Article
Psychology, Clinical
Katherine Parkin, Shanquan Chen, Marjan Biria, James Plaistow, Helen Beckwith, Isaac Jarratt-Barnham, Nuria Segarra, Yulia Worbe, Naomi A. Fineberg, Rudolf N. Cardinal, Trevor W. Robbins, Emilio Fernandez-Egea
Summary: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) commonly occur in patients treated with clozapine and can significantly affect subjective wellbeing. This study found that OCS severity had a negative impact on wellbeing scores, independent of depressive and psychotic symptoms. However, OCS did not impair general functioning. Obsessional thinking and hoarding behavior, rather than compulsions, were specifically associated with decreased wellbeing, possibly due to the nature of the compulsions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Clinical
Behrang Mahjani, Katharina Bey, Julia Boberg, Christie Burton
Summary: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heritable, polygenic disorder with contributions from both common and rare genetic variants. Genetics play an important role in the susceptibility to OCD, with discrete OCD symptom dimensions having both shared and unique genetic risks. Genome-wide studies show that OCD shares genetic risk with its comorbid conditions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Ellen R. Wald, Jens Eickhoff, Grace E. Flood, Michael V. Heinz, Daniel Liu, Alisha Agrawal, Richard P. Morse, Veronica M. Raney, Aravindhan Veerapandiyan, Juliette C. Madan
Summary: PANDAS/PANS is a rare autoimmune complication with substantial heterogeneity in both geography and time, warranting a prospective investigation into the same question.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Clara Law, Snigdha Kamarsu, Immanuela C. Obisie-Orlu, Gina M. Belli, Maria Mancebo, Jane Eisen, Steven Rasmussen, Christina L. Boisseau
Summary: Personality traits may impact the course and symptom presentation of OCD, with low extraversion being associated with a decreased rate of remission. Other personality traits were not associated with remission.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Gregory S. Chasson, Junhan Cho, Mark Zimmerman, Adam M. Leventhal
Summary: This study provides evidence for the comorbidity between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and nicotine dependence in clinical and non-clinical populations. The results suggest that the link between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and nicotine dependence may be obscured when obsessive-compulsive phenomena is modeled as a dichotomous diagnostic variable rather than as a dimensional construct.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mu-Hong Chen, Shih-Jen Tsai, Tung-Ping Su, Cheng-Ta Li, Wei-Chen Lin, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Tai-Long Pan, Ya-Mei Bai
Summary: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have a higher risk of ischemic stroke, especially middle-aged and elderly adults, but no significant difference in hemorrhagic stroke risk. The use of OCD medications does not appear to affect the occurrence of stroke.
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Trevor. W. Robbins
Summary: This scientific commentary discusses the research conducted by Kim et al. on the unbalanced fronto-pallidal neurocircuit underlying set shifting in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, published in the journal Brain.
Article
Psychiatry
Maria E. Moreira-de-Oliveira, Gabriela B. de Menezes, Luana D. Laurito, Carla P. Loureiro, Samara dos Santos-Ribeiro, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: The study found that individuals with OCD and healthy controls do not differ in terms of their beliefs in free will, but individuals with longer duration of illness and greater severity of symptoms may perceive a decrease in free will. The experience of feeling responsible for one's actions could predict the severity of OCD symptoms.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mu-Hong Chen, Shih-Jen Tsai, Chih-Sung Liang, Chih-Ming Cheng, Tung-Ping Su, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Ya-Mei Bai
Summary: Evidence suggests a continuity between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia, but the factors that may predict diagnostic progression from OCD to schizophrenia remain unclear. The study found that male sex, obesity, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, cluster A personality disorder, and a family history of schizophrenia were associated with a higher likelihood of subsequent progression to schizophrenia in patients with OCD. Further research is needed to elucidate the exact pathomechanisms underlying diagnostic progression to schizophrenia in patients with OCD.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Psychiatry
Louise Destree, Mary-Ellen E. Brierley, Lucy Albertella, Laura Jobson, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review on the relationships between childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) severity. The results showed a significant relationship between exposure to childhood trauma and OCS severity in both clinical and non-clinical populations. It was also found that a range of childhood trauma types, rather than a single type, was associated with OCD.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Long Long Chen, Afrouz Abbaspour, Kristina Aspvall, Christian Ruck, Cynthia M. Bulik, Diana Pascal
Summary: This study found that there were no significant changes in the diversity, composition, and functional gene expression of the gut microbiome in patients with OCD before and after cognitive behavioral therapy, indicating that behavioral changes may not alter the influence of the gut microbiome.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aline P. Vellozo, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Ricardo C. Torresan, Roseli G. Shavitt, Ygor A. Ferrao, Maria C. Rosario, Euripedes C. Miguel, Albina R. Torres
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence, severity, and correlates of the symmetry dimension in OCD patients. Results showed a high prevalence of the symmetry dimension, which was associated with early onset of symptoms, severe depressive symptoms, and sensory phenomena.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Kirupamani Viswasam, David Berle, Denise Milicevic, Vladan Starcevic
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of anxiety and related disorders during pregnancy, with OCD showing a steady increase in prevalence from the first to the third trimester. A significant proportion of women developed these disorders during pregnancy, indicating a potential risk factor. The findings have important implications for the recognition, prevention, and treatment of anxiety disorders during pregnancy.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Faranak Kadivari, Mahmoud Najafi, Vahid Khosravani
Summary: This study found that childhood maltreatment has both direct and indirect effects on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, with the indirect effect mediated by the behavioral inhibition system. The findings highlight the role of the behavioral inhibition system in linking childhood maltreatment to obsessive-compulsive symptomology.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Angel Rosa-Alcazar, Jose Luis Parada-Navas, Maria Dolores Garcia-Hernandez, Andrea Pozza, Paolo Tondi, Ana Isabel Rosa-Alcazar
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a worsening of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. This study aimed to examine the long-term changes in severity and dimensions of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) during the pandemic. The results showed intragroup differences in severity, with contamination and somatic dimensions being affected more.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Simone Amendola, Michael P. Hengartner, Valentina Spensieri, Luciano Grillo, Rita Cerutti
Summary: Despite previous studies, there is little consistent knowledge on the co-occurrence patterns of somatic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents. This study used cluster analysis to examine these patterns, finding that participants with high levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms reported greater functional disability due to somatic symptoms. Significant differences were also shown in gender and age among the four clusters identified.
EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Letter
Neurosciences
Martin Ploederl, Michael P. Hengartner
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Dimitri van der Linden, Curtis S. Dunkel, Peter Prinzie, Misa Yamanaka-Altenstein, Agnes von Wyl, Michael P. Hengartner
Summary: This study examined the overlap between higher-order factors of personality and psychopathology, and their relationship with daily life functioning and communication style. The findings suggest that the overlap between these factors may contribute to lower life functioning and less social effectiveness.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Simone Amendola, Michael Pascal Hengartner, Vladeta Ajdacic-Gross, Jules Angst, Wulf Roessler
Summary: This study examined the longitudinal associations between depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The findings revealed reciprocal relationships between these disorders and highlighted gender differences, with females being more susceptible to depressive and anxiety disorders, and males being more vulnerable to substance use disorders. Early treatment and comprehensive psychosocial interventions are crucial in preventing chronicity and further maladjustment.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna Moncrieff, Ruth E. Cooper, Tom Stockmann, Simone Amendola, Michael P. Hengartner, Mark A. Horowitz
Summary: The serotonin hypothesis of depression, which suggests that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations, lacks consistent evidence based on the synthesis and evaluation of research in this field. This umbrella review found no substantial association between serotonin and depression, while suggesting that long-term antidepressant use may reduce serotonin concentration.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Ploederl, Joakim Westerlund, Sebastian Hokby, Gergo Hadlaczky, Michael Pascal Hengartner
Summary: The available evidence suggests that moon phases have no impact on suicidal behavior. A recent Finnish study reporting elevated suicide rates during full moon among premenopausal women in winter could not be replicated in an Austrian study. The present study in Sweden, geographically more comparable to Finland, also found no correlation between full moon and suicide rates, supporting the null hypothesis.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Mark Abie Horowitz, Adele Framer, Michael P. Hengartner, Anders Sorensen, David Taylor
Summary: The brain's adaptation to drugs can predict withdrawal symptoms upon cessation. Physical dependence to antidepressants may occur in some patients, and factors such as duration of use, dosage, and specific drugs can influence the risk of withdrawal effects. Further research is needed to improve prediction tools and understand the adaptability of long-term antidepressant use.
Letter
Neurosciences
Michael P. Hengartner, Martin Ploederl
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna Moncrieff, Ruth E. E. Cooper, Tom Stockmann, Simone Amendola, Michael P. P. Hengartner, Martin Ploderl, Mark A. A. Horowitz
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Viola Schon, Michael P. Hengartner, Enrico Tronci, Toni Mancini, Fabian Ille, Susanna Roblitz, Tillmann Kruege, Brigitte Leeners
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between steroid hormones and women's sexual attraction, and found no significant effect of steroid hormone levels on sexual attraction in naturally cycling women or women undergoing fertility treatment.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Caroline Kamp Jorgensen, Sophie Juul, Faiza Siddiqui, Mark Abie Horowitz, Joanna Moncrieff, Klaus Munkholm, Michael Pascal Hengartner, Irving Kirsch, Christian Gluud, Janus Christian Jakobsen
Summary: This study aims to assess the risks of adverse events with venlafaxine or mirtazapine in adults with major depressive disorder through systematic reviews. The effects of venlafaxine and mirtazapine will be evaluated separately in two reviews. The assessment of bias risk will be conducted using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool version 2, and clinical significance will be assessed using an eight-step procedure. The results of this study will provide important information for the treatment of major depressive disorder.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Melanie A. Amrein, Michael P. Hengartner, Markus Napflin, Renato Farcher, Carola A. Huber
Summary: The study aimed to provide prevalence rates of long-term users of antidepressants in Switzerland over the last decade and investigate associated factors. The findings showed a high and steadily increasing proportion of long-term users in Switzerland, with older age, being a woman, living in an urban area, living in a nursing home, being enrolled in a standard care plan, and receiving psychiatric or psychotherapeutic care being positively associated with long-term use.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Pediatrics
Martin Ploederl, Mark A. Horowitz, Michael P. Hengartner
JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Martin Ploderl, Simone Amendola, Michael Pascal Hengartner
Summary: This study investigated whether observational studies showing favorable results for antidepressants on suicidal behavior are more likely to be published in psychiatric journals and cited more often. The study found that studies with favorable results were more frequently published in psychiatric journals and were often conducted by authors with conflicts of interest. This may create a biased evidence base within psychiatry.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Primary Health Care
Michael P. Hengartner, Stefan Neuner-Jehle, Oliver Senn