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Introduction: It has recently been highlighted that patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ) and those affected by bipolar disorder (BD) undergo gradual chronic worsening of cognitive and social functioning. The objective of the current study was to evaluate and compare (using the Facial Action Coding System [FACS]) the way by which patients with the two disorders experience and display emotions in relation to specific emotional stimuli. Materials and methods: Forty-five individuals participated in the study: 15 SCZ patients, 15 BD patients, and 15 healthy controls. All participants watched emotion-eliciting video clips while their facial activity was videotaped. The congruent/incongruent feeling of emotions and the facial expression in reaction to emotions were evaluated. Results: SCZ and BD patients presented similar incongruent emotive feelings and facial expressions (significantly worse than healthy participants); SCZ patients expressed the emotion of disgust significantly less appropriately than BD patients. Discussion: BD and SCZ patients seem to present a similar relevant impairment in both experiencing and displaying emotions; this impairment may be seen as a behavioral indicator of the deficit of social cognition present in both the disorders. As the disgust emotion is mainly elaborated in the insular cortex, the incongruent expression of disgust of SCZ patients can be interpreted as a further evidence of a functional deficit of the insular cortex in this disease. Specific remediation training could be used to improve emotion and social cognition in SCZ and BD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research shows that impairment in the expression and recognition of emotion exists in multiple psychiatric disorders. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the way that patients with schizophrenia and those with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience and display emotions in relation to specific emotional stimuli using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Methods: Thirty individuals participated in the study, comprising 10 patients with schizophrenia, 10 with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 10 healthy controls. All participants underwent clinical sessions to evaluate their symptoms and watched emotion-eliciting video clips while facial activity was videotaped. Congruent/incongruent feeling of emotions and facial expression in reaction to emotions were evaluated. Results: Patients with schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder presented similarly incongruent emotive feelings and facial expressions (significantly worse than healthy participants). Correlations between the severity of psychopathological condition (in particular the severity of affective flattening) and impairment in recognition and expression of emotions were found. Discussion: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia seem to present a similarly relevant impairment in both experiencing and displaying of emotions; this impairment may be seen as a chronic consequence of the same neurodevelopmental origin of the two diseases. Mimic expression could be seen as a behavioral indicator of affective flattening. The FACS could be used as an objective way to evaluate clinical evolution in patients. Background: Research shows that impairment in the expression and recognition of emotion exists in multiple psychiatric disorders. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the way that patients with schizophrenia and those with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience and display emotions in relation to specific emotional stimuli using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Methods: Thirty individuals participated in the study, comprising 10 patients with schizophrenia, 10 with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 10 healthy controls. All participants underwent clinical sessions to evaluate their symptoms and watched emotion-eliciting video clips while facial activity was videotaped. Congruent/incongruent feeling of emotions and facial expression in reaction to emotions were evaluated. Results: Patients with schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder presented similarly incongruent emotive feelings and facial expressions (significantly worse than healthy participants). Correlations between the severity of psychopathological condition (in particular the severity of affective flattening) and impairment in recognition and expression of emotions were found. Discussion: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia seem to present a similarly relevant impairment in both experiencing and displaying of emotions; this impairment may be seen as a chronic consequence of the same neurodevelopmental origin of the two diseases. Mimic expression could be seen as a behavioral indicator of affective flattening. The FACS could be used as an objective way to evaluate clinical evolution in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental health disorders and chronic health diseases are highly prevalent and impactful consequences of distressful experiences among refugees, yet a comprehensive conceptual model encompassing biopsychosocial factors is lacking. This study aims to assess the relevance of widowhood to PTSD and major depression maintenance as well as to adverse health outcomes in a cohort of Bosnian refugees., Methods: This longitudinal study included 526 subjects followed up for 3 years. The interviews were conducted in refugee camps in Varaždin, Croatia, in the Bosnian language. Data were collected using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and Hopkins Checklist-25, respectively. Physical health disorders were self-reported., Results: Both at baseline and endpoint female gender and marital loss are associated with a statistically significant higher burden of psychological and physical health outcomes. This group showed higher rates of PTSD and major depression disorders, as high comorbidity with hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and arthritis., Discussion: The results of the present study align with a wealth of literature studies linking marital loss to shifts in mental health and impaired physical health. A conceptual framework is provided for understanding how both mental health and physical health outcomes are highly dependent on social phenomena., Conclusions: This investigation reinforces the hypothesis of the role of social bonds and marital support in recovery from trauma experiences. Further studies are, however, needed for a better understanding of the consequences of adverse events on trauma-exposed subjects from a holistic bio-psycho-social point of view.

Osteoporosis and depression are two chronic diseases that affect large population groups with great impact on morbidity, mortality and quality of life. Existing studies of the relationship between depression and osteoporosis have been heterogeneous in their design and use of diagnostic instruments for depression, which might have contributed to the different results on the comorbidity of these two conditions. Moreover, the direction of the causative link is still controversial and the etiology remains unclear. Definitely, limited data suggest that osteoporosis may enhance depressive symptoms, while far more studies have shown that depression adversely affects bone density and increases fracture risk. Thus the correlation of these diseases is still under research. This review comments on a plausible causative relationship and underlying mechanisms that might elucidate the link between two very common diseases. We describe the possible impact of osteoporosis on moods and the effect of depression on bone health. In particular, we focus on the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical and sympathoadrenal axes, of the parathyroid hormone and cytokines. We also describe the effect of the antidepressant drugs as well as lifestyles that may explain this effect.

Caffeine is considered the world's most popular psychoactive substance. Its actions on the central nervous system, mainly mediated by antagonism of adenosine receptors and subsequent modulation of dopaminergic activity, would be particularly sought by depressed patients, as an attempt of self-medication. However, published data suggested that coffee consumption may worsen psychopathological conditions in mood disorders. Thus, we reviewed available evidence in the literature that investigated the effects of coffee consumption on clinical development of underlying psychopathology. Literature research was done by typing on Medline/PubMed and PsychINFO the key words "coffee AND major depression", "coffee AND dysthymia". The research was limited to English language publications and to studies conducted exclusively on humans. Although literature data are conflicting, extensive follow-up studies indicate a significant caffeine effect on risk reduction of developing clinical depression symptoms. Clinical worsening was observed mainly in cases of postpartum depression and comorbid panic disorder. Taking in account the study limitations, we observed a biphasic profile in caffeine psychostimulant effect: low to moderate doses may correlate with a reduction in depressive risk in healthy subjects and an improvement of many clinical symptoms (attention, arousal, psychomotor performance) in depressed patients, whereas the assumption of high doses may result in thymic dysregulation, favor mixed affective states and worsen circadian profiles and anxiety symptoms.

Introduction: Sleep disturbances have long been considered as a cardinal symptom of endogenous depression and dreams in depressed patients usually differ from those of healthy people. The aim of the present study was to investigate dream subjective experiences and their modifications in relation to clinical response in a group of escitalopram-treated depressed patients., Methods: Twenty-seven female patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and starting SSRI therapy were included in the study. Data about psychopathological status and dreaming subjective experiences were collected at baseline (T0), 4 weeks after the beginning of the treatment (T1) and after further 4 weeks of therapy (T2)., Results: At T0 dream experience was impaired and negatively toned. Concomitantly with the decrease of symptoms severity, the 8-week escitalopram treatment yielded to significant improvements in the recall of both quantity and quality of dreams; those patients whit lower clinical benefits kept on reporting impaired dream experiences., Discussion: The results of the present study evidence how the changes in some specific dreaming characteristics, such as the subjective recall of dream activity, the dream recall quality, the dream emotional content and the dream complexity represent reliable markers of the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy.

Introduction: Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is an emerging psychiatric disorder, assimilable to impulse control problems and related to maladaptive use of new networks and social and virtual technologies., Aim: Our study aims to analyze the presence of IAD among adolescents and to study the correlation with social interaction anxiousness. We investigated also the possibility that the Social Network (SN) represent a source of risk for the development of IAD., Materials and Methods: The test group was composed of 250 subjects, aged between 14 and 18 years. They were administered: Young's IAT; IAS (Interaction Anxiousness Scale), AAS (Audience Anxiousness Scale) and SISST (Social Interaction Self-Statement Test) to analyze the dimension of social interaction anxiousness., Results: We found a rate of 2% of the IAD. The SN are the most common use of the Net in our sample, but not the most clicked sites by subjects with IAD. It should be noted, finally, a correlation between social interaction anxiety and IAD, but not a significant difference in scores of social anxiousness scales based on the SN use/non-use., Conclusions: The use of SN intended as single variable doesn't correlate with increased risk for IAD, or for increased social interaction anxiousness. However, if associated with prolonged use of the net for 5-6 hours or more, or concomitant use of chat rooms and/or net gambling, we find a more significant risk of psychopathology. The data presented require further investigations, in order to guide new pathogenetic models and appropriate intervention strategies.

Aims: This study aims to compare some behavioural characteristics related to circadian functions in healthy subjects, in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD) during adulthood (disease period) and during the premorbid age (between 12 and 20 years old)., Methods: 132 adult patients with MDD, 144 with PD and 151 adult healthy controls were enrolled in the study. All subjects completed a retrospective questionnaire., Results: Several behaviours (such as falling asleep, awakening, having, appetite, perceiving energy and cognitive functioning) showed a phase delay or a phase advance in MDD and PD patients compared to healthy controls. Behavioural differences where found in patients even before the clinical onset of the disease., Conclusions: Circadian profiles of MDD and PD patients diverge from those of healthy controls not only during the disorder but also in the ages preceding its clinical onset. The analysis of these circadian patterns may aid physicians to early identify subjects with specific psychiatric vulnerabilities.

Introduction: Affective flattening and the consequent anomalous expression of emotions are considered as key elements of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The purpose of this work is to assess how a survey instrument based on objective evaluation of emotional facial expressiveness (FACS) and a method of elicitation of emotions (film clips) can provide psychopathological manifestations about schizophrenia., Methods: Relevant literature was identified through a search of Medline, PsychInfo and PubMed. Search terms included: "elicitation of emotions", "facial action coding system" and "schizophrenia". The research was limited to English-language publications and studies conducted exclusively in humans., Results: The overall evaluation of the studies analyzed in this work show that the FACS is a useful tool to highlight specific clinical characteristics of schizophrenic patients with significant deficits in the expression and recognition of emotions, such as the status of hospitalization, the age of onset, the treatment with antipsychotic drugs, the SANS, SAPS and BPRS scores., Conclusions: Even if we have preliminary and incomplete data, the FACS and the elicitation of emotions through film clips can give an original contribution to the development of knowledge on pathophysiological events and interpretive models of schizophrenia.