Around the world, people living in objectively difficult circumstances who experience symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) do not qualify for a diagnosis because their worry is not ‘excessive’ relative to the context. We carried out the first large-scale, cross-national study to explore the implications of removing this excessiveness requirement.

Data come from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative. A total of 133 614 adults from 12 surveys in Low- or Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and 16 surveys in High-Income Countries (HICs) were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Non-excessive worriers meeting all other DSM-5 criteria for GAD were compared to respondents meeting all criteria for GAD, and to respondents without GAD, on clinically-relevant correlates.

Removing the excessiveness requirement increases the global lifetime prevalence of GAD from 2.6% to 4.0%, with larger increases in LMICs than HICs. Non-excessive and excessive GAD cases worry about many of the same things, although non-excessive cases worry more about health/welfare of loved ones, and less about personal or non-specific concerns, than excessive cases. Non-excessive cases closely resemble excessive cases in socio-demographic characteristics, family history of GAD, and risk of temporally secondary comorbidity and suicidality. Although non-excessive cases are less severe on average, they report impairment comparable to excessive cases and often seek treatment for GAD symptoms.

Individuals with non-excessive worry who meet all other DSM-5 criteria for GAD are clinically significant cases. Eliminating the excessiveness requirement would lead to a more defensible GAD diagnosis.

Long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and other assisted living facilities, have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19. The overall pandemic created an enormous pressure on long-term care workers (LTCWs), making them particularly vulnerable to mental disorders. However, most of the existing evidence regarding the well-being of care professionals has predominantly focused on frontline healthcare workers.

This study aimed to identify long-term psychological needs of LTCWs derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of a project that is developing an intervention to reduce psychological distress in this population group.

We performed a qualitative study with a rapid research approach. Participants were recruited from long-term care facilities located in Catalonia, Spain. Between April and September 2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews inquiring about the most psychologically challenging stages of the pandemic, perceived emotions during those stages, main determinants of those emotions, and their emotional state at the time of the interview. We used a qualitative content analysis method with an inductive-deductive approach.

Thirty LTCWs participated in the study. Mean age was 44 (SD=11,4), 87% were females and one third were from foreign nationalities. The period of the pandemic with highest mental health burden was the outbreak, with almost every worker having experienced some form of emotional distress. Emotional distress persisted over time in more than half of participants, with fatigue and nervousness being the main emotions expressed at the time of the interview. High workload, feeling that pandemic times are not over and poor working conditions that have remained since then, have been the most frequently expressed determinants of such emotions.

Long after the pandemic outbreak, emotional distress is still relevant. The persistent burden of psychological distress points to a need for institutions to take action to improve working conditions and promote employees’ wellbeing.

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Despite their documented efficacy, substantial proportions of patients discontinue antidepressant medication (ADM) without a doctor's recommendation. The current report integrates data on patient-reported reasons into an investigation of patterns and predictors of ADM discontinuation.

Face-to-face interviews with community samples from 13 countries (n = 30 697) in the World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys included n = 1890 respondents who used ADMs within the past 12 months.

10.9% of 12-month ADM users reported discontinuation-based on recommendation of the prescriber while 15.7% discontinued in the absence of prescriber recommendation. The main patient-reported reason for discontinuation was feeling better (46.6%), which was reported by a higher proportion of patients who discontinued within the first 2 weeks of treatment than later. Perceived ineffectiveness (18.5%), predisposing factors (e.g. fear of dependence) (20.0%), and enabling factors (e.g. inability to afford treatment cost) (5.0%) were much less commonly reported reasons. Discontinuation in the absence of prescriber recommendation was associated with low country income level, being employed, and having above average personal income. Age, prior history of psychotropic medication use, and being prescribed treatment from a psychiatrist rather than from a general medical practitioner, in comparison, were associated with a lower probability of this type of discontinuation. However, these predictors varied substantially depending on patient-reported reasons for discontinuation.

Dropping out early is not necessarily negative with almost half of individuals noting they felt better. The study underscores the diverse reasons given for dropping out and the need to evaluate how and whether dropping out influences short- or long-term functioning.

There are differences in the training curricula of medical specialists in different countries. The opinion of the doctors in training on how they acquire competencies and carry them out is of great importance. In our case, we asked ourselves what were the perceived shortcomings in psychiatric training.

The main objective of the study is to describe the opinion of psychiatry residents in Spain on the acquisition of competencies, compliance with the training programme and quality of clinical supervision.

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, mixed (quantitative and qualitative) study. Based on previous bibliography and the ministerial order of the official training programme, an online survey was prepared, which was disseminated telematically through the residents’ representatives of the National Commission of the Speciality of Psychiatry of the National Council of Health Sciences Specialities.

A total of 109 responses were obtained, with representation from all the Autonomous Communities of Spain. Graph I shows the opinion of the psychiatry residents as to which competencies they feel are less developed at present, with the competencies related to psychotherapy standing out in first place with great importance. In terms of compliance with the training programme, the parameter most in line with what was established was the average number of shifts, with an average of 4.26 shifts per month. However, 11.7% of residents do not take compensatory rest after on-call duty as required by law. Moreover, the rotation times established by the BOE are not complied with in 38.5% of the hospitals. With regard to the rotations that the residents feel should increase their rotation time, the child and adolescent psychiatry and dual pathology rotations stand out (graph II). Finally, with regard to the supervision process, only 22.90% of first-year residents are always supervised in person during their rotations (graph III).

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Our study reflects the belief on the part of the resident physicians that further training in psychotherapy (45.7%), psychogeriatrics (10.6%) and dual pathology (8.5%) would be necessary. The fact that only 11.7% of the participants stated that they did not take compensatory rest after on-call duty seems to us to be an improvement over what was initially expected. There are other less reassuring data, such as the fact that only 22.9% of first-year residents report having continuous supervision. We consider that the results found follow the trends observed in studies carried out in residents from other countries. We stress the need to carry out a greater number of studies with a broad population base in which to find the failures that psychiatry residents themselves perceive in their training.

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Approximately one person commits suicide every 40 seconds, resulting in more than 800,000 deaths per year worldwide. Regarding this phenomenon, it is necessary to highlight how suicide rates increase markedly with age. These reach their highest figures in people aged 85 years or older, and this increase is very worrying in certain geographical areas. Although there is extensive literature on the risk factors that influence at the individual level, the same cannot be said when the problem is analyzed at the population level.

The study aims to review the entire Eurostat database, relating suicide data from different European countries to any possible variables that may influence suicide. In this pilot phase, certain socioeconomic variables were chosen based on criteria of suitability and availability of the information provided, selecting data from 2015, as it was the most recent year in which most countries reported their data on suicide in people over 85 years of age.

Firstly, a comparison was made of suicide rates in people over 85 years of age in relation to overall suicide rates in different European countries (suicide rate in people over 85 years of age divided by the total rate in the country). Secondly, socioeconomic variables that may be more strongly related to suicide in this age group in these European countries were studied. After calculating the conditional suicide rate in people over 85 years of age with respect to the overall suicide rate in each country (Fig. 1), Spearman correlations were performed between the conditional rates and different demographic variables, economic variables, social variables, and health variables.

Conditional suicide rates in people over 85 years of age show a marked difference between southern and northern European countries. In the correlational analysis, several significant associations were found. Suicide in those over 85 years of age was associated with economic variables (social deprivation, economic impossibility to buy new clothes, impossibility to dedicate money for personal matters and Gini coefficient), demographic (old-age dependency ratio) and health (self-perceived health). After performing a multivariate regression with the variables that were significant in the Spearman correlation, included the variables “old-age dependency ratio (X1)” and “economic impossibility to buy new clothes (X2),” with a value of R-square = 0.612 and a value of p < 0.01.

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The conclusions suggest that of the different variables studied, the great majority in which an association has been found belong to the field of economics, specifically poverty and economic inequality, and demographics, highlighting the old-age dependency ratio. Furthermore, marked north/south differences can be observed in the different European countries.

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Chronic psychiatric patients admitted to subacute and long-stay hospital units are especially vulnerable to the situation of confinement due to the pandemic. Throughout 2020 and 2021 they have suffered the consequences of multiple strict confinements given the differences in isolation protocols in hospitalized patients compared to the general population. This has repercussions on the increase in anxious symptomatology, which influences a more torpid and prolonged evolution of mental disorders in this subpopulation.

The objective of this study is to study the anxiety levels of patients admitted to a sub-acute and long-stay mental health unit in a situation of confinement due to covid-19.

We have carried out a cross-sectional descriptive observational study in 25 patients admitted to the subacute and long-stay unit of the Barcelona Forum Center between December 8 and 23, 2021 in the context of confinement due to a covid-19 outbreak. Sociodemographic and clinical variables are collected. We have used the self-administered STAI scale to assess clinical anxiety.

The mean age is 47.7 years; women 60%. 80% with single marital status. 90% of the patients presented active tobacco consumption, with an average of 21.2 cigarettes/day. The mean score on the STAI scale was 58.8 for state anxiety and 46.7 for trait anxiety, both levels above the 75th percentile for adults, both men (state anxiety 28, trait anxiety 25) and women (state anxiety 31, trait anxiety 32).

The state and trait anxiety scores of the STAI scale of hospitalized patients are higher than the average of the general population, which could be due to the situation of confinement due to the covid pandemic.

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This study describes attitudes towards diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among members of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program. It also explores associations between program members’ roles and their perceived importance of and commitment to improving DEI and assesses the link between perceived importance of and commitment to improving DEI. Lastly, it ascertains barriers and priorities concerning health equity research, workforce development, CTSA consortium leadership, and clinical trials participation among respondents.

A survey was administered to registrants of the virtual CTSA Program 2020 Fall Meeting. Respondents reported their roles, perceived importance of and commitment to improving DEI. Bivariate cross-tabulations and structural equation modeling examined associations between respondents’ roles, perceived importance of DEI, and commitment to improving DEI. Grounded theory was used to code and analyze open-ended questions.

Among 796 registrants, 231 individuals completed the survey. DEI was “extremely important” among 72.7 percent of respondents and lowest among UL1 PIs (66.7%). Being “extremely committed” to improving DEI was reported by 56.3 percent of respondents and lowest among “other staff” (49.6%). Perceived importance of DEI was positively associated with commitment to improve DEI. Institutional and CTSA Commitment, Support, and Prioritization of DEI represented a key theme for improving DEI among respondents.

Clinical and translational science organizations must take bold steps to transform individual perceptions of DEI into commitment and commitment into action. Institutions must set visionary objectives spanning leadership, training, research, and clinical trials research to meet the promise and benefits of a diverse NIH-supported workforce.

Patients with anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis (ANMDARE) show a wide range of behavioral abnormalities and are often mistaken for primary psychiatric presentations. We aimed to determine the behavioral hallmarks of ANMDARE with the use of systematic neuropsychiatric and cognitive assessments.

A prospective study was conducted, with 160 patients admitted to the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico, who fulfilled criteria for possible autoimmune encephalitis and/or red flags along a time window of seven years. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibodies against the NR1 subunit of the NMDAR were processed with rat brain immunohistochemistry and cell-based assays with NMDA expressing cells. Systematic cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and functional assessments were conducted before knowing NMDAR antibodies results. A multivariate analysis was used to compare patients with and without definite ANMDARE according to antibodies in CSF.

After obtaining the CSF antibodies results in 160 consecutive cases, 100 patients were positive and classified as having definite ANMDARE. The most frequent neuropsychiatric patterns were psychosis (81%), delirium (75%), catatonia (69%), anxiety-depression (65%), and mania (27%). Cognition was significantly impaired. A total of 34% of the patients had a predominantly neuropsychiatric presentation without seizures. After multivariate analysis, the clinical hallmarks of ANMDARE consisted of a catatonia–delirium comorbidity, tonic-clonic seizures, and orolingual dyskinesia.

Our study supports the notion of a neurobehavioral phenotype of ANMDARE characterized by a fluctuating course with psychotic and affective symptoms, catatonic signs, and global cognitive dysfunction, often accompanied by seizures and dyskinesia. The catatonia–delirium comorbidity could be a distinctive neurobehavioral phenotype of ANMDARE.

A cumulative environmental exposure score for schizophrenia (exposome score for schizophrenia [ES-SCZ]) may provide potential utility for risk stratification and outcome prediction. Here, we investigated whether ES-SCZ was associated with functioning in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, unaffected siblings, and healthy controls.

This cross-sectional sample consisted of 1,261 patients, 1,282 unaffected siblings, and 1,525 healthy controls. The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale was used to assess functioning. ES-SCZ was calculated based on our previously validated method. The association between ES-SCZ and the GAF dimensions (symptom and disability) was analyzed by applying regression models in each group (patients, siblings, and controls). Additional models included polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ) as a covariate.

ES-SCZ was associated with the GAF dimensions in patients (symptom: B = −1.53, p-value = 0.001; disability: B = −1.44, p-value = 0.001), siblings (symptom: B = −3.07, p-value < 0.001; disability: B = −2.52, p-value < 0.001), and healthy controls (symptom: B = −1.50, p-value < 0.001; disability: B = −1.31, p-value < 0.001). The results remained the same after adjusting for PRS-SCZ. The degree of associations of ES-SCZ with both symptom and disability dimensions were higher in unaffected siblings than in patients and controls. By analyzing an independent dataset (the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis study), we replicated the results observed in the patient group.

Our findings suggest that ES-SCZ shows promise for enhancing risk prediction and stratification in research practice. From a clinical perspective, ES-SCZ may aid in efforts of clinical characterization, operationalizing transdiagnostic clinical staging models, and personalizing clinical management.