[Comment] The challenges of planetary mental health in the COVID-19 era.

As the focus of the COVID-19 crisis is gradually taken away from emergency healthcare needs, increased attention is warranted on the psychological impact of the pandemic on a global level. Existing guidance on managing the COVID-19 related distress needs to be better informed by upcoming larger-scale research. Applying e-Health can be useful in dealing with the immediate psychological needs, while developing strategies to identify vulnerable populations and shifting the provision of mental health and social care to community services need to be prioritised when looking at the future. Focusing on global mental health during this universal crisis is an opportunity for promoting a more compassionate and less discriminating society

Association of antipsychotic use with raised eosinophil count.

The current study aimed to assess the possibility of an association between first and second generation antipsychotic medication and raised eosinophil count. A total of 22 in-patients at the psychiatric unit of the University General Hospital 'Attikon', a tertiary hospital, were included in the present study. Patients had received antipsychotic monotherapy and did not have any co-morbidities or require additional treatments. Patients were monitored weekly and their eosinophil count was assessed. One-way ANOVA and summary measures analysis were applied to study the effect of time and medication type on the absolute eosinophil concentration (or relative percentage) for each patient. The differences in mean eosinophil concentrations or relative percentage by patient and time were also assessed. An increase in the absolute concentration and the relative percentage of eosinophils over time was observed in patients receiving Olanzapine, Haloperidol and Aripiprazole. However, there was no difference between individual medications. In conclusion, antipsychotics may be associated with increased eosinophil count over time; however, larger studies involving more patients and a longer follow-up are required to reach a definitive conclusion

Reliability, validity and psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the Major Depression Inventory

BACKGROUND: The Major Depression Inventory (MDI) is a brief self-rating scale for the assessment of depression. It is reported to be valid because it is based on the universe of symptoms of DSM-IV and ICD-10 depression. The aim of the current preliminary study was to assess the reliability, validity and psychometric properties of the Greek translation of the MDI. METHODS: 30 depressed patients of mean age 23.41 (± 5.77) years, and 68 controls patients of mean age 25.08 (± 11.42) years, entered the study. In 18 of them, the instrument was re-applied 1–2 days later and the Translation and Back Translation made. Clinical diagnosis was reached with the use of the SCAN v.2.0 and the International Personality Disorders Examination (IPDE). The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) and the Zung Depression Rating Scale (ZDRS) were applied for cross-validation purposes. Statistical analysis included ANOVA, the Spearman Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Principal Components Analysis and the calculation of Cronbach's α. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity were 0.86 and 0.94, respectively, at 26/27. Cronbach's α for the total scale was equal to 0.89. The Spearman's rho between MDI and CES-D was 0.86 and between MDI and ZDRS was 0.76. The factor analysis revealed two factors but the first accounted for 54% of variance while the second only for 9%. The test-retest reliability was excellent (Spearman's rho between 0.53 and 0.96 for individual items and 0.89 for total score). CONCLUSION: The current study provided preliminary evidence concerning the reliability and validity of the Greek translation of the MDI. Its properties are similar to those reported in the international literature, but further research is necessary

Gut Microbiome: A Brief Review on Its Role in Schizophrenia and First Episode of Psychosis

There is a growing body of evidence highlighting the role of gut microbiota as a biological basis of psychiatric disorders. The existing literature suggest that cognitive and emotional activities can be influenced by microbes through the microbiota–gut–brain axis and implies an association between alterations in the gut microbiome and several psychiatric conditions, such as autism, depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis. The aim of this review is to summarise recent findings and provide concise updates on the latest progress of the role of gut microbiota in the development and maintenance of psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia and the first episode of psychosis. Despite the lack of consistent findings in regard to specific microbiome changes related to psychosis, the emerging literature reports significant differences in the gut microbiome of schizophrenic subjects compared to healthy controls and increasingly outlines the significance of an altered microbiome composition in the pathogenesis, development, symptom severity and prognosis of psychosis. Further human studies are, however, required, which should focus on identifying the drivers of microbiota changes in psychosis and establish the direction of causality between psychosis and microbiome alterations. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland