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Functional neurological disorder (FND), formerly called conversion disorder, is a condition characterized by neurological symptoms that lack an identifiable organic purpose. These signs, which can consist of motor, sensory, or cognitive disturbances, are not deliberately produced and often vary in severity. Its diagnosis is predicated on clinical evaluation and the exclusion of other medical or psychiatric situations. Its treatment typically involves a multidisciplinary technique addressing each of the neurological symptoms and underlying psychological factors via a mixture of medical management, psychotherapy, and supportive interventions. Recent advances in neuroimaging and a deeper exploration of its epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation have shed new light on this disorder. This paper synthesizes the current knowledge on FND, focusing on its epidemiology and underlying mechanisms, neuroimaging insights, and the differentiation of FND from feigning or malingering. This review highlights the phenotypic heterogeneity of FND and the diagnostic challenges it presents. It also discusses the significant role of neuroimaging in unraveling the complex neural underpinnings of FND and its potential in predicting treatment response. This paper underscores the importance of a nuanced understanding of FND in informing clinical practice and guiding future research. With advancements in neuroimaging techniques and growing recognition of the disorder's multifaceted nature, the paper suggests a promising trajectory toward more effective, personalized treatment strategies and a better overall understanding of the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the ways in which Karl Friston's work illuminates the everyday practice of psychotherapists. These include (a) how the strategic ambiguity of the therapist's stance brings, via 'transference', clients' priors to light; (b) how the unstructured and negative capability of the therapy session reduces the salience of priors, enabling new top-down models to be forged; (c) how fostering self-reflection provides an additional step in the free energy minimization hierarchy; and (d) how Friston and Frith's 'duets for one' can be conceptualized as a relational zone in which collaborative free energy minimization takes place without sacrificing complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losing a child is a traumatic event, disrupting life's natural cycle, profoundly affecting the family system, and causing enduring grief. Perinatal death, including ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths, exacerbates this distress. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare systems and supporting services available to individuals in need. Thus, this research explores experiences of parents facing perinatal loss in 2020–2021, further focusing on the pandemic's impact. Using a mixed-methods design with self-reports and qualitative interviews, this paper presents results from the quantitative protocol, involving an update and follow-up of a previous study. It compares measurements across scales: COVID-19: The Impact of Event Scale-Revised; The Prolonged Grief-13; The Parental Assessment of Paternal/Maternal Affectivity; The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (short version); The Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale; and The Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief. In the baseline measurement, 45 parents participated (37 mothers and 8 fathers), with 20 (13 mothers and 7 fathers) contributing to the follow-up and 9 engaging in interviews. Baseline results showed higher scores for mothers compared to fathers, with effect sizes ranging from small to medium (ranging from −0.02 to 0.29), though statistical significance was limited due to the small sample size. Multiple regression analysis for distress measures at baseline identified two significant predictors: maternal/paternal affectivity and gestational week. Additionally, positive support from healthcare professionals emerged as a mitigating factor, particularly in relation to Avoidance. A significant reduction in stress measures and parental affectivity was observed at the 6-month follow-up. Qualitative analysis revealed three themes: Shifts in Self-Perception and Post-Loss Growth; Conflicted Relationship with One's Body; and Negative Impact of COVID-19 vs. Unexpectedly Positive Aspects. In conclusion, the findings emphasize the significance of psychological and psychosocial interventions based on meaning-making processes, along with the importance of spiritual care and empowerment for those navigating perinatal loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term schizotypy refers to the latent personality organization that is thought to underpin the liability to develop schizophrenia and associated disorders. Metacognition, or the ability to understand and form increasingly complex and integrated ideas of oneself, others, and one's community, has been proposed to be an important transdiagnostic construct across schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a range of both clinical and non-clinical manifestations of schizotypy. In this paper, we review evidence that deficits in metacognition are present in individuals with relatively high levels of schizotypy and that these deficits are related to symptomology, function, and quality of life. We address the idea that decrements in metacognition may also contribute to the progression from schizotypy to more severe manifestations, while the amelioration of these deficits may enhance aspects of recovery, including the ability to form an integrated sense of self, others, and the wider world. We also review the following two recovery-oriented psychotherapies that target metacognition to promote recovery in individuals with clinical manifestations of schizotypy: Evolutionary Systems Therapy for Schizotypy (ESTS) and Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical High Risk for psychosis (CHR) refers to a phase of heightened risk for developing overt psychosis. CHR often emerges during adolescence or early adulthood. CHR has been identified as a group to target for intervention, with the hope that early intervention can both stave off prolonged suffering and intervene before mental health challenges become part of an individual's identity. However, there are few treatment modalities that can address some of the specific needs of CHR. Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT) is an integrative psychotherapy that can be applied to the CHR population. MERIT offers unique advantages to working with the CHR population as it aims to improve self-direction and recovery through stimulation of metacognitive capacity, a phenomenon that has been associated with recovery. This paper explores unique aspects of the CHR population and how MERIT can address barriers to recovery for individuals experiencing psychosis-like symptoms. Several case examples and a clinical vignette using MERIT to support patients with CHR are offered to exemplify this approach. MERIT offers a way to assist persons with CHR to address barriers to their personal recovery and to develop nuanced understandings of ways to master challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theological/spiritual reflection in psychotherapeutic practice has increased in recent years. Approaches for reflection and integration vary depending on the practitioner's spiritual and theoretical beliefs. The integrative approach utilized in this paper is derived from a phenomenological perspective of the author, who was schooled in pastoral theology and later family therapy. Considering the pastoral theologian Seward Hiltner's perspectival approach, this integrative approach creates a conversational method, integrating the client's concerns with specific narrative therapy interventions or practices and the theological/spiritual concepts of immanence–transcendence. Finally, this case study's methodology offers constructive questions that clinical practitioners can apply to specific psychotherapy approaches as well as theological concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, social assistive robots have gained significant acceptance in healthcare settings, particularly for tasks such as patient care and monitoring. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the expressive humanoid robot, Qhali, with a focus on its industrial design, essential components, and validation in a controlled environment. The industrial design phase encompasses research, ideation, design, manufacturing, and implementation. Subsequently, the mechatronic system is detailed, covering sensing, actuation, control, energy, and software interface. Qhali's capabilities include autonomous execution of routines for mental health promotion and psychological testing. The software platform enables therapist-directed interventions, allowing the robot to convey emotional gestures through joint and head movements and simulate various facial expressions for more engaging interactions. Finally, with the robot fully operational, an initial behavioral experiment was conducted to validate Qhali's capability to deliver telepsychological interventions. The findings from this preliminary study indicate that participants reported enhancements in their emotional well-being, along with positive outcomes in their perception of the psychological intervention conducted with the humanoid robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of behavioral philosophy, discusses its relationship to philosophical counseling and psychotherapy, and focuses on the concept of normalcy as the normative foundation for a broader discussion on pathology versus philosophical dysfunctionality in life. Following the starting definitions, the argument proceeds to considering how normalcy as a normative foundation of both behavioral philosophy and philosophical counseling and of psychotherapy (along with pathology and pathologization) plays a role in the perspective of behavioral self-improvement sought by behavioral philosophy and by psychotherapy (for various reasons, depending on the psychotherapeutic school and methodology). The author concludes that normalcy, rather than pathology or mental disorder, is the focal concept to discuss in order to understand the role of spirituality and spiritual conviction and belief within the context of therapeutic change, whether it is interpreted philosophically or strictly psychotherapeutically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Suicidal behavior is a serious public health problem and a major cause of death among adolescents. Three categories of major risk factors have been identified: psychological factors, stressful life events, and personality traits. Severe and objective stressful life events (SLEs), such as childhood mistreatment or abuse, have been clearly associated with higher rates of suicide risk. However, the relationship between suicide risk and adolescents' perceptions of the SLE impact is not as clear. This paper studies the relationship between SLE impact perception and suicide risk and the possible mediating role of perceived family functioning in this relationship. The need for longer-term or more intense psychological or psychiatric treatment in relation to SLE impact perception is also addressed. Method: One hundred forty-seven adolescents aged 11–17 were consecutively recruited from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Outpatient Services Department of a general hospital in Madrid, Spain. Self-informed questionnaires were used to assess suicide risk, SLEs, and family functioning. In addition, the clinical records of the participants were consulted to collect information about their treatment histories, including the number of appointments and the duration of follow-up. Results: SLE impact perception correlates significantly with suicide risk, the number of clinical appointments, the duration of treatment, and the perceived level of family functioning. The mediation model of the family functioning perception variable in the relationship between SLE impact perception and suicide risk is significant. The linear regression model of SLE impact perception and family functioning perception on suicide risk is also significant, accounting for 25.7% of the variance. Conclusions: Beyond the clear and proven effect of serious and objective SLEs, the perceived impact of SLEs reported by adolescents is related to an increased risk of suicide and more intense psychological and/or psychiatric follow-up. This relationship is mediated by the perceived level of family functioning. Adolescents' perceptions of their life experiences and perceived family support may be key determinants of suicide risk prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how psychotherapy, with its inherent focus on the self, may inadvertently contribute to problematic selfishness. By comparison with religious traditions which have encouraged humility and dedication to serving others, psychotherapeutic schools have historically emphasized ways to meet one's own needs. We review here the evolution of ego-centric approaches toward more relational and growth- and virtue-oriented ones, before considering four clinical contexts which risk fostering undue absorption with oneself and one's therapy. A greater awareness of these risks can help clinicians and patients appreciate the role of moral values, world views, and religious commitments in shaping the direction of their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]