"I could easily get professional help if I wanted to": Professional help-seeking intentions and the Theory of planned behaviour

Author(s): Katerina Naumova / Language(s): English,Serbian Issue: 4/2022

This study used path analysis to evaluate the ability of the Theory of planned behaviour to predict professional help-seeking intentions in an adult community sample (N = 470, 51% female, age range: 18–64 years). The results showed that perceived behavioural control was the most significant antecedent of help-seeking intentions, positive attitudes increased the likelihood to seek professional help, however, their effect was small, while subjective norms were not relevant. Past help-seeking had a small direct effect on intentions, yet equally strong as the total indirect effect via attitudes and perceived behavioural control. Psychological distress affected intentions only indirectly. Difficulties with self-disclosure were the only barrier that had a partially mediated effect on intentions through perceived behavioural control. The findings are discussed with respect to the utility of the TPB model, as well as in the wider context of professional help-seeking and interventions to encourage the utilization of mental health services.

"Mislim, realno, tko voli školu?": Iskustvo školovanja osnovnoškolskih dječaka s ADHD-om

Author(s): Andreja Bartolac / Language(s): English,Croatian Issue: 1/2021

Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders observed in childhood, ADHD research in Croatia, especially studies involving children, are extremely rare. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to describe the personal everyday school life experiences of boys with ADHD who were studying in elementary schools. This study included a purposive sample of 14 boys with ADHD aged 8 to 11 years who attended mainstream elementary schools. Three semi-structured phenomenological interviews were conducted with each boy. Special attention was given to ensure that the methodological approach used in this study was child-centred, child-friendly, and child-safe. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data. Data collected on the school experiences of the boys with ADHD are presented via two themes: (1) challenges of schooling with ADHD, and (2) support at school: the importance of recognition, sensitivity, and relationships. This study demonstrates that boys with ADHD can recognize the challenges associated with their schooling and find it very difficult to take part in school activities that require directing and maintaining attention, organization, perseverance, flexible attention, and working memory. Consequently, the boys reported that they experience failure, frustration, and reduced self-confidence in their own abilities. Boys participating in this study were able to recognize the support received at school from their teachers and teaching assistants, as well as the obstacles that occurred due to misunderstandings, lack of sensitivity to their neurodiversity, and failure to apply the Individualised Education Program. The boys also provided clear descriptions of the adjustments necessary to make their school experience easier. The results of this study illustrate that children with ADHD face specific psycho-social risks, followed by recommendation that their experiences should be considered during the development of educational policies, given their participatory rights and their role as equal stakeholders.

12 STEPS AND ABSTINENCE: HOW DO I STAY SOBER?

Author(s): Tamas Hetenyi,Ibolya Kotta / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

The present study was conducted among 12-steps communities of recovery (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous) in Hungary. As these communities become more and more frequented, it is of interest to explore how recovering addicts implement their specific program of recovery and what psychological characteristics are affected by this process. The study presumed that longer time in abstinence predicted lower levels of chronic stress and higher levels of subjective well-being, given that participants were working actively on their sobriety/recovery. Thus, it was assumed that more intense work on sobriety would lead to lower levels of stress and higher levels of well-being. After filtration, N = 148 recovering addicts were included in the study. The participants completed a test-battery including queries on sobriety efforts (SEQ); Perceived Stress Survey (PSS-13) and the shortened version of WHO’s well-being questionnaire (WB15). The results show that abstinence doesn’t influence levels of stress neither in itself nor through active work on recovery. Nevertheless, a more intense work on sobriety (adhering to the 5 suggestions of 12 step program) predicted higher levels of subjective well-being. Recovering addicts commit themselves most actively to the recommendations of the 12-step communities during their first to five years of their abstinence. Our study makes a stand for anonymous recovery programs and argues that active efforts of maintaining sobriety are essential for sustainable recovery and long-term sobriety, and adherence to the five recommendations of these 12-step communities predict subjective well-being.

2nd International Conference on Behavioral Addictions

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: suppl.1/2015

Abstracts of the 2nd International Conference on Behavioral Addictions. March 16–18, 2015; Budapest, Hungary

6th International Conference on Behavioral Addictions (ICBA2019), June 17–19, 2019 Yokohama, Japan

Author(s): / Language(s): English Issue: suppl. 1./2019

A 2-YEAR PRELIMINARY LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS UNDER LEVOTHYROXINE TREATMENT: ONLY TRAIL MAKING TEST IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Author(s): Vaitsa Giannouli,Nikolaos Syrmos / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2017

Few studies have examined longitudinally depression, stress and cognition in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) under levothyroxine (LT4) treatment. Although HT is claimed to cause several mood changes and cognitive deficits in patients who are left untreated, we still know little about the longitudinal profile of these patients when they are under stable treatment. Sixteen middle-aged euthyroid HT women and sixteen healthy control women were examined with a detailed neuropsychological battery covering different cognitive functions (attention, visual and verbal memory, executive functions and mood), and with thyroid functions tests at three time points at one and two years post-baseline. Depression and perceived stress, along with verbal and visual memory were found to be stable at a two-year retesting in euthyroid HT women. Only TMT-Parts A and B deteriorated at one and two years in euthyroid HT. Although impaired performance in attention and executive deficits are linked with heighted levels of depression and stress, here they were not accompanied by changes in mood. The present study failed to detect any noticeable changes longitudinally in the cognitive and emotional function in euthyroid HT women under stable and continuous LT4 treatment. Patients’ restricted deficits may indicate that the decline in attention and executive functioning performance might be related to the effects of a specific progressive degenerative process associated with the disorder, rather than the effects of aging.

A case of severe adolescent obsessive–compulsive disorder treated with inpatient hospitalization, risperidone and sertraline

Author(s): Mathew L. Nguyen,Michael A. Shapiro,Stephen J. Welch / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2012

The initial treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) has generally been limited to serotonergic agents, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or a combination of the two. These findings were supported by the POTS study for OCD in children and adolescents. However, treatment with serotonergic agents or CBT can take several weeks before benefit is seen; severe cases of OCD may require more immediate treatment. Case report: The authors present a case of severe OCD in an adolescent that required immediate treatment due to her critical medical condition. The patient’s symptoms included not eating or taking medications or fluids by mouth due to fears of contamination. A medical hospitalization was previously required due to dehydration. As treatment with an SSRI would not have quick enough onset and the patient was initially resistant to participating in CBT, the patient was psychiatrically hospitalized and first started on liquid risperidone. After several doses of risperidone, the patient was able to participate in CBT and start sertraline. Discussion: The authors discuss the differential diagnosis of such a patient, including the continuum of OCD symptoms and psychotic symptoms. The authors discuss the different treatment options, including the utilization of inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. The authors discuss the potential risks and benefits of using atypical antipsychotics in lieu of benzodiazepines for the initial treatment of severe adolescent OCD. The authors also discuss other current treatment recommendations and rationale for the treatment that was pursued. Conclusions: This patient received benefit of her symptoms relatively quickly with psychiatric hospitalization and an atypical antipsychotic. The diagnosis of a psychotic disorder should be considered. These treatment options must be weighed against the risks of atypical antipsychotics, including extrapyramidal symptoms, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome; benzodiazepines also have their risks and benefits. Additionally, the cost of time and finances of inpatient hospitalization must be considered. More research is needed regarding the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of antipsychotics in the treatment of OCD in the child and adolescent population.

A Model Suggestion for the Recovery of Women Exposed to Violence: Tidal Model

Author(s): Mahire Olcay Çam,Emel Öztürk Turgut / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Violence against women is an important healthcare problem. Noncontrollable increasing in violence and, healthcare politics that focus on rehabilitation services lay emphasis on fighting outcomes of violence. Although violent behaviors are similar, each woman's experience is unique so healthcare services must be individualized. Tidal Model is a recovery model in healthcare services that cares individualism. For this reason in this review the suitability of the tidal model was assessed in line with the question “Can violent women be given nursing care based on Tidal Model?”. Partner or domestic violence against to women was examined.

A Neglected Field in Cancer Care: Identification and Management of Suicide Risk

Author(s): Sevda Öztürk,Duygu Hiçdurmaz / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

Suicide is on the agenda of a number of countries in the world. In this respect, studies on suicide prevention pay special attention to the risk groups among which there are also cancer patients. Physical and psychosocial difficulties experienced during the disease process and some demographic characteristics might be the predictors of suicidal ideation or attempt. Oncology nurses are the members of health care team who provide continuous care for physical and psychosocial needs of cancer patients, and thus they are the ones who can identify suicide risk. However, their lack of knowledge and skills in the assessment and evaluation of suicide, negative attitudes and false beliefs are among the important obstacles of nurses in this area. The aim of this work is to raise awareness on suicide risk in cancer patients and to reveal the roles, responsibilities, problems and needs of oncology nurses regarding this issue.

A New Perspective on Safety Measures Imposed on Mentally Retarded Criminal Offenders

Author(s): Iuliana Hunea,Tatiana Iov,Simona Irina Damian,Nona Gîrlescu,Anton Knieling,Diana Bulgaru-Iliescu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

Safety measures are both a way of isolating the person who committed a criminal offence from society, with the purpose of protecting citizens, and at the same time a form of protection for the perpetrator, against whom the most appropriate measures are taken - from from the point of view of the the criminal justice system - in consideration of their particular situation. Among the categories of perpetrators to whom safety measures are addressed, those with mental retardation represent a specific category in that, unlike other psychically ill offenders, their degree of perceiving the consequences of their actions and their own guilt is extremely low, and sometimes it is even impossible for them to understand the significance of their own deeds. The present article aims to highlight the specific elements of safety measures imposed on mentally retarded criminal offenders from a theoretical perspective, analyzing the concepts of deviance and delinquency by correspondence with irresponsibility.

A Preliminary Study of DBH (Encoding Dopamine Beta-Hydroxylase) Genetic Variation and Neural Correlates of Emotional and Motivational Processing in Individuals with and without Pathological Gambling

Author(s): Bao-Zhu Yang,Iris M. Balodis,Cheryl M. Lacadie,Jiansong Xu,Marc N. Potenza / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2016

Corticostriatal-limbic neurocircuitry, emotional and motivational processing, dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems and genetic factors have all been implicated in pathological gambling (PG). However, allelic variants of genes influencing dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmitters have not been investigated with respect to the neural correlates of emotional and motivational states in PG. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) converts dopamine to norepinephrine; the T allele of a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism rs1611115 (C-1021T) in the DBH gene is associated with less DBH activity and has been linked to emotional processes and addiction. Here, we investigate the influence of rs1611115 on the neural correlates of emotional and motivational processing in PG and healthy comparison (HC) participants. Methods: While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, 18 PG and 25 HC participants, all European Americans, viewed gambling-, sad-, and cocaine-related videotapes. Analyses focused on brain activation differences related to DBH genotype (CC/T-carrier [i.e., CT and TT]) and condition (sad/gambling/cocaine). Results: CC participants demonstrated greater recruitment of corticostriatal-limbic regions, relative to T-carriers. DBH variants were also associated with altered corticostriatal-limbic activations across the different videotape conditions, and this association appeared to be driven by greater activation in CC participants relative to T-carriers during the sad condition. CC relative to T-carrier subjects also reported greater subjective sadness to the sad videotapes. Conclusions: Individual differences in genetic composition linked to aminergic function contribute significantly to emotional regulation across diagnostic groups and warrant further investigation in PG.

A review on children and adolescents’ mental health indicators: Towards a valid mental health assessment in Hungarian youth

Author(s): Beáta Erika Nagy,Karolina Eszter Kovács,Tamás Varga,Peter Boris,Tamás Józsa,Róza Oláh / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2021

The application of appropriate qualitative and quantitative indicators of youth’s mental health is vital for the entire health care system, including the individuals, health care providers, and health policy. These can enable both researchers and policymakers to carry out comparisons across time, interindividual differences and culture. In our scoping review, we aimed to identify psychological, social and system- related indicators that can provide direct and indirect information regarding Hungarian youth’s mental health status. Additionally, we focused on providing a model regarding mental health evaluation measures, comparable to the international models. To determine the indicators of mental health, international and Hungarian literature was reviewed through primary and secondary sources. During the analysis, the following databases were searched: ERIC, Google Scholar, MedLine, Pubmed, ResearchGate and Science Direct. A total of 76 papers met the criteria, containing 38 Hungarian studies and 38 international ones. The review revealed that, similar to the international trends, the Hungarian assessment of positive (e.g., satisfaction with life, aspiration index, social support, coping skills, health-preserving behavior), negative (e.g., emotional symptoms, social difficulties, sadness, depression, anxiety) and other mental health indicators (e.g., alcohol abuse, drug-related disorders, suicide, bullying,) can be measured by standardized, validated tests. The indicators identified in the current review can support professionals and policymakers to systematically improve the quality of health care. With the use of appropriate indicators, more accurate results concerning the current mental health status of the children and youth can be provided, which would enable more effective prevention and intervention in the health care system and related domains.

A study of semiology and socio-economic factors in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India

Author(s): Rajalaxmi Satapathy,Pitamber Behuria / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is a non-epileptic event which needs to be differentiated from epileptic seizures and poses a diagnostic challenge. It has psychological etiology without any associated abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. We have tried to explain in detail the semiology and socioeconomic factors of patients presenting with the diagnosis of PNES to our hospital so that it will help in early diagnosis and prevent unnecessary antiepileptics use. This is a retrospective study. We have included all patients admitted to the Neurology Department of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) during 2020-2021 and discharged with a diagnosis of PNES. Those having associated epileptic events were excluded from the study. All events were categorized as hypermotor, hypomotor and sensory symptoms as per the patient’s presentation as there is no universal classification system for PNES. A total of 50 patients were included in the study. Of them 70% had PNES of hypermotor and 30% of hypomotor type. The mean number of events in the hypomotor group was significantly higher than that in the hypermotor group. The hypomotor variety was found predominantly in females and hypermotor in males. Overall, 10% of the patients had a history of epilepsy in one of the family members. A total of 74% patients had associated anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Hypermotor events were more common than hypomotor events. Hypomotor events were found mostly in females. Most of the patients had pre-existing anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder as underlying risk factors.

A study regarding the prevalence of hospitalized patients with potentially aggressive behavior during one pre-pandemic year

Author(s): Elena Rodica Popescu,Alexandra Bolos,Bianca Augusta Oroian,Vasile Chiriță,Roxana Chirita / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2021

Although the modern era has brought new ways of diagnosis and treatment to the medical field, and especially to the neurosciences, psychiatric disorders accompanied by aggressive behavior remain a mental health problem, but also an issue that targets society in general. Psychiatric illnesses which have an aggressive component represent a source of social disruption and a threat to public health. It is noteworthy to mention that these disorders are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, accounting for a third of all years lost to disability. Around 33% of the world's population will develop a mental health issue at some point in their lives and an important number of them will build up a hostile demeanor, as psychiatric disorders and aggression are often seen as inextricably linked. In order to apply the principles of prophylaxis, i.e., prophylactic, curative and rehabilitative treatment of psychiatric pathology in current practice, it was necessary to collect data targeting cases of psychiatric disorders accompanied by aggressive behavior, taking into account external and internal factors of the individuals. For a more objective analysis of the observed prevalence, data were collected during the pre-pandemic year, focusing on acute cases of both genders.

A Unitary Account of Conceptual Representations of Animate/Inanimate Categories

Author(s): Vanja Ković,Kim Plunkett,Gert Westermann / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2010

In this paper we present an ERP study examining the underlying nature of semantic representation of animate and inanimate objects. Time-locking ERP signatures to the onset of auditory stimuli we found topological similarities in animate and inanimate object processing. Moreover, we found no difference between animates and inanimates in the N400 amplitude, when mapping more specific to more general representation (visual to auditory stimuli). These studies provide further evidence for the theory of unitary semantic organization, but no support for the feature-based prediction of segregated conceptual organization. Further comparisons of animate vs. inanimate matches and within– vs. between-category mismatches revealed following results: processing of animate matches elicited more positivity than processing of inanimates within the N400 time-window; also, inanimate mismatches elicited a stronger N400 than did animate mismatches. Based on these findings we argue that one of the possible explanations for finding different and sometimes contradictory results in the literature regarding processing and representations of animates and inanimates in the brain could lie in the variability of selected items within each of the categories, that is, homogeneity of the categories.

A Virtue-based Model for Medical Ethics and Practice in Edmund Pellegrino

Author(s): Philemon Ayibo / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

This paper deals with the resurgence of interest in virtue ethics in professional ethics, specifically as it applies to Edmund Daniel Pellegrino’s account in medical ethics. Pellegrino investigates in a clear manner the ethical problems of contemporary medicine from a virtue ethics point of view and offers a virtue-based ethic for medicine as an effective tool and a practical guide for confronting the challenges of modern medicine. His account builds on a thesis of the indispensability of virtuous character traits for a sound medical practice. Pellegrino’s virtue ethics offers a plausible and distinctive alternative to utilitarian and Kantian (principle-based) approaches to understanding and evaluating professional roles. It is hoped that our exploration of Pellegrino’s account will underline the place of a virtue ethics in medicine and stimulate a similar inquiry into social welfare, and into other forms of human professions and disciplines.

A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution

Author(s): Antonius J. Van Rooij,Christopher J. Ferguson,Michelle Colder Carras,Daniel Kardefelt-Winther,Jing Shi,Espen Aarseth,Anthony M. Bean,Karin Helmersson Bergmark,Anne Bruss,Mark Coulson,Jory Deleuze,Pravin Dullur,Elza Dunkels,Johan Edman,Peter J. Etchells,Malte Elson,Anne Fiskaali,Isabela Granic,Jeroen Jansz,Faltin Karlsen,Linda K. Kaye,Bonnie Kirsh,Patrick Markey,Andreas Lieberoth,Kathryn L. Mills,Rune Kristian Lundedal Nielsen,Arne Poulsen,Amy Orben,Nicole Prause,Patrick Prax,Thorsten Quandt,Adriano Schimmenti,Vladan Starčević,Gabrielle Stutman,Nigel E. Turner,Jan Van Looy,Andrew K. Przybylski / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

We greatly appreciate the care and thought that is evident in the 10 commentaries that discuss our debate paper, the majority of which argued in favor of a formalized ICD-11 gaming disorder. We agree that there are some people whose play of video games is related to life problems. We believe that understanding this population and the nature and severity of the problems they experience should be a focus area for future research. However, moving from research construct to formal disorder requires a much stronger evidence base than we currently have. The burden of evidence and the clinical utility should be extremely high, because there is a genuine risk of abuse of diagnoses. We provide suggestions about the level of evidence that might be required: transparent and preregistered studies, a better demarcation of the subject area that includes a rationale for focusing on gaming particularly versus a more general behavioral addictions concept, the exploration of non-addiction approaches, and the unbiased exploration of clinical approaches that treat potentially underlying issues, such as depressive mood or social anxiety first. We acknowledge there could be benefits to formalizing gaming disorder, many of which were highlighted by colleagues in their commentaries, but we think they do not yet outweigh the wider societal and public health risks involved. Given the gravity of diagnostic classification and its wider societal impact, we urge our colleagues at the WHO to err on the side of caution for now and postpone the formalization.

Abstracts of the 1st International Conference on Behavioral Addictions

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: suppl.1/2013

Abstracts of the 1st International Conference on Behavioral Addictions; March 11–12, 2013, Budapest, Hungary

Accepting Test-Anxiety-Related Thoughts Increases Academic Performance Among Undergraduate Students

Author(s): Ibrahim Senay,Mustafa Cetinkaya,Muhammet Usak / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2012

Given that unwanted thoughts are enhanced when suppressed, we tested among college freshmen who were about to take an academic exam if an acceptance strategy consisting of not suppressing intrusive thoughts will improve test performance. This strategy proved superior to students’ own default strategies as much as a modified, alternative strategy, avoiding the antecedents of intrusive thoughts. Moreover, the combination of the two strategies counteracted a stronger, negative effect of test anxiety on test performance as compared with each strategy used alone. The results suggest that not only intrusive thoughts per se but also the suppression of these thoughts can disrupt test performance, and hint that approaching such thoughts with acceptance may not interfere with simultaneously working toward avoiding the antecedents of these thoughts.

Activation of the attachment system and mentalization in depressive and healthy individuals – an experimental control study

Author(s): Ella Fizke,Anna Buchheim,Florian Juen / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2013

From a developmental and clinical point of view attachment theory and mentalization are closely connected and have become increasingly important to understand the origins of psychopathological development. However, very little is known about how exactly different inner working models of attachment are related to diverse mentalizing abilities and this is particularly true for adult populations – healthy as well as clinical populations. In the present study we investigated this relation with a sample of inpatients diagnosed with depression and a sample of healthy individuals. In an experimental setting the attachment system was activated using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Mentalization was assessed during activation and in comparison to a control condition using a modified version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). We expected that an activation of the attachment system i) diminishes the capacity to take another’s perspective in individuals with unresolved state of mind, ii) has no impact in individuals with secure attachment representation and iii) is dependent of clinical status in individuals with insecure (but organized) working models of attachment. Overall, these hypotheses were confirmed. However, the impact of clinical status on mentalization in insecure attachment has to be further explored. We summarize that attachment state of mind has a mediating influence on mentalization basically in such situations where the attachment system is activated.