Mental Disorders - Science topic

You should calculate the point or period prevalence of each condition in each survey.To estimate trend you should inspect the data and fit a linear or other regression model using the time as independent variable. Do this for each condition separately. To look at associations you could bo pairwise correlations of condition prevalences across the four time points.

eg

survey. 1. 2. 3. 4

prev depression.%. 10. 12. 14. 17

prev anxiety%. 20. 20. 28. 10

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and generous response. I truly appreciate your deep understanding of the psychological dimensions involved. Your emphasis on addressing the deeper roots of mental disorders—beyond symptom-based diagnosis—is both timely and necessary.

I completely agree that governments have a vital role to play in providing not only safety and basic needs but also conditions that support healthy psychological development from early childhood. Building a generation capable of navigating the complexities and conflicts of modern life requires intentional efforts in family education, mental health awareness, and public policy.

Your insights from the perspective of a psychology specialist are highly valuable, and I hope this conversation encourages more interdisciplinary reflection on both prevention and treatment.

Hanan Khalid

Scientists must push back against the threat of rising white nationalism and the dangerous and pseudoscientific ideas of eugenics...

Hi Savannah! Great topic!

Exploring the Neurological Underpinnings of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) through MRI Scans and Potential Research Opportunities.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is primarily characterized by grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Recently, neuroimaging studies have suggested that the condition might have a neurological basis. By examining brain structure and function through MRI scans, researchers have been able to identify differences in the brains of individuals with NPD compared to those without the disorder. This synopsis will review current research, propose future research directions, and discuss the spectrum-like nature and origins of these brain abnormalities.

Current Research on Brain Structure and NPD

Neuroimaging studies have revealed that people with NPD tend to show reduced gray matter in brain regions involved in empathy and emotional regulation. Two notable areas are the anterior insula and the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex plays a key role in decision-making, social behavior, and empathy, while the insula contributes to emotional awareness and self-regulation. A 2013 study by Schulze et al. using functional MRI (fMRI) found that individuals with NPD exhibit reduced activity in these regions when exposed to emotional stimuli, indicating their diminished ability to process and respond to emotions in a typical manner (Schulze et al., 2013).

Another study published in 2016 in "Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment" found that individuals with NPD showed abnormal structural connectivity between regions involved in emotional regulation and self-referential processing. This finding aligns with the theory that deficits in empathy and emotional regulation seen in NPD may have a neurological basis (Nenadić et al., 2016). These studies underscore the potential biological components of the disorder, which may manifest as difficulty in empathy and emotional self-regulation.

Brain Abnormalities or a Continuum?

There is ongoing debate over whether the brain differences observed in people with NPD are specific to those with full-blown personality disorder or if they exist on a continuum. Some researchers propose that narcissistic traits exist along a spectrum, with subclinical narcissism and full-blown NPD representing points along that continuum. If true, individuals with subclinical narcissistic traits might exhibit some of the brain abnormalities identified in NPD, but not to the same extent (Ronningstam, 2016). This would suggest that the structural and functional brain differences seen in people with narcissism may vary in degree, rather than in type.

Future research could help clarify this question by studying a wide range of individuals with varying levels of narcissistic traits, using brain imaging techniques to assess whether the differences in brain structure are proportional to the severity of the traits. This would help determine if NPD represents a categorical disorder or if it falls within a broader spectrum of narcissistic personality features.

The Origins: Nature or Nurture?

A key question in understanding the neurological underpinnings of NPD is whether these brain differences are present from birth or whether they develop as a result of environmental factors, such as childhood trauma or attachment issues. Longitudinal studies that follow individuals from infancy through adulthood could help researchers determine whether brain abnormalities associated with NPD are innate or whether they emerge due to environmental influences. Furthermore, genetic studies could investigate familial patterns and genetic predispositions to NPD (Kernberg, 2016).

Research Opportunities and Future Directions

To advance the field, future research should aim to integrate neuroimaging, genetic analysis, and psychological assessments to build a more comprehensive understanding of the condition. Large-scale studies that compare brain scans of individuals with a range of narcissistic traits, including those with subclinical narcissism and a control group, could provide further insights into whether certain brain abnormalities are distributed along a continuum (Dimaggio et al., 2020).

Additionally, studies exploring whether early childhood interventions can alter brain development in individuals at risk for NPD could lead to promising therapeutic strategies. For instance, interventions designed to improve empathy and emotional regulation in early childhood might impact the brain regions associated with these traits later in life. The use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze MRI data could also be instrumental in identifying subtle brain patterns that are otherwise undetectable (Zhang et al., 2019).

Conclusion

In conclusion, emerging research using MRI scans and other neuroimaging technologies has begun to uncover significant neurological differences in individuals with NPD. These findings offer a potential biological explanation for some of the key features of the disorder, such as lack of empathy and difficulty in emotional regulation. Whether NPD exists on a spectrum or represents a categorical disorder remains a question for future research, which should include interdisciplinary approaches combining neuroimaging, longitudinal studies, and genetic analysis. Understanding the origins of these brain differences, whether innate or acquired, could inform new treatment strategies and interventions for NPD.

By continuing to explore the neurological basis of NPD, researchers can develop a more nuanced understanding of the disorder, opening doors to prevention and therapeutic interventions aimed at altering its course.

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References

Dimaggio, G., Montano, A., Popolo, R., & Salvatore, G. (2020). Narcissistic personality disorder: Theoretical models and treatment approaches. American Psychological Association.

Kernberg, O. F. (2016). Narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic personality structure. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 39(4), 603-617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2016.07.004

Nenadić, I., Gaser, C., & Buchsbaum, B. R. (2016). Structural abnormalities in narcissistic personality disorder: A voxel-based morphometric study. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7(2), 127-136. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000143

Ronningstam, E. (2016). Pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: Recent research and clinical implications. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 3(1), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0060-y

Schulze, L., Dziobek, I., Vater, A., Heekeren, H. R., Bajbouj, M., Renneberg, B., & Roepke, S. (2013). Gray matter abnormalities in patients with narcissistic personality disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 47(10), 1363-1369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.05.017

Zhang, L., Zhu, Y., & Lee, T. M. C. (2019). Neuroimaging of narcissistic personality disorder: From brain structure to predictive models. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00313

-Erin E. Fry

Would emphasize that the exploration of the human mind is a noble endeavor, but it must be approached with humility and compassion. The understanding of mental health, much like the study of the Torah, requires a synthesis of various disciplines—science, philosophy, and ethics.

The etiology of mental health disorders, as you Kristen Rucker described, is indeed a complex tapestry woven from both the threads of our genetics and the experiences of our lives. From a philosophical perspective, I would suggest that the soul and body are intertwined; thus, the mind cannot be divorced from the biological and environmental conditions that shape it.

Genetic predispositions may serve as a foundation upon which mental health is built, yet they do not operate in isolation. Much like the journey of the Israelites in the desert, where both divine guidance and the trials of the land influenced their character and destiny, so too do external circumstances shape the mental landscape of an individual. Stressors such as trauma, societal pressures, and the lack of supportive community can catalyze or impair the mental faculties, evident in the delicate balance of our physical and spiritual health.

Moreover, it is paramount to recognize that mental illness does not solely denote a deficiency or a failure; it may also point to the profound struggles of the soul seeking harmony amidst turmoil. In this light, as we work towards healing, we must be guided by compassion towards ourselves and others, employing both medical wisdom and spiritual guidance, and fostering environments that nurture resilience and understanding.

Therefore, the center of mental health lies not only in the interplay of genetic and environmental factors, but also in the recognition of the inherent dignity of every human being, the importance of community, and the potential for growth and healing through knowledge, compassion, and support.

Al Fermelia

As someone who is mixed-race with ADHD, I would say to be open-minded in what they would like to talk about.

Also showing patience and empathy whilst creating connections that benefit the service user

The Doctoral Programme in Psychotherapy Science is committed to methodological and research methodological pluralism. Empirical and hermeneutic papers – also in combination – as well as theoretical and historical papers can be written, including critical examination of existing research directions or schools. The duration of the programme is 6 semesters. The academic degree Doktorin / Doktor der Psychotherapiewissenschaft (Dr. scient. pth.) is awarded.

Wishing you Veysel Kaplan success !

The decline of mental capacities precedes every economic decline, dear Ronaldo Munck Once you stop to think in the categories of cooperation and integration, you are on the road to economic decline.

________

The main achievement of economics is that it has provided a theory of peaceful human cooperation. This is why the harbingers of violent conflict have branded it as a dismal science and why this age of wars, civil wars, and destruction has no use for it.

Dear Sir,

In case you refer to animal therapy in general, we know that animals are most useful for people who suffer from depression and anxiety or just feel alone.

We stem from the same human being and his wife who was given to help him. Then we have the same genes with some variation between generations. Erros in the replications of the DNA occures. "These errors can cause mutations in the DNA sequence, which can have different effects on the organism. For example, a mutation that changes a single nucleotide can alter the amino acid sequence of a protein, affecting its function. Mutations can also disrupt regulatory regions of the DNA, leading to changes in gene expression or splicing." https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=43&q=error+in+DNA+spiral+and+mutations&cvid

major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder,

these 3 are different disorders. To manage depression and anxiety it may lead to abuse of or dependence on alcohol, cannabis or other drugs.

This means that you cannot cluster them into one vgariable.

Aiming at the objective of supporting the hypothesis, I will include literature on this issue. And, I thank everyone who can contribute literature, too.

==============================================

Abstract

Psychiatric disorders are mental illnesses involving changes in mood, cognition and behavior. Their prevalence has rapidly increased in the last decades. One of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders is major depressive disorder (MDD), a debilitating disease lacking efficient treatments. Increasing evidence shows that microbial and immunological changes contribute to the pathophysiology of depression and both are modulated by stress. This bidirectional relationship constitutes the brain-gut axis involving various neuroendocrine, immunological, neuroenterocrine and autonomic pathways. The present review covers the most recent findings on the relationships between stress, the gut microbiome and the inflammatory response and their contribution to depression.

Introduction

One of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders is major depressive disorder (MDD), a debilitating disease with limited efficacious treatments. MDD affects nearly 11 % of Americans. Although the etiology of MDD remains an open question, increasing evidence points out stress as an underlying cause of depression (Nestler et al., 2002). The definition of stress is somewhat vague even though stress is prevalent in modern life societies and includes both response to external factors such as psychogenic stressors associated to adverse events either objective (e.g., unemployment, natural disaster) or perceived (e.g., lack of self-confidence) and physical stressors (e.g. infection, injury). At the molecular level, stress is associated with activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) (Herman and Cullinan, 1997), the sympatho-adrenal medullary system (Kopin et al., 1988), the production of glucocorticoids (Russell and Lightman, 2019) and others (Godoy et al., 2018).

Although many hypotheses exist linking stress to depression, this review will focus on the gut microbiome as an emerging bidirectional route of the gut-brain axis affected by stress and promoting depression. It has been generally accepted that gut microbes influence mood and one possibility in doing so is through the immune system. Therefore, in this review, we will provide evidence for the role of the gut microbiome in depression, and its interaction with the immune response.

SOURCE:

Objectivation of diagnostic models in mental health, i.e. quantifying mental health via mood science=offering alternative pathways for behavioral and cognitive treatment.

Here is an article that reminds me of an activation function

Regards,

Joachim

Again, there is some research that suggests that people with mental disorders can have a better understanding and relationships with other people with mental disorders than with those without mental disorders. For example, a recent study conducted by the University of Arizona found that people with mental illnesses had greater empathy and understanding for those with similar mental health conditions. This study also found that people with mental illness tend to have better relationships with other people with mental illness than those without mental illness. Additionally, research published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing found that people with mental illness can have meaningful relationships with other people with mental illness, which can help reduce their sense of isolation and provide greater support. This research also suggests that people with mental illness can provide important insight into the experiences and challenges of living with a mental illness.

Stepwise methods are an excellent way of producing unreproducible results so it's not surprising that you are baffled by them. They simply should not be used :

1. The p-values for the variables in a stepwise model do not have the interpretation you think they do. It’s hard to define what hypothesis they actually test, or the chances that they are false-positive or false-negative.

2. The variables selected may not be the best subset of variables either. There may be other equally good, or even better, combinations of variables. One simple solution is to test all possible subsets of variables. And, like all simple solutions to complex problem, it's wrong. You end up with an unreproducible, atheoretical model that has sacrificed any generalisability to the task you gave it, which was fitting a particular sample of data.

3. The overall model fit statistics are wrong. The adjusted R2 is too big, and if there were a lot of variables not included in the final model, the adjusted R2 will be a massive overestimate. R2 should be adjusted based on the number of variables entered into the process, not on the number actually selected.

4. Stepwise models produce unreproducible results. A different dataset will, most likely, give a different model, and a stepwise model from one dataset fitted to a new dataset will fit badly.

5. But the most important argument is that stepwise models break a fundamental assumption of statistics, which is that the model is specified in advance and then the model coefficients are calculated from the data. If you allow the data to specify the model, as well as the coefficients, all bets are off. See the Stata FAQ written by Frank Harrell and Ronán Conroy: https://www.stata.com/support/faqs/statistics/stepwise-regression-problems/

I can do no better than quote Kelvyn Jones, a geography researcher significant enough to have his own Wikipedia page : There is no escaping of the need to think; you just cannot press a button.

Worldwide, at least 25% of persons and their families are affected by mental illness resulting in significant stress and burden;

Effects of mental illness on family quality of life - PubMed (nih.gov)

'The Association between Traumatic Events and its Psychiatric Consequences in Children' might be a more suitable title. Not every psychopathology is considered a behavioural disorder.

I don't think it affects children because they have stronger immunity than adults

Sex and gender are two different things. You seem to be conflating them. Sex refers to external reproductive organs usually at birth; gender refers to behavior (masculine/feminine/ gender non-conforming mixtures). Expression of gender identity is a gender behavior but is only meaningful if it refers to previous gender behavior. I do not use the term gender identity for 3 reasons. (1) for a long time "gender identity disorder" was a term used to pathologies transgender people. (2) The term identity in this context is derived from the psychodynamic tradition of Freud and Erikson which has no scientific basis. (3) Identity cannot be operationalized for science because it refers to phenomena that are not observable. Please do not use it. There are some people who mix their gender behaviors who have other problems like depression but this is usually recognized as a secondary cooccurence. The depression is referred to as reactive depression because it is not organic but is a result of rejection by others. Providers who treat such people will typically treat social problems associated with their gender behavior category indicate that if the gender problems are solved through counseling or medical treatment, then the depression goes away.

Los más comunes son depresión, estrés, miedo, ansiedad, desesperación, tristeza etc

Despite the lack of set dietary recommendations for omega-3 PUFAs, meta-analytic evidence suggests that at EPA may improve anxiety at doses > 2 g/day (Su et al, 2018) and depression at doses 0.2-2.2 g/d in excess of DHA (Sublette et al., 2011). This contrasts the findings of a more recent meta-analysis by Deane et al. (2019). In any case, the EPA/DHA ratio, origin (e.g., marine vs. plant), form (e.g., ethyl ester, triglycerides, free fatty acids, monoacylglycerols) should be considered. There is an excellent review by Bazinet et al. (2019) focusing on EPA and major depression, which contains great references.

Hi Dr. Abba-Aji,

You may find these articles in American Psychological Association relevant-

Prajjita

I can mention one study with taxometric analysis in parastic disease:

Anshu Malhotra et al. Taxometric analysis of helminths of marine fishes 1.Pedunculacetabulum spinatum n. Sp., from chlorinemus mandetta and wenyonia rhincodonti n. Sp., from Rhincondon typus. Journal of parastic diseases, 2011:35(2):222_9.

DOI. 10.1007./s12639_011_0049_0

But, even in the other pathologies that are not socioeconomically conditioned, status and economic power even influence psycholinguistically to establish differences: Thus, the poor suffer from madness, go to asylums and, at most, take psychotropic drugs; while the rich who have "nervous disorders", "mental exhaustion", "sourmenages" and other euphemisms, go to Rest Centers or Specialized Clinics for "Over stress" and, in addition to psychotropic drugs -consumed in To a lesser extent, as demonstrated, they receive Psychotherapy and Combined Therapies ... It is only an example.

Hi,

Thank you Michael Uebel and Bhogaraju Anand for your answers. I found them really helpful.

All the best,

Hassan

Mohamed Elhadad Thanks for your suggestion, will sure look into that.

It is a CLINICAL relationship and praxis -not a coffee chat or between friends- that usually has a Psychodynamic basis, Support Therapy and Ventilation, Catharsis, Relationship of Help, or Counseling (and can be more than one of the at the same time) ... in the end, is to use THE WORD (the "LOGOS") as a therapeutic weapon; the Asclepiades -and Hippocrates was- already told us in Classical Greece that "the Sanitary heals with the knife, the poison and the word": the knife has given foot to Surgery, the poison to Pharmacotherapy and, the word , to Psychotherapy (and they do not have to be exclusive).

Dear Dr. Madhurima Ghosh, I agree with Dr. M.K. Tripathi and Dr. Shubhi Agarwal . I have not heard about this. Warm regards Yoganandan G

Currently Stephen Ternyik and I have been engaged (as well as members of Stephen's Lab) in the application of Ontological Engineering principles as applied to QMH (Quantifying Mental Health). As such we have designed a forensic simulator in which measurement data is feed from which AI (Artificial Intelligence ) algorithms minimize the predicted value of the "mental state" of the individual from the input measurement. The measurement input is obtained from a question answer session from both patient and people affiliated with the patient.

An overview of the forensic simulator is given in the attachment in addition to miscellaneous tools sets as provided for by the WKDB (World Knowledge DataBase) which is constantly updated with new information.

I don't think anything other than treatment and medication can treat OCD.

First of all, you should concentrate on the concept of disorders then relationship with other variables.

There is a paper written by Brooks & co-authors (2020) with a review and analysis of 24 researches on psychological effects of quarantines. It was a very helpful study for me and for my research.

Check this link out and you know more.

Yeah, thank you so much

The following literature may be useful to you.

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_800-1

This requires the quantification of mental health by a forensic simulator.

https://www.estd.org/sites/default/files/files/estd_guidelines_child_and_adolescents_first_update_july_2.pdf

Hi,

There are several electronic databases that can help finding the literature you are looking for. Here's an exmaple from Pubmed:

Other databases are: Web ob science, scopus, psycinfo etc.

yes, definitely

We compared the historical diagnosis "melancholia" with the modern "severe depression" according to ICD-10 in our first study "Mental illness in Sweden (1896-1905) reflected through case records from a local general hospital". None received the modern diagnoses "mild or moderate depression". The old case records describe depressed patients in a similar way as we do today. Just a historical perspective ;-).

Thank you for the text. It was very helpful in understanding the broader context of costs involved and research practices.

I am presently developing a cost of Illness Inventory which will collect information on the monetary and time costs related with the child from the parents. I am having difficulties in capturing opportunity cost of the parent who are willing to do a job but cannot do so.

Given scarcity of data and literature on autism in India it difficult to assume such costs. It seems very speculative.

I agree with Michael Uebel that PHQ-9 is a useful screening tool, as well as other validated questionnaires (Zung's SDS, CES-D, HADS, Whooley, etc.). However, they are just screening tools, not diagnostic tools. A positive screening indicates that there is a likelihood of having a depressive disorder.

E.g., it is accepted that the operational features (sensitivity, specificity...) of the PHQ9 are sufficiently good to recommend its use as a screening tool, but its predictive positive value (at best: in a population with high prevalence of depression) could be around of 50 % (i. e., 50% of positive results in PHQ 9 do not have depression).

Please, read this old but interesting paper: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alex_Mitchell/publication/26703371

Thanks Max and Michael for the response.

In the humanities it is possible. I know a researcher at a literary museum in Estonia, and I think in a number of Eastern European countries native speakers of the national language have research positions with less than a PhD or equivalent. However, as Michael Uebel has indirectly suggested, it's not something to be counted on. In the sciences one could be part of a research team in the capacity of a technical assistant and take part in some research activities that are not of one's own design or initiative. But really, if your ultimate goal is to do your own research independently, i.e. not in a subordinate role, you'll need a PhD. The first step for you would be a 4yr undergraduate degree (preferably honors). Assuming you want the fastest and most direct route to your goal because of your age, I then suggest to try for a direct-entry PhD program that let's you bypass the master's and finish in 3 years; however, a longer time spent in a program could provide more opportunities for valuable research experience even though in a subordinate role; so it's a tradeoff.

"Rêve et chamanisme", ed Accarias l'Originel, Paris, 1998.

You may be able to contact the WHO and ask about the availability of PM+ in Swedish. Or, the WHO might know if there are research teams involved in its translation (and back translation) into Swedish. Questions may be directed at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO (mhgap-info@who.int). I hope that helps!

Just like environmental factors, psychological factors may have an impact on gene expression and its regulatory mechanisms but the extent of impact would be depndent on multifactorial aspects and would need to be ascertained in a case to case basis.

Hi,

Maybe this questionnaire can help.

Best wishes

Yaakov

Please go through the video links, may helpful

Better to heed these warnings: http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/warning.html

Are you referring to paper by Johnsen and Friborg? :)

They point out in it some possible factors:

- declining adherence to therapy manuals

- declining of the placebo effect

- varying skills of therapy founders/original users and other users

I agree with Dr. Tausif, that the health hazard due to high TDS is related to the presence contaminants dissolved in groundwater. Natural mineral contaminants like Arsenic or man made like fertilizers; pesticides; etc., in the groundwater lead to chronic effects like cancer, liver or kidney problems, or reproductive difficulties. 

Hallusinations alone are naturallly not enough to diagnose schizophrenia. It is like in the two other answers defined by which other symptoms and problems with function the person has.

Dear Sarika Srivastava

Can you give some information about the project so that we may be able to give more specific information. 

Any drug causing severe mental side effects would/should not be used as a contraceptive.

Paul- before proceeding, I have to point out that the term "intractable" is  an illusional way of referring to an ineffective therapy - major source of the treatment difficulty is sloppy approach to research of brain biology- decades of advances in brain imaging confirm glitches in  brain systems that are implicated in OCD - most psychologists, social workers, counselors and others who practice psychotherapy have been content with shifting brain biology issues to medicine knows physicians - even undertake sometimes to encourage patients to comply with medication regimens- need to address the fact that  even the FDA  relies only on evidence that medications reduce the symptoms per DSM listings - no requirement to demonstrate corrections of brain impairments- I know of no evidence from any neuropharmaceutical that corrects defects in brain biology- We are all  aware, however, of the numerous examples of neurological damage like EPS and TD as well as serious endocrine disruptions- the only study I know that identifies brain pathology in mental illness, is the landmark project of Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and his team in the UCLA  department of Psychiatry. They designed a psychotherapy protocol based on discoveries of neuroplasticity in the discipline of neuroscience-neuroplasticity refers to the process in which every learning experience includes biological brain changes. Part of therapy involved cognitive-behavioral methods for changing pathologies of thinking and behavior, which most psychotherapists will recognize.  (f)MRIs were applied to assess brain benefits .  Structures that were not doing what they are designed to do, were in overactive areas. Mindfulness skills ,along with other benefits, normalize activity levels. The resulting effects were that malfunctioning structures started working as designed.  Successful psychotherapy is always a learning experience - hundreds of studies of neuroplasticity confirm this phenomenon. A giant leap in the UCLA  project was designing a therapy where the brain changes came in the form of correcting defective functioning.  Highly recommend thew book describing the project- includes details of research references, which provides good update for modern advances in neuroscience

Dear friend

not needed to focus just in air guitar....As I pointed, try to have your own protocol validate and work on it. surely, Its of interest to you and other researchers.

Best Regards

Dear Mario,

I read your project and it seems very interesting. Though it is not focused on European policies, I enclose an article I wrote jointly with Federico Spandonaro about the differences of treatments for psychiatric (schizophrenic) patients among Italian regions.

Hope it will give you an idea of the heterogeneity of treatment in our Italian decentralized NHS

This is a little dated, but you might want to check the "Bremer Jugendstudie” (BJS; English translation: Bremer Adolescent Study), which was conducted between May 1996 and July 1997. Google Scholar shows a number of reports from that study.

Yes, you can see the DC: 0-3R, a "developmentally based system for diagnosing mental health and developmental disorders in infants and toddlers" (https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/services/dc-0-3r). The updated manual, titled DC:0-5™, will be released in December 2016.

Dear Verly, 

check  if these  papers help you:

Dear Miraç,

In addition to Lewis' great suggestion, response to treatment could be measured using the self-reported PTSD symptom severity (Impact of Event Scale-Revised). Another option could be the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale.

Please see attached for some articles that could be of interest to you.

Best wishes,

Julio

Dear Sandra, 

somatic disorders affect the mental well-being and vise verse. 

Hello Ramkrushna,

In addition to the above-mentioned, I would like to recommend you the book "Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis, 7th Edition", Deborah C. Beidel (Editor), B. Christopher Frueh (Editor), Michel Hersen (Editor). 

This book follows DSM 5 and includes topics such as the new Schizophrenic Spectrum designation and other psychotic disorders, the revised approach to eating disorders, the alternative DSM-5 Model for personality disorders, among other topics.

Hope it helps. 

Best wishes, 

Julio 

Sorry I am late to this debate

In psychiatry, the most impressive data mining researchers imo are Stefan Leucht (Munich) and Jari Tiihonen (now Karolinska). I should add I have no personal connection with either of these two academics.

However, on a personal note you could access my own paper on early death in the mentally ill (see my site) as an example of the Scottish data mines.

Empty Sella is a pathological condition, an abnormal anatomical finding. Your question had no description of a mental state associated with it. There may be several different ones not all of which are abnormal.  Psychiatry is the care and study of normal and abnormal mental states (cognitive, emotional, experiential and behavioral) and mental dispositions (cognitive and affective traits). Sorry to be so didactic but we have to describe what we are observing accurately if we are to understand it from its origins to its impacts.  

The language has changed and I think you raise an interesting question. It might be helpful to view the current thinking around DSM V in terms of harm reduction. The harm reduction approach has been seen as dichotomous to abstinence but actually abstinence is part of the harm reduction continuum. The basic premise of harm reduction is that people are always going to use drugs, and if you look at the way DSM-5 is worded with mild moderate and severe it allows for the possibility of non problematic substance use. In the new language when we talk about dependence we're talking about the body's physical dependence for example if a patient taking pain medication as prescribed would develop a physical dependence. But this would not be considered a substance use disorder.

Dear Lasse,

I am not surprised by your findings. People are generally becoming busier, although I don't have any statistics on this. I think 20-30 minutes is quite a long way beyond the level of goodwill of time the average citizen would give to a stranger. My advice is therefore:

Indeed, the precise brain region to be targetted is as yet unknown. Thus far, conventional (e.g. figure-of-8) and deep brain TMS studies have been conducted with varying success. If TMS is to be FDA approved for treatment of autism, we need to know which brain region to target, which is the best type of coil and treatment regime, and then a large RCT would need to be conducted with statistically significant results. This will take substantial time to achieve.

Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy of Anxiety: A Transdiagnostic Treatment Manual

by Peter J. Norton

If you let go of the interview method, you could focus on the history of the issue of mental competence, which mostly used in forensic psychiatry, but would shed light on your question. See for example the book by Daniel Robinson Wild Beasts and Idle Humours The Insanity Defense from Antiquity to the Present (Harvard University Press, 1998). Here is the summary:

How does the law regard and define mental incompetence, when faced with the problem of meting out justice? To what extent has the law relied on extra-legal authorities—be they religious or scientific—to frame its own categories of mental incompetence and madness? Wild Beasts and Idle Humours takes us on an illuminating journey through the changing historical landscape of human nature and offers an unprecedented look at the legal conceptions of insanity from the pre-classical Greek world to the present. Although actual trial records are either totally lacking or incomplete until the eighteenth century, there are other sources from which the insanity defenses can be constructed.

In this book Daniel N. Robinson, a distinguished historian of psychology, pores over centuries of written law, statements by legal commentators, summaries of crimes, and punishments, to glean from these sources an understanding of epochal views of responsibility and competence. From the Greek phrenesis to the Roman notions of furiosus and non compos mentis, from the seventeenth-century witch trials to today’s interpretation of mens rea, Robinson takes us through history and provides the intricate story of how the insanity defense has been construed as a meeting point of the law and those professions that chart human behavior and conduct: namely religion, medicine, and psychology. The result is a rare historical account of “insanity” within Western civilization.

Wild Beasts and Idle Humours will be essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of thinking not merely about legal insanity but about such core concepts as responsibility, fitness for the rule of law, competence to enter into contracts and covenants, the role of punishments, and the place of experts within the overall juridical context.

Hi Dee,

The purpose of a theoretical framework is to provide structure  and organization to your study. Thematic analysis is a methodological approach to identifying and understanding meanings from qualitative data. Because the former facilitates a means to organize the later, you should be able to use a socio-cultural theoretical framework to help you understand the themes that emerge from a thematic analysis. However, you will need to include a strong rationale based in the literature and other evidence you use to build the case for this combined approach. I would encourage you to use the terms socio-cultural and thematic analysis as keywords in your search of the literature to see if and how other researchers have used a similar approach to what you are asking about. Be sure to explore a range of literature search databases, including Medline/Pubmed, Computerized Index of Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), in addition to the sociology, psychology, and education literature search databases.

All the best in your academic endeavors, 

I am not going to mention a culture-related factor, but another factor. I think it is worth looking into this factor. It is a question of how an individual identifies a mental health problem in himself or herself.

I believe that a person will be less likely to seek healthcare if he or she self-identifies as "burned out" in contrast to self-identifying as depressed. See Bahlmann, J., Angermeyer, M. C., & Schomerus, G. (2013). Calling it “burnout” instead of “depression.” Psychiatrische Praxis, 40, 78–82. I am of the view—a minority view but one that has growing credibility—that burnout is a depressive syndrome. I think that individuals who self-identify as burned out think what they need is a vacation or respite. A respite helps temporarily but two to three weeks after returning to work symptoms are back to pre-respite levels. See Westman, M., & Etzion, D. (2001). The impact of vacation and job stress on burnout and absenteeism. Psychology & Health, 16, 595-606. 

People who identify themselves as depressed will be more likely to seek healthcare. If burnout is a depressive syndrome, as I think it is, then it is important that individuals who self-identify as burned out seek the appropriate care.

You can see tese two papers giving  psychological solutions for cancer patients.

Thank you Stephen, 

You are so kind!

Dear Avudaiappan, 

Check these papers and their references out: