Clinician treatment choices for post-traumatic stress disorder: ambassadors survey of psychiatrists in 39 European countries.

BACKGROUND: Considering the recently growing number of potentially traumatic events in Europe, the European Psychiatric Association undertook a study to investigate clinicians' treatment choices for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: The case-based analysis included 611 participants, who correctly classified the vignette as a case of PTSD, from Central/ Eastern Europe (CEE) (n = 279), Southern Europe (SE) (n = 92), Northern Europe (NE) (n = 92), and Western Europe (WE) (N = 148). RESULTS: About 82% woulduse antidepressants (sertraline being the most preferred one). Benzodiazepines and antipsychotics were significantly more frequently recommended by participants from CEE (33 and 4%, respectively), compared to participants from NE (11 and 0%) and SE (9% and 3%). About 52% of clinicians recommended trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy and 35% psychoeducation, irrespective of their origin. In the latent class analysis, we identified four distinct "profiles" of clinicians. In Class 1 (N = 367), psychiatrists would less often recommend any antidepressants. In Class 2 (N = 51), clinicians would recommend trazodone and prolonged exposure therapy. In Class 3 (N = 65), they propose mirtazapine and eye movement desensitization reprocessing therapy. In Class 4 (N = 128), clinicians propose different types of medications and cognitive processing therapy. About 50.1% of participants in each region stated they do not adhere to recognized treatment guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians' decisions for PTSD are broadly similar among European psychiatrists, but regional differences suggest the need for more dialogue and education to harmonize practice across Europe and promote the use of guidelines.

Relationship between alcohol consumption and adverse childhood experiences in college students-A cross-sectional study.

Background: Alcohol consumption is an important issue. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can affect alcohol consumption later in life. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to test the association between ACE and the alcohol consumption in college students. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study on college students was conducted during December 2021 and January 2022, Through the school web system, students received a standard questionnaire on alcohol consumption (AUDIT) and ACEs. The study involved 4,044 participants from three universities in Slovakia. Result: Compared to men, the incidence of emotional abuse by a parent, physical abuse by a parent, and sexual abuse was significantly higher in women (p < 0.001). Furthermore, women reported greater emotional and physical neglect (p < 0.001). The incidence of a high or very high AUDIT score in college students with ACE-0, ACE-1, ACE-2, ACE-3, and ACE-4+ was 3.8, 4.7, 4.1, 6.4, and 9.3%, respectively. Conclusion: More adverse childhood experiences were associated with increased alcohol consumption in both male and female university students. Baseline drinking was higher in male students, but increased drinking in relation to an increase in ACEs was higher in female students. These results point to gender-specific driving forces and targets for intervention.

Self-Amputation in Patient with Body Integrity Dysphoria in Comorbidity with Gender Dysphoria: A Case Report.

We present a rare, atypical case of a 24-year-old transgender male (assigned as a female at birth) admitted to the hospital after the planned self-amputation of his left hand. The patient described his motivation for this self-amputation as coming from deep-rooted and persistent feelings that this hand was not a part of his body. He identified himself as having, according to internet peer group definition, body integrity identity disorder. This condition is now referred to as body integrity dysphoria (BID). This patient was later diagnosed as having gender dysphoria and other conditions, including bipolar disorder and gaming disorder. The follow-up 2 years after self-amputation is presented, during which, despite antipsychotic and antidepressant treatment, the symptoms of BID remained unchanged and the high variability of other psychopathology was observed. This is an unusual case of BID simply because several other comorbidities are presented. Like many other rare clinical situations, this case also presents a particular challenge to our understanding of the dynamics and interrelationships between comorbidities, raising concerns and questions.

A Corticobasal Syndrome Variant of Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with Stroke-Like Onset.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is an untreatable rare human prion disease characterized by rapidly progressive dementia along with various neurological features, including myoclonus and sometimes other movement disorders. The clinical course is typically insidious and rapid, leading to an early death. In general, the most common form is sporadic CJD; however, Slovakia is typical for a high percentage of genetic cases. We present an unusual case report of a 65-year-old man with a sudden, stroke-like onset of motor aphasia with right-sided levodopa unresponsive parkinsonism, alien hand, and other characteristic features of corticobasal syndrome (CBS), with rapid deterioration and death on the 32nd day of the disease. Various neurodegenerative disorders are manifested with CBS as a clinical phenotype, including corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy, Alzheimer's disease, and CJD. In our patient, mutation E200K and M129M polymorphism of the PRNP gene and typical immunohistochemical findings pointed to a diagnosis of CJD. The patient's mother died of CJD many years ago. Several CBS-CJD cases were described, but the atypical stroke-like onset of CBS-CJD, an extremely rare presentation of CJD, makes our case unique worldwide.