Editorial

Editoria

Bacco e Tabacco, un ramo ancora verde tra i giovani

Sviluppare una dipendenza da sostanze durante l’adolescenza rappresenta uno dei maggiori rischi per la salute fisica e psichica dell’individuo. Esistono numerosi studi che attestano la correlazione tra eventi estremamente stressanti e l’adozione di strategie disadattive, stili di coping negativi e l’insorgenza di disturbi psicologici. È necessario che le istituzioni promuovano delle strategie efficaci per ridurre i danni associati al consumo di sostanze, agendo, per esempio, attraverso la prevenzione direttamente dalle scuole secondarie. Lo strumento più adeguato dalla nostra ricerca è ASSIST, un programma scolastico guidato da coetanei per prevenire il fumo e l’alcolismo. Le prove disponibili suggeriscono che esiste un legame tra l’influenza dei pari e il fumo e l’alcol. Ritardare il più possibile il consumo di sostanze durante l’adolescenza può avere sostanziali benefici per la salute a lungo termine. Developing a substance dependence during adolescence is one of the greatest risks for the physical and psychological health of the individual. There are numerous studies that attest to the correlation between extremely stressful events and the adoption of maladaptive strategies, negative coping styles and the onset of psychological disorders. It is necessary for institutions to promote effective strategies to reduce the harm associated with the consumption of substances, acting, for example, through prevention directly from secondary schools. The most appropriate tool from our research is ASSIST, a school program led by peers to prevent smoking and alcoholism. Available evidence suggests that there is a link between peer influence and smoking and alcohol. Delaying the consumption of substances during adolescence can have substantial long-term health benefits

Metacognition and negative emotions in clinical practice. A preliminary study with patients with bowel disorder

In the past few years psychological characteristics in patients with organic bowel disorder have been poorly considered. However recent studies underline that psychological features increase gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate metacognition and emotions in patients with organic bowel disorder and functional bowel disorder. 33 outpatients with organic diagnosis and 28 outpatients with functional diagnosis were assessed with MCQ-30, ANPS and Brief-Cope; moreover stress was evaluated in all outpatients.   Results revealed that two groups show the same psychological disturbances and there are no differences between organic patients and functional patients. Statistical analysis indicated significant relations between dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs and negative emotions. Specifically, Beliefs of Uncontrollability and Danger (UD) are significantly related to Fear, Anger and Sadness. Moreover Fear and Anger are significantly related to stress; dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs are related to coping strategies. Beliefs of UD are related to Using Emotional Support; Positive Beliefs (PB) are related to Planning, while Cognitive Confidence (CC) is related to Self-Blame. Unexpectedly results are higher in patients with organic diagnosis. Our results suggest to reconsider psychological influences in patients with organic diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease.  Keywords: Metacognition; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Functional gastrointestinal disorders; Emotions; Coping;

The death of a loved one. A proposal to prevent complicated grief in palliative home care when assistance ends

Background: past studies have investigated the relationship between mourning and the quality of life in caregivers who care for terminally ill patients. Recently, complicated pain has been recognized as a risk factor for mental and physical health and severe suffering can interfere with individual functioning and social relationships. Every day, home-based palliative care workers confront health professionals who may develop complicated pain after the patient's death. Methods: the aim is to identify family members who take care of a high risk of complicated pain and to do this the SISIFO Consortium has developed a psychological intervention program to prevent complicated pain in family caregivers of terminally ill patients. Results: the common features of the psychological intervention and the future directions of the research were discussed. Conclusions: the purpose of this document is to illustrate the detailed procedure of the palliative home care service. Furthermore, the results of the psychological intervention program adopted by the service were briefly summarized

Pathogenic contribution of the Macrophage migration inhibitory factor family to major depressive disorder and emerging tailored therapeutic approaches.

Abstract Background Immunoinflammatory disorders are often accompanied by depression. Here, we review the available preclinical and clinical studies suggesting a role for the pro-inflammatory cytokine Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and the second member of the MIF family, D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT; DDT), in the pathogenesis of Major Depressive Disorders (MDD). Methods We prepared a narrative review from a search on PubMed of studies pertaining to MDD and MIF, as for October 2019. Both humans and animal studies haves been considered. Results Preclinical data show conflicting results on the role of endogenous MIF and DDT in depression. In contrast, several human studies show that circulating MIF levels tend to increase during the course of MDD. Higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers have also been associated with poorer responses to antidepressants and the levels of MIF significantly decrease after treatment, despite this may not be necessarily associated to an improvement in psychiatric symptoms. Limitations This is a narrative and not a systematic review of the literature on the involvement of MIF in MDD. We have highlighted studies performed in humans and in animal models, irrespective of population size and methodological approach. Conclusions This review highlights a role of MIF, and possibly DDT, in the pathogenesis of MDD. Whilst studies in animal models are discordant, the studies in patients with MDD convergently suggest that MIF plays a role in induction and maintenance of the disease. Additional studies are also needed on DDT that often displays synergistic function with MIF and their receptors

Autobiographical amnesia following Arteriovenous Malformation, case report

Aim: The aim of the current study is the description of an emblematic case of a ruptured left temporal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) causing a large intraparenchymal temporo-parietal left hematoma that resulted in a severe retrograde amnesia. Methods: The patient underwent neurosurgical evacuation of the hematoma and resection of the AVM. He was also sumbitted to several pre- and post-operative neuropsychological evaluations and to rehabilitation for different subdomains of both memory and language. Results: At the end of the rehabilitation course, a new neuropsychological assessment was performer together with a functional cortical mapping Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (nTMS) to evaluate the focal damage to and the plastic recovery of language cortical areas. Discussion: This case report must be ecologically oriented and based on the relationship between the importance and the nature of the cognitive and type of claims of the specific environment of the individual; that a rehabilitative path cannot ignore a holistic approach that considers the effects of the injury on the emotional and psychosocial states of the person and his family members

Smoking Addiction in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Its Perception and Intervention in Healthcare Personnel Assigned to Psycho-Rehabilitation Programs: A Qualitative Research

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have a higher prevalence and frequency of smoking rates when compared to the rest of the population; to this, it must be added that they develop a greater dependence and have some worse health consequences than the general population. This is qualitative research on the perception of smoking in healthcare professionals assigned to psycho-rehabilitation programs for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The point of view of health personnel (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Pedagogists, and Nurses) about cigarette smoking in these patients was analyzed, focusing on their implications in disturbance and comparing them with e-cigarettes too. The methodology used to collect the data was a semi-structured interview with five questions. The research path was carried out in two assisted therapeutic communities that are clinics for the rehabilitation of serious mental illness in the period between November and July 2022. The results showed that the opinion of health professionals on smoking is very negative. Research has also shown that nearly all patients are smokers; however, their high grade of addiction is caused by periods of high stress due to various factors that lead patients to consume a greater number of cigarettes. Almost all respondents have a positive opinion of the e-cigarette, which was defined as an excellent substitute for traditional cigarettes

Smoking Addiction in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Its Perception and Intervention in Healthcare Personnel Assigned to Psycho-Rehabilitation Programs: A Qualitative Research

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have a higher prevalence and frequency of smoking rates when compared to the rest of the population; to this, it must be added that they develop a greater dependence and have some worse health consequences than the general population. This is qualitative research on the perception of smoking in healthcare professionals assigned to psycho-rehabilitation programs for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The point of view of health personnel (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Pedagogists, and Nurses) about cigarette smoking in these patients was analyzed, focusing on their implications in disturbance and comparing them with e-cigarettes too. The methodology used to collect the data was a semi-structured interview with five questions. The research path was carried out in two assisted therapeutic communities that are clinics for the rehabilitation of serious mental illness in the period between November and July 2022. The results showed that the opinion of health professionals on smoking is very negative. Research has also shown that nearly all patients are smokers; however, their high grade of addiction is caused by periods of high stress due to various factors that lead patients to consume a greater number of cigarettes. Almost all respondents have a positive opinion of the e-cigarette, which was defined as an excellent substitute for traditional cigarettes

Pandemic nightmares: effects on dream activity of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

COVID-19 has critically impacted the world. Recent works have found substantial changes in sleep and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dreams could give us crucial information about people's well-being, so here we have directly investigated the consequences of lockdown on the oneiric activity in a large Italian sample: 5,988 adults completed a web-survey during lockdown. We investigated sociodemographic and COVID-19-related information, sleep quality (by the Medical Outcomes Study-Sleep Scale), mental health (by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales), dream and nightmare frequency, and related emotional aspects (by the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire). Comparisons between our sample and a population-based sample revealed that Italians are having more frequent nightmares and dreams during the pandemic. A multiple logistic regression model showed the predictors of high dream recall (young age, female gender, not having children, sleep duration) and high nightmare frequency (young age, female gender, modification of napping, sleep duration, intrasleep wakefulness, sleep problem index, anxiety, depression). Moreover, we found higher emotional features of dream activity in workers who have stopped working, in people who have relatives/friends infected by or who have died from COVID-19 and in subjects who have changed their sleep habits. Our findings point to the fact that the predictors of high dream recall and nightmares are consistent with the continuity between sleep mentation and daily experiences. According to the arousal-retrieval model, we found that poor sleep predicts a high nightmare frequency. We suggest monitoring dream changes during the epidemic, and also considering the implications for clinical treatment and prevention of mental and sleep disorders

Poor Sleep Quality and Its Consequences on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seriously affected the whole of Italy. The extreme virulence and the speed of propagation resulted in restrictions and home confinement. This change was immediately perceived by people who found themselves exposed to feelings of uncertainty, fear, anger, stress, and a drastic change in the diurnal but above all nocturnal lifestyle. For these reasons, we aimed to study the quality of sleep and its connection to distress levels and to evaluate how lifestyle changed in the Italian population during the lockdown. Methods: By means of an Internet survey we recruited 6,519 adults during the whole of the COVID-19 lockdown (from March 10–1st phase to May 4–2nd phase). We investigated the sociodemographic and COVID-19-related information and assessed sleep quality using the Medical Outcomes Study–sleep scale (MOS-SS) and mental health with the short form of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–21 Items (DASS- 21). Multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the multivariate association between the dependent variable (good sleeper vs. poor sleeper) and all the variables that were significant in the univariate analysis. Results: A total of 3,562 (55.32%) participants reported poor sleep quality according to the MOS-Sleep Index II score. The multiple binary logistic regression results of poor sleepers revealed several risk factors during the outbreak restrictions: female gender, living in Central Italy, having someone close who died because of COVID-19, markedly changed sleep–wake rhythms characterized by earlier or postponed habitual bedtime, earlier habitual awakening time and reduced number of afternoon naps, and extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: This is the first study designed to understand sleep quality and sleep habits during the whole of the lockdown period in the Italian population that provides more than 6,000 participants in a survey developed specifically for the health emergency related to COVID-19. Our study found that more than half of the Italian population had impaired sleep quality and sleep habits due to elevated psychological distress during the COVID- 19 lockdown containment measures. A multidisciplinary action should be undertaken in order to plan appropriate responses to the current crisis caused by the lockdown for the COVID-19 outbreak