Prediction of treatment outcome in patients receiving internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for depressive and anxiety symptoms: a machine learning analysis of data from a healthcare-embedded longitudinal study.

Background: Digital therapeutics (DTx) show promise in bridging mental healthcare gaps. However, treatment selection often relies on availability and trial-and-error, prolonging suffering and increasing costs. Personalised prediction models could help identify individuals benefiting most from specific DTx.

Depression and cardiovascular disease: mind the gap in the guidelines.

Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) experience higher rates of depression compared to the general population, complicating disease management, medication adherence, and lifestyle changes. Co-occurring CVD and depression are associated with reduced quality of life, poorer outcomes, and increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate how CVD clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) address depression, including practical management guidance.

Basel Long COVID Cohort Study (BALCoS): protocol of a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: The recent pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 had a profound global impact. While many individuals recovered from COVID-19, some developed long-lasting symptoms that significantly disrupted daily life. The WHO defines this condition as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC).

Enhancing professional communication training in higher education through artificial intelligence(AI)-integrated exercises: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Effective communication skills are fundamental for health care professionals, yet conventional training methods face challenges in scalability and accessibility due to resource constraints. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, offers innovative ways for enhancing communication skills training by simulating realistic conversational scenarios and providing personalised, adaptive feedback. This manuscript is presented as study protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled trial that aims at evaluating the efficacy of an AI-supported higher education training protocol incorporating generative AI exercises to enhance communication competencies among psychology students.

Systemic therapy informed self-help and paraprofessional training in a naturalistic setting: study protocol of a digital randomised trial.

Background: Multiple studies have shown the efficacy of Systemic Psychotherapy (ST) approaches as a promising path to address various mental health disorders and alleviate psychological distress. One promising path that requires further investigation is online self-help interventions and paraprofessional training. Our study aims to evaluate the implementation of delivering ST-informed online self-help interventions (OSI) and paraprofessional training in a naturalistic setting via the 7 Cups platform.

Prepartal Stress, Prepartal and Postpartal Hair Glucocorticoid Concentrations, and Symptoms of Postpartum Depression 3 Days and 12 Weeks After Delivery.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious mental health problem that affects about 17% of mothers. The aims of the current study were to observe the associations between prenatal stress, self- and expert-rated PPD, and prepartal and postpartal hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations as proxies for altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity (HPA-AA).

Methods: A total of 129 mothers (mean age 33.

Exploring Biases of Large Language Models in the Field of Mental Health: Comparative Questionnaire Study of the Effect of Gender and Sexual Orientation in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa Case Vignettes.

Background: Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in mental health, showing promise in assessing disorders. However, concerns exist regarding their accuracy, reliability, and fairness. Societal biases and underrepresentation of certain populations may impact LLMs.

Comparing Digital Versus Face-to-Face Delivery of Systemic Psychotherapy Interventions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: As digital mental health delivery becomes increasingly prominent, a solid evidence base regarding its efficacy is needed.

Objective: This study aims to synthesize evidence on the comparative efficacy of systemic psychotherapy interventions provided via digital versus face-to-face delivery modalities.

Methods: We followed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX and conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Do positive psychosocial factors contribute to the prediction of coronary artery disease? A UK Biobank-based machine learning approach.

Aims: Most prediction models for coronary artery disease (CAD) compile biomedical and behavioural risk factors using linear multivariate models. This study explores the potential of integrating positive psychosocial factors (PPFs), including happiness, satisfaction with life, and social support, into conventional and machine learning-based CAD-prediction models.

Methods And Results: We included UK Biobank (UKB) participants without CAD at baseline.

The association of socioeconomic status with the success of chat-based online counseling for children and youth: A latent change score modeling approach.

Children and youth from lower subjective socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at a heightened risk of mental disorders. Online counseling is a valuable tool to reach those less likely to seek professional help, but its success across different SES backgrounds remains unclear. This study explores the association between subjective SES and online counseling outcomes.

Determinants of workload-related clinician stress levels in general hospital consultation liaison psychiatry services during the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Ireland. Short report.

Objective: To explore workload-related stress levels experienced by consultation liaison psychiatry (CLP) staff in England and Ireland, and factors relevant to such a burden, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Data were obtained for England and Ireland from a European survey among CLP services in general hospitals spread via CLP networks (11th June - 3rd October 2021). The heads of respective CLP services in general hospitals responded on behalf of each service, on 100 CLP hospital staff in total.

Prevention of psychosocial distress consequences in somatic hospital inpatients via a stepped and collaborative care model: protocol of SomPsyNet, a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.

Introduction: Approximately 30% of somatic hospital inpatients experience psychosocial distress, contributing to increased (re-)hospitalisation rates, treatment resistance, morbidity, and direct and indirect costs. However, such distress often remains unrecognised and unaddressed. We established 'SomPsyNet', a 'stepped and collaborative care model' (SCCM) for somatic hospital inpatients, aiming at alleviating this issue through early identification of distress and provision of appropriate care, providing problem-focused pathways and strengthening collaborative care.

Treatment-associated network dynamics in patients with globus sensations: a proof-of-concept study.

In this proof-of-concept study, we used a systems perspective to conceptualize and investigate treatment-related dynamics (temporal and cross-sectional associations) of symptoms and elements related to the manifestation of a common functional somatic syndrome (FSS), Globus Sensations (GS). We analyzed data from 100 patients (M = 47.1 years, SD = 14.

Smartphone-Based Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Blended Care of Cancer Survivors: Nested Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Cancer is related to not only physical but also mental suffering. Notably, body image disturbances are highly relevant to cancer-related changes often persisting beyond recovery from cancer. Scalable and low-barrier interventions that can be blended with face-to-face psychotherapy for cancer survivors are highly warranted.

Facilitators and barriers of routine psychosocial distress assessment within a stepped and collaborative care model in a Swiss hospital setting.

Background: Stepped and Collaborative Care Models (SCCMs) have shown potential for improving mental health care. Most SCCMs have been used in primary care settings. At the core of such models are initial psychosocial distress assessments commonly in form of patient screening.

Reliability of self-reported dispositional mindfulness scales and their association with working memory performance and functional connectivity.

We systematically investigated the link between trait mindfulness scores and functional connectivity (FC) features or behavioral data, to emphasize the importance of the reliability of self-report mindfulness scores. Sixty healthy young male participants underwent two functional MRI runs with three mindfulness or mind-wandering task blocks with an N-back task (NBT) block. The data from 49 participants (age: 23.

Clinical practice guidelines for cardiovascular disease: how is depression addressed? Protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: Depression frequently affects patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). When these conditions co-occur, outcomes such as quality of life and life expectancy worsen. In everyday practice, this specific and prevalent disease-disease interaction complicates patient management.

Group-based body psychotherapy improves appreciation of body awareness in post-treatment cancer patients: A non-randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Cancer-related impairments often co-occur with bodily disturbances. Body psychotherapy (BPT) can improve bodily wellbeing, yet evidence in cancer survivors is scarce. Hence, we aimed to evaluate whether blended group BPT alleviates bodily disturbances in post-treatment cancer patients.

Anticipated fear and anxiety of Automated Driving Systems: Estimating the prevalence in a national representative survey.

Background: Automated Driving Systems (ADS) may reshape mobility. Yet, related fear and anxiety are largely unknown. We estimated the prevalence and risk factors of anticipated anxiety towards ADS.

[Psychosomatic health inventory: Basic psychosomatic documentation for quality assurance inpatient care].

As part of the quality assurance of inpatient treatment, the severity of the disease and the course of therapy must be mapped. However, there is a high degree of heterogeneity in the implementation of basic diagnostics in psychosomatic facilities.There is a lack of scientifically based standardisation in determining the quality of outcomes.

COVID-19-related consultation-liaison (CL) mental health services in general hospitals: A perspective from Europe and beyond.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges for integrated health care worldwide. Our study aimed to describe newly implemented structures and procedures of psychosocial consultation and liaison (CL) services in Europe and beyond, and to highlight emerging needs for co-operation.

Methods: Cross-sectional online survey from June to October 2021, using a self-developed 25-item questionnaire in four language versions (English, French, Italian, German).

Differences Between Centers in Psychosocial Evaluations for Living Kidney Donors Do Not Influence Outcome: Results From an Observational Multicenter Study.

Unlabelled: Rather little is known about how psychosocial evaluations for living kidney donation (LKD) are performed. We aimed to explore whether Swiss transplant centers (STCs) vary regarding the rate of living kidney donors refused for psychosocial reasons, the psychosocial evaluation process, and the characteristics of the donors.

Methods: We investigated 310 consecutive candidates for LKD in 4 of 6 existing STC during mandatory psychosocial evaluations.

Transdiagnostic symptom networks in relation to mental health service use in community youth.

Objective: The objective of this study is to scrutinize whether psychopathology symptom networks differ between those with and without lifetime: treatment seeking, treatment and treatment of longer duration.

Methods: We created non-exclusive groups of subjects with versus without lifetime treatment seeking, treatment and treatment of mid-long-term duration. We estimated Ising models and carried out network comparison tests (NCTs) to compare (a) overall connectivity and (b) network structure.