LONELINESS AND HOPELESNESS: THEIR ROLE IN THE DEPRESSIVE CASES DURING THE COVID PANDEMIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new problems and presented new challenges for its management. Hope, or rather its absence, social isolation and loneliness are considered risk factors for the development of anxious and depressive symptoms. Health authorities have had to address issues regarding the mental health risks that the pandemic has created. There is numerous scientific evidences of the increase in affective disorders in the last two years. Associated with these disorders, particular characteristics of personality temperament, such as affective temperament, can determine an increased risk especially in some patient populations, such as the elderly, with significant negative consequences on the quality of life and on the onset of mental and organic diseases. The hope of the end of the pandemic has been placed on mass vaccination. After an initial enthusiasm there was a growing concern about its side effects. An adequate information policy is necessary to put an end to concerns about vaccines and thus lead to an increase in hope for the future and an end to social isolation

LONELINESS AND HOPELESNESS: THEIR ROLE IN THE DEPRESSIVE CASES DURING THE COVID PANDEMIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new problems and presented new challenges for its management. Hope, or rather its absence, social isolation and loneliness are considered risk factors for the development of anxious and depressive symptoms. Health authorities have had to address issues regarding the mental health risks that the pandemic has created. There is numerous scientific evidences of the increase in affective disorders in the last two years. Associated with these disorders, particular characteristics of personality temperament, such as affective temperament, can determine an increased risk especially in some patient populations, such as the elderly, with significant negative consequences on the quality of life and on the onset of mental and organic diseases. The hope of the end of the pandemic has been placed on mass vaccination. After an initial enthusiasm there was a growing concern about its side effects. An adequate information policy is necessary to put an end to concerns about vaccines and thus lead to an increase in hope for the future and an end to social isolation

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE REMEDIATION AND EVALUATION TOOLS IN CLINICAL ROUTINE

Many clinicians do not have adequate knowledge and interest in assessing cognitive deficits in psychiatric patients. However, these deficits are crucial and key symptoms, which can lead to impairment of quality of life, worsening of symptoms of disorders and difficulties in social, family and work relationships. Another limitation to the assessment of cognitive deficits is the poor maneuverability and practicality of the main cognitive assessment tools. Because there are no appropriate pharmacological approaches, new techniques have been developed to improve cognitive abilities in these patients. The most important techniques concern cognitive remediation (CR). In this article we summarize the main techniques of cognitive remediation

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE REMEDIATION AND EVALUATION TOOLS IN CLINICAL ROUTINE

Many clinicians do not have adequate knowledge and interest in assessing cognitive deficits in psychiatric patients. However, these deficits are crucial and key symptoms, which can lead to impairment of quality of life, worsening of symptoms of disorders and difficulties in social, family and work relationships. Another limitation to the assessment of cognitive deficits is the poor maneuverability and practicality of the main cognitive assessment tools. Because there are no appropriate pharmacological approaches, new techniques have been developed to improve cognitive abilities in these patients. The most important techniques concern cognitive remediation (CR). In this article we summarize the main techniques of cognitive remediation

MANAGEMENT OF PRIMARY NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: AN ONE-YEAR OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Negative symptoms represent a separate symptom domain, with respect to depression, neurocognition, and social cognition and have a strong direct and indirect impact on real-life functioning. Furthermore, negative symptoms that do not improve following antipsychotic treatment are an important diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We conducted a 12-month-study open-observational study to evaluate the efficacy of some atypical antipsychotics on negative symptoms, according to the following recommendations of Consensus Development Conference Attendees. In our study, we evaluated in an open-label study the efficacy of some secondgeneration antipsychotics (clozapine, quetiapine, olanzapine, aripiprazole, paliperidone) in 42 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (DSM-5 criteria) with ‘persistent negative symptoms’. We used different rating scales (PANSS, CDSs, BNSS, BPRS), but mainly we focused on the new Brief Negative Symptoms Scale (BNSS) for negative symptoms. Our total data indicate an overall statistically significant reduction in all scales, although not clinically relevant

ASSESSING THE CRITICAL ISSUES OF ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTICS IN SCHIZOPHRENIC INPATIENTS

Antipsychotics are effective in reducing positive and disorganization symptoms of schizophrenia. Although SGAs initially all were believed to be more efficacious and tolerable than FGAs, several data show that the SGAs are no more effective than FGAs. In clinical practice, frequent switching of antipsychotic medications is widespread for lack of efficacy, adverse side effects, and partial or not-compliance response. This study suggested that most clinically stable inpatients with schizophrenia maintain their remission states after being switched to another atypical antipsychotic; but that at the end (after 20 years) of the observation period of our study, 11.54% of the patients assumed again typical antipsychotics (haloperidol)

THE EFFECT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS: MEASURE OF "COMPASSION FATIGUE" AND "BURN-OUT" IN THE OPERATOR

Background: The Covid-19 Pandemic has had a significant impact on psychophysical well-being and the ability to work productively in contexts concerning people\u27s physical and mental care. The helping professions involved have seen an increase in stress levels, a sense of helplessness, fear, pain and social isolation. They are anchored to the hope of being able to return to their normality. Method: In this study, 87 mental health operators were evaluated, divided into nurses, psychiatric rehabilitation technicians, educators, social workers, psychologists and doctors, working in two psychiatric care rehabilitation communities in Puglia and Campania in southern Italy. Results: The results obtained with the administration of the scales ProQOL, BHS, Save-9, BDI-II, BEES reported a remarkable impact in nursing and medical professions due to the pandemic. A 11%. burn-out was reported by nurses. Conclusions: The collected data are comparable to the previous work (Franza et al. 2015, 2020); however, there is no evidence of a high level of burnout in the helping professions involved in this study

THE EFFECT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS: MEASURE OF "COMPASSION FATIGUE" AND "BURN-OUT" IN THE OPERATOR

Background: The Covid-19 Pandemic has had a significant impact on psychophysical well-being and the ability to work productively in contexts concerning people\u27s physical and mental care. The helping professions involved have seen an increase in stress levels, a sense of helplessness, fear, pain and social isolation. They are anchored to the hope of being able to return to their normality. Method: In this study, 87 mental health operators were evaluated, divided into nurses, psychiatric rehabilitation technicians, educators, social workers, psychologists and doctors, working in two psychiatric care rehabilitation communities in Puglia and Campania in southern Italy. Results: The results obtained with the administration of the scales ProQOL, BHS, Save-9, BDI-II, BEES reported a remarkable impact in nursing and medical professions due to the pandemic. A 11%. burn-out was reported by nurses. Conclusions: The collected data are comparable to the previous work (Franza et al. 2015, 2020); however, there is no evidence of a high level of burnout in the helping professions involved in this study

THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE OPERATOR IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS DURING THE PANDEMIC: AND BURN-OUT

Background: The continuation of the health emergency due to the management of COVID-19 is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health and physical health. This observational study examined practitioners of psychiatric rehabilitation and therapeutic communities, focusing on the emotional aspects of patient care, in particular the fatigue of compassion, empathy and lack of hope, aspects that could be directly linked to the burnout of health professionals, as found in other similar studies. Method: In this study, self-administered scale data was collected in 87 healthcare professionals recruited from 3 different psychiatric rehabilitation communities. In particular, we assessed the fatigue of compassion, vicarious trauma, burnout and hope (hopeless), empathy and depressive symptoms in the two months of May and June 2021. Results: The results obtained after the administration of the following rating scales, ProQOL, BHS, SAVE-9, BDI-II and BEES, showed an overall increase in scores in all professional figures, a significant fatigue of compassion, while the percentage burnout is not present in several groups. The presence of high levels of hope, satisfaction of compassion is indicative of a moderate level of empathy in some professional figures; these high levels can protect workers from the risk of developing work-related stress and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The data obtained with this study are not similar to those of previous studies, although they may indicate the importance of factors such as hope, empathy in the care of the patient with psychic disorders in rehabilitation communities, underlining the need for interventions aimed at the emotional management of the care relationship as a tool to improve care and prevent burnout even during times of high stress, such as managing a pandemic

THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF THE OPERATOR IN THE CARE OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS DURING THE PANDEMIC: AND BURN-OUT

Background: The continuation of the health emergency due to the management of COVID-19 is having a profound effect on all aspects of society, including mental health and physical health. This observational study examined practitioners of psychiatric rehabilitation and therapeutic communities, focusing on the emotional aspects of patient care, in particular the fatigue of compassion, empathy and lack of hope, aspects that could be directly linked to the burnout of health professionals, as found in other similar studies. Method: In this study, self-administered scale data was collected in 87 healthcare professionals recruited from 3 different psychiatric rehabilitation communities. In particular, we assessed the fatigue of compassion, vicarious trauma, burnout and hope (hopeless), empathy and depressive symptoms in the two months of May and June 2021. Results: The results obtained after the administration of the following rating scales, ProQOL, BHS, SAVE-9, BDI-II and BEES, showed an overall increase in scores in all professional figures, a significant fatigue of compassion, while the percentage burnout is not present in several groups. The presence of high levels of hope, satisfaction of compassion is indicative of a moderate level of empathy in some professional figures; these high levels can protect workers from the risk of developing work-related stress and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The data obtained with this study are not similar to those of previous studies, although they may indicate the importance of factors such as hope, empathy in the care of the patient with psychic disorders in rehabilitation communities, underlining the need for interventions aimed at the emotional management of the care relationship as a tool to improve care and prevent burnout even during times of high stress, such as managing a pandemic