Beyond the Imposter: Deciphering Capgras Syndrome and Multidisciplinary Management.

Capgras syndrome (CS) presents a unique diagnostic and management challenge, particularly when associated with neurodegenerative conditions. This case report describes a 73-year-old female diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD) who developed CS, manifesting as the delusional belief that her deceased husband had been replaced by an imposter. The clinical presentation was complex, including pronounced sleep disturbances, cognitive decline, behavioral anomalies, and visual hallucinations, necessitating a thorough differential diagnosis process.

Promising experimental drugs for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a common psychopathological condition that generally causes a significant maladjustment in affected individuals. Despite its prevalence, there are no univocal and defined guidelines for the treatment of this condition, and the literature evidence on this topic is scant and controversial.

Areas Covered: This narrative review synthesizes clinical trials, case reports, and experimental proposals for OCPD treatment in the light of the most recent neurobiological models.

Emotion Regulation and Executive Functions in Insomnia Disorder Comorbid With Mood and Sedative-Hypnotic Use Disorders: Findings From a Naturalistic Longitudinal Study Employing Daridorexant in the Management of Chronic Insomnia.

Insomnia disorder has a considerable effect on mental health, making its effective management crucial in clinical practice. An observational study was conducted on consecutive outpatients with insomnia disorder (DSM-5-TR criteria) attending the Insomnia Clinic of the Psychiatric Unit of the University Hospital of Pisa (Italy). Patients were treated according to insomnia guidelines with DORA Daridorexant.

Memory Functions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex psychiatric condition often associated with alterations in cognitive processes, including memory. Although memory dysfunction has been proposed as a contributing factor to the onset and maintenance of OCD symptoms, it remains debated whether these deficits reflect genuine cognitive impairments or maladaptive metacognitive processes, such as pathological doubt and memory distrust. This review aims to synthesize current findings on memory functioning in OCD, focusing on distinct memory systems and the role of metacognition.

Sleep Patterns Alterations in Professional Tennis Players.

Sleep is a fundamental physiological process for maintaining physical health, cognitive function and overall wellbeing. For athletes, its restorative properties are essential for optimal recovery and performance. Emerging evidence highlights the intricate relationship between circadian rhythms, recovery processes and sport-specific performance outcomes.

Treatment and long-term outcome of mental disorders: The grim picture from a quasi-epidemiological investigation in 54,826 subjects from 40 countries.

Introduction: This study registered rates of specific treatment options for mental disorders as well as their long-term outcome.

Material And Methods: The history of mental disorders was used as a proxy for diagnosis. The data came from the COMET-G study (40 countries; 54,826 subjects, 64.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Depression: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Objective of this review is to summarize current knowledge on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), as treatment for depression in coronary artery disease (CAD).

Method: A systematic search was conducted on the PUBMED database for the last ten years, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, following PICOS criteria, and applying specific queries in the '.

Results: Twenty-one studies were selected and included in the systematic review, with a total number of 2498 patients enrolled, excluding patient samples analysed multiple times, with results published in different papers.

Third-Generation Antipsychotics: The Quest for the Key to Neurotrophism.

Antipsychotic drugs (APs) have profoundly changed the treatment landscape for psychiatric disorders, yet their impact on neuroplasticity and neurotrophism remains only partially understood. While second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are associated with a better side effect profile than their predecessors, the emergence of third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs)-such as brexpiprazole, cariprazine, lurasidone, iloperidone, lumateperone, pimavanserin, and roluperidone-has prompted renewed interest in their potential neuroprotective and pro-cognitive effects. This review attempts to carefully examine the evidence on the neurotrophic properties of TGAs and their role in modulating brain plasticity by analyzing studies published between 2010 and 2024.

The role of previous streptococcal infections in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a research study.

Introduction: Autoimmune processes have been documented in both childhood and adulthood patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with the pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) representing the paradigm of this model.Given the limited information available, the present study aimed at assessing the characteristics of adult patients with OCD exposed to a previous group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus infection, together with some peripheral inflammatory biomarkers.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two subjects displaying antistreptolysin O (ASO) titer positivity were recruited from a sample of 247 adult OCD outpatients, diagnosed according to DSM-5 criteria and assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.

What Is New in Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology.

Psychiatry and psychopharmacology are rapidly evolving due to the developments in different domains and the constantly increasing demands for psychiatric care worldwide amongst children, adolescents, adults, and elderly populations, who all require specific and tailored management and treatment strategies [...

Psychedelic-Induced Neural Plasticity: A Comprehensive Review and a Discussion of Clinical Implications.

: Psychedelics are increasingly recognized as a promising and innovative treatment strategy for several mental disorders. However, there is still a lively controversy in the medical community as regards the rationale of their employment, specifically their indications and potential dangers. : A comprehensive literature search on "MEDLINE/PubMed" and "Web of Science" was performed from inception to 26 June 2024, cross-checking the obtained references.

Dispositional mindfulness, interoceptive awareness, and panic-agoraphobic spectrum, in a general population sample.

Objective: To investigate dispositional mindfulness (DM), interoceptive awareness (AI), and the occurrence of panic-agoraphobic spectrum signs and symptoms in a non-clinical population.

Methods: The study involved a general population sample ( = 141), aged between 18 and 40, evaluated with the Panic-Agoraphobic Spectrum Self-Report Lifetime Version (PAS-SR-LT), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Instruments were administered with an online procedure (Microsoft Forms).

Love is expensive: the impact of initiating versus terminating romantic relationships on the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Introduction: Recently, some observational studies suggested that romantic love (RL) might influence the phenotypic expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of different stages of RL on the clinical expression of OCD.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and twelve patients with OCD onset related to the development or the termination of a romantic relationship (RR) and who were attending outpatient units at the University Psychiatric Clinic of Pisa, Italy, and seven specialized OCD clinics in Brazil were recruited.

Evaluating the value and risks of psychedelics for psychiatric medicine: a clinical perspective.

Introduction: After a long period of obscurantism, a possible role of psychedelics in clinical practice has progressively become a tangible perspective during the last two decades. However, the resounding enthusiasm linked to such 'psychedelic renaissance' runs the risk to unduly minimize the possible hazards associated with these compounds, while expanding their alleged benefits to improbable panacea-like proportions. In order to avoid mystifying or demonizing the properties of 5-HT2a agonists on emotional grounds, this subject requires a strictly unprejudiced and cautious approach to the evidence.

Internal consistency of the Mental Health Professional Culture Inventory: A pilot study in Romanian population.

The objective of this study (registered under number 2020 006) was to assess the internal consistency of the revised Mental Health Professional Culture Inventory (MHPCI) scale, which comprises 15 items, among mental health service workers in Romania. To examine the psychometric properties of the MHPCI questionnaire within the Romanian population, we employed two main methods: The partial credit model (PCM) and Exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A total of 94 individuals were interviewed, and among them, 71 provided complete responses to the questionnaire.

Effects of Approved Pharmacological Interventions for Insomnia on Mood Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Insomnia can be a contributing factor, a comorbid disorder, or a transdiagnostic element to several mental disorders, including mood disorders (MDs). A recent meta-analysis has already shown the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for insomnia that is comorbid with MDs. This work aimed to systematically review data on pharmacological insomnia treatment in the context of MDS.

Main Biological Models of Resilience.

Objective: Resilience is a complex process of adaptation to new conditions that would permit a positive outcome after adversities, traumas or other sources of stress. However, despite the growing interest in this topic, there is no universally accepted definition and no comprehensive bio-behavioural model. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the main biological models that have been theorized to date, with a focus on new alternative theories to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development and strengthening of resilience, with potential implications for the prevention of some psychopathological disorders.

An overview of the differences in the pharmacological management of post-traumatic stress disorder between women and men.

Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a worldwide prevalence between 6% and 9%, and more common in the female than in the male sex. The aim of this paper is to review and comment on the different factors that might explain the discrepancies in the pharmacological management of women and men.

Areas Covered: The available literature shows that there exists a vulnerability of women to develop PTSD that may depend on neurobiological as well as environmental/cultural factors.

Silent Infections are not So Silent: The Emerging Role of Combined Infections, Inflammation, and Vitamin Levels in OCD.

Objective: Recent evidence highlights that different agents may trigger immune-mediated processes involved in the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric conditions. Given the limited information on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the present study aimed at assessing current/past infections and plasma levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine and common peripheral inflammatory markers in a group of OCD outpatients.

Method: The sample included 217 adult outpatients with an OCD diagnosis according to the DSM-5 criteria.

Non-binary gender, vulnerable populations and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Data from the COVID-19 MEntal health inTernational for the general population (COMET-G) study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant mental health challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations, including non-binary gender individuals. The COMET international study aimed to investigate specific risk factors for clinical depression or distress during the pandemic, also in these special populations.

Methods: Chi-square tests were used for initial screening to select only those variables which would show an initial significance.