The pros and cons of virtual networking events: online exploratory survey of psychiatrists’ opinions

We conducted an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study to clarify psychiatrists’ perspectives on virtual networking events. We compared two groups of respondents: those who had participated in virtual networking events (experienced group, n = 85) and those who had not (inexperienced group, n = 13). The experienced group had a greater level of agreement than the inexperienced group that virtual events were generally useful and helped with forming professional relationships and improving professional skills. Respondents in the experienced group considered the ease of participation and low financial burden to be advantages of virtual networking meetings and difficulties in building friendships and socialising to be disadvantages

Association between discontinuation of benzodiazepine receptor agonists and post-operative delirium among inpatients with liaison intervention : A retrospective cohort study.

Background:Several studies have investigated the association between benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZDRA) use during the perioperative period and an elevated incidence of delirium. However, no study has focused on the time course of BZDRA use, including continuation, discontinuation, initiation, and no use. This study aimed to examine the influence of the time course of BZDRA use on post-operative delirium.Methods:This retrospective cohort study was conducted by reviewing medical records. We included patients who were scheduled for surgery under general anesthesia and had been referred to a liaison psychiatrist for pre-operative psychiatric assessment. The patients were classified into four groups based on the pre- and post-operative time course of oral BZDRA use, as follows: continuation, discontinuation, initiation, and no use (never used). The primary outcome was the prevalence of post-operative delirium in non-intensive care unit settings. We also performed stratified analyses according to age, the presence of cognitive impairment, the presence of delirium history, and antipsychotic drug use on admission.Results:Among 250 patients, 78 (31%) developed post-operative delirium. The Discontinuation group had a higher rate of delirium (49%, 24/49) than the other groups (Continuation [14%, 4/29]; Initiation [38%, 3/8], Never used [29%, 47/164], p = 0.008).Conclusions:Abrupt discontinuation of BZDRAs during the perioperative period may be a risk factor for post-operative delirium and should therefore be avoided

Effects of Hearing Impairment, Quality of Life and Pain on Depressive Symptoms in Elderly People: A Cross-Sectional Study

Reduction of the incidence of depression and improvement of quality of life (QOL) of elderly people have become important subjects. Various factors are related to depressive symptoms in elderly people, and sensory impairment is a key to health, QOL, and depressive symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, a visual acuity test and audiometry were used to examine the relationships of visual and hearing impairment and other factors with depressive symptoms in elderly people. A group of 490 community-dwelling people aged over 65 years old underwent vision and hearing tests, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and questionnaires on social isolation, QOL, and physical condition. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors affecting CES-D. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that hearing impairment, pain score, and satisfaction with human relationships and activities of daily living (ADL) were independent predictors of CES-D scores. Satisfaction with human relationships and ADL can reduce depressive symptoms in elderly people. Hearing impairment, pain, and social contact are also important. Therefore, improvement of social networks, interpersonal relationships, ADL, and hearing impairment may be effective in improving these symptoms in elderly people

Mental Health Difficulties and Countermeasures during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic in Japan: A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey of Mental Health and Psychiatric Institutions

The number of people with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been increasing worldwide. Anxiety about potential infection, fear of severe illness, death, economic problems, and loneliness and isolation brought on by social distancing are increasingly being experienced by people. Therefore, it is imperative to address and improve such mental health-related problems during COVID-19. We aimed to investigate the current mental health care and psychological intervention statuses related to COVID-19 in Japan. In a questionnaire survey, 55 of 69 (80%) mental health and welfare centers and 194 of 931 (21%) psychiatric institutions across Japan responded. COVID-19 patients, their family members, and the general public often consulted the mental health and welfare institutions through telephone. The questionnaire included various information of mental health difficulties related to COVID-19 such as the numbers and contents of the consultations, and the type of the interventions. The contents of consultation included psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, insomnia, and alcohol problems) and psychosocial problems (interpersonal problems, prejudice, and discrimination). Overall, 9% of mental health and welfare centers provided psychological first aid as psychological intervention and 28% of consultations involved cases requiring urgent care. In Japan, consultations about COVID-19-related mental health problems occurred mainly in mental health and welfare centers. There is urgent need to establish a system that enables mental health triage and brief psychological interventions that are feasible in the centers

Effectiveness of psychological first aid in infectious disease pandemics: An overview of systematic reviews

Abstract There is insufficient research on the usefulness of psychological interventions, such as psychological first aid (PFA), during outbreaks. We searched for and critically appraised systematic reviews that examined the effectiveness of PFA during infectious disease outbreaks, such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). Systematic reviews that examined the efficacy of PFA in the severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Ebola virus disease, and COVID‐19 outbreaks were searched through PubMed on February 19, 2021. The three included systematic reviews were critically appraised and assessed using AMSTAR‐2. One review's overall confidence in its findings was evaluated as “high,” which suggested that PFA training had a favorable effect on healthcare personnel. Furthermore, the review also demonstrated that PFA was commonly used during outbreaks and could be delivered through multiple methods, such as a phone or video call. Although it was anticipated that PFA would improve subjective well‐being, reports showed no evidence of reduced depression or insomnia. Future studies should examine additional numbers of PFA recipients and conduct quasi‐experimental studies to better understand the effectiveness of PFA. Evidence on its effectiveness in infectious disease outbreaks is still lacking, along with research and evaluation methods. Quasi‐experimental studies, such as comparisons with other psychological interventions, are required to better understand the effectiveness of PFA