Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students202.

Several studies have shown an increased prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in the general population in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consecuencias de la pandemia COVID-19 en la salud mental de los estudiantes de medicina / Consequences of the covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students

Introducción. Diversos estudios han demostrado un aumento de la prevalencia de ansiedad, depresión e ideación suicida en la población general en relación con la pandemia COVID-19. Esta prevalencia ha mostrado ser todavía mayor en estudiantes universitarios. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la repercusión psicológica sobre los estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad de Granada y los posibles factores asociados a este impacto. Material y métodos. Se diseñó un cuestionario en formato Google Forms con escalas validadas para ansiedad, depresión e ideación suicida, así como cuestiones sobre otras variables de interés. La recogida de datos se realizó entre marzo y abril 2020. La participación fue voluntaria y anónima. Se realizaron análisis multivariantes de los resultados mediante técnicas de regresión logística para controlar los resultados por múltiples variables de confusión. Resultados. Un total de 297 respuestas fueron recibidas. De los participantes, 215 eran mujeres (72,39%). Se detectó una prevalencia de ansiedad del 51,18%, 70,03% de depresión y 16,84% de ideación suicida. Los principales factores asociados con un mayor grado de morbilidad psíquica fueron, puntuar más alto en la escala de miedo al covid, la presencia comorbida de síntomas de ansiedad y depresión, tener antecedentes previos de ideación suicida o haber consultado con un psiquiatra antes de la pandemia. Conclusión. Los resultados son concordantes con los estudios previos realizados en otras universidades a nivel internacional. Sería recomendable realizar nuevas investigaciones en otras universidades españolas e instaurar programas de prevención y de apoyo psicológico a los estudiantes. (AU)

Introduction. Several studies have shown an increased prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in the general population in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. This prevalence has been shown to be even higher among university students. The aim of the present study is to analyze the psychological impact on medical students at the University of Granada and the possible factors associated with this impact. Method. A questionnaire was designed in Google Forms with validated scales for anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, as well as questions about other variables of interest. Data collection took place between March and April 2020. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Multivariate analysis of the results was performed using logistic regression techniques to control for multiple confounding variables. Results. A total of 297 responses were received. Of the participants, 215 were women (72.39%). A prevalence of anxiety of 51.18%, 70.03% of depression and 16.84% of suicidal ideation was detected. The main factors associated with a higher degree of psychological morbidity were higher scores on the covid fear scale, the comorbid presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms, a previous history of suicidal ideation, or having consulted a psychiatrist before the pandemic. Conclusion: The results are consistent with previous studies carried out in other universities at an international level. It would be advisable to conduct further research in other Spanish universities and to set up prevention and psychological support programs for students. (AU)

Cigarette smoking and risk of suicide in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly prevalent, chronic and recurrent mental illness. The smoking rates in patients with BD are much higher than those of the general population, and BD is associated with an increased risk of suicide. An association between smoking and suicidal behavior has been found in the general population, this systematic review examines whether there is evidence of an association between smoking and suicide behavior in patients with BD. Method: A database search was carried out in Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science, updated until December 31st, 2021, according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. We identified prospective and retrospective studies that included patients diagnosed with BD types I, II, and not otherwise specified, and in which smoking and suicidal behavior were correlated. Articles that focused exclusively on other mental disorders were excluded. The Ottawa-Newcastle scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included articles. Results: Fifteen articles (n = 7,395) met all the inclusion criteria. In nine of these articles, the authors found an association between smoking and suicidal behavior in BD, while in the remaining six articles, this association was not found. A great deal of variability was observed between articles, particularly in the measurement of suicidal behavior and tobacco consumption. The risk of bias, as assessed by the NOS, was high for most of the included articles, except for two papers, whose risk was low. Conclusion: It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between tobacco use and the risk of suicide in BD patients due to the heterogeneity of the articles included in this systematic review, which had different sample sizes and methodological issues. However, both conditions are highly prevalent and have a negative impact on the prognosis of BD. Therefore, a systematic approach is needed, based on accurate measurement of a patient's smoking habits and their risk of suicidal behavior, in order to establish an appropriate therapeutic plan. Additional information: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors and was registered on PROSPERO with the CRD42022301570 on January 21th 2022.

A systematic review of studies with clinician-rated scales on the pharmacological treatment of delusional disorder.

To collect the best available evidence and to compare the first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) vs. the second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) in the treatment of delusional disorder (DD). Systematic review including studies evaluating treatment response in DD using clinician-rated scales appearing in PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception till September 2019. Those studies meeting inclusion criteria were selected. Outcomes were summarized into two response categories: (1) response to treatment equal to or greater than 50% and (2) response less than 50%. Biases and quality of the studies were evaluated, and relevant data were extracted. Finally, both narrative review and quantitative synthesis were performed. The final sample included six studies (437 patients, 318 on treatment with SGAs). Antipsychotics achieved a good response in 32.3% of patients. Effectiveness differences between FGA and SGA were only marginal favouring the former. Among the most used antipsychotics, risperidone and olanzapine showed, respectively, 34.3 and 33.7% good response. Pimozide (n = 35) demonstrated a higher response rates compared with other antipsychotics. Inpatients showed the best treatment outcomes. Antipsychotics appeared to be an effective treatment in patients with DD. FGA were slightly superior to SGA. Pimozide does not seem to provide any advantage in most DD subtypes.