed for 2509 women who received compensation for full or partial alopecia resulting from irradiation in childhood for tinea capitis. Mental health outcomes were determined by the number of mental health conditions reported.

Among women with high hair loss levels, risk was increased for a range of mental health problems, including depression symptoms, emotional distress, social anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. Hair loss severity emerged as a significant predictor of mental health, adding to the effects of other predictors such as family, and social and physical health problems. Effects of hair loss severity on mental health outcomes were mediated by women’s negative social experiences.

Hair loss severity is a significant risk factor for mental health problems in women irradiated for tinea capitis in childhood. Further research is needed to assess mental health risks among women with severe hair loss associated with additional diseases.

No significant relationships.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major public health concern all over the world. Little is known about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population. This study aimed to assess the mental health problems and associated factors among a large sample of college students during the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

This cross-sectional and nation-wide survey of college students was conducted in China from 3 to 10 February 2020. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial factors, COVID-19 epidemic related factors and mental health problems. Acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Chinese versions of the impact of event scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Univariate and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with mental health problems.

Among 821 218 students who participated in the survey, 746 217 (90.9%) were included for the analysis. In total, 414 604 (55.6%) of the students were female. About 45% of the participants had mental health problems. The prevalence rates of probable acute stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms were 34.9%, 21.1% and 11.0%, respectively. COVID-19 epidemic factors that were associated with increased risk of mental health problems were having relatives or friends being infected (adjusted odds ratio = 1.72–2.33). Students with exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 ≥3 h/day were 2.13 times more likely than students with media exposure <1 h/day to have acute stress symptoms. Individuals with low perceived social support were 4.84–5.98 times more likely than individuals with high perceived social support to have anxiety and depressive symptoms. In addition, senior year and prior mental health problems were also significantly associated with anxiety or/and depressive symptoms.

In this large-scale survey of college students in China, acute stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple epidemic and psychosocial factors, such as family members being infected, massive media exposure, low social support, senior year and prior mental health problems were associated with increased risk of mental health problems. Psychosocial support and mental health services should be provided to those students at risk.

To describe and analyze more frequents mental health problems in adolescents with different levels of victimization.

A community sample of 895 adolescents (M = 15.7; SD = 1.3 years old) was subdivided into several groups taking as reference the number of victimizations suffered in the last year, obtained from the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. Resulting groups were as follows: those adolescents presenting no type of victimization, the group below average, a group above average and the group of poly-victimized adolescents. Mental health problems were identified with the Youth Self Report, analyzing specifically the DSM syndrome scales.

The group of poly-victimized adolescents presented more significant (p<.05) affective, anxious symptomatology with attention and behavior problems, post-traumatic and obssesive compulsive disturbances, even after Bonferroni's post-hoc contrast regarding the other groups. On the other hand, somatic and oppositional defiant problems were perceived with same intensity between the group above average and the poly-victimized group in front of the groups below victimizations average.

Poly-victimization in adolescents is associated to larger symptomatology patterns and mental health problems development.

Although the association between cannabis use and a wide range of psychiatric symptoms is fairly well established, it is not clear whether cannabis use is also a risk factor for general mental health problems at secondary school.

A total of 10 324 secondary school children aged 11–16 years, participating in an ongoing Public Health Service School Survey, gave information on demographics, substance use, school factors and stressful life events and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Cannabis use in the past month was associated with a clinically relevant score on the SDQ [unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.46–5.76]. Other risk factors associated with poor psychosocial functioning were: a low level of education, alcohol use, cigarette smoking, hard drug use, frequent truancy, an unfavourable school evaluation, feeling unsafe at school, being victimized, frequent absence due to illness, a mentally ill parent, molestation by a parent, financial problems and feeling distressed by an adverse event. In a full model adjusting for these risk factors, cannabis was not significantly associated with mental health problems, although an association at trend level was apparent. Of these risk factors, regular alcohol use, cigarette smoking, hard drug use, frequent truancy, an unfavourable school evaluation and frequent absence due to illness were also associated with cannabis use.

The association between cannabis use and poor psychosocial functioning in adolescence is due, at least in part, to confounding by other risk factors. Thus, cannabis use can best be viewed as an indicator of risk for mental health problems in adolescence.

Events such as earthquakes are followed by significant psychiatric morbidity due to the enormous damage caused to life, health, property, and other resources in the affected area. In October 2005, a devastating earthquake occurred in Kashmir in India. A team of mental health professionals visited the earthquake stricken area to provide mental health services five weeks after of the event.

The team conducted clinics at >30 sites in different villages in the area. This paper describes the mental health problems encountered in those communities.

All patients seen in the clinics had their houses destroyed by the earthquake.Nearly one-fourth had suffered serious physical injuries and 12% had lost one of their family members. Common psychiatric diagnoses included adjustment disorders (39.6%), depressive episode (22.6%), and other stress disorders (21.8 %). Only 10 (3.3%) patients were found to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), though PTSD-like symptoms were reported by more than two-thirds of the patients.

Adjustment disorders, depression, other stress reactions, and PTSD-like symptoms were the common mental health problems five to six weeks following an earthquake.