Current Psychiatry Research and Reviews - Volume 20, Issue 4, 2024

Introduction: Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, is often associated with consciousness disorders, typically characterized by an elevated threshold of conscious perception. Over the years, a multitude of research has been dedicated to uncovering the primary cause of these disorders, leading to the development of several theories. Methods: In this article, two central answers to this problem have been reviewed. For this, the articles that were more related to the topic were selected. Based on the relevance to the subject of research, the main ideas of targeted articles are reordered to be comprehensible for the readers. Finally, the judgment and conclusion of the authors about the discussed problem are presented in this study. Discussion: The first theory, which we will explore in this article, suggests that the root cause of these disorders lies in defects within bottom-up processes. These processes, fundamental to our understanding of the world, involve the progression of sensory information from low-level perception to high-level awareness. In individuals with schizophrenia, these processes are believed to be compromised, leading to a distorted perception of reality. The second theory, in contrast, attributes the cause to impairments in top-down processes. These processes, which refer to the influence of high-level cognitive functions on lower-level sensory perception, are also considered dysfunctional in schizophrenic patients. This dysfunction is thought to disrupt the integration of sensory information, thereby affecting the individual's consciousness. However, a third perspective has emerged, suggesting the coexistence of impairments in both bottom- up and top-down processing. This perspective argues that to fully comprehend the nature of consciousness disorders in schizophrenia, it is crucial to determine the type and severity of both bottom-up and top-down impairments. Conclusion: In this review, we delve into these theories, examining the evidence supporting each and discussing their implications for our understanding of schizophrenia. Considering both bottom-up and top-down impairments, the third perspective offers a more holistic explanation for these disorders. We further argue that this perspective underscores the need for a more nuanced approach to studying schizophrenia. It suggests that future research should not only focus on these processes in isolation but also explore their interaction and the potential synergistic effects of their impairment. By doing so, we can hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of consciousness disorders in schizophrenia, which could ultimately lead to more effective treatment strategies.

General practitioners observe a high prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms. Depressed or anxious patients frequently develop both conditions. The symptoms of both diseases may be present at the same time. There has been numerous studies on higher levels of depression, bipolar disorder II, and mixed depression. So, we ended up reviewing different drug delivery targets. Even at low dosages, antidepressants were better absorbed and were more effective when given by the nose. In this review, we focused on cutting-edge methods for intranasal antidepressant delivery vehicles. Consequently, it seems that drugs that are sufficiently effective, have fewer side effects, and are less expensive. The researchers in this metaanalysis set out to determine whether or not they have been used successfully in traditional medicine to treat depression in human or animal studies.

Comparing the linguistic and metalinguistic profiles in common developmental speech and language disorders is important in advancing our understanding of their clinical symptoms, as well as potentially informing the conceptual basis of novel interventions. The purpose of the present review article is summarizing linguistic, metalinguistic and psychiatric characteristics of children with speech sound disorder (SSD). Clinically and theoretically, it is important that we can understand different error pattern uses among children with SSD only and children with co-occurring SSD and language impairment (LI). Identifying differences in error pattern use will help to discovering the underlying causes of the different types of patterns. In comparison with children with SSD, children with co-occurring SSD and LI use certain patterns more frequently that suggest more global linguistic deficits. The early identification of children who are at risk for development of co-occurring SSD and LI as well as later literacy problems needs to distinguish these patterns. Identification of speech error patterns and their underlying cognitive-linguistic processing deficits will contribute to diagnosis of children at risk of co-occurring SSD and LI and reading problems. Mounting studies have reported that children with SSD, with and without language impairment have differences in phonological processing, literacy skills, and speech production patterns. Children with both speech sound and language disorders are likely to have more severe literacy problems than those with isolated speech sound disorders. In addition, this paper focuses on the comorbidity between psychiatric disorders specially attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and SSD.

Background: Video game Addiction Disorder, in addition to other dependency disorders, seem to affect the pleasure center of the brain. The addictive behavior triggers a release of dopamine to promote the pleasurable experience activating the release of this chemical. Over time, more and more of the activity is needed to induce the same pleasurable response, creating a dependency. Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted among 2500 participants (more than 18 years) distributed in all the Iraqi provinces including both males and females. The questionnaire contains demographic questions and an internet addiction special validated questionnaire in the Arabic language. Results: The present study, comprising a predominantly male population (82%) showed a mild-moderate level of internet addiction among 93% of its participants (62% mild and 31% moderate), and an average internet usage score of 45. Race, particularly Kurdish, and the need to socialize were statistically significant predictors of video gaming. Twenty percent of participants in our study spent more than 3 hours a day playing video games using more than one device. The majority of these participants played racing (16%), platform (12%), and stealth (9.5%) video games. Conclusion: Everything is Internet-based. Adding an additional layer of confusion and distinction is that another digital technology is taking over the world as well – making access to computers even easier. But these benefits have a lot of consequences on humanity as well and it can cause an addiction especially to video games that are spreading among adolescents and early adults all over the world.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and depression are highly comorbid and linked to higher rates of death and disability. Several evidence-based treatments for depression have been successfully implemented in low- and middle-income countries, but more knowledge is needed on how to bring these innovations to scale within complex ’real world’ public health systems. Objective: To explore whether the principles of social network analysis could be used to enhance receptivity to integrating depression treatment into primary care for individuals with and without TB in Brazil. Methods: We used existing scales to identify settings and providers with high receptivity and connectivity within the primary care network. We trained and supervised existing staff in three primary care sites to deliver a brief evidence-based intervention over one year, coupled with active dissemination activities. Afterwards, we reassessed receptivity among individuals involved, and not involved, in the pilot. Results: Highly significant changes were observed in mental health literacy, attitudes towards evidence-based practices, work self-efficacy, and implementation leadership supporting our hypothesis. Limited social connections between primary care clinics precluded the examination of the hypothesis that targeting settings with high connectivity could capitalize on the information flow between and transcend the decentralized structure of the network, but leveraging the centralized nature of the TB program to integrate mental health services emerged as a promising alternative. Conclusion: The findings of this study strongly suggest that social networks may be leveraged to change individual providers’ attitudes, thereby contributing to the enhanced dissemination of evidence-based interventions.

Background and Aim: Mental health of non-hospitalized patients and those with non-severe infections has attracted lower attention in comparison to other patients. Circulating monocytes are deeply involved in all stages of COVID-19 infection. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and depressive symptoms in patients with non-severe COVID-19 infection. Methods: The study included 312 patients with non-severe COVID-19 infection diagnosed on the basis of a positive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test of nasopharyngeal swabs. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the validated Arabic version of the 7-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). According to the obtained scores, patients were classified to have mild (10-13), moderate (14-17), or severe depression (>17). Results: The present study included 312 patients with non-severe COVID-19. According to HAMDS, clinically significant depression was diagnosed in 144 patients (46.2 %). They comprised 38 patients (12.2 %) with mild depression, 30 patients (9.6 %) with mild-tomoderate depression and 76 patients (24.4 %) with moderate-to-severe depression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified male sex [OR (95% CI): 2.07 (1.27-3.36), p = 0.003], presence of dyspnea [(OR (95 % CI): 1.99 (1.21-3.27), p = 0.007], D dimer levels [OR (95% CI): 2.32 (1.19-4.52), p = 0.013], MLR [OR (95% CI): 0.52 (0.28-0.99), p = 0.046] and abnormal CT findings [OR (95% CI): 1.79 (1.08-2.95), p = 0.023] as significant predictors of depression in the studied patients. Conclusion: Low MLR is related to depressive symptoms in patients with non-severe covid-19 infection. Other predictors include male sex, dyspnea, abnormal CT findings and elevated D-dimer levels.

Background: Autism severity has been found to be associated with social anhedonia. However, the mechanisms linking the two have not been clarified. Objective: The study was designed to examine the link between autistic traits and social anhedonia. The present study tested a serial mediation model, in which it was hypothesized that emotional intelligence and self-efficacy were serial mediators of the relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia. Methods: Data from 245 participants (57.4% females, n = 134) ranging in age from 18 to 65 years were collected through self-report. Participants completed an online composite questionnaire consisting of The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, The General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale. Results: The relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia was mediated by emotional intelligence and serially mediated by emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy alone failed to link autistic traits to social anhedonia. Conclusion: The study provides evidence for the significant role of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy as mechanisms underlying the relationship between autistic traits and social anhedonia. The findings are discussed in terms of elucidating the processes through which autistic traits may confer vulnerability to compromised emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, which then serve as additional risk factors for social anhedonia.

Aim: Cumulative evidence has demonstrated the neurotoxic effect of methamphetamine (Meth) on the central nervous system. Meth can induce psychotic symptoms and impairments of cognitive abilities, including executive function (EF). Methods: In this study, we hypothesized the interaction of the neurotoxic effects of Meth on psychotic symptoms and EF performances. The Stroop test evaluated the EF performances, Go/No-Go task, one-back test (OBT), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in people who use Meth with psychosis (MWP) and without psychosis (MWOP) compared with healthy control participants. Result: The results showed that MWOP and MWP exhibited EF deficits in attention, working memory, and initial conceptualization. Moreover, a deficit in inhibition was observed in MWOP, while poorer processing speed and cognitive flexibility were found in MWP. Conclusion: The correlation between psychotic symptoms and poor EF performances was observed in MWP. These findings underline the interaction of the mechanistic neurotoxic effect of Meth to induce psychological and neurological dysfunctions in people who use Meth.