Mindfulness is rooted in old and philosophical traditions, but its practice does not require the domain of those cultures or their vocabulary, allowing it to become widespread and increasingly popular. In this way and having its psychological concept of focusing of attention and awareness, Mindfulness is desirable for many clinicians worldwide. Over recent years many doctors were enthused by the technique and many others are still learning and integrating it in their clinical and therapeutic work, particularly in Mental Health.

The authors aim to describe in what way the Mindfulness technique is being applied to the psychiatric field and what type of results are being achieved for the different psychiatric disorders.

Exhaustive review of the literature in what concerns Mindfulness and its applications in Psychiatry, using PubMed database.

Studies show that Mindfulness has different results and outcomes accordingly to the different psychiatric diagnostic categories. The literature shows an overall improvement in the different populations of psychiatric patients, raising the hypothesis that the discrepancy may be related to differences in the duration of the illness, its baseline severity, individual characteristics, motivation for adherence and maintenance of the practice, among other factors.

Mindfulness practice, inherited from ancient traditions, is now being applied to several mental pathologies with some positive outcomes, particularly in Depression, Anxiety, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Psycho-Oncology, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Substance Abuse. More studies are needed to validate this trend but so far it seems to be a promising psychotherapeutic technique for specific situations and patients.

Psychological functioning of the subject is essential for proper socialization proces, particularly with regard to the fulfillment of social roles and for establishing proper interaction with the environment. The ability to cope with impulsivity and aggression, the stability of the subjects’ priorities and their ability to maintain it are extremely important.

An analysis of the psychological functioning, evaluation of the incidence and severity of suicidal ideation.

A population 1000 secondary school and university students was examined. The methods included Inventory Psychological Aggression Syndrome, Evaluation Crisis Questionnaire and survey designed by the researchers.

Four important factors that increase the risk of suicidal thoughts were finally achieved: 1) gender, women are by 52% more prone to suicidal thoughts than men, 2) smoking, increase in smokers by 40%, 3) the age of initiation of alcohol, the lower the higher the risk, such as drinking before the age of 10 increases the risk by 189%, 4) alcohol problem in the family (58% increase). Also isolated three factors that significantly reduce the risk of suicidal thoughts: a good relationship with parents, having one's own room and having brothers, the greater the number of brothers, the lower the risk: having one brother reduces the likelihood of suicidal ideation by 29%, two by 39% and 3 brothers by 67%.

Persons who support ideation showed higher level of violence. They were characterized by difficulty in hierarchy of values. The crisis of evaluation was important variable determining the presence of suicidal ideation.

• - The clinical and neuropsychological estimation of vascular dementia.

• - Highlighting the clinical and neuropsychological and CT correlations depending on the degree of evolution in disease severity.

• - Assessing the possibility of establishing prior positive diagnosis, differential diagnosis, evolution and prognosis.

32 patients aged from 47 to 74 years (17 female and 15 males) diagnosed with vascular dementia were included. For diagnosis patients were examined clinically and neuropsychological, and CT.

According Mini Mental Score:

• - 17 patients: 16–23 items

• - 11 patients: 6–15 items

• - 4 patients: <6 items

Ischemic Score Hachinsky:

• - 7 patients: <8 points

• - 15 patients: 8–11 points

• - 6 patients: 11–14 points

• - 4 patients: >18 points

Hamilton Depression Scale:

• - 11 patients: <7 points

• - 10 patients: 7–9 points

• - 8 patients: 10–12 points

• - 2 patients: >12 points.

Evolutionary studies of vascular dementia were correlated with psychometric assessments and anatomical gap size revealed by brain CT.

Differential diagnosis was made with Alzheimer's disease.

• - In the onset and evolution of vascular dementia on the neurological examination predominant presence of signs of outbreak

• - Neuropsychological changes are manifested by cognitive symptoms

• - The direct link to increase the neuropsychological symptoms, depending on the severity of cerebral atrophy and volume of ischemic site on brain CT.

• - Clinical, neuropsychological tests and CT revealed that early positive diagnosis, differential diagnosis, progress and prognosis.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a rare neurological disorder of unknown cause associated with thyroid autoimmunity. The disease may present in two types - a sudden vasculitic type or a progressive subacute type associated to cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms.

Report a case of a patient with Hashimoto's encephalopathy presenting with neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Highlight the diagnostic difficulties of medical disorder presenting with clinical features overlapping psychiatric syndromes.

Review of the scientific literature and patient's clinical notes.

A 61-year old female without previous psychiatric history was referred to psychiatry consultation for depressive symptomatology in the last year. She was prescribed with antidepressants with some initial overall improvement, but gradually developed, during the next nine months, cognitive impairment with loss of skills to be independent and increasing tremor of the extremities. Neurological evaluation was requested which revealed frontal functions impairment. Blood workup only found increased titers of anti-thyroid antibody. EEG showed mild bitemporal slowing, brain MRI was normal and brain SPECT scan revealed fronto-temporo-parietal hypoperfusion. Hashimoto encephalopathy was presumed and corticoids were started with significant improvement of neuropsycological symptoms and tremor. After one year she remains assymptomatic.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a diagnosis of exclusion and clinical suspicion is essential for its identification. This unusual disorder is often unrecognized for a long time because of the multiple and protracted neurocognitive manifestations and normal findings in several different examinations.

This case also highlights the importance for close collaboration between psychiatrists and neurologists.

Sleep problems are common in childhood. Disturbed sleep behaviours are among the most common concerns that parents of young children bring to their physicians. Defining disordered sleep behaviour is difficult because of important differences in sleep patterns at different developmental stages. The sudden onset of a sleep disorder or problem can be due to physical, mental and/or environmental factors.

To present the case of a young boy admitted to the emergency department of the Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra due to a sudden inability to sleep.

A 6-year-old boy with previous language delay and undergoing regular psychotherapy due to family distress issues presented with inability to sleep for more than 10–15 minutes. The disturbances started 2 weeks prior to presentation and occurred more than 10 times per night. Immediately after each event the patient was screaming, frightened, unable to communicate normally with his mother. Since the beginning of the episodes the patient's social performance had declined, he was easily irritated, aggressive and with dysphoric mood.

The patient was admitted and evaluated by child psychiatry in the emergency department. An extensive psychiatric evaluation revealed familyrelated stressors, depression and anxiety symptoms. An electroencephalogram was performed which revealed frontal lobe epilepsy.

After the diagnosis treatment sodium valproate was started (30mg/kg/day). The symptoms reversed.

This case highlights how psychiatric manifestations or comorbidity may interfere in the understanding of clinical manifestations of sleep disorders in children. In fact, as in this case, symptoms may be related to underlying conditions, namely epilepsy.

Mental health problems affects one in four people, with the most common being depression with anxiety. Such conditions can often be detrimental to the individual in their socialising, education, relationships, general demeanour and outlook on life.

In this poster we explore the effects of depression on young people (aged 16–25) and the self-management strategies used in overcoming depressive symptoms, with focus on the effectiveness of nature, outdoor activities and exercise.

In this literature review we specifically choose the age group 16–25. We believe these ages are important in a person's life, as many people in this age range attend school and university (especially true for developed countries), and use this period to create their identity. Depression experienced in this age range can influence an individual's characteristics and social interactions, and so shape their future friendships and relationships.

We looked into papers dealing with Natural therapies as early intervention in people diagnosed of depression/anxiety.

Reliable information, relevant books, journals and websites were used, in addition to databases PsycINFO, Pubmed and ScienceDirect for online articles. We looked at effectiveness of self-management strategies. Song links have been made between exposure to natural environments and participation in outdoor activities.

suggested that increasing exposure to natural environments helped alleviate depressive symptoms. Similarly, participation in outdoor activities- walking, cycling and organised group work proved successful. However, success in treatment was especially evident for the shortterm, so in order to achieve long-term recovery from depression, such activities are best carried out regularly.

The prevalence of depression has been increasing. However in a number of cultures depression is stigmatised, preventing many to seek help, which further exacerbates a condition that already adversely impacts very vulnerable individuals

It is estimated that one in four will suffer with a mental disorder, with depression predicted to be the second highest disease burden by 2020 and produce the greatest decrement on health in comparison to other chronic condition.

Several studies found that the rate of diagnosis varied depending on how the patient presented. Since in some cultures visiting a doctor with depression is culturally unacceptable and is therefore, more common for these people to present with somatic symptoms which is referred to as, ‘ticket behaviour’.

A Study looking at opinions of Arab's in Dubai showed differing opinions among woman in the importance of crying when depressed. With the older generation viewing it as shameful believing that their inner feelings should be hidden, as highlighted in one quote,’we are Arabs, we never cry, we endure, but these new generations, they are so soft and weak, they cry for any reason’. Whereas the young generations felt that expressing emotions was more beneficial,’a woman who cries feels better’.

As a result of several cultures integrating into society it is important for a doctor to have an appreciation as to how a patient's culture will affect their presentation, beliefs and acceptance of a diagnosis of depression.

Cocaine dependence disorder has been widely described. However, differences due to gender remain unknown.

To compare clinical gender differences in a large sample of cocaine-dependent patients.

We performed a cross-sectional, observational study in 902 patients (35.47 yo, 21.3% women) with a cocaine dependence according DSM-IV criteria, seeking treatment during 2005 to 2013. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected The SCID-I, SCID–II, BIS and a structured interview about cocaine-induced psychosis were performed. Simple descriptive statistics were carried out for demographic and clinical data. Bivariate analysis was made to compare the main variables by sex using SPSSvs18.0.

No differences in age of dependence onset, other clinical variables or cocaine-induced psychosis were detected. However, less cocaine used in the last month (2.12 vs 3.37g) (p < 0.009), more impulsivity (67.2 vs 63.03) (p < 0.040), and more sedative dependence (21.2% % vs 8.3%)(p< 0.00) were detected in women than in men. Affective disorders lifetime were the most prevalent (57,4%) in women. More comorbidity with anxiety disorders (p< 0.025) eating disorders (p< 0.000) and personality disorders (p< 0.039) were detected in women than in men.

Sedative dependence and anxiety disorders should be investigated in cocaine-dependent women in order to treat these conditions. Surprisingly high impulsivity level was detected and could moderate cocaine consumption. However, no difference have been found previously in studies about gender differences in cocaine-dependent patients, so this finding should be confirm in new studies.

Limbic encephalitis is an autoimmune inflammation of the brain tissues. This category has been increasingly diagnosed over the last few years. This is important as clinicians in neurology and psychiatry need to raise their awareness about this disease.

This is a case of a 63 years old retired man who was admitted following a three week history of generalized weakness, gait disturbance and flu like symptoms.

During admission he developed nystagmus and agitation and was treated with high potency vitamin B complex and Thiamine on the suspicion of Wernicke's Encephalopathy.

A referral was later made to the liaison psychiatry team as the patient was trying to leave the ward and was verbalizing suicidal thoughts.

A suspicion of limbic encephalitis was considered and anti-neuronal Voltage gated potassium antibodies VGKA were measured. The results came back as significantly positive.

He was treated with high dose of steroids. The patient became less aggressive and agitated with time and was eventually discharged to a nursing home.

Limbic Encephalitis is a potentially treatable cause of encephalopathy that can present in a variety of neuropsychiatric manifestations like psychotic symptoms, agitation, memory and sleep impairment. Early diagnosis and treatment is very important as in many cases the disorder is associated with malignancies.

Further emphasis and research is needed on this topic. There is a tertiary centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK that follows up patients from all over the United Kingdom.

The existence of a close relationship between the brain and the immune system has been demonstrated based on the results of several studies. Specific autonomic, neuroendocrine and neuropeptides mediators form the biological basis of this interrelationship, as has been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to review and systematize the current scientific knowledge related to the integration of these two systems, and it's clinical correlation.

Review of the literature that addresses the theme

Studies in humans have shown that stress and low immunity have a close connection. Works continuously prove this relationship.

Recently, the view that the interaction between the brain and the immune system is bidirectional has been preferred to that in which the direction of communication is exclusively from the brain to the immune system.

It is increasingly recognised that brain structure and function show experience dependent modification throughout our lifespan. The current presentation summarizes four lines of evidence regarding brain plasticity in bipolar Disorder.

We present data on brain plasticity changes in BD inferred from behavioural, cognitive and neuroimaging data.

(a) We defined the first empirically derived staging classification of BD based on two underlying dimensions, one for illness severity and another for cognitive function. We identified a good and poor functional outcome groups defined by the degree of impairment in inhibitory control, density of episodes and level of residual depressive symptoms; (b) We derived a cognitive typology of patients with BD which was robustly replicated in three independent patient samples. Patients could be classified in three groups with poor (20–30% of the samples), normal (50% of the samples) and higher (20–30%) cognitive performance across multiple domains, (c) We are developing diagnostic tools for the assessment of individual patients based on their structural and functional neuroimaging data. This work is still in development but our initial results suggest that we can achieve diagnostic accuracy of approximately 80%, (d) We have analysed longitudinal data from a sample of 2200 Dutch youth assessed at aged 11, 13,16 and 19 and we have mapped individual trajectories to disease expression in BD based on the CBCL-MS new scale for the identification of subclinical manic symptoms.

Our data demonstrate a range of approaches that can be used to examine brain plasticity in BD.

Cancer patients treating in the specialized Oncological hospital, and psychotherapy in any specialized form almost unavailable (no psychotherapist in the staff), and mental health care is possible through counseling, in the form of a transfer to a psychiatric hospital. A study was designed to assess the effectiveness of 20 mg fluoxetine monotherapy and in combination with psychotherapy.

27 patients with cancer of the urinary system were included. 10 patients were randomized to a fluoxetine-monotherapy treatment group (FT), 10 patients to a fluoxetine prescibing combined with psychotherapeutic intervention treatment group (FPT) and 7 patients to a psychotherapeutic treatment group (PT). The Montgomery and Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), the Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), were used to assess the efficacy of fluoxetine.

The response rate, defined by HADS lower than 8 after 4 weeks of treatment, was not significantly higher in the FT group (10%) compared to the PT group (8%), but lower than in the FPT group (13%). Patients in the FT and FTP groups showed a significantly greater decrease in HADS mean score after 4 weeks. No difference between the three groups was found in observer-reported assessments (MADRS, HAS and HDS).

Use monotherapy Fluoxetine20 mg justified out the most acute affective reactions as a maintenance therapy. The most effective use of combination therapy (Fluoxetine + psychotherapy session).

To study the dynamics of affective disorders in alcoholic patients, admitted to inpatient clinic, during the period of hospitalization (3 weeks).

All patients were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

45 patients admitted to inpatient clinic were examined. The median age was 38,8 ± 9,8 years.

Clinically expressed depression (12 ± 4 points) was in 12 patients.

Anxiety disorder (14 ± 5 points) was found in 5 patients.

Co-occurance of anxiety (15 ± 7 points) and depression (10 ± 4 points) was in 28 patients.

Escitalopram at a daily dose 10 mg 3 weeks was used to treat clinically expressed depression.

Patients with depressive disorders with anxiety treated by Venlafaxine with daily dose 75 mg.

First 5 days after the admission to the clinic patients appointed Diazepam 20–40 mg/day according to clinical protocols.

All 45 patients had improve the level of affective disorders. The level of anxiety has decreased on average by 6 ± 4 points, the depression decreased by 5 ± 3 points during the treatment. It was recommended to continue prescribed treatment in outpatient conditions.

The data indicate a high level for both depression and anxiety in patients that allows you to treat alcoholic affective disorders from the perspective of modern addictions as urgent recidive status. In the process of therapy inpatients with affective disorders declined significantly, thus reducing the clinical manifestations of alcoholic anxiety and prevent development of relapse.

The etiology of acute and persistent pain is complex, multifactorial and poorly understood. In addition to known factors such as obesity, stress, and inflammation, vitamin D is a potentially important variable.

To examine how vitamin D is linked with pain in a genetically informative sample.

Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate the contribution of vitamin D levels to clinical and evoked pain. Within-pair zygosity-stratified correlations were examined to explore the heritability of vitamin D level.

96 female twin pairs (76% monozygotic), some pain-free and some selected for persistent pain, were recruited from a large community-based twin registry. Twins individually provided clinical pain ratings using a validated visual analog scale of the degree of pain experienced over the past 30 days, and evoked pressure pain ratings at threshold using dolorimetry. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D levels (25(OH)D) were assayed in all.

Higher 25(OH)D (>50 ng/mL) was associated with higher clinical pain ratings (B=−.481, p=.02) and higher evoked pressure pain ratings at threshold (B=−.458, p=.05) controlling for age and body mass index. Within-pair correlations suggested low heritability of 25(OH)D.

Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency was unassociated with pain in this sample, whereas vitamin D sufficiency was associated with greater clinical pain and higher evoked pain ratings, indicating greater pain sensitivity. Given the low heritability of 25(OH)D, these associations are unlikely to be confounded by shared genetics. Differences in vitamin supplementation or outdoor activity and sun exposure between twins with and without pain conditions might partially explain these findings.

Portugal is a country with severe economic difficulties for the last 2 years. Considering the volatile and vulnerable economic social system today, in Portugal, the number of jobs decreased, unemployment increased and, as a consequence, mental illnesses as well. Because of it, and, the request for quicker treatments of mental health by the population are increasing significantly.

Our objective is to evidence in Portugal one of the very first IPT researches as an advisable treatment of acute major depressive disorder, mainly in the current economic scenario, contributing to evidence an effective way to combat mental illness in Portugal.

The ongoing longitudinal study consist of adult outpatients (n=50), diagnosed with acute major depressive episode. The intensity of depression was measured is sessions 1, 6 and 10, with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Rating Scale (CES-D). The procedure is focused in one of four IPT problem areas (role transitions, disputes, grief and loss, and difficulties initiating or sustaining relationships).

The first results show significant trend to identify the Disputes as the main problem-area. The intensity of the depression is significant lower along sessions with same patients. In 8th session, there is a significant decrease of the depressive symptomatology and the patient is more functional and adapted.

Our research evidences the vulnerability to social context amidst the Portuguese economic crisis to depression, as well it evidences the effectiveness of IPT as a brief psychotherapy that responds to the current needs of a population with growing economic difficulties.

To investigate the effect of risperidone and (or) Xiao Huan Tang on activity and preferences behavior of glutamate dysfunction mice model.

70 kunming mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, one group as blank group. Rest groups intraperitoneal injection MK- 801(0.072mg/ml, 5ml/kg/day) continuously 14 day, then randomly numbered: model group, risperidone group, Xiao Huan Tang group and risperidone combined Xiao Huan Tang group. Gavaged corresponding drugs for each group one month, at the same time observe high activities and changes in the preferences of five groups.

Compared with the blank group, activity of model groups was increased (36.8±16.2 vs blank group 11.3±14.5, P<0.05). After gavaged one month, model groups of high activity was decreased, especially risperidone combined Xiao Huan Tang group. There was no statistical meaning in inquiry activity of five groups (P > 0.05). Compared with model group, latent period of step-through test was prolonged 34.1s (P<0.05), of step-down test was prolonged 20.2s in risperidone combined Xiao Huan Tang group.

the combination of Xiao Huan Tang and risperidone can suppress the high activity, prolong harmed memory time, and protect preference behavior of schizophrenia mice.