Sexuality is one of the basic needs in human life and its positive effects for the wellbeing are undeniable. People with dementia, despite cognition and functioning impairments, still pursue intimacy as part of their expression of basic human instincts.

We aim to address the subject of sexuality among patients with dementia, emphasizing the physiological, environmental and legal barriers.

We conduct a non-systematic review of recent evidence on dementia and sexuality, using PubMed/Medline database.

People with dementia face several difficulties expressing their sexuality. First, they struggle with physiological barriers to enjoyment of sexuality, such as ageism, apathy and limited free mobility. Secondly, either at home or in long-term care facilities, privacy is usually abolished. For care facilities, the Sexuality Assessment Tool supports the normalization of sexuality and self-audit policies that promote resident rights for privacy and assistance. Moreover, expression of sexuality in elderly can be misinterpreted as disinhibition, leading to unnecessary use of psychotropics to cease these behaviors. Additionally, legal barriers regarding consent arise when a partner loses the ability to consent sexual activity, questioning agreement and mutual desire. The Lichtenberg and Strzepek Decision Tree for Capacity to Participate in Intimate Relationships can be helpful to address this issue.

Sexuality in older people remains neglected in clinical intervention. Besides the urgent need to deconstruct stereotypes, families and staff must be sensitized to understand the changes in expression and perception of sexuality among people with dementia, rather than being indifferent or medicate what can be perceived as disinhibited/distorted expressions of normal needs.

No significant relationships.

Nurses may be particularly at risk of violence exposure at work which can cause psychological trauma and even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a serious mental health disorder.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PTSD among nurses in psychiatry and emergency departments and to identify the factors associated with it.

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. It concerned 60 nurses working in the psychiatry (35 nurses) and emergency (25 nurses) departments of the Hedi Chaker and Habib Borguiba University Hospital in Sfax. The screening of PTSD was carried out by the « post-traumatic stress evaluation questionnaire » (PTSQ).

Direct trauma exposure was reported by 93% of participants, of which 48.3% experienced the act of violence more than 4 times. According to the PTSQ, 48.3% of the nurses had PTSD with a mean score of 50.93. Hyper-arousal was the most frequently observed outcome in victims (85%), followed by re-experience (83%) and avoidance (80%) symptoms. The presence of PTSD was correlated with female gender (p=0.002), the young age of the nurse (p=0.04), and the absence of peri-traumatic reactions (p=0.001).

Our study shows that PTSD is a pathology frequently encountered in psychiatric and emergency nurses. Hence the need to put in place strategies against violence in hospitals and to apply them rigorously in order to better manage this phenomenon and manage its repercussions on health workers .

No significant relationships.

There is an established association between serious mental illness and violence. Secure forensic psychiatric services provide care and treatment to mentally disordered offenders. The majority of patients in forensic services suffer from severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, with co-morbid polysubstance abuse and maladaptive personality traits. Psychiatric services are under significant pressure to reduce the use of seclusion and restrictive practices, whilst mandated to provide safe environments for patients and staff.

To determine the number and characteristics of violent incidents in a secure forensic hospital in Ireland.

A retrospective review of all incidents in Central Mental Hospital, Ireland between 1st March 2019 and 31st August 2021 was completed. Incidents were categorised into physical assaults and other violent incidents. Demographic measures and measures of violence risk (HCR-20), functioning (GAF), programme completion and recovery (DUNDRUM tool) were collated.

A total of 321 incidents took place during the period examined, of which 47 (14.6%) involved physical assaults perpetrated by patients. Between March 2020 and August 2021, numbers of assaults increased by 50% and 78% compared to the preceding six-month period respectively. The majority of assaults were committed by a relatively small group of patients. Victims of assaults were more likely to be patients (n=27, 57.4%) and more likely to be males (n=43, 91.9%).

Physical assaults and other violent incidents happen in forensic and general psychiatric units. Restrictive practices, used in accordance with the law, are necessary at times to prevent serious harm to patients and staff in psychiatric hospitals.

No significant relationships.

Mixed states in mood disorders present significant clinical and prognostic challenges. Although the DSM-5 has broadened diagnostic criteria for mixed states with the development of the ‘mixed features’ specifier and its application to unipolar depressive disorders, some mixed episodes might still be overlooked.

to evaluate the frequency and the factors associated with mixed depression according to the broader Koukopoulos criteria in a sample of patients with a major depressive episode

We included 99 consecutive patients presenting for a major depressive episode of bipolar (n=10) or unipolar major depressive (n=89) disorder at our outpatient clinic. Major depression was ascertained using SCID- IV criteria, and mixed features were determined using Koukopoulos’ diagnostic criteria

Mean age of the sample was 35.5 years [14-58]. Women accounted for 63.6% of patients. Mixed features were found in 19.5% (n=19) of the sample, 80% (n=8) among patients with bipolar disorders (BD) and 12.3% (n=11) among those with major depressive disorder (MDD). Individuals with mixed features had more substance abuse (p=0.005) and more suicide attempts (p=0.01). Individuals receiving antipsychotics had a lower risk of mixed features (p=0.000) while antidepressant treatment did not have any affect. A family history of BD, psychosis, suicide and substance abuse were found in these patients. Mixed features in depression were more frequent in patients with BD than in MDD.

Our study showed a high frequency of mixed features in depression, especially bipolar depression when Koukopoulos criteria are applied. Special attention should be given to these patients given the association with substance use and suicidality

No significant relationships.

SIDS is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of a baby. Safe sleeping practices can help to reduce a baby’s risk of SIDS. At the Coombe Wood Mother & Baby Unit (MBU), it was found that many patients were opting to co-sleep with their babies which contradicts safe sleeping guidelines.

To improve patient awareness of the condition SIDS and to implement an interactive training session improving awareness of safe sleeping practices for babies. To improve patients’ confidence in implementing safe sleeping practices for their babies; thus reducing the risk of SIDS occurring.

The Lullaby Trust™ is a charity that raises awareness of SIDS and provides expert advice on safe sleep for babies. An interactive training session for patients was organised by incorporating published materials from The Lullaby Trust™, facilitated by medical and occupational therapy staff on the MBU. The participants filled out a pre-training and post-training questionnaire to test the effectiveness and quality of the training session.

The participants’ average level of confidence in knowing and applying safe sleeping practices for their babies doubled following the training session (from 2.3→4.8 and 2.6→5 respectively, with 5 meaning “Very Confident.”) The average level of knowledge of SIDS also increased from 1.6→4.4 (with 5 meaning “A Lot” of Knowledge.)

We were surprised at the low level of knowledge and confidence the patients had regarding safe sleeping practices for their babies. This project shows how interactive, ward-based training can be an effective way to engage and stimulate patients into improving the safety of their baby care.

No significant relationships.

54-year-old female patient who came to hospital due to psychopathological decompensation of her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), after 35 years under follow-up. Parkinson´s disease. Psychopharmacological treatment: sertraline 100 mg (1-0-0); lorazepam 2 mg (1-1-1); Levodopa/carbidopa 100/25 mg (1-1-1). Distressed at first examination. She described increase in rituals, important intake restriction, weight impact and difficulties in home management with functional repercussions. Psychopathological exploration: conscious, oriented, and approachable. Circumstantial speech with no obsessive ideas. Increased frequency of repetitive behaviours led to a functional deterioration, becoming dependent for activities of daily living. Elevated anxiety. No major mood disorder. No psychotic symptoms. Bradykinesia. Hypophagia without anorexia. Admission is carried out. Good evolution: improvement in motor symptoms and intake restoration. No changes in repetitive behaviours.

To discuss the differential diagnosis between OCD and Frontotemporal Dementia.

Repetitive behaviours were initially understood as rituals typical of OCD. However, the absence of both a fixed pattern of behaviour and a structured obsessive ideation, made us consider the possibility of frontal perseveration behaviours. For this reason, a neuropsychological evaluation and a functional neuroimaging test were performed: Test Mo-CA: 9/30 with striking failures in executive functions. SPECT: mild uptake defect in the left frontotemporal region.

Finally, in view of the impairment in executive functions and the frontal defects in neuroimaging, we change the initial diagnosis of OCD towards a Neurocognitive Disorder of probable frontotemporal origin.

The presented case evidenced the importance of differentiating obsessive compulsions from frontal perseverance to guide the differential diagnosis, given the implications for therapeutic management and prognosis.

No significant relationships.

The clinical and biological studies indicate the involvement of inflammation in the pathogenesis of endogenous mental disorders. The inflammation markers leukocyte elastase, α1-proteinase inhibitor, and autoantibodies to neuroantigens reflect the severity of the pathological process in the brain. Systemic endotoxemia is a pathological process caused by an excess of endotoxins in the systemic circulation, can be considered as one of the components of the inflammatory process in endogenous psychosis.

To evaluate the association between systemic inflammation markers and indicators of systemic endotoxemia in patients with endogenous psychosis.

The study included 25 patients aged 23-49 with endogenous psychoses (F20, F25) and 25 healthy people. The severity of symptoms was assessed using PANSS. We detected the activity of leukocyte elastase and a1-proteinase inhibitor, antibodies to neuroantigens, endotoxin (ET) concentration, and antibodies to endotoxin (aEТ) in serum.

In 24% of cases, an increase of inflammation markers activity, ET concentration, and aET deficiency were observed (p<0.05), which is an unfavorable factor that aggravates the clinical course of the disease. In 76% of cases, ET concentration remained within control values (p>0.05) but associated with different levels of aET, which is likely to be a consequence of previous endotoxin aggression. There were correlations between ET concentration and antibodies to neuroantigens S-100B and MBP. We also revealed the association between the activity of the inflammatory marker with the severity of clinical symptoms in patients.

Results suggest the relationship between systemic inflammation markers and indicators of systemic endotoxemia and their involvement in the pathogenesis of endogenous psychosis.

No significant relationships.

Frequent users of Emergency Departments (EDs) are a diverse group accounting for disproportionate EDs visits. Psychiatric patients are more likely to visit EDs (Slankamenac, 2020). EDs utilisation by psychiatric patients increased by 4.4% during COVID-19 pandemic.

to determine frequent users characteristics within an Ottawa University Hospital, and assess Covid19 impact on overutilization of EDs compared to other hospitals.

Retrospective study of repeat visits characteristics, data extracted from EMR database. Repeat visits defined as no less than 30 days first visit to any EDs. Period of observation: March 1st, 2018 - February 28th, 2021 Results.

64% EDS visits for MH, 35% for addictions. More men (57%), age groups: 16-34 y.o. (41%), 34-64 y.o. (51%), 65 +y.o. (8%).

Top presenting reasons: suicidality, self-harm, depression (40.5%). Anxiety, situational crisis (16%), bizarre behavior (12%).

Most prevalent diagnoses: schizophrenia (28.7%), stress and anxiety (25.2%), personality disorders (13.5%) and depressive episode (10.6%). Only 35.1% admitted after repeat ED visits, 35.1% came by ambulance. Increase during peak pandemic exceeding 20%. Clearly pandemic created more pressures for MH services needs.

Schizophrenia and personality disorders made most prevalent diagnostic groups. Even when patients are in acute needs, they do not always require hospitalization. Investigating what MH conditions that got more stressed by the Covid19 pandemic will be of interest.

No significant relationships.

Younger schoolchildren with psychological development disorders have low cognitive activity, insufficient development of basic school skills, and a low level of educational motivation. In accordance with the requirements of the educational program for students it is important to develop the ability to predict the results of their actions and deeds.

The study of predictive competence in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders.

The study involved 60 children aged 8-10 years with a psychological development disorder. To study predictive competence, the methodology “The ability to predict in situations of potential or real violation of social norms” was used.

The study revealed a low level of the cognitive and speech-communicative spheres of prognostic competence development in primary schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, as well as a deficit in prediction in the field of learning, which includes educational cooperation and educational communication of the child. Generalized statements, a passive position in future situations and pessimistic attitudes prevailed in the predictions of schoolchildren when constructing an image of the future. For schoolchildren the prognosis is presented by monosyllabic answers, with the observable poverty of speech utterances.

The features of prognostic competence revealed in the study make it possible to develop individual programs for the development of the prognostic abilities of schoolchildren with psychological development disorders, to teach how to predict the development of events in educational activities, to recognize the emotions of the participants in the events. This paper has been supported by the Kazan Federal University Strategic Academic Leadership Program.

No significant relationships.

Neuropsychological methods for diagnosing neglect syndrome (NS) are focused on identifying the inability of patients to respond to stimuli localized in contralesional space. There are a large number of methods capable of diagnosing spatial neglect, but at the same time having various limitations and restrictions in their use.

To devise and to test universal diagnostic techniques for visuospatial neglect detection.

1) A.R. Luria test battery; Trail Making Test (Part A); the Bells Test; 2) Authors’ methods: the Puzzles Test, the Red Shapes Test. A total of 47 patients after stroke with right hemisphere damage participated in the study and were divided into a target (18 patients with NS) and a control (29 patients without NS) groups. The Puzzles Test consists of three tasks: turning over cards, completing a sentence using cards with letters, completing a picture. The Red Shapes Test consisted in the search for a variable number of geometric shapes. Objective indicators of the study: total task completion time, the number of left omissions.

The sensitivity of the tests to NS was examined using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Differences in the number of omissions and task completion time between patients with and without spatial neglect were statistically significant regarding all tasks: turning over cards (p=0.01), completing a sentence (p<0.001), completing a picture (p<0.001), finding geometric shapes (p<0.01).

The Puzzles Test and Red Shapes Test along with the foreign tests (the Bells Test, Trail Making Test) are sufficiently effective methods for spatial neglect detection.

No significant relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic grabs attention to the study and solution of this global problem around the world.

The aim of the study is to link the level of anxiety and fear that emerged in Turkey during the epidemic.

A survey was conducted, which contains 10 questions. 433 people took part, 5- 15 - 18 (1.2%), 168 - 19 - 29 years (38.8%), 202 - 30 - 39 (46.7%), 47 - 40-49 (10, 9%) 11 from 50 years (2.5%).

Men with panic attack criteria - 11.3% (11 people), women - 9.8% (35 people). Symptoms of GTR were found in 31% (25) men and 18% (66) women. 328 participants - university graduates: 29% believe that the information of the Ministry of Health is correct. No significant difference between the percentages of compliance with the criteria for diagnosing panic attacks and anxiety was found depending on educational status. 8.3% of participants, 36 people, were diagnosed with Covid. The share of those who did not have a code, but thought they had, is 42%, and among those who had a code (before the disease) - 72%. There is a direct relationship between the level of education and personal protection against epidemics.

From a community mental health perspective, it is important that all covid-positive patients receive psychiatric support, whether or not they meet the DSM-V and ISD 10 diagnostic criteria.

No significant relationships.

Young people moving from adolescent secure inpatient units to adult care in the UK present with multiple and complex needs and are more likely to experience poor transition outcomes related to enduring dependency on mental health services. However, there is lack of knowledge about the feasibility of transitional care models improving transition outcomes.

The MOVING FORWARD study aims to implement a new transition intervention model for young people transitioning from adolescent secure services to adult-oriented settings and test the feasibility of a future cluster trial measuring its effectiveness.

The design of the study is a three-arm feasibility, cluster randomised controlled trial comparing the MOVING FORWARD intervention against standard transition preparation in six adolescent secure services.Young people between 17-19 years, their parents/carers and key workers will be allocated in two conditions and will receive four transition preparation workshops across six months. Data will be collected at three time points: (T0) baseline, (T1) 6-12 months post-intervention, and (T2)18-24 months post-baseline.

Thirteen young people and 17 staff members have contributed to the intervention design through online Advisory Groups. Common identified themes included appropriateness of module content and support during delayed transitions. An intra-class correlation coefficient will be calculated to inform the power of sample size. With a sample size of 50, we will be able to estimate a drop-out rate of 80%.

This research will provide practitioners and policy makers with an evidence-based framework about barriers and facilitators to the proposed intervention and will enable services to reflect on quality of transitional care delivery.

No significant relationships.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder associated with suffering and disability. The serotoninergic system is implicated in the neurobiological processes of OCD and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are the first-line treatment. However, clinical improvement after starting SRIs can take long and patients may not fully recover. Meanwhile, recent data suggests that activation of 5-HT receptors may exert a therapeutic action in obsessional symptoms. Some psychedelics are strong 5-HT2 receptor agonists and there is a growing research interest as they can be a promising therapeutic approach to OCD.

We aim to provide an overview on the current evidence on the therapeutic potential of serotoninergic psychoactive substances in the treatment of OCD.

Non-systematic review. Literature search in the PubMed database using the terms psychedelics and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Although research is currently limited to a few small studies, the ones conducted so far showed clinically meaningful acute reduction of OCD symptoms after treatment with serotoninergic psychoactive drugs, as well as possible longer-lasting benefits, particularly with psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Furthermore, substance-assisted psychotherapy with psychedelics has been showing promising results, being suitable for OCD treatment. It is important to add that, to date, studies have indicated relatively good tolerability to these drugs.

These promising early findings highlight the role of psychedelics in OCD treatment and the need for further research into efficacy, therapeutic mechanisms and safety, in order to determine whether these drugs may be worthy options for OCD treatment in the future.

No significant relationships.

In the COVID-19 pandemic situation the burden that has fallen on the shoulders of resuscitation anesthesiologists has become really great. These specialists experience emotional and psychical stress that has led to the high risk of formation of the emotional burnout syndrome in the pre-COVID period.

A comparative analysis of the formation of a complete syndrome of emotional burnout in 2020-2021 in resuscitation anesthesiologists with varied years of professional activity.

Sixty-two resuscitation anesthesiologists volunteered to take part in the study: 47 males and 15 females. The main method of study was V. Boiko’s method of “Diagnosis of level of emotional burnout”.

The results have shown that, during the said period, the number of doctors with complete syndrome of emotional burnout has significantly increased, that is, all three phases: stress, resistance and exhaustion had formed. The period of study has clearly shown two groups of male doctors: with period of work of 20 or more years, and with period of work of less than 5 years. The said symptoms cause a feeling of physical and psychological overburdens, stress at work and at home, conflicts with management personnel, colleagues and patients.

The atypical COVID-19 pneumonia pandemic has laid significant stress on the psychic and physical health of resuscitation anesthesiologists. The high level of psychological strain, accumulation of negative emotions, and the feeling of helplessness led to medical errors and delays in important tactical decisions.

No significant relationships.

COVID-19 had direct and indirect impacts on both mental health and healthcare systems. Evaluating urgent psychiatric consultations may be useful to determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic since it reflects the condition of psychiatric patients and healthcare systems

This study aims to determine the quantitative or qualitative changes in emergency psychiatry consultations after COVID-19 pandemic.

The socio-demographic characteristics and clinical features of two hundred thirty three patients were retrospectively collected and analyzed in order to compare the emergency psychiatry consultations before (between the dates 11th of March 2019-10th of March 2020) and after (between 11th of March 2020-10th of March 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ratio of patients consulted to psychiatry to total emergency department increase after pandemic (%0.03 vs %0.07). Among these patients, the diagnosis of ‘alcohol and substance use disorder’ (%6.1 vs. %15.4) (p=0.03) increased while the diagnoses of ‘obsessive compulsive disorder (5.3% vs. 0%)(p=0.01) and bipolar disorder (%21.1 vs. %20.5) (p=0.02) decreased. Hostility among patient during consultation increased (%19.1 vs. %30.8)(p=0.04). Suicidal thoughts decreased (%25.2 vs. %14.5) (p=0.04). Furthermore, voluntary inpatient treatment (%20.9-%34.2) (p =0.02) increased, transfer to another clinic (%25.2 vs. %12) (p=0.01) and outpatient treatment (%46.1 vs. %42.7) (p=0.01) decreased. An increase in oral treatments (%10.4 vs. %26.5) (p=0.02) and decrease in parenteral treatments (%71.3 vs. 54.7) ( p=0.01) were also reported.

Our findings confirmed that after COVID-19 spread the clinical features diagnosis, and treatment modality have changed among urgent psychiatric consultations.

No significant relationships.

Workaholism or work addiction is a growing public health that may induce negative consequences on professional life. Engineers are at risk given the globalization and increased competition in their jobs.

The aim of the study was to assess the different professional factors that promote wokaholism among Tunisian engineers.

A cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study conducted among Tunisian engineers during July 2021. The data were collected by an online questionnaire including the socio-demographic and professional information and the “the Work Addiction Risk Test” (WART) which was used to assess the workaholism.

Participants were 52 engineers (31 males and 21 females), and aged from 23 to 55 years old (average age 30.75 years). Thirty-five engineers (67.3%) were single. Concerning professional data, 30.8% of engineers worked in the public and 51.9% of them were computer engineers. Of the participants, 11.7% worked more than 12 hours, 61.5% worked overtime and 92.3% had weekly rest. The prevalence of workaholism in Tunisian engineers was 23.1%. Engineers working in the public sector and working more than 12 hours had significantly higher proportion of work addiction with p <0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively. However, no significant difference was found by specialty, working overtime and having weekly rest according to workaholism.

In our study, we found that the public work sector and extended working hours promote work addiction. Addressing supporting factors in the work environment and periodic examination of the engineers and responding accordingly is required.

No significant relationships.

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most frequent congenital defect among the urea cycle enzymatic disorders, due to mutations a!ecting the OTC gen (Xp21.1) that are inherited with an X-linked pattern. As it happens with sex-linked genetic disorders, late-onset OTC deficiency is more prevalent among women, so that females may be asymptomatic over the years and manifest symptoms only when they are submitted under severe metabolic stress, such as pregnancy, infections or new medications. The enzymatic defect involves a blockage a!ecting the main biochemical route that converts ammonia into urea. This leads to analytic hyperammonemia and the outburst of gastrointestinal, neurological and psychiatric symptoms with variable severity.

Expounding the importance of inborn errors of metabolism as possible causes of a psychotic episode.

Describing the case, supporting our data with a bibliographic research made on PubMed.

We describe a psychiatric adult-onset OTC deficiency in a 37-year-old woman with borderline intellectual functioning and a psychotic episode in the context of an infection that was wrongly diagnosed at first as schizophrenia, until the genetic study was carried out. The woman’s familiar history shown an OTC deficiency among some family members, a mutation- carrier sister and at least two male children death by the first month of life.

Organic psychosis can be caused by a large number of medical diseases. A di!erential diagnosis of possible cerebral, toxic or metabolic causes of psychosis is necessary to avoid mistakes in diagnosis.

No significant relationships.

There are sufficient amount data on the immune cells and their biologically active products leading role in the pathogenesis of depression, which allows viewing modulated immune cells as model objects for developing new approaches to depression immunotherapy.

We first demonstrated the ability of immune cells modulated outside the body by caffeine to edit depression-like behavior and showed the central cytokines-mediated mechanisms of this effect. Considering theimportant role of the peripheral immune system in the pathogenesis of depression, we investigated the main parameters of its functional activity after transplantation of modulated immunocytes.

(CBAxC57Bl/6) F1 depressive-like male mice, developed under the long-term social stress, were undergoing the transplantation of syngeneic immune cells with in vitro caffeine-modulated functional activity. Recipient’s behavior and immune systems functional activity parameters were studied.

We showed earlier significant positive psychoneuromodulatory effect of caffeine-treated immune cells in depressive-like recipients which manifests itself in the behavioral editing (anhedonia reduction, stimulation of exploratory behavior and activity in forced swimming test); hippocampal neurogenesis stimulation against the background of increased BDN and modulation of brain cell’s cytokines production. Transplantation of caffeine-modulated immune cells in syngeneic depressive-like recipients also leads to positive changes in the immune system functional activity as evidenced by enhanced immune response, splenocytes proliferation stimulation on the background of modulation of cell’s cytokines production and decreased tryptophan catabolism, reducing systemic inflammation.

Results demonstrated that in vitro caffeine-modulated immune cells caused positive psychoneuroimmunomodulating effect in depressive-like recipients. So, its may be considered as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of depression.

No significant relationships.

Evidence supports clozapine as the best treatment in terms of efficacy, effectiveness and well-being, and as the gold standard in treatment-resistant psychotic disorders. Clozapine remains still underused, suffering initiation delays from 1.1 to 9.7 years. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of data about patterns of use, showing high variability worldwide (0.6-189.2/100. 000 inhabitants).

The main objective of this work is to carry out an analysis of the use of clozapine in our mental health catchment area. Thus, off-label use, the percentage of patients with clozapine depending on diagnosis, age and sex, and its use in mono and polytherapy are established. Besides, dosage and time between the first contact and the start of treatment with clozapine are recorded.

A descriptive study has been developed on the patients with clozapine who consulted in the catchment area of the Jerez Mental Health Service between 2018 and 2019. Data were extracted from medical records.

From our population of 456.752 inhabitants, 449 patients received clozapine. 278 (61.9%) had a schizophrenia diagnosis; 33 (7.3%) delusional disorder and 34 (7,6%) schizoaffective disorder. The off-label use of clozapine was 19,1 %. The average mean dose used was 246,2 mg/day and 59% of the patients on clozapine were on polytherapy. Only 14,7% of these patients had a previous trial with clozapine on monotherapy.

Rates of polytherapy, previous trials of clozapine monotherapy, off label use, rates of discontinuation and other variables are to be considered to precisely map the adequate use of clozapine in clinical settings.

No significant relationships.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of life-long neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by impairments in social communication and by the presence of restricted interests or repetitive behaviors. Several genetic, biological, and psychosocial mechanisms seem to play a role in the etiopathogenesis of this complex condition. Preclinical models have shown a potential role of oxytocin (OT), a peptide involved in a complex range of behaviors, including those related to social interaction. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that OT levels may be decreased in autistic people.

To compare the levels of peripheral OT in autistic people vs neurotypical controls.

We performed a systematic literature search up to December 2020 according to PRISMA guidelines. Final inclusion was based on the following criteria: (1) Participants: individuals of any age diagnosed with ASD; (2) Controls: neurotypical subjects; (3) Outcome: OT levels, either in saliva, serum, or plasma; (4) Study design: case-control. Meta-analyses are ongoing.

We finally included 21 papers published between 1998 and 2020, of which one recruited adult participants. Fifteen studies measured OT levels in plasma, 4 in saliva, and 2 in serum. Preliminary meta-analyses on 10 studies showed that peripheral OT levels in autistic individuals are reduced compared to neurotypical controls, with sex differences.

Our preliminary findings show that peripheral OT might represent a potential biomarker for ASD. Future well-conducted case-control studies with a detailed phenotypical characterization of samples are needed to understand the role of OT deficits in specific subgroups.

No significant relationships.