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Introduction. The coronavirus pandemic caused a restructuring of mental health services, marked by a decrease of hospital work capacity and increased reliance on telemedicine. Children and adolescents are a particularly vulnerable group that has been affected by the newly arisen corona virus-19 pandemic. The objective was to evaluate the correlation between the coronavirus pandemic and alternations in hospitalization rates, seasonal distribution, and sociodemographic characteristics of patients admitted to the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Material and Methods. The study was conducted at the Psychiatry Clinic of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University Clinical Center of Vojvodina in the period from March 6, 2017 to March 5, 2021. The sample comprised 1114 inpatients and individuals undergoing partial hospitalizations, diagnosed with mental disorders classified according to the International Classification of Diseases. Participants were categorized into two groups: one treated before the onset of the pandemic (March 2017-March 2020) and another treated during the pandemic (March 2020-March 2021). Statistical analysis was performed on the collected data, with the results presented in tables and graphs. Results. During the pandemic, an overall reduction in admissions (-32.34%) was observed, accompanied by a noticeable decrease in admissions during the spring compared to the pre-coronavirus period (p=0.011). The most prevalent diagnoses were F9 and F4, respectively (p<0.01). A higher number of hospitalizations were noted in middle adolescence (p<0.001), among females (p=0.006) and those residing in urban areas (p=0.009). Conclusion. The coronavirus pandemic led to alternations in the functioning and dynamics on Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The sociodemographic characteristics of the youth changed during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thymus is the primary lymphoid organ involved in the regulation of the immune and endocrine systems. It is particularly sensitive to various types of stress, which induce its atrophy. This study deals with the effect of repeated restraint stress on the weight, proliferation and apoptosis of the thymus in mice. During restraint, the animals were placed in 50-mL conical plastic tubes for 2 h every day for either 10 or 20 consecutive days. A significant reduction in thymus weight along with decreased cellularity and pronounced atrophy of the cortical part of the thymus was observed in animals exposed to repeated tube-restraint stress for 10 and 20 consecutive days. The observed changes in the thymus were the same, regardless of the number of days of exposure to stress. These findings provide a more comprehensive view of repeated tube-restraint, with special emphasis on its duration on stress-induced thymus atrophy. The presented findings could serve as a basis for further studies aimed at identifying the mechanisms responsible for the adaptive response of the thymus after repeated exposure to stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested the possibility of distinguishing between different types of antisocial adolescents based on psychopathic characteristics, and the differences between antisocial adolescents of different ages and subtypes in relation to the Cloninger's personality dimension. The sample included 101 antisocial male adolescents, divided into two age groups (71 respondents in the 13-17 age group and 30 in the 18-25 age group). After conducting model-based cluster analyses, nonpsychopathic type (without pronounced signs of psychopathy) and psychopathic type (with pronounced antisocial, lifestyle and interpersonal facet) (Hare's model) were singled out in the whole sample. Within the psychopathic type, in comparison with juveniles, older adolescents showed a significantly lower expression of character dimensions of Self-directedness and Cooperativeness, which are key in determining all personality disorders. Within the group of juvenile offenders, members of the two subtypes did not differ significantly in temperament and character, which indicates that juveniles are in the process of personality development, especially when it comes to their character, so they are more susceptible to treatment and their outcomes are uncertain. The results suggest that the inflation of psychopathic scores may occur in juveniles due to the identification of developmental features of adolescence (impulsivity, immaturity) as psychopathic, which implies the need to apply basic personality models in the assessment of antisocial adolescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Shared psychotic disorder, or folie à deux, is a rare entity characterized by the transmission of psychotic symptoms from one patient (the inducer) to another (the induced). Delusional disorder is a type of mental illness (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification, diagnosis code F24; it was moved from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, to Other Specified Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders). Only one person (the inducer) suffers from a real psychotic disorder, and the other/s is/ are induced, and most often recover/s after separation from the inducer. Case Report. Based on the medical records and available literature on this condition, we present a case of a mother and son with this disorder, where the son with a paranoid psychosis transfers it to his mother. They lived alone in the same household for years, socially isolated from the others. Conclusion. In general, the research has shown that there are no uniform opinions among authors regarding the incidence of the disorder in males and females, at younger and older age, as well as in relationships between partners, siblings, and between parents and children. Most agree that longterm social isolation is among the most common risk factors, as well as dominance and strong power of suggestion in one partner, and passivity and tendency to suggestion in the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uvod. Ograničeni su podaci o psihičkim posledicama socijalne izolacije koji su nametnuti globalnom javno zdravstvenom pretnjom pandemije Covid 19. Na različite načine, na stres poput aktuelne pandemije, reaguju psihički zdrave osobe i psihijatrijski pacijenti. Cilj. Ispitati uticaj pandemije Covid19 na mentalno zdravlje opšte populacije i populacije psihijatrijskih pacijenata u Vojvodini. Materijal i metode. Studija je dizajnirana kao studija preseka. Provedena je tokom maja i juna 2020. godine na kraju i neposredno posle prvog talasa epidemije Covid 19 u Srbiji na teritoriji Novog Sada. Učesnici su podeljeni u dve grupe - u kliničku grupu pacijenata sa psihičkim poremećajima i kontrolnu grupu sastavljenu iz ops te populacije. Za prikupljanje podata koris c en je upitnik samoprocene koji je pruz ao podatke o prisustvu anksioznosti i simptoma depresije i poremec ajima u ponas anju koji ukazuju na povec ani nivo stresa - poput nesanice, zloupotrebe sedativa. Rezultati. Anksioznost, osec aj straha, napadi panike (80%), depresivna simptomatika (70%), problemi sa spavanjem (81%) i zloupotreba sedativa (82%) bili su najc es c i prijavljeni psihijatrijski simptomi u grupi psihijatrijskih pacijenata. Zdravi ispitanici kontrolne grupe su imali statistički značajno ređe prisustvo simptoma i znakova povezanih sa mentalnim problemima, iako i u toj grupi procentualna zastupljenost simptoma mentalnih poremećaja nije zanemarljiva (anksioznost, osećaj straha, napadi panike (40%), depresivna simptomatika (22%) i zloupotreba sedativa (10%). Zaključak. Rezultati podržavaju negativan uticaj pandemije COVID-19 na mentalno zdravlje psihijatrijskih pacijenata. Može se očekivati da će najizraženiji efekti pandemije na mentalno zdravlje u opštoj populaciji biti vidljivi u daljem toku. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The association between substance use and aggression derives from the fact that among violent crime offenders there is a large number of people with alcohol and drug abuse. The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of psychoactive substance addicts in the population of violent crime offenders, as well as to consider possible measures to reduce the crime rates in this population. Material and Methods. Forensic psychiatric reports were used to assess 94 violent offenders from 2001 to 2018. The expert reports were obtained from the Psychiatry Clinic in Novi Sad, Serbia, including court case files, medical records, and psychiatric and psychological records of all offenders. Results. We have found that of the total of 94 violent crime offenders, as many as 25% suffered from some form of mental disorder. More than half of those with mental disorders from this group suffered from disorders induced by psychoactive substances, which means that as many as 15% of all offenders had some form of addiction. On the other hand, as much as 50% of all the offenders were under the influence of psychoactive substances at the time of the offense, predominantly by alcohol. Conclusion. Further research is needed in order to develop specific programs for the prevention of violence in the population using psychoactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]