Massimo Tusconi

• M.D.
• University of Cagliari

Objective The aim of this work is to verify whether a cohort of elderly people with hyper-energy tended to increase depressive symptoms and misaligned social and personal rhythms during the lockdown compared to a cohort of older adults without hyper-energy one year before the lockdown. Methods The two cohorts were evaluated in April 2019 (T0) and...

Background The present study aims to evaluate the preliminary content and face validity of the “ Perceptions on the Implementation of the CRPD in muniCIpalities Questionnaire (PICI-Q),” a self-report questionnaire built to assess the perceptions on how effectively municipalities implement the CRPD principles concerning social inclusion and particip...

Background The perception of respect for users' rights is fundamental for organizational well-being in mental health services. This cross-sectional observational study examined the job satisfaction and perception of user rights among nursing staff compared to other health professionals across seven countries in the Mediterranean and Latin American...

Background Violence against healthcare workers in psychiatric settings is a concern in the literature. Violence effects for healthcare professionals and organizations include an absence from work due to injury or illness, a decreased job satisfaction, and a lower quality of work. The aim of this study is to identify the consequences of violence on...

CITATION Chaves C, dos Santos RG, Dursun SM, Tusconi M, Carta MG, Brietzke E and Hallak JEC (2024) Why N,N-dimethyltryptamine matters: unique features and therapeutic potential beyond classical psychedelics.

Background/Objectives: Adaptive hyperactivity characterized by increased activity levels and novelty-seeking traits without mood disorders is prevalent among older adults in Sardinia’s “blue zone,” an area with high longevity. This study aims to evaluate the adaptive nature of hyperactivity concerning quality of life, social rhythms, and mood sympt...

Introduction: Clinical simulation has been used as a teaching strategy for students in health programmes, fostering greater preparedness and confidence in performing procedures. Objective: This study aimed to analyse the perception of fourth-semester nursing students and teachers regarding the simulated practice methodology implemented in a private...

Adaptive hyperactivity, characterized by increased activity levels and novelty-seeking traits without mood disorders, is prevalent among older adults in Sardinia's "blue zone," an area with high longevity. This study aims to evaluate the adaptive nature of hyperac-tivity concerning quality of life, social rhythms, and mood symptoms in individuals f...

Background/Objectives: Sleep disturbances often accompany mood disorders and persistent insomnia after mood symptoms have resolved may be a marker of poor outcome. The association between sleep symptoms and mood disorders seems to change with age and sex. This study aims to assess the frequency of depressive episodes and sleep disorders in the gene...

Schizophrenia (SCZ) and schizoaffective disorder (SAD) are severe and complex psychiatric disorders whose liability threshold is modulated by the interplay of biological, mainly genetic, and environmental factors. Consistent evidence has pointed to the role of serum brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a plausible illness biomarker in SCZ sp...

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric illness characterized by a chronic course and recurrent episodes, including residual depressive symptoms even during euthymic phases. These symptoms, although not meeting criteria for a depressive episode, are linked to relapse risk and impaired social functioning. This study aims to assess...

Background: This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate whether prior engagement in a physical exercise program correlated with enhanced perceptions of quality-of-life components among older adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Methods: The cohort comprised elderly individuals (aged ≥ 65 years) who had previously partaken in a 12-week randomiz...

Background: This study aims to verify the accuracy of item 10 on the energy level of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) in an item screening according to Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) results, providing a measure of hyper-energy. Methods: Regression techniques were employed in a dataset comprising 4093 records of respondents to test both line...

Schizophrenia is a frequently debilitating and complex mental disorder affecting approximately 1% of the global population, characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts and behaviors, cognitive dysfunction, and negative symptoms. Traditional treatment has centered on postsynaptic dopamine antagonists, commonly...

Identifying phenotypes at high risk of suicidal behaviour is a relevant objective of clinical and translational research and can facilitate the identification of possible candidate biomarkers. We probed the potential association and eventual stability of neuropsychological profiles and serum BDNF concentrations with lifetime suicide ideation and at...

Background: The objective of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of a cognitive remediation intervention on anxiety symptoms in people with bipolar disorder and the therapeutic effect on people whose anxiety symptoms were above the threshold for a screener and whose comorbidity could be identified as an anxiety disorder. Methods: The expe...

Background: Health-related quality of life (H-QoL) is a critical measure in bipolar disorder (BD). Recent trials using virtual reality (VR) have shown potential in improving H-QoL. However, VR’s effect on the H-QoL of people with BD needs to be further explored. Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of a feasibility randomized controlle...

Remission, relapse prevention, and clinical recovery are crucial areas of interest in schizophrenia (SCZ) research. Although SCZ is a chronic disorder with poor overall outcomes, years of research demonstrated that recovery is possible. There are considerable data linking brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to SCZ, however, evidence on the rol...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key modulator of neuroplasticity and has an important role in determining the susceptibility to severe psychiatric disorder with a significant neurodevelopmental component such as major psychoses. Indeed, a potential association between BDNF serum levels and schizophrenia (SCZ) and schizoaffective disor...

Introduction Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are among the most debilitating mental disorders and evidence on its pathophysiological underpinnings is scant. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of these complex psychiatric disorders. Objectives The present study investigates the longitudinal v...

Introduction Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are among the most debilitating mental disorders and evidence on its pathophysiological underpinnings is scant. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) appears to be involved in the pathophysiology of these complex psychiatric disorders. Objectives The present study investigates the longitudinal v...

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1–3% of the population and characterized by a chronic and recurrent course of debilitating symptoms. An increasing focus has been directed to discover and explain the function of Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) integrity and its association with a number of psychiatric disorde...

The debate on mixed states (MS) has been intense for decades. However, several points remain controversial from a nosographic, diagnostic, and therapeutic point of view. The different perspectives that have emerged over the years have turned into a large, but heterogeneous, literature body. The present review aims to summarize the evidence on MS, w...

Background Although remission is a priority target in psychosis, reported rates show a marked variation across studies and instability over time. Such variability, partly due to methodology, emphasizes the need to define the optimal assessment procedure, as well as to identify reliable predictors. This study aims to: 1. longitudinally compare remis...

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disorder frequently associated with cognitive impairment and reduction of lifespan. “Neuroprogression” is a term used to describe longitudinal and progressive alterations detectable in clinical and neurobiological variables in BD patients. The evolution of BD in all its forms begins in asymptomatic individuals...

Recovery is considered the optimal outcome of treatments in schizophrenia and related psychoses. In general, two clear-cut parallel visions of recovery have been developed, one adhered to by clinicians, usually defined as “clinical recovery,” and the other based on the personal, subjective experience of people suffering from schizophrenia, usually...

Background The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (5th edition) introduced the specifier “with Mixed Features” to the diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode to designate the presence of (hypo) manic symptoms as part of the clinical presentation. This change has led to renewed attention on the operational definition, diagnosis, an...

Background Violence against health care workers in psychiatric settings presents worrying data in the literature. Violence effects for healthcare professionals and organizations are absence from work for injury or illness, decreased job satisfaction and lower quality of work. The aim of the study was to identify the consequences of violence on heal...

Background To date, very few nationwide studies addressing the way in which mental health services are addressing the current pandemics have been published. The present paper reports data obtained from a survey relating to the Italian mental health system conducted during the first phase of the Covid-19 epidemic. Methods Two online questionnaires...

This survey explores how psychiatrists, service users and family members in Italy perceive the term schizophrenia and if they consider a name change a useful option in order to overcome the stigma attached to it. Opinions on the term schizophrenia were collected by a self-rated questionnaire used in previous international surveys. Questionnaires we...

Background To date, very little knowledge is available with regard to the way in which mental health systems worldwide are facing the current global health emergency. The present paper reports the data emerging from a survey conducted to study the impact of the current emergency on the functioning of the Italian Departments of Mental Health (MHD)....

It is well known that tobacco smoking worsens asthma. Conversely, few data are currently available in the literature on the effects of vaping in asthmatic patients. This work aims to investigate the effects of vaping on asthmatic patients and in asthmatic patients that switched from tobacco smoking to electronic cigarette (e-cig), in particular foc...

Objective The study aimed to explore premorbid academic and social functioning in patients with schizophrenia, and its associations with the severity of negative symptoms and neurocognitive impairment. Method Premorbid adjustment (PA) in patients with schizophrenia was compared to early adjustment in unaffected first‐degree relatives and healthy c...

Introduction Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity and neuronal function and survival. Serum and plasma BDNF levels are moderately, but consistently, decreased in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) compared with healthy controls. There is a lack of knowledge, however, on the temporal m...

Background: Numerous studies conducted in inpatient settings have highlighted how mental disorders are associated with an increased risk of violence, particularly during acute phases. However, to date a more limited number of studies have been performed to assess the risk of violence in outpatients, particularly in Italy. The present study aims to...

This study aimed to compare the performance of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) symptom severity criteria established by the Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG) with criteria based on Clinical Global Impression (CGI) severity score. The 6-month duration criterion was not taken into consideration. A convenience sample of 112...

Background The aim of the study was to evaluate validity of the Italian Mini-ICF-APP (Mini-ICF Rating for Limitations of Activities and Participation in Psychological Disorders) in schizophrenia and related disorders. Methods 74 outpatients affected by schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders attending a University-based community mental health...

L'attività fisica regolare influisce positivamente su salute e autostima degli individui con patologia psichiatrica e ne favorisce il reinserimento nella vita sociale. L'associazione ABíCí, in collaborazione con la Clinica Psichiatrica dell'Università di Cagliari, ha realizzato il progetto "Corri che ti passa" con l'obiettivo primario di promuovere...

L’adolescenza è un’età critica durante la quale, per una serie di cambiamenti fisici e psicologici, è particolarmente alto il rischio di Disturbi del Comportamento Alimentare (DCA). Ciononostante, nell’ultimo quinquennio sono stati condotti pochi studi epidemiologici nei Paesi Europei, e in particolare in Italia. L’obiettivo dello studio è di valut...

The complete obstruction of a large artery, including the aorta, is a serious event which, as a general rule, has devastating effects. Sometimes symptoms may be ambiguous and the diagnosis may not be immediate. Prompt recognition of this condition provides the only hope of survival from this rare and catastrophic disease. A 52-year-old man was well...

I Disturbi di Personalità tendono ad essere sotto-diagnosticati in contesti clinici ospedalieri, ed il loro contributo ad un limitato funzionamento ed alla richiesta di trattamento è spesso sottostimato nonostante la nota comorbidità tra disturbi di personalità ed altri disordini mentali. Questo studio retrospettivo ha lo scopo di descrivere la ges...

La gestione di pazienti con disturbi di personalità (DP) è una situazione che si presenta relativamente con frequenza nei Dipartimenti d’Emergenza (DE). Questo studio retrospettivo mira a valutare le caratteristiche dei pazienti con disturbo di personalità, che hanno avuto accesso ad un DE della Sardegna. Il campione è stato selezionato dal databas...

L’esistenza di un forte legame tra comportamenti violenti ed alcol-dipendenza è nota e documentata ormai da tempo. Pertanto, intendiamo focalizzare l’attenzione, sia dal punto di vista strettamente psichiatrico-clinico che psichiatrico-forense, sul ruolo della comorbidità nel determinismo e nella perpetuazione delle condotte antigiuridiche e quindi...

Background: The management of patients with HIV infection who have comorbidity psychiatric disorders, is a problem that arises relatively frequently in Emergency Departments (ED). Methods: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the characteristics of HIV-infected patients who have been admitted to an ED of Sardinia, Italy, in 2013. Results: From...

Background: The management of patients with psychiatric issues is different depending on the age of the individual. The geriatric patient in the emergency room is a patient that appears to be complex, both for the multiple problems from which is often affected by, than to the difficulty in collecting an adequate history in a little time. Psychiatri...

Objectives: Access to emergency services by patients in a state of agitation and its management, appears to be a complex problem characterized by many aspects. Aims of this study was to assess the management of the state of agitation in a Emergency Room (ER). Methods: The total sample analysed includes 34468 patients. In 2013 at an emergency room o...

Introduzione: Il progetto “In Itinere” sviluppato dal Dipartimento di Salute Mentale della ASL di Sanluri, rivolto a persone con disturbi psichiatrici gravi, utilizza le metodiche della montagnaterapia. Il progetto prevede un’uscita di una giornata al mese e una di due o più giorni ogni due mesi. Il focus dell’attività è il trekking e la seguente t...

The management of patients with HIV infection who have comorbidity with psychiatric disorders, is a problem that is encountered relatively frequently in Emergency Departments. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the characteristics of HIV-infected patients who have been admitted for mental disorders and other conditions to an Emergency Depart...

Background: Pain is the main symptom observed in the emergency room; despite this, patients do not receive optimal management in emergency departments around the world, as amply demonstrated in the scientific literature available. Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology and treatment of pain in femoral fractures in the elder...

Background: Access to emergency services by patients in a state of agitation and its management, appears to be a complex problem characterized by many aspects. Aims of this study was to assess the management of the state of agitation in a Emergency Room (ER). Methods: The total sample analysed includes 34468 patients. In 2013 at an emergency room o...

Background: The management of patients with psychiatric issues is different depending on the age of the individual. The geriatric patient in the emergency room is a patient that appears to be complex, both for the multiple problems from which is often affected by, than to the difficulty in collecting an adequate history in a little time. Psychiatri...

Background: The management of patients with HIV infection who have comorbidity psychiatric disorders, is a problem that arises relatively frequently in Emergency Departments. Methods: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the characteristics of HIV-infected patients who have been admitted to an Emergency Department of Sardinia, Italy, in 2013....

SUMMARY. Background. A number of studies suggest that the clinical characteristics and long-term outcome of schizoaffective patients closely resemble those observed in schizophrenia when cases are diagnosed according to DSM criteria. The primary aim was to compare remission and recovery rates in a cohort of chronic schizoaffective and schizophrenic...

Le aggressioni rappresentano una problematica di difficile gestione nei Dipartimenti di Emergenza per le implicazioni sociosanitarie che le caratterizzano. OBIETTIVI Obiettivo di questo studio retrospettivo è valutare epidemiologia e gestione dei pazienti che hanno subito un'aggressione, presentatisi presso il Pronto Soccorso (PS) dell’Ospedale San...

Given the incidence and severity of acute intoxication, this issue is of considerable importance today for the Emergency Departments (ED). The objective of this study was to evaluate acute intoxications by psychopharmacological medications and abuse of drugs for patients managed in an Outpatient Emergency Department. Retrospective analyses were per...

Objective Given the incidence and severity of acute intoxication, this issue is of considerable importance today for the Emergency Departments. The objective of this study is to evaluate acute intoxications by psychoactive drugs and abuse of drugs for patients managed in an Outpatient Emergency Department, at the first level, in Sardinia, Italy. Me...

Nel contesto di un Pronto Soccorso la gestione del bambino critico può risultare complicata dalla non immediata identificazione dei materiali e dei dosaggi dei farmaci da utilizzare; per questo motivo ci si rivolge sempre più verso carrelli rianimatori Broselow dove la particolare disposizione dei presidi suddivisa per peso e lunghezza del paziente...

Negli ultimi anni è stata posta una crescente attenzione sulla remissione nella schizofrenia, grazie all’introduzione di una serie di criteri stabiliti dal “Gruppo di Lavoro sulla Remissione nella Schizofrenia” (Andreasen et al, 2005). Allo stesso tempo si è sollevato un grande dibattito nella comunità scientifica riguardo alla validità di tali cri...

The management of patients with HIV infection who have comorbidity psychiatric disorders, is a problem that arises relatively frequently in Emergency Departments. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the characteristics of HIV-infected patients who have been admitted to an Emergency Department of Sardinia, Italy, in 2013. The sample was select...