The association between mental health stigma and face emotion recognition in individuals at risk for psychosis.

Self-stigma has been associated with reduced accuracy of face emotion recognition in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR). Stigma may also relate to slowing of performance during cognitive tasks for which a negative stereotype is relevant. This study aimed to investigate the association of mental illness stigma with face emotion recognition among CHR individuals. Participants were 143 CHR individuals identified using the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS). Face emotion recognition was assessed using the Penn Emotion Recognition Task (ER-40). Stigma was assessed using discrimination, stereotype awareness, and stereotype agreement subscales of the Mental Health Attitudes Interview for CHR. We tested associations of ER-40 accuracy and response times with these stigma variables, including the role of clinical and demographic factors. Racial/ethnic minoritized participants had higher attenuated positive symptoms than non-minoritized participants. Longer ER-40 response times were correlated with greater stereotype agreement (r=.17, p=.045) and discrimination (r=.22, p=.012). A regression model predicting ER-40 response times revealed an interaction of stereotype agreement with minoritized status (p=.008), with slower response times for minoritized participants as stereotype agreement increased. Greater disorganized symptoms and male gender also predicted longer response times. ER-40 accuracy was not associated with stigma. Overall, minoritized CHR individuals with greater internalized stigma took longer to identify face emotions. Future research is needed to assess whether slower response times are specific to social cues, and if internalized stigma interferes with performance in real-world social situations. Reducing stigma may be an important target for interventions that aim to improve social skills.

Children's Friendship Training Program for Israeli elementary school age children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The present study examined whether the effectiveness of the Children's Friendship Training (CFT) in children with ADHD is maintained following treatment endpoint and whether it is effective in a different culture outside the USA. Parent reports of social skills, behavioral problems, conflict, and children's social knowledge were collected at baseline, pre-treatment (week-12), post-treatment (week-24) and follow-up (week-36) (treatment group: N = 25, waitlist: N = 20). Relative to waitlist, children's social knowledge, social skills and conflict resolution were improved at post-treatment and improvement was maintained at follow-up.

Association between prematurity and the evolution of psychotic disorders in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

In this study, we report the developmental, physical and psychiatric manifestations of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) in a large Israeli cohort, and search for a possible association between preterm birth and the risk for psychotic disorders. The study population consisted of 128 individuals with 22q11.2DS (77 male, 51 female), aged 1-55 years (mean ± SD 12.9 ± 11.0). All subjects underwent a comprehensive medical evaluation. All subjects older than 5 years (n = 104) were also evaluated psychiatrically. Overall, we found rates of physical manifestations similar to those previously reported in the literature. Psychiatric disorders were very common among our study population, with psychotic disorders occurring in 16.3 % of the psychiatrically evaluated population. We found an association between the presence of psychotic disorders and preterm birth. Our results replicate and extend the findings of a previous work and suggest that the evolution of psychosis in 22q11.2DS is a neurodevelopmental process with early obstetric and medical precursors.

Neuroendocrinology of a Male-Specific Pattern for Depression Linked to Alcohol Use Disorder and Suicidal Behavior.

Epidemiological studies show low rates of diagnosed depression in men compared to women. At the same time, high rates of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and completed suicide are found among men. These data suggest that a male-specific pattern for depression may exist that is linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. To date, no underlying neuroendocrine model for this specific pattern of male depression has been suggested. In this paper, we integrate findings related to this specific pattern of depression with underlying steroid secretion patterns, polymorphisms, and methylation profiles of key genes in order to detail an original neuroendocrine model of male-specific depression. Low circulating levels of sex steroids seem to increase the vulnerability for male depression, while concomitant high levels of glucocorticoids further intensify this vulnerability. Interactions of hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis-related hormones seem to be highly relevant for a male-specific pattern of depression linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. Moreover, genetic variants and the epigenetic profiles of the androgen receptor gene, well-known depression related genes, and HPA axis-related genes were shown to further interact with men's steroid secretion and thus may further contribute to the proposed male-specific pattern for depression. This mini-review points out the multilevel interactions between the HPG and HPA axis for a male-specific pattern of depression linked to AUDs and suicidal behavior. An integration of multilevel interactions within the three-hit concept of vulnerability and resilience concludes the review.