Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews - Volume 17, Issue 1, 2021

Background: The unprecedented pressures have arrived from pandemic on each country to make compelling requisites for controlling the population by assessing the cases and properly utilizing available resources. The rapid number of exponential cases globally have become the apprehension of panic, fear and anxiety among people. Currently, more than two million people tested positive. Therefore, it’s the need of the situation to implement different measures like lockdown and social distancing to prevent the country by demystifying the pertinent facts and information. Methods: The goal of this work is to extract the tweets having different users and different geographic locations, preprocess it by applying the filtration tasks and then data engineering methods to identify how the mental and physical health is directly proportional to this pandemic disease; because of the rapid spread of the false information on social media. Results: This work focuses on observing the increase in frequency of tweets and the last logout timings on twitter during lock down of different users in India by using data analytics. The study claims that it has having adverse effects and is directly affecting the sleep pattern which may prove to be the root causes of several diseases such as depression in future. Conclusion: It has been observed that prevalence of lockdown has actually led to disorder in the sleep pattern of individuals. The study validates through experiments and have shown analysis that people tend to tweet more in night-time past (twelve am) which shows the growing trend of sleep disorders.

Following rumors of the effectiveness of alcohol in the treatment of coronavirus, people in Iran began to consume counterfeit alcohol, which resulted in poisoning to the point that by the evening of Tuesday, March 11, 370 people were hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning. They referred to medical centers. One needs to go to the hospital emergency room as soon as the signs of alcohol poisoning are noticed. In Iran, many people go to medical centers too late and risk their lives for fear of being arrested or questioned by the police, while they should know that the goal of doctors is only to help the patient and save their life. Asking people to adhere to preventive health principles and not fall into the trap of misconceptions and rumors, we emphasize that avoiding unnecessary traffic in cities is still the best and safest way to deal with COVID-19.

Background: Depression is the most common mental health problem among students. International students are more vulnerable and have shown an increased percentage of depression, but no review on the prevalence of depression among international students is available. Objective: To explore the documented prevalence of depression among international students studying in universities and what are the associated factors of depression that are stated in the article mentioning the prevalence of depression. Methods: Various online databases were used to identify research articles related to the prevalence of depression among international students published between January 2010 and April 2020. Ten articles were included in this review based on the selection criteria. Results: Overall, the prevalence of depression ranges from 22.6% to 45.3% among international students and ranges from 34.2% to 46.5% in males and 33.2% to 54.1% in females. Academic stress, English proficiency, cultural shock, burnout, distress, acculturative stress, social isolation, living alone, and lack of social connectedness predicted the depression among international students. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression is higher among international students compared to domestic students and the general population. A thorough psychological and social assessment would be beneficial to screen for mental health problems, including depression.

Background: With no approved treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), attention increasingly turns to qualified food supplements. Objective: To conduct a 12-month rater-blinded exploratory outpatient trial with Acutil®, a supplement consisting of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, Ginkgo biloba extract, and vitamins, in 50 persons with amnestic MCI or mild to moderate Alzheimer or mixed-type dementia. Methods: The used cognitive tools were the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale- Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Patients were randomized in the ratio of 40:10 to additional Acutil® or no additional supplementation; all continued on their existing medications during the entire study. Results: Only the COWAT produced a clear positive signal in the Acutil® group between individual baseline and study endpoint, but the between-group comparison was not statistically significant. The MMSE score remained stable in the Acutil® group while deteriorating in the control group; post hoc examination suggests that the Acutil® group might have contained responders. The ADAS-Cog and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores showed marginal deterioration in both groups. Conclusion: We tentatively interpret our results as potentially indicating positive effects of Acutil® on verbal fluency and some aspects of executive function, with an onset after 6 months of continuous treatment. However, much larger and double-blinded studies will be required to make firm statements.

Background: A novel psychopathological approach is the application of network analysis, as it is proposed that symptoms and their interconnections constitute a disease itself, rather than simply being components or outcome factors of disease. Objective: Using data from the Clinical Research Center for Depression (CRESCEND) Study, this study examined depressive symptoms in elderly patients with major depressive disorder using a network analysis approach. Methods: Among 135 elderly patients with the major depressive disorder who were recruited from the CRESCEND study, we created a network based on individual items from the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), with the nodes being each item (symptom) and the edges being the strength of the association between the items (interconnection). By calculating measures of the centrality of each of the nodes, we were able to determine which depressive symptoms were most central (influential) in the network. Results: The insight item was completely unconnected with other items and it was excluded in terms of network analysis. Thus, a network analysis of the 16 HAMD items estimated that the anxiety psychic item was the most central domain, followed by insomnia (middle of the night), depressive mood, and insomnia (early hours of the morning) items. On the contrary, the retardation item was the most poorly interconnected with the network. Conclusion: We suggest that our study contributes to the literature because we have found that anxiety, depressed mood, and insomnia are most central to the network, indicating that they are the most influential symptoms in major depression in elderly individuals.

Background: Studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic has promoted distress and stress-related symptoms in the general population. It has also increased the suicide rate in vulnerable groups who cannot handle the social and psychological consequences of the pandemic and the measures in place to halt it. Objective: In this study, we compared the lethality of suicide attempts and the methods chosen between the three months before the COVID-19 pandemic and three months during curfew and lockdown in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a retrospective, causal-comparative study conducted at King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 62 suicide attempt cases between January 2020 and June 2020 were included in this study. The scale for assessment of the lethality of suicide attempts (SALSA) was used for comparison, and cross-tabulation was used for the data of suicide methods. Results: There was a significant difference (P = 0.003) in the total SALSA score before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The scores of the lethality of suicide attempts were high during the lockdown. No significant difference was found in the suicide methods selected between the two time periods. However, the use of psychotropic medication overdose and self-immolation were prominent during the lockdown period. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic is likely associated with increased lethality of suicide attempts as well as an increased suicide rate. The development of appropriate mental health services is required.

Background: Cognitive functions are mental series of activities that allow us to carry out any activity. The most important cognitive functions are orientation, attention, memory, executive functions, language, and visuospatial skills. Cognitive impairment is a prevalent consequence of stroke. The prognosis of stroke recovery can be estimated through the severity of cognitive impairment. The objective of this research work was to compare the changes in cognitive functions of post-stroke patients with the computerbased cognitive intervention (CBCI) using the PABLO system and conventional cognitive intervention (CCI) using the paper-pencil method. Methods: A total of 80 stroke patients with cognitive impairment were selected and divided into two groups. Group A received intervention through PABLO System (CBCI), and Group B received the cognitive intervention through the Paper Pencil method (CCI). Pre and post-assessment of cognitive functions like verbal fluency, language, orientation and attention, memory, visuospatial, and mini-mental state examination for both groups were done by Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination-revised (ACE-R) scale. Results: After the intervention of 4 weeks, patients of both groups showed improvement in cognitive functions. However, group A scored higher in comparison to group B. Conclusion: Data suggest that both the interventions will bring changes in cognitive functions of post-stroke patients, but CBCI may be much more effective in improving the cognitive functions of stroke patients.

Background: Organic personality disorder is one of the most pressing problems of modern practical psychiatry due to the multifactorial etiology of this pathology, the variety of clinical symptoms, and the complexity of differential diagnosis. Results: The clinical analysis of a difficult-to-diagnose case of a 13-year-old girl who committed an act of criminal aggression is presented. Based on anamnesis data, examination data, analysis of the features of psychopathological symptoms, and dynamic clinical observation, the final diagnosis of “Organic pseudopsychopathic personality disorder due to mixed causes (perinatal factors and traumatic brain injury), with significant behavioral disorders requiring treatment, with schizophrenic symptoms” was made. It was initially mistaken for the childhood form of schizophrenia based on the clinical pattern and complaints. Methods: The results of the patient’s clinical examination using a complex of psychodiagnostic techniques, instrumental research methods, observation data in the department, and an analysis of the patient’s anamnesis are presented. Conclusion: The main stages of diagnosis, the course of the study, the difficulties in the differential diagnosis, and the key insights that played a role in substantiating the diagnosis are highlighted.