Mindfulness, Autocompaixão e Bem-Estar Espiritual na Depressão Crónica

A depressão é uma das principais causas de incapacidade a nível mundial. Vários investigadores e técnicos de saúde mental estão em concordância que a prática de mindfulness, a promoção de autocompaixão e o bem-estar espiritual são benéficas para indivíduos que sofrem de vários problemas, nomeadamente a depressão. Este estudo procurou analisar as associações entre os índices de compaixão, mindfulness e bem-estar espiritual na Depressão Crónica, durante e após uma intervenção terapêutica (em comunidade terapêutica, em regime de internamento durante um período de 6 a 8 meses), numa amostra com diagnóstico de perturbação depressiva persistente. O protocolo foi composto pelos seguintes instrumentos: Inventário Depressivo de Beck (BDI II), Questionário das Cinco Facetas de Mindfulness (QCFM), Escala de Autocompaixão (SELFCS) e Questionário de Bem-Estar Espiritual (QBEE). Nesta investigação participaram 63 sujeitos com idades entre os 15 e os 57 os anos (M = 32,84, DP = 10,24), entre os quais 28 são do sexo feminino e 35 são do sexo masculino, divididos em dois grupos: durante e após tratamento. Um dos grupos foi composto por 32 sujeitos que estavam a beneficiar da intervenção terapêutica e do outro grupo fizeram parte 31 sujeitos que já tinham concluído a intervenção pelo menos há um ano. Os principais resultados demonstraram que existem diferenças nas variáveis mindfulness, autocompaixão, bem-estar espiritual e depressão em função do sexo, da existência de tratamentos psiquiátricos anteriores, do grupo de pertença (durante e após a intervenção) e dos níveis de depressão. Assim, o grupo após intervenção apresenta maiores níveis de mindfulness e autocompaixão (condição humana) e menores níveis de sobreidentificação (dimensão da autocompaixão, com a qual mantém uma relação oposta), comparativamente ao grupo durante o tratamento. Por fim, destacam-se como preditores de menor depressão as dimensões de mindfulness (Não reagir, Não julgar) e do Bem-estar espiritual (Bem-estar pessoal) e, como preditor de maior depressão, sobretudo a dimensão autocrítica (dimensão da autocompaixão). Em conclusão, estes resultados vão no mesmo sentido da literatura existente sobre a relação entre as variáveis em estudo e a psicopatologia. Assim, a discussão dos resultados reforçou as novas abordagens “positivistas”, podendo ainda ser um contributo para o aperfeiçoamento de programas de prevenção na recaída da depressão. / Depression is one of the main causes of incapacity worldwide. Several researchers and mental health professionals are in agreement that the practice of mindfulness, promotion of self-compassion and spiritual well-being are beneficial for individuals suffering from various problems, namely depression. This study sought to analyze the associations between compassion, mindfulness and spiritual well-being indexes, during and after a therapeutic intervention. Patients were treated in a residential therapeutic community for a period of six to eight months. They had been diagnosed with chronicle depression disorder. The protocol was composed of the following instruments: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II), Questionnaire of the Five Facets of Mindfulness (QFFM), Self-Compassion Scale (SELFCS) and Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBQ). This research included 63 participants, between 15 and 50 years old (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24), 28 females and 35 male, divided into two groups: during and after treatment. One of the groups included 32 participants that continued to benefit from the therapeutic intervention and another included 31 participants that have already concluded the intervention less than a year ago. The main results showed that there are differences in the variables (mindfulness, selfcompassion, spiritual well-being and depression) according to sex, the existence of previous psychiatric treatment, the group (during and after the intervention) and depression levels results showed aspects relevant to the investigation. The group after the intervention has higher levels of mindfulness and self-compassion (common humanity) and lower levels of over-identification (self-compassion dimension, with which has the opposite relationship) compared to the group during the treatment. Finally, it stands out as predictors of minor depression dimensions of mindfulness (do not react, do not judge) and spiritual well-being (personal well-being) and as a predictor of major depression, especially self-judgment dimension (self-compassion dimension). In conclusion, these results along similar lines of the existing literature on the relationship between the study variables and psychopathology. The discussion allowed to highlight the new “positive” approaches to the conceptualization of depression as a much more than a negative state that must be “repaired”

Substance abuse and susceptibility to false memory formation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Funding The open-access publication fee will be covered by the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), namely by the Neuropsychological Assessment and Aging Processes (NAAP) group.Background: Substance abuse has an impact on various cognitive domains, including memory. Even though this impact has been extensively examined across different subdomains, false memory has been sparsely studied. This systematic review and meta-analysis seek to synthesize the current scientific data concerning false memory formation in individuals with a history of substance abuse. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched to identify all experimental and observational studies in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Studies were then examined by four independent reviewers and, if they met the inclusion criteria, assessed for their quality. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklists for quasi-experimental and analytic cross-sectional studies were used to assess the risk of bias. Results: From the 443 screened studies, 27 (and two more from other sources) were considered eligible for full-text review. A final 18 studies were included in the present review. Of these, 10 were conducted with alcoholics or heavy drinkers, four focused on ecstasy/polydrug users, three were done with cannabis users and one focused on methadone maintenance patients with current cocaine dependence. Regarding false memory type, 15 studies focused on false recognition/recall, and three on provoked confabulation. Conclusions: None but one of the studies considering false recognition/recall of critical lures found any significant differences between individuals with a history of substance abuse and healthy controls. However, most of the studies taking into account false recognition/recall of related and unrelated events found that individuals with a history of substance abuse showed significantly higher rates of false memories than controls. Future research should continue to consider different types of false memories as well as their potential association with relevant clinical variables. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=266503, identifier: CRD42021266503. Copyright © 2023 Caetano, Pinho, Ramadas, Lopes, Areosa, Ferreira and Dixe.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Marine Carotenoids: Biological Functions and Commercial Applications

Carotenoids are the most common pigments in nature and are synthesized by all photosynthetic organisms and fungi. Carotenoids are considered key molecules for life. Light capture, photosynthesis photoprotection, excess light dissipation and quenching of singlet oxygen are among key biological functions of carotenoids relevant for life on earth. Biological properties of carotenoids allow for a wide range of commercial applications. Indeed, recent interest in the carotenoids has been mainly for their nutraceutical properties. A large number of scientific studies have confirmed the benefits of carotenoids to health and their use for this purpose is growing rapidly. In addition, carotenoids have traditionally been used in food and animal feed for their color properties. Carotenoids are also known to improve consumer perception of quality; an example is the addition of carotenoids to fish feed to impart color to farmed salmon

Change & Grow® Therapeutic Model for Addiction: Preliminary Results of an Interventional Study

The last years have seen a paradigm shift concerning addictive disorders, indicating the necessity to study alternative therapeutic models. In this longitudinal study, the objective was to explore the impact of the Change & Grow® therapeutic model developed and used by VillaRamadas on certain psychological variables that frequently appear associated with addiction. A repeated measures (first and last weeks of treatment) design was used, and the psychological measurements were Beck’s Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Results include 26 (16 male and 10 female) patients. Age varied between 17 and 64 years (M = 35.62, SD = 12.60) and duration of treatment between 91 and 193 days (M = 147.35, SD = 27.05). The MoCA total result was significantly higher in the last week of treatment. The results of BDI-II, SIQ, and STAI (both state and trait) were all significantly lower. Neither duration of treatment nor self-reported motivation presented significant correlation values with the difference between measures for any of the variables. The Change & Grow® therapeutic model appears to have an impact on relevant psychological variables in patients admitted into treatment for addictive disorders

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention in Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to understand the current state of the art about the effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) on individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), taking into account not only SUD variables (e.g., cravings, frequency of use) but also other relevant clinical variables (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms, quality of life). Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify studies that investigate MBRP interventions on individuals with SUD. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were synthesized and assessed using systematic review methods. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the present review. The methodological quality of the included studies was moderately strong. Nine studies (69.2%) used the traditional 16 h MBRP program. Six studies (46.1%) chose to use a co-intervention treatment ranging from the treatment as usual (TAU) to cognitive behavioral therapy. All but one study indicated that their interventions produced positive effects on at least one addiction outcome measure. None of the interventions were evaluated across different settings or populations. Conclusions: Despite some heterogeneity regarding the type of MBRP program used, results support the effectiveness of these interventions in the SUD population, especially in reducing cravings, decreasing the frequency of use, and improving depressive symptoms

Effectiveness of smartphone interventions as continuing care for substance use disorders: A systematic review

As a chronic disease with consistent relapse rates, substance use disorders (SUD) require a continuity-of-care approach. Unfortunately, many patients do not have access to continuing care. This systematic review analysed the current scientific knowledge to better understand if app-based smartphone interventions can be an effective alternative. The databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were used to find experimental and quasi-experimental studies investigating the effectiveness of a smartphone intervention in individuals who had completed treatment for SUD. After removing duplicates, a total of 1488 studies were screened, with 48 being selected for a full-text review. Four studies met all the criteria, with one other being added by identification through other resources, making a total of 5 studies included in the present review. Out of the four studies using a control group, only one found no significant differences in favour of the experimental group. That study used an active control group and compared the smartphone intervention to its therapeutic group equivalent. There were no significant differences between the two experimental groups. Overall, the results indicate that app-based smartphone interventions can be an effective alternative to traditional forms of continuing care. However, literature is still scarce, and more research needs to be made on this subject.This systematic review is registered at PROSPERO with the identifier [CRD42021272070]