Psychiatry Int., Volume 4, Issue 4 (December 2023) – 7 articles

Objective: The tangram puzzle is a serious math puzzle game used to promote mathematic development in children, which improves visuospatial function and creativity. A game to improve cognitive functions is useful for patients with neurocognitive disorders. This pilot study aimed to determine whether this game could improve cognitive function in patients with neurocognitive disorders. Materials: This study recruited patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment who were followed longitudinally by the Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Hospital, or Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Center (Tokyo, Japan). Methods: Participants were asked to solve Tangram puzzles 2–3 times weekly, spending 30–40 min/session at home with or without family members for approximately 90 (Study 1) or 180 (Study 2) days. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in Study 1 as well as a Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Trail Making Test in Study 2 were performed on the initial and final days. Results: Study 1 comprised eight participants and Study 2 comprised nine participants. Statistically significant improvement was observed in MMSE total score (p = 0.016) and orientation segment (p = 0.026) in Study 1. No statistically significant difference was noted in MMSE total score, orientation segment, or MoCA-J (Japanese version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment) score between the initial and final days in Study 2 (p = 0.764, p = 0.583, and p = 0.401, respectively). Conclusions: Study 1 revealed that Tangram puzzles may ameliorate the progression of cognitive functions in patients with neurocognitive disorders within a short time (3 months); however, Study 2 did not show a consistent result. Thus, randomized controlled trials are warranted to draw a conclusion. Full article

Suicidal behavior is considered a worldwide social phenomenon and a serious public health problem. In this regard, people with traumatic spinal cord injury may be associated with low mood, depression, suicidal ideation, and behavior. To evaluate the factors associated with suicidal ideation in people with SCI, this is quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out in a virtual environment. In total, 200 people aged 18 or over with TSCI living in Brazil took part in the study. Data were collected using the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation, answered online by participants using SurveyMonkey^®. The sample consisted of 200 participants, most of whom were male, from southeast Brazil, with a mean age of 36.22 years, a duration of injury of 134.4 months, and a 32.5% frequency of suicidal ideation, as suicidal ideation was also verified in relation to the variables of schooling, rehabilitation, and consequence of injury. A statistically significant relationship was found between the duration of injury and suicidal ideation. According to the results, a considerable percentage of these individuals still think about suicide. On the other hand, the duration of the injury showed a significant difference in relation to suicidal ideation, and it was observed that the shorter the duration of spinal cord injury, the greater the likelihood of suicidal ideation. Full article

Adolescents’ lives are negatively influenced by experiences of close relatives having severe health conditions. This study aimed to investigate the associations between adolescents’ experiences of close relatives with severe health conditions (RSHCs) and poor mental health and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Cross-sectional population-based data on 15–18-year-olds (n = 3483) in Sörmland, Sweden, were used to analyse the associations between RSHC experiences, such as physical illness, mental illness, addiction/gambling disorders, or death, and poor mental health and NSSI. Logistic regression models (odds ratios) were generated for having one or multiple types of RSHC experiences in different combinations, adjusting for background factors and protective factors for mental health, and stratifying by gender. Adolescents reporting multiple types of RSHC experiences had significantly increased odds ratios for poor mental health (1.74–3.07) or NSSI (1.83–3.02) compared with peers without such experiences. Adjustments for mental health protective factors attenuated the associations with poor mental health or NSSI. These associations remained significant among girls with multiple types of RSHC experiences, while boys’ vulnerabilities included having a relative who had died or had an addiction/gambling disorder. In conclusion, adolescents with RSHC experiences are at increased risk of poor mental health and NSSI. This vulnerability is most pronounced among girls with multiple RSHC experiences and especially for NSSI. Full article

Introduction: Psychiatric services are gradually becoming more recovery-orientated. With such orientation came the peer movement, a process which began during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s and has grown exponentially since. In June 2020, the Irish Department of Health released ‘Sharing the Vision’, a policy which envisioned the implementation of crisis cafés as part of mental health service provision. In addition to this, recovery and peer support movements allowed for the timely establishment of peer-led services, thus raising the question: can such crisis cafés as posited in current Irish mental health policy be peer-run? Methods and Analysis: A systematic scoping review is proposed within this paper, the aim of which is to investigate the effectiveness of peer-led cafés on an individual’s recovery journey along with its impact on mental health, safety, and coercion-based outcomes within mental health crisis care. To ensure a transparent and empirically sound approach to the search and reporting of this systematic scoping review, the PRISMA guidelines will be adhered to in this review. Additionally, Arksey and O’Malley’s original framework will be employed to support the adherence to the relevant methodological processes when reporting on this kind of review. Arksey and O’Malley’s original framework presents scoping reviews through a five-step process, which includes stating search terms and searching databases (CINAHL, psycINFO, psycARTICLES, and PubMed) and repositories (Google, Cochrane Online Library, and ETHos), for papers to be included, based on a pre-determined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Discussion: This protocol is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, that reports the qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method evidence into peer-run cafés for mental health crisis management. The use of the PRISMA guidelines and Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework enhances the methodological rigour, transparency, reproducibility, and accuracy of this review. The review is limited, as it does not report on study quality or risk of bias. This will not occur in order to maintain its adherence to Arksey and O’Malley’s original framework. The preprint protocol was added to the OSF Registries and is freely available. It will be updated once the paper is published. Full article

Suicide is a major global public health problem, with profound implications for individuals, families, and communities. In the United Kingdom (UK), despite efforts to detect and manage suicidal ideas, suicide rates persist, especially among middle-aged men and women, particularly those aged 45 to 54 years. Recent global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflict, and the environmental crisis, have raised concerns about an increase in suicide rates, particularly among young people. As a result, a population-wide preventive approach based on evidence is imperative to mitigate the projected increase in suicides. To evaluate the effectiveness of suicide prevention strategies, there is a need for an objective and universally accepted risk assessment approach that does not currently exist. This review examines the current landscape of suicide prevention in the United Kingdom and evaluates the strengths and limitations of existing suicide risk assessments tools. The current suicide prevention tools used, including machine learning and mobile applications are discussed. Also, the epidemiological trends in the various regions of the UK, risk factors including age, sex, and socio-economic status are assessed to provide context. Through this discourse, we hope to provide valuable insight for clinicians, researchers, and policy makers about the current landscape of suicide, especially within the United Kingdom, while presenting recommendations regarding areas that require further research and improvement. Accordingly, suicide prevention is and will continue to be a major focus of both the national health service and research in the UK in the strive to reduce the rate of suicide across all regions. Indeed, headways have been made in the use of technology in preventing suicide both locally and globally. However, research should in the future investigate the value of personalized interventions tailored to the various risk factors of suicide and based on appropriate screening and assessment tools. Full article

International psychiatry is facing major challenges due to the rapid increase in mental health issues. The forthcoming mental health crisis has opened the debate about the need to broaden the therapeutic horizons with the implementation of digitally assisted mindfulness practices within psychotherapeutic interventions. Mindfulness training is developing into a promising intervention for a variety of health problems and a booster of well-being. At the same time, virtual reality (VR) and especially immersive technologies are increasingly being used as assistive tools in the training of people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND). Μeta-competences refer to a set of self-development skills that incorporate meta-cognitive and meta-emotional attributes, enabling individuals to be self-conscious, self-regulated, and flexible in every aspect of human life. The current review aims to investigate (i) the efficacy of mindfulness strategies in meta-competence training for SEND and (ii) the role of VR as an assistive technology in mindfulness training. The PRISMA 2020 methodology was utilized to respond to the objectives and research questions. The database search provided 1380 records, and 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that mindfulness training has the potential to train meta-cognitive and meta-emotional competences among people with different mental disorders, including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Depressive Disorder, Stress Disorder, and Specific Learning Disorder. VR was found to be an effective assistive technology, providing significant advantages compared to conventional mindfulness interventions. Mindfulness training assisted by immersive technologies was found to significantly improve a wide range of cognitive and socio-emotional meta-competences, including self-awareness, inhibition control, attention regulation, flexibility, positive thinking, and emotional regulation. The results of this systematic review may provide positive feedback for creating inclusive digital training environments. Full article

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown periods had a significant negative impact on people’s lives and psychological well-being. However, the impact of lockdowns differed between individuals. This study aimed to identify vulnerable groups and investigated the relationship between mood and perceived immune fitness and the number and severity of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands. In addition, the impact of emotion regulation and other preventive measures was considered. The aim of the study was to identify possible differences according to sex, age, and the presence of underlying disease. A two-part online survey among N = 1415 individuals of the Dutch population (18 to 94 years old) was conducted in the summer of 2020. N = 541 of these participants also completed part 2 of the survey. A series of questionnaires was completed on mood, quality of life, lifestyle, immune fitness, and the number and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Retrospectively, the period before the first lockdown (15 January–14 March 2020) was compared with the first lockdown (15 March–11 May 2020). The analysis revealed that the lockdown period was associated with significantly poorer mood, poorer immune fitness, and reduced quality of life. Poorer mood was associated with a significantly reduced immune fitness and a significant increase in the number and severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Mood changes did not differ significantly between men and women. Some mood effects were significantly more pronounced for individuals with underlying diseases (depression, fatigue, and stress) and younger individuals (depression and loneliness). Regarding lifestyle factors, no significant lockdown effects were seen according to underlying disease status. During the lockdown period, women reported a decline in nutrition scores, which was not seen in men, whereas they reported receiving more support from family and friends than men. Regarding age, younger individuals reported a significantly greater negative impact on physical activity and being active than the older participants. No differential effects for the groups were found for health correlates. In conclusion, significant negative lockdown effects on mood, quality of life, and immune fitness were observed across the population. The effects were significantly more pronounced among young individuals and those with underlying disease. Full article