To document long-term prevalence trends and changes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Current Major Depression (MD), Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Panic Disorder, in two groups of people with different levels of exposure to a massive terrorist attack.

Cohort study. Two random samples of people exposed to a terrorist attack, the injured (n = 127) and community residents (n = 485) were followed and assessed, 2 and 18 months after the event.

Among the injured, 2 and 18 months after the attack, the prevalences were respectively, PTSD: 44.1% and 34%, MD: 31.5% and 23.7%, Agoraphobia: 23.8% and 20.7%, GAD: 13.4% and 12.4% and Panic Disorder: 9.4% and 11.3%. The corresponding figures among residents were PTSD: 12.3% and 3.5%, MD: 8.5% and 5.4%, Agoraphobia: 10.5% and 8.7%, GAD: 8.6%, and 8.2% and Panic Disorder 2.1% and 2.7%.

Two months after the event, the prevalence of mental disorders among both injured and residents was higher than expected levels at baseline conditions. Eighteen months after the event, psychopathological conditions did not change significantly among the injured but returned to the expected baseline rates among community residents.

Social anxiety is a common problem in psychotic disorders. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating version (LSAS-SR) is a widely used instrument to capture different aspects of social anxiety, but its psychometric properties have not been tested in this patient group. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR in patients with first episode psychosis, to investigate whether it differentiated between active and passive social withdrawal and to test which clinical factors contributed to current level of social anxiety.

A total of 144 first episode psychosis patients from the ongoing Thematically Organized Psychosis (TOP) study were included at the time of first treatment. Diagnoses were set according to the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-1) for DSM-IV. A factor analysis was carried out and the relationship of social anxiety to psychotic and general symptomatology measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was evaluated. Possible contributors to social anxiety were analyzed using multiple hierarchic regression analysis.

The factor analysis identified three subscales: public performance, social interaction and observation. All three subscales showed satisfactory psychometric properties, acceptable convergent and discriminate properties, and confirmed previous findings in social anxiety samples. Self-esteem explained a significant amount of the variance in social anxiety, even after adjusting for the effects of delusions, suspiciousness and depression.

The study shows that the LSAS-SR can be used in this patient group, that social anxiety is strongly related to both behavioral social avoidance and to self-esteem. The results support the use of this measure in assessment of social anxiety in both clinical settings and in research.

The primary purpose of this meta-analysis was to explore, clarify and report the strength of the relationship between alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting style as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI).

Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses searches were undertaken, yielding nine samples with sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis.

Evidence indicated moderate to strong relationships between maternal care and alexithymia, and between maternal care and two of the three TAS-20 alexithymia facets (Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings, but not Externally Oriented Thinking). Moderate relationships were observed for both maternal- and paternal-overprotection and alexithymia respectively, and for overprotection (both maternal and paternal) and Difficulties Describing Feelings.

This study is the first meta-analysis of the relationship between parenting styles and alexithymia, and findings confirm an especially strong association between maternal care and key elements of alexithymia. This review highlights the issues that still remain to be addressed in exploring the link between parenting style and alexithymia.

Religion and to be religious plays an important role in social life,values and mental health. Upon Alport & Ross(1967) religion can be divided in two forms: Intrinsic and Extrinsic religious orientation. Internal religious orientated lives with their religion but who is external religious orientated abuse the religion in order to external uses. The intrinsic religious oriented people tend to religion for developing in personality, life, attitude and cognition and like to reach the optimal goal that is cognition of God and this is a factor that makes hopeful and not disappointing from bad event and not reaching to goals. (Homayouni, 2010). So the study investigated differences between Intrinsic-Extrinsic religious orientation in addicted and nonaddicted people.

Participants were 91 addicted and 91 nonaddicted people that were randomly selected and Alport's Religious Orientation Scale(AROS) was administered on them. Independent T test was used to analyze the data.

Findings showed significant differences in religious orientation between two groups specially in Extrinsic religious orientation. Addicted people got more scores in Extrinsic religious orientation than nonaddicted people.

Findings indicated that people with Extrinsic religious orientation have more tendency to addiction. They apply the religious to reach their goals and external ends, such as ways to make friends or increase community social standing and prestige. when they do not reach their goals, they disappointed and get mental illness that may lead to addiction.

Allport, G.W. & Ross, M.J. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443

Homayouni, A(2010). Psychological aspects of religious orientation and humans abnormal behavior. 18th European Congress of Psychiatry, 27 February-2 March Munich, Germany

To compare the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CV-RF) and disease (CV-D) and health care use in people with and without schizophrenia.

Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), cycle 3.1, were used. Prevalence of CV-RF, CV-D, and health care use were compared in those with and without schizophrenia using logistic regression analysis. Sampling weights and bootstrap variance estimates were used to account for survey design.

A total of 399 (0.3%) people with schizophrenia were identified and compared to 120,044 (97.7%) people without. Individuals with schizophrenia were significantly more likely to be obese (34.8% vs. 15.6%) and report diabetes (11.9% vs. 5.3%). After accounting for sociodemographic variables, schizophrenia was not independently associated with diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.86; 0.49–1.51). Individuals with schizophrenia were more likely to be hospitalized (21.9% vs. 8.0%; aOR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.51–3.74) but no more likely to visit their physician (86.7% vs. 85.7%; aOR: 1.23; 95% CI: 0.65–2.35).

Our findings suggest that people with schizophrenia access the primary health care system at least as frequently as someone without schizophrenia, and the opportunity for management of modifiable CV-RF exists in this vulnerable population.

Several studies have found a reduction in hippocampal volume in borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients.

In order to investigate the degree to which comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could account for reduction in hippocampal volume in these patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared hippocampal volume in BPD patients with and without PTSD relative to healthy controls.

Seven articles, involving 124 patients and 147 controls, were included. We found a statistically significant reduction for the left and right hippocampus. Data from the four studies that discriminated BPD patients with and without PTSD indicate that hippocampal volumes were reduced bilaterally in BPD patients with PTSD, relative to healthy controls, but that results were mixed for BPD patients without PTSD, relative to healthy controls.

Results from this meta-analysis suggest that hippocampal volumes are reduced in patients with BPD, relative to healthy controls, but particularly in cases in which patients are diagnosed with comorbid PTSD.

Dual diagnosis patients are characterized by low rates of adherence and treatment compliance. During last years new resources have dedicated to these patients where substance use and mental disorder are treated simultaneously.

The aim of this study is to describe sociodemographic and psychopatology features of dual diagnosis outpatient.

All subjects in the study were outpatients at dual diagnosis program at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain during 2007 to 2008. These patients were following up until December 2009. Sociodemographic data, psychiatric diagnosis and substance abuse were assessed by using EuropASI, SCID-I y SCID-II and by reviewing their medical histories.

A total of 90 patients were recruited for this study during 2007–2008 and were followed one year. 62,5% of them remain until the end of the treatment. 67,9% were men, medium age was 37 years old (± 1.4). Most of them live with their own families (57,1%) and their marital status was single (48,2%). In this sample the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis was Major Depressive Disorder (36,4%) followed by Psychotic Disorder (36,2%). The most abused substance was cocaine (33,9%) followed by cannabis (26,8%), alcohol (16,1%), heroin (17,9%). More of 60% were polydrug.

The patients who maintained inculcation with the outpatient program of dual diagnosis were men with medium level of academic level and good family and social environment.

To examine the 17-year clinical outcome of schizophrenia and its predictors in Bali.

Subjects were 59 consecutively admitted first-episode schizophrenia patients. Their clinical outcome was evaluated by standardized symptomatic remission criteria based on Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores and operational functional remission criteria at 17-year follow-up. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) over 17 years was also calculated as another index of clinical outcome.

Among these 59 patients, 43 (72.9%) could be followed-up, 15 (25.4%) had died, and one (1.7%) was alive but refused to participate in the study. Combined remission (i.e. symptomatic and functional remission) was achieved in 14 patients (23.7% of original sample). Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) was a significant baseline predictor of combined remission. Mean age at death of deceased subjects was 35.7, and SMR was 4.85 (95% CI: 2.4–7.3), indicating that deaths were premature. Longer DUP was associated with excess mortality.

The long-term outcome of schizophrenia in Bali was heterogeneous, demonstrating that a quarter achieved combined remission, half were in nonremission, and a quarter had died at 17-year follow-up. DUP was a significant predictor both for combined remission and mortality.

Individuals with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) have persistent memory complaints but normal neurocognitive performance. For some, this may represent a pre-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Given that attentional deficits and associated brain activation changes are present early in the course of AD, we aimed to determine whether SCI is associated with brain activation changes during attentional processing.

Eleven SCI subjects and 10 controls completed a divided attention task during functional magnetic resonance imaging.

SCI and control groups did not differ in sociodemographic, neurocognitive or behavioural measures. When group activation during the divided attention task was compared, the SCI group demonstrated increased activation in left medial temporal lobe, bilateral thalamus, posterior cingulate and caudate.

This pattern of increased activation is similar to the pattern of decreased activation reported during divided attention in AD and may indicate compensatory changes. These findings suggest the presence of early functional changes in SCI; longitudinal studies will help to further elucidate the relationship between SCI and AD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is reliably associated with reduced brain volume relative to healthy controls, in areas similar to those found in depression. We investigated whether in a PTSD sample brain volumes in these areas were related to reporting specific symptoms of PTSD or to overall symptom severity.

Structural MRI scans were obtained from 28 participants diagnosed with PTSD according to DSM-IV-TR. Participants reported the extent of individual PTSD symptoms using the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. Voxel-based morphometry applying the Dartel algorithm implemented within SPM5 was used to identify volumetric changes, related to PTSD total, symptom cluster, and individual symptom scores.

Brain volume was unrelated to overall PTSD severity, but greater reexperiencing scores predicted reduced volumes in the middle temporal and inferior occipital cortices. Increased reports of flashbacks predicted reduced volume in the insula/parietal operculum and in the inferior temporal gyrus.

The data illustrate the value of analyses at the symptom level within a patient population to supplement group comparisons of patients and healthy controls. Areas identified were consistent with a neurobiological account of flashbacks implicating specific abnormalities in the ventral visual stream.