A New Pandemic of the XXIst Century: The Growing Crisis of Adolescent Depression in the Digital Age.

In a reality dominated by social media and affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of people in various age groups has undoubtedly suffered, especially among young people. Statistics confirm that adolescent depression is a significant health problem and is the most common cause of disability in this age group. Research shows the multifactorial basis of this disease entity, placing particular emphasis on the genetic, environmental, and biological background. A family history of depression can increase the risk of developing depression by 4-fold. A teenager, being part of many systems, such as family, school community, and social media co-user, is exposed to many stressors. Maturing youth have a very demanding educational plan to implement, and depression causes a decline in cognitive functions, which are so important in acquiring knowledge. Among many patients, an additional risk is self-harm and suicide, which are part of the clinical picture of depressive disorders. Suicide accounts for about one-third of mortality among youth. We draw attention to the need to increase educational and psychoeducational impacts on adolescent depression, as it is a huge health problem that has an impact on all areas of a young person's life. The trend of depression among adolescents is constantly increasing. The aim of this article is to review the global causes and consequences of the growing number of cases of depression, self-harm, and suicide among children and adolescents, as well as contemporary approaches to management.

Postpartum Psychosis: A Review of Risk Factors, Clinical Picture, Management, Prevention, and Psychosocial Determinants.

Postpartum psychosis is rare, but is a serious clinical and social problem. On its own, it is not included in DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) or ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) as a disease entity, and current diagnostic criteria equate it with other psychoses. This poses a serious legal problem and makes it difficult to classify. The disorder is caused by a complex combination of biological, environmental, and cultural factors. The exact pathophysiological mechanisms of postpartum psychosis remain very poorly understood. There is a need for further research and increased knowledge of the medical sector in the prevention and early detection of psychosis to prevent stigmatization of female patients during a psychiatric episode. It is necessary to regulate its position in the DSM5 and ICD-10. Attention should be paid to the social education of expectant mothers and their families. This article aims to review the current status of risk factors, prevention, and management of postpartum psychosis.

An outline of savant syndrome. / Zespól sawanta w zarysie.

This article is a review of research on savant syndrome from years 2000-2022 - available in PubMed, ResearchGate and Google Scholar databases. Savant syndrome occurs with a frequency of 1.4 per 1,000 people with intellectual disabilities and in 10% of people with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Autism is the disorder that most often co-occurs with savant syndrome - in about 50% of all people with a savant syndrome diagnosis. Researchers distinguish between: congenital savant syndrome - which affects about 90% of people with the syndrome, and acquired savant syndrome - which occurs in the course of frontotemporal dementia or in people who have experienced trauma to the central nervous system. There are many cognitive theories that explain savant abilities. The anatomical basis of this entity has not been discovered using neuroimaging techniques. To date, no unified theory has been created that reliably explains the etiology and pathomechanism of savant syndrome. Previous neuroimaging studies of people with symptoms of savant syndrome have been conducted on too few subjects. There are indications that magnetic brain stimulation may contribute to a better understanding of the neurophysiological basis of this syndrome.

Between self-stigma and the will of recovery... Difficulties in accepting a psychiatric diagnosis - case study. / Pomiedzy self-stygma a wola zdrowienia... Trudnosci z akceptacja diagnozy psychiatrycznej ­ studium przypadku.

The consequence of social exclusion of the mentally ill patients is often a worsening of the course of the disease and prognosis. The psychiatric diagnosis is very important for the so-called labeling, which is one of the stages of the stigma process, and it also has a lot of social implications. The purpose of this work is to take look at the issue of psychiatric diagnosis, especially the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and its consequences for the patient's social functioning. The authors of the article have reviewed the literature on the importance of psychiatric diagnosis in the context of self-stigmatization of mental illness and have presented, based on medical records, a clinical case of a patient who had significant difficulties in accepting the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. The stigma of mental illness is the reason of subjectively experienced suffering for people with psychiatric diagnosis and their relatives, but it is also relevant to public health. Psychiatric diagnosis has significant social consequences, which is why it is so important that the process of diagnosis is not a routine activity for psychiatrists, free from ethical reflection.

Social distance and stigma towards persons with serious mental illness among medical students in five European Central Asia countries.

The study investigated behavioral measures of social distance (i.e., desired proximity between self and others in social contexts) as an index of stigma against those with mental illness among medical students in the Republic of North Macedonia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Poland, using the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS), a standardized, self-administered behavioral measure based on the Star Social Distance Scale. The students' responses to standardized clinical vignettes on schizophrenia, and depression with suicidal ideation, were also assessed. A total of 257 North Macedonian (females, 31.5%; 1-4 grades, 189; 5-6 grades, 68); 268 Turkish (females, 43.3%; 1-4 grades, 90; 5-6 grades, 178); 450 Kazakh (females, 28.4%, 71.6%; 1-4 grades, 312; 5-6 grades, 138); 512 Azerbaijani (females, 24%; 1-4 grades, 468; 5-6 grades, 44; females, 24%), and 317 Polish (females, 59.0%; 1-4 grades, 208; 5-6 grades, 109) students were surveyed. The responses on the RIBS social distance behavior measures did not improve with advancing medical school grade, but students across all sites viewed schizophrenia and depression as real medical illnesses. The results support the development of enhanced range of integrated training opportunities for medical student to socially interact with persons with mental illness sharing their experiences with them.

DRD4 Exon 3 Gene Polymorphisms in Patients Diagnosed with Polysubstance Use Disorder and Co-Occurrence of a Depressive Episode.

BACKGROUND: There has been a noticeable and systematic growth of the use of psychoactive substances over the past few decades. Dual diagnosis is a clinical term referring to the occurrence of psychoactive substance use disorder comorbid with another psychiatric disorder in the same person. The most common type of dual diagnosis is the co-occurrence of alcohol use disorder and mood disorders in the form of a depressive episode. Co-occurrent substance use disorders are frequently influenced by genetic factors. In selecting our area of research, we focused on dopamine and the DRD4 (Dopamine Receptor D4) gene polymorphism as well as associations with personality features. THE AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to compare DRD4 exon 3 (DRD4 Ex3) gene polymorphisms in patients diagnosed with polysubstance use disorder and co-occurrence of a depressive episode to DRD4 exon 3 gene polymorphisms in patients diagnosed with polysubstance use disorder and without co-occurrence of a depressive episode and a group of healthy volunteers. The study also aimed at establishing associations between personality features and DRD4 exon 3 gene polymorphisms of male patients diagnosed with polysubstance use disorder with co-occurrence of a depressive episode which may present a specific endophenotype of this group of patients. METHODS: The study group comprised 602 male volunteers: patients diagnosed with polysubstance use disorder comorbid with a depressive episode (PUD MDD) (n = 95; mean age = 28.29, standard deviation (SD) = 7.40), patients diagnosed with polysubstance use disorder (PUD) (n = 206; mean age = 28.13, SD = 5.97), and controls (n = 301; mean age = 22.13, SD = 4.57). The patients and control subjects were diagnosed by a psychiatrist using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires. An analysis of the DRD4 exon 3 polymorphism was performed. RESULTS: The patients diagnosed with PUD MDD compared to the control group of healthy volunteers showed significantly higher scores on both the STAI status and features scale and the NEO-FFI Neuroticism and Openness Scale, as well as lower scores on the Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness NEO-FFI scales. In the DRD4 exon 3 gene polymorphism, the s allele was more frequent in the PUD MDD compared to the l allele, which was less frequent. The results of the 2 × 3 factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) in patients and controls and the variant DRD4 exon 3 interaction were found on the Extraversion Scale and the Conscientiousness Scale of the NEO-FFI. CONCLUSIONS: The associations show that psychological factors combined with genetic data create a new area of research on addiction, including the problem of dual diagnosis. However, we want to be careful and draw no definite conclusions at this stage of our research.