We partner with a secure submission system to handle manuscript submissions.
Please note:
You will need an account for the submission system, which is separate to your Cambridge Core account. For login and submission support, please visit the
submission and support pages.
Please review this journal's author instructions, particularly the
preparing your materials
page, before submitting your manuscript.
Click Proceed to submission system to continue to our partner's website.
To save this undefined to your undefined account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you used this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your undefined account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To send this article to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about sending to your Kindle.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Children of depressed parents have an increased risk of developing mental disorders. While there are various studies concerning a pathogenetic perspective, fewer studies examined factors that protect mental health of these children. Knowledge about protective factors is necessary to establish prevention projects.
Objectives
This systematic review gives an overview of protective factors for mental health of children of depressed parents.
Methods
Databases PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, PSYNDEX, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL were searched for relevant studies in German or English published until August 2014. Targets were epidemiological studies concerning protective factors for children up to the age of 21 years who have at least one depressed parent. Selection process and assessment of methodological quality of the studies were conducted by two reviewers using a checklist.
Results
Out of 3526 screened studies, finally thirteen studies were included. Efficient stress management strategies – in particular primary and secondary control coping – were identified as protective factors for mental health of affected children. Children's social competences as well as parental positive parenting skills also seem to have a protective impact. Restrictions to specific search terms, databases, and languages could have caused missing relevant studies with other characteristics. Limitations could also result from possible publication bias as well as methodological and qualitative differences regarding included studies.
Conclusions
In the context of prevention projects, children of depressed parents should be supported in adequately and efficiently coping with stress. Moreover, practitioners should aim at the promotion of social competences and the involvement of parents within prevention.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The role of psychological factors in the development and maintenance of encopresis is controversial.
Objectives
Assessment of the psychosocial profile of encopretic children and their caregivers in relation to parenting style compared to controls.
Methodology
The current cross sectional study comprised 90 Egyptian children classified into three groups: group I (encopresis without constipation and overflow incontinence), group II (encopresis with constipation and overflow incontinence), and group III (clinically healthy controls); each group included 30 children. Thorough clinical evaluation and psychometric assessment were carried out for all enrolled children while caregivers were evaluated for their parenting styles, anxiety, depression, and introversion scores.
Results
Hardness, undue blaming, and indecisive parenting styles were significantly more prevalent among caregivers of group I. Encopretic children of group I & II had poorer self-esteem and higher prevalence of clinically manifest depression compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, there was a higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety, depression, and introversion and maternal depression among caregivers of group II and higher prevalence of clinically manifest paternal anxiety and depression among fathers of group I.
Conclusion
The approach of toilet training, not the time of its initiation, seems to be the factor that really matters in predisposing to and perpetuating encopresis. Further exploration is needed to determine if the documented association of psychological disorders of enrolled encopretic children and their caregivers was causal or being just the impact of the child's encopresis.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Clinical concepts regarding atypical psychosis such as the French bouffeé délirante, the German cycloid psychosis, and the Scandinavian reactive and schizophreniform psychoses are now under the category of F23 ‘Acute and transient psychotic disorders’ (ATPD) of the tenth revision of the International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD-10).
Aims
The authors’ aim is to highlight the clinical and scientific relevance of atypical psychosis from the historical concepts to the current perspective.
Methods
A Pubmed database search using as keywords “atypical psychosis”, “acute and transient psychotic disorders”, and “brief psychotic disorder” and retrieved papers were selected according to their relevance.
Results
Different psychiatric schools, often of a regional or national character, have provided concepts for transient psychotic states. The acute and transient psychotic disorders of ICD-10 and the brief psychotic disorder of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) reflect the diversity of the history of such concepts. The available evidence suggests that case identification and follow-up is difficult in ATPD due to the heterogeneous and infrequent nature of this clinical phenomenon. Furthermore ATPD has a low diagnostic stability and there are few studies focused on brief psychotic disorders.
Conclusions
The present definition of acute and transient psychotic disorders and brief psychotic disorder, while taking into account the history of the concepts involved, leave many questions open to further studies.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Pheochromocytomas are rare catecholamine-secreting tumours from the adrenal medulla. The clinical presentations may mimic other disorders due to nonspecific symptoms produced by catecholamines in blood.
Objectives
We report a case of undiagnosed pheochromocytoma in a 29-year-old woman with a two year history of anxiety. We undertook a literature review.
Methods
PubMed search using “pheochromocytoma”, “anxiety” as key words. Follow by a manual review of identified publication. We report a case of a 29-year-old with a two-year history of anxiety pharmacologically treated without success. She presents episodes of acute anxiety accompanied, sometimes, by nausea or headache, without high blood pressure. She presented a previous medical history of thyroid carcinoma. The patient was referred to the endocrinology service for thyroid review, postulated as potential source for drug resistance. High catecholamine levels were found and pheochromocytoma diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically.
Results
The releasing catecholamine in blood can lead to a number of symptoms that can include paroxysmal hypertension, headache, palpitations, anxiety, chest/abdominal pain, nausea. Hypertension may not be the main symptom. These symptoms can be misinterpreted as psychiatric disorders, in particularly anxiety disorders. Elevated urinary catecholamine suggested the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.
Conclusions
Pheochromocytoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of anxiety disorders, especially if pharmacological treatment is not effective. The suspected cases should be investigated, even in the absence of hypertension, due to the potential morbidity of untreated pheochromocytoma.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
First described by Sigbert Ganser in 1987, Ganser syndrome consists in a rare condition, characterized by the following four clinical features: approximate answers, dulling of consciousness, conversion symptoms and hallucinations.
Objectives
To present a case suggestive of Ganser Syndrome and to review the literature with particular regard to the aetiology of this condition.
Methods
Literature review, using computerized databases (MEDLINE®, Medscape®). Articles were selected based on the content of their abstract and their relevance.
Results
A 58-year-old woman was admitted to a Psychiatric Unit of a General Hospital for presenting behavioural abnormalities of acute onset. During hospitalization, the patient displayed indifference, incoherent speech with approximate answers, motor abnormalities and auditory psedudohallucinations. The patient was evaluated by a neurologist and various exams were performed (blood tests, CT, MRI, EEG) that showed no significant abnormalities. Pharmacological treatment consisted of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. During the follow-up, there was a slow but gradual improvement of symptoms. Six months after hospitalization the patient decide to end up the follow-up.
Conclusions
Little is still known about Ganser Syndrome. The four aetiological perspectives consider: hysterical origin, malingering or factitious disorder, psychotic origin and organic origin. The lack of reports and information about Ganser syndrome made it worthwhile reporting this case.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Several studies have suggested variations in the prevalence of schizophrenia spectrum disorders diagnosis across time. This could be due to a change in diagnostic practice motivated either for changes in DSM criteria as for local culture factors. The aim of this study is to explore the evolution of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We hypothesize that we would observe a transference from the schizophrenia diagnosis to psychosis not otherwise specified.
Methods
A retrospective review of all psychiatric discharges in acute unit in the INAD of Parc de Salut Mar of Barcelona, between 2002 and 2014 was performed, relating each discharge to its axis I psychiatric diagnostic. An ANOVA analysis was used to calculate the differences between the months and the frequency of the diagnosis.
Conclusion
We have not been able to observe any transference between diagnoses across years. We observe a decrease of the proportion of schizophrenic spectrum disorders in its prevalence at discharge from 2012 to 2014. The proportion of not otherwise specified psychosis remains quite constant as a third of the schizophrenia diagnoses.
Disclosure of interest
The authors report no conflict of interest in this study. LG is funded by the Instituto.de.Salud.Carlos.III (CM14/00111).
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) defined by DSM-V is characterized by severe and recurrent temper outbursts and persistently irritable or angry mood.
Objectives
Our aim is to attract attention to an adult case with DMDD since the literature is lacking adult manifestations.
Case report
A 18-year-old boy have been on follow-up in our outpatient clinic since he was 12 with complaints of being increasingly irritable and angry during most of the day. He had temper tantrums six or seven times per week involving verbal rages, physical aggression and throwing things to friends and family members. There had never been a distinct period lasting more than one day during which the full symptom criteria, for a manic, hypomanic or a depressive episode had been met. He was also reported to be hyperactive, impulsive, and had difficulty concentrating and focusing since he was seven. Laboratory evaluations were within normal limits. Results of screening forms provided by parents and teachers supported the presence of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ASRS, YMRS, STAXI, SCID-I, Diagnostic Interview for Adult ADHD (DIVA) were the psychometric evaluations carried out in order better to characterize the clinical situation.
Results
He was considered as fulfilling DSM-5 criteria for ADHD and DMDD, and started on sertraline 50 mg/day and OROS methylphenidate 36 mg/day. At the following visits, temper tantrums were much reduced and there were moderate improvement in ADHD symptoms.
Conclusions
By defining the adult manifestations of DMDD accurately, clinicians will be able to improve diagnosis and care.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The term, acute and transient psychosis, is comprehended as a heterogeneous group of disorders, which share, as a common feature, the abrupt and brief deployment of typical psychotic behaviour, either polymorph, delusional, or schizophreniform. This diversity of symptoms may also be present in other psychotic disorders, for which, some authors question its reliability.
Objetive
To analyse the clinical manifestations present in acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD), and determine the differences between its different subcategories.
Method
Retrospective chart review study of adult patients admitted in our psychiatric unit between 2011 and 2015, with a mean diagnosis of ATPD at hospital discharge. Diagnostic criteria was according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Symptoms were divided under operative procedures, as set out in psychopatologic descriptions. For methodological reasons, statistical analysis was conducted between polymorphic features group (PM) and nonpolymorphic group (NPM). Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test (as appropriate) were performed, using MedCalc software.
Results
Thirty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria. Acute polymorphic psychotic disorder with and without symptoms of schizophrenia (39%), acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder (20%), acute predominantly delusional psychotic disorder (23%), other and NOS (18%). There were statistically significant differences between PM and NPM groups in emotional turmoil (>PM, P = 0.0006), grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behaviour (>PM, P = 0.0038), and type of onset (sudden >PM, P = 0.0145).
Conclusion
Currently, the same concept encompasses two categories (PM and NPM) to be differentiated. The ATPD construct is under review, due its long-term instability.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
In the recent decades, there is a growing interest in gender differences in psychotic disorders. Also, in the field of acute and transient psychosis, according to various studies, women seem to have higher prevalence and long-term diagnostic stability.
Objectives
To determine whether there are gender differences in clinical features of acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD).
Methods
Descriptive cross-sectional study in the adult patients with ATPD were admitted between 2011 and 2015 in our acute psychiatric ward. Diagnostic criteria was according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Descriptive and inferential statistic procedures for clinical symptoms and diagnostic subcategories were performed, using the MedCalc software, version 15.8.
Results
Thirty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria. Males were (MG) 41%, females (FG) 59%. There were some statistically significant differences between gender in the polymorphic features group (>FG, P = 0.048), and in the presence of acute stress (>FG, P = 0.0277). Length of stay was also different, but without statistical significance (>MG, P = 0.0607). In contrast, symptomatic sets, family history of psychosis, and type of onset (sudden or acute) were similar for both groups.
Conclusions
The gender differences seem to be in favour of a higher prevalence of polymorphic psychotic symptoms, in relation to stressful events in women. Somehow, these factors could be a condition, which would determine a greater diagnostic stability in female patients, even in cases of recurrences.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The new edition of the DSM has introduced some changes involving differences, sometimes significant, in the conceptualization and classification of mental pathology. One of the most important has been the case of mental retardation.
Objectives and aims
Discuss, with a clinical and pragmatic perspective, the relevance of those changes in the diagnosis and classification of mental retardation in DSM.
Methods
A 45-year-old woman diagnosed with mental retardation is admitted in a psychiatric rehabilitation unit for behavioral disorders and psychotic symptoms. Once controlled the symptoms and studied the patient, a disability not corresponding with the diagnosis presented (mild mental retardation according to DSM IV) is shown. Clinicians start a reevaluation of the diagnosis.
Results
A comprehensive rehabilitation program according to the pathology and deterioration of the patient is designed. With the diagnosis review is possible to find new resources and community programs, better fit for the patient needs.
Conclusions
DSM V changes in mental retardation diagnosis and classification allows a better perspective of the disease and its impact of functionality.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) introduced the category of Acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD), that assimilate clinical concepts such as the French Bouffée Délirante, Kleist and Leonhard's cycloid psychosis, and the scandinavian reactive psychosis.
Methods and aims
The authors present a clinical case of ATPD and a literature review based on PubMed/MEDLINE, using the keywords: “acute and transient psychotic disorder”, “prognosis” and “diagnostic stability”, aiming to discuss the main challenges regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
Results
The patient is a male with 37 years old with two previous psychotic episodes (with 2.5 years of interval), both with an acute onset (of 7 and 3 days respectively), and a fast response to antipsychotic treatment, with periods of complete symptom's remission. He maintains treatment with 6 mg of paliperidone. In the literature, we found scarce information on ATPD. Though several variables have been described as having influence on the prognosis (gender, pre-morbid functioning, acute onset and presence of affective symptoms), this topic remains controversial. Another difficult aspect about ATPD seems to be its low diagnostic stability, with diagnosis changing mostly to Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder and Bipolar disorder. Duration of treatment after complete remission of symptoms is another controversial aspect of this disease.
Conclusions
ATPD seems to have low diagnostic stability and poor research investment, and so it represents a challenge for psychiatrists on managing these patients in terms of treatment and follow-up plan. Further studies should be held regarding prognosis and treatment.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The first reference to the shared delusions emerged in France in the nineteenth century. Shared delusions can be classified in three frames with different nosological value: simultaneous folie à deux, imposed folie à deux and communicated folie à deux.
Objectives
A review of the structures of presentation of this psychiatric disorder through a case report and checking the categorization of the classic folie à deux in the current diagnostic manuals.
Methods
Discussion through a case report of delusional disorder among twins. After several interviews with the patients we found that both have a complex delusional system, structured and bizarre at the same time. There was a clearly paranoid tinge in the narration which main theme is religion.
Results
Delusional clinical appears identically and simultaneously in both subjects with equal readiness and doesn’t give up after the admission of the patients in two different psychiatric hospitalization units.
Conclusions
In the ICD-10 and DSM-5, diagnostics would be different depending on the kind of folie à deux. In simultaneous folie à deux and communicated folie à deux the dominant partner would receive a diagnosis of delusional disorder with ICD-10 and DSM-5. The acceptor partner would receive a diagnosis of delusional disorder induced with the ICD-10 and a diagnosis of unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder with the DSM-5. In a simultaneous folie à deux, both subjects would have a diagnosis of delusional disorder in both manuals. We think that this is the right choice.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The aim this presentation is present the results of the preparatory studies were presented at an international consensus conference, a multi-stage, iterative, decision-making and consensus process that took place 12–14 May 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. At this consensus conference, schizophrenia experts from different countries worldwide and working in a broad range of professions decided which ICF categories should be included in the first version of the ICF Core Sets for schizophrenia.
Method
Four preliminary studies intend to capture the researcher's perspective, the patient's perspective, the expert's perspective and the clinician's perspective, respectively, on the most relevant aspects of functioning of persons living with schizophrenia. The final definition of ICF Core Sets for schizophrenia have been determined by integrating the results of preliminary studies in a consensus conference with international expert.
Result
The experts included 97 categories in the Comprehensive ICF Core Set and 25 categories in the Brief ICF-CS. The specific categories of each ICF-CS are shown in this presentation. The Comprehensive ICF-CS can guide multidisciplinary assessments of functioning in persons with schizophrenia, and the brief version is ideal for use in both clinical and epidemiological research, since it includes a small and practical number of categories, but sufficiently wide for finding utility in clinical assessments.
Conclusion
ICF-CS are being designed with the goal of providing useful standards for research, clinical practice and teaching, and it will stimulate research and will improve understanding of functioning, health and environmental factors in schizophrenia.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The term “olfactory reference syndrome” (ORS), introduced by Pryse-Phillips in 1971, is a persistent false belief and preoccupation with body odor accompanied by significant distress and functional impairment. Nowadays, it is not a distinct syndrome and it is currently classified as a delusional or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Objectives and aims
Review the history of ORSs classification and discuss why it should be considered as a separate diagnostic in the current health care classification systems.
Methods
Description of a clinical case of a 36-year-old man and review the published articles on ORS by using PubMed database with the keywords: “olfactory reference syndrome”, “chronic olfactory paranoid syndrome”, “hallucinations of smell”, “chronic olfactory paranoid syndrome”, “delusions of bromosis” and “taijin kyofusho”.
Results
The published literature on ORS spans more than a century and provides consistent descriptions of its clinical features but nowadays is not explicitly mentioned in current classification systems as Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD). ORS is overlap with different diagnostics such as delusional disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and hypochondriasis.
Conclusions
Right now, it is not clear how the ORSs should best be classified so we consider interesting to include it as a separate diagnosis in our set classifications, since we understand that an adjusted diagnosis is important in order to help patients and therapists to work on a treatment and to establish a more accurate prognosis.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
After Emil Kraepelin's division of psychoses into a group of dementia praecox and manic-depressive insanity, the classification of psychoses with atypical symptoms, which could not be assigned in this dichotomy created a debate, that lasts until our days. These “atypical psychoses” had been described under many terms and concepts in different countries.
In 1926, Kleist coined the term “cycloid psychosis” to describe cases which did not meet the typical presentation shown in Kraepelian's dichotomy. Three decades later, Karl Leonhard established the concept of cycloid psychosis as a nosologically independent group of endogenous psychosis.
Objectives/Aims
Make an historical review of the concept of cycloid psychosis. Discuss the clinical features and debate the classification of this clinical entity.
Methods
A bibliographical review is made of the cycloid psychosis, based on the data published in Pubmed.
Results
According to Leonhard, cycloid psychosis generally present with bipolar, polymorphous clinical symptomatology, and run a phasic course with complete remissions after each episode. Furthermore, Leonhard delineated three subtypes: anxiety-happiness psychosis, confusion psychosis and motility psychosis presenting with different symptoms. In 1981, Perris and Brockington formulated the first set of operational criteria for cycloid psychoses. In recent years, new data about this entity have been acknowledged due to information displayed by different clinical studies and imaging techniques.
Conclusion
The phenomenology and classification of cycloid psychosis still needs more evidence for a greater use in clinical practice. However, this clinical entity can solve the void for the diagnosis of many of the so-called “atypical psychoses”.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) show impairments in many social cognition domains including facial emotion recognition (FER). The existence of a relationship association between FER and neurcognitive functioning (NF) remains uncertain.
Objectives
To investigate the association between ToM functioning and neurocognitive functioning in SCZ.
Methods
FER was evaluated in 58 patients with stable schizophrenia with a newly validated FER task constructed from photographs of the face of a famous Tunisian actress representing the Ekman's six basic emotions. They also completed a neurocognitive battery comprising the following tests: the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised (HVLT-R), the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST), the Stroop Test (ST), the “Double Barrage” of Zazzo (DBZ), the Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST), Verbal Fluency (VF), the Trail Making Test-Part A (TMT-A) and the Digit Span (DS).
Results
Patients who performed better in the FER task had better performance in the VF task (P = 0.001) and in the immediate recall of the HVLT-R (P = 0.021). No correlations were found with the other neurocognitive tests.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that FER represents an autonomous cognitive function which does not necessarily require good NF.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
As the population ages, cognitive impairment is prevalent among older adults and this may cause a huge burden to society. In order to take precautions effectively, we need to understand the characteristics of cognitive function of older adults, especially the individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Objectives
To explore the characteristics of cognitive function changes in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
Methods
A total of 108 individuals with MCI as MCI group and 108 volunteers as control group were recruited in the study. The age, gender and years of schooling were matched between the two groups. The cognitive function was evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
Results
Individuals of MCI group performed poorer than those of control group on executive function, attention, calculation, language and delayed memory. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The cognitive impairment in participants with MCI were delayed memory (100%), language (75%), executive function (66.7%), attention (44%) and calculation (20.4%).
Conclusions
The impairment of memory, language and executive function is the primary characteristics in individuals with MCI. Individuals with MCI have similar characteristics with early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). We should take preventive measures to improve or delay AD.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease especially sporadic. About 30–40% have positive family history, with an identifiable genetic mutation in a percentage of cases increasing. Although the FTD psychosis has been recognized for many years, it is not included in the clinical criteria.
Objectives
To assess the prevalence and characteristics of psychotic symptoms in FTD, compare the presence of psychosis in FTD C9+ versus C9− and analyze the occurrence of wrong diagnoses in FTD with psychosis.
Methods
Literature review, using computerized databases (Pubmed®). Articles were selected based on the content of their abstract and their relevance.
Results
It is frequently the presence of psychotic symptoms in FTD associated with C9+ versus C9−. These may arise as initial symptom often leading to a psychiatric diagnosis years before obtaining diagnosis of FTD. There is no conclusive evidence about the anatomical correlation of psychotic features in the FTD, although there is the possible association with the right brain degeneration.
Conclusions
The existence of psychotic symptoms do not argues against the diagnosis of FTD verifying a high frequency of psychosis in FTD – C9+. As can be the first symptom in FTD is critical to differentiate psychiatric disorders. Further studies are needed in order to obtain a better characterization of psychotic symptoms in FTD – C9+.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The severe mental disorders are the subject of growing research in the area of emotional intelligence because of his relationship with psychosocial functionality loss. Despite treatment advances, patients continue to experience high levels of social, professional and personal disabilities, related to the presence of deficits in cognition. These changes are manifested in two areas: the neurocognitive and social cognition.
Objectives
To better understand the relationship between neuro- and sociocognition in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Aims
The aim of this research is to study the factors related to emotional intelligence, with particular interest in neurocognitive deficits.
Methods
A total of 75 adult patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder type I were evaluated. The assessment protocol consisted of a questionnaire on socio-demographic and clinical-care data, and a battery of clinical and cognitive scales, including MSCEIT, WAIS-IV, TMT and Rey Figure.
Results
MSCEIT was negatively correlated with age, the severity of the clinical symptoms (BPRS, CGI-S), the TMT-A and the Test of Complex Figure, and positively with the intelligence quotient.
Conclusions
The deficits in emotional intelligence are part of a set of cognitive, social and non-social skills, which are altered in these severe mental disorders. Emotional intelligence worsens with the deterioration of cognitive functioning, executive dysfunction and severity of psychiatric disorder.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic neurologic disease affecting young people. Cognitive dysfunction is an important part of disability, interfering with quality of life (QoL). Disease modifying therapies (DMT) are gold standard of long-term treatment in MS.
Objectives
Assessment of DMT impact on evolution of cognitive dysfunction.
Aims
To analyze the cognitive status in a lot of 74 patients with MS, with a mean age of 40.4 years, treated with different DMT in the National Health Program.
Methods
Testing patients during 2014–2015 for cognitive dysfunction, by applying MMSE, Sunderland Clock Test, Beck Depression Inventory, Fatigue Impact Scale and QoL Short form-36 scores every 6 months; analyzing demographic, clinical and magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) data.
Results
Thirty-six percent of lot showed memory and concentration changes (12 patients with secondary progressive MS, 15 with relapsing-remitting MS); mean age of these patients was 46.29 years, with a mean period of evolution of the disease of 9.8 years before starting DMT; cortical atrophy was present on MRI in 37% of these patients. Mean age of those who didn’t present cognitive disturbances was 37.01 years, with a mean period of evolution of 6.2 years before starting DMT. Disturbances appeared independently of the presence of cortical atrophy, as this marker appeared in 5% of patients with no cognitive dysfunction.
Conclusions
When starting DMT, age and time of evolution of the disease are essential for further developing of cognitive dysfunction. Mood and anxiety disturbances can be a prodromal marker of neurocognitive troubles. DMT have neuroprotective outcome in MS.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.