Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mamaru Melkam, Tesfaye Segon, Girum Nakie
Summary: The pooled prevalence of social phobia among students in Ethiopia was found to be 26.81%. Factors such as being female, having poor social support, substance use, single parent, and rural residence were significantly associated with social phobia. The educational bureau needs to address social phobia to improve academic achievement and creativity in students.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alice Caldiroli, Enrico Capuzzi, Letizia M. M. Affaticati, Teresa Surace, Carla L. L. Di Forti, Antonios Dakanalis, Massimo Clerici, Massimiliano Buoli
Summary: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common psychiatric condition that requires prompt treatment to prevent psychiatric comorbidity and impairment in social and occupational functioning. This study systematically reviewed the literature on potential biomarkers for SAD. While some preliminary evidence suggests the role of certain genes and neuroimaging findings in SAD, the results overall remain inconsistent and need further investigation on larger samples to identify more specific biomarkers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Qi Zhou, Xinming Li, Dejiang Yang, Chongyu Xiong, Zhenrong Xiong
Summary: This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the short-term rates of neurological side effects (SEs) related to commonly used second-generation antidepressants. The results showed that most second-generation antidepressants increased the risk of neurological SEs compared to placebo. However, certain antidepressants exhibited reduced neurological SEs in specific symptoms.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Borwin Bandelow, Antonia M. Werner, Ina Kopp, Sebastian Rudolf, Joerg Wiltink, Manfred E. Beutel
Summary: The 2014 German Guidelines for Anxiety Disorders have been revised by a consensus group in 2019, with the addition of 92 new RCTs. The guideline recommends the use of CBT as the primary psychological treatment, and SSRIs and SNRIs as first-line drugs for anxiety disorders. Alternative strategies should be considered for patients non-responsive to standard treatments.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Maya A. Zika, Linda Becker
Summary: Physical activity interventions may be a suitable option for reducing social anxiety symptoms, especially for adults. Research shows that individuals who engage in regular physical activity tend to have lower levels of social anxiety.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Nicole E. Lorenzo, Danielle R. Novick, Kaylee Seddio, Kathryn A. Degnan, Heather A. Henderson, Alisa N. Almas, Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, Nathan Fox
Summary: This study explores the interactive effect of parenting behaviors and child temperament on the developmental trajectory of social anxiety from age 9 to 15. Results suggest that highly inhibited children benefit from high supportive and low dismissive parenting, while children low in behavioral inhibition benefit more from high dismissive parenting.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Mary Butler, Caitriona Long-Smith, Gerard M. Moloney, Sabrina Morkl, Siobhain M. O'Mahony, John F. Cryan, Gerard Clarke, Timothy G. Dinan
Summary: The study found that patients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) had elevated levels of kynurenic acid (KYNA) and KYNA/KYN ratio compared to healthy controls. SAD patients with a history of past suicide attempts showed higher kynurenine (KYN) levels and KYN/TRYP ratio. Additionally, SAD males had significantly lower levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 compared to healthy males.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Elisabetta Caletti, Chiara Massimo, Sara Magliocca, Chiara Moltrasio, Paolo Brambilla, Giuseppe Delvecchio
Summary: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) can negatively impact an individual's occupational and relational life. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown promise in treating SAD by improving attentional bias, awareness, emotion regulation, and safety/avoidance behaviors. However, further research is needed to compare its effectiveness with traditional Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (CBT).
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Fateme Askari, Ali Zia-Tohidi
Summary: Research on memory bias in social anxiety has found contradictory results, highlighting the importance of considering moderators and confounding factors. This study examined the link between social anxiety and autobiographical memory performance, finding that state anxiety predicted higher memory clarity, specifically for self-referential details. Trait social anxiety had a significant decreasing effect on sensory details memory. Furthermore, social anxiety indirectly enhanced self-referential memory through state anxiety, suggesting a possible suppression effect.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Jiedi Lei, Ailsa Russell
Summary: This study explored shared and unique constructs underlying social communication difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). The fear of negative evaluation (FNE) was identified as a stable construct unique to social anxiety in both autistic and neurotypical samples. Interventions targeting SAD in autism should focus on addressing FNE during adolescence, a critical period of heightened peer interaction and social vulnerability.
JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2021)
Review
Psychology, Clinical
Natan Pereira Gosmann, Marianna de Abreu Costa, Marianna de Barros Jaeger, Julia Frozi, Lucas Spanemberg, Gisele Gus Manfro, Samuele Cortese, Pim Cuijpers, Daniel Samuel Pine, Giovanni Abrahao Salum
Summary: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) have similar efficacy in treating anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and stress-related disorders. A network meta-analysis compared adverse event patterns between SSRIs and SNRIs in children and adults with these disorders. The analysis found that medication groups had higher adverse event rates, with nausea being the most common adverse event. Results also showed differences in overall tolerability and specific symptoms between medications.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Quincy J. J. Wong, Bree Gregory, Alice R. Norton, Bethany Shikatani, Kelsie A. Boulton, Michelle Torok, Melanie A. Porter, Lorna Peters, Maree J. Abbott, Martin M. Antony
Summary: The study found that the Self-Beliefs related to Social Anxiety (SBSA) scale is suitable for assessing the psychological characteristics of individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) and has good validity, especially in measuring the relationship between social anxiety and depression.
JOURNAL OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Nicolette Stogios, Emily Smith, Sylvie Bowden, Veronica Tran, Roshanak Asgariroozbehani, William Brett McIntyre, Gary Remington, Dan Siskind, Mahavir Agarwal, Margaret K. Hahn
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the metabolic adverse effects of off-label use of SGAs in adult psychiatric patients. Findings suggested that patients treated with olanzapine, risperidone, and quetiapine were at a higher risk of weight gain, especially with olanzapine. This highlights the potential significant weight gain associated with off-label use of SGAs in adults.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alice Caldiroli, Enrico Capuzzi, Ilaria Tagliabue, Luisa Ledda, Massimo Clerici, Massimiliano Buoli
Summary: This review summarizes the efficacy of unlabeled molecules for the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Pregabalin at high doses appears to be a reliable alternative strategy for SAD treatment. Among the SSRIs not labeled for SAD, citalopram showed the most promising results.
EXPERT OPINION ON PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Wicher A. Bokma, Paul Zhutovsky, Erik J. Giltay, Robert A. Schoevers, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Anton L. J. M. van Balkom, Neeltje M. Batelaan, Guido A. van Wingen
Summary: This study aimed to predict recovery from anxiety disorders within 2 years using a machine learning approach. The results showed moderate performance in predicting recovery from anxiety disorders, with anxiety features being the most indicative for improvement.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Donatella Marazziti, Filippo M. Barberi, Leonardo Fontenelle, Beatrice Buccianelli, Manuel G. Carbone, Elisabetta Parra, Stefania Palermo, Lucia Massa, Claudia Tagliarini, Alessandra Della Vecchia, Federico Mucci, Alessandro Arone, Liliana Dell'Osso
Summary: This study compared vitamin D levels in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and explored possible correlations with patients' characteristics. The results showed a negative correlation between vitamin D levels and the severity of OCD and specific symptoms, with some differences based on gender. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in OCD patients.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mary-Ellen E. Brierley, Lucy Albertella, Kristian Rotaru, Louise Destree, Emma M. Thompson, Chang Liu, Erynn Christensen, Amelia Lowe, Rebecca A. Segrave, Karyn E. Richardson, Edouard Kayayan, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Jon E. Grant, Rico S. C. Lee, Sam Hughes, Murat Yucel, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study investigates the relationships between compulsivity and diet quality, sleep quality, and physical activity, and finds that psychological distress mediates these relationships. Lifestyle interventions for compulsivity should focus on reducing psychological distress, followed by improving sleep and diet quality.
Article
Psychiatry
Zoe Bettess, Lucy Albertella, Louise Destree, Maria C. Rosario, Ygor Arzeno Ferrao, Euripedes C. Miguel, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study found that transformation obsessions (TO) may be better conceptualized as forbidden/taboo thoughts rather than contamination. Patients with TO displayed increased suicidality, overall younger age, and a significantly larger disparity between seeking treatment and OCD diagnosis.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Mary-Ellen E. Brierley, Lucy Albertella, Erynn Christensen, Kristian Rotaru, Felice N. Jacka, Rebecca A. Segrave, Karyn E. Richardson, Rico S. C. Lee, Edouard Kayayan, Sam Hughes, Murat Yucel, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study examined the impact of lifestyle factors on obsessive-compulsive symptoms and problematic repetitive behaviors. The results showed that lower intake of vegetables and oily fish, as well as lower moderate intensity physical activity, predicted higher obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Higher intake of high-fat foods predicted higher compulsive problematic repetitive behaviors. The study suggests the potential importance of lifestyle interventions for individuals experiencing compulsivity-related behaviors and/or symptoms.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Barbara P. Stumpf, Leonardo C. de Souza, Marina S. F. Mourao, Fabio L. Rocha, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Izabela G. Barbosa
Summary: This study aimed to review the cognitive performance of patients with hoarding disorder (HD) compared to controls. The results showed that HD patients only showed impairment in categorization skills, while their cognitive performance in other domains did not differ significantly from controls. There is a lack of research on social cognition and the impact of emotions on cognitive performance in HD patients, calling for further investigation.
Article
Psychiatry
Maria E. Moreira-de-Oliveira, Gabriela B. de Menezes, Carla D. Loureiro, Luana D. Laurito, Lucy Albertella, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: The study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptom changes in a sample of Brazilian OCD patients. The results showed that treated patients did not experience significant symptom deterioration during the pandemic, and individual variations in symptom severity did not seem to be related to experiences linked to the coronavirus.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Luana Dumans Laurito, Carla Pereira Loureiro, Rafaela Venaencio Dias, Livi Faro, Bianca Torres, Maria Eduarda Moreira-de-Oliveira, Samara Dos Santos-Ribeiro, Gabriela B. De Menezes, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Carter H. Davis, Michael P. Twohig
Summary: Previous research suggests that a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can effectively treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in Latin American populations. This study conducted ACT and ERP treatment on three OCD patients in Brazil, and found that the adapted ACT version in a Brazilian cultural context was effective, leading to decreased OCD symptoms, improved depression, quality of life, and psychological flexibility.
JOURNAL OF CONTEXTUAL BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Psychiatry
Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Euripedes C. Miguel
PSYCHIATRIC ANNALS
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Erin Crowe, Maria C. Rosario, Ygor A. Ferrao, Lucy Albertella, Euripedes C. Miguel, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the demographics, comorbid disorders, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms associated with Obsessional Slowness (OS). The cross-sectional data from 667 OCD outpatients were analyzed, revealing that being single, having tics, and displaying higher severity of specific OCD symptoms predicted the presence of OS.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Louise Destree, Lucy Albertella, Laura Jobson, Patrick McGorry, Andrew Chanen, Aswin Ratheesh, Christopher Davey, Andrea Polari, Paul Amminger, Hok Pan Yuen, Jessica Hartmann, Rachael Spooner, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Barnaby Nelson
Summary: This study investigated the association between stressful experiences and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The results showed that stressful experiences were associated with the symmetry dimension of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Borderline personality disorder symptoms were positively associated with the symmetry and fear of harm dimensions, while psychosis symptoms were negatively associated with the fear of harm dimension.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shinsuke Suzuki, Xiaoliu Zhang, Amir Dezfouli, Leah Braganza, Ben D. Fulcher, Linden Parkes, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Ben J. Harrison, Carsten Murawski, Murat Yucel, Chao Suo
Summary: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and pathological gambling (PG) are associated with deficits in behavioural flexibility. Model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals altered reward-learning in OCD and PG, with OCD patients showing lower learning rates for worse-than-expected outcomes and attenuated encoding of negative reward prediction errors, and PG patients showing higher and lower learning rates for better- and worse-than-expected outcomes, respectively, accompanied with higher encoding of positive reward prediction errors. Perseveration did not significantly differ between the patient groups and healthy controls.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Rico S. C. Lee, Lucy Albertella, Erynn Christensen, Chao Suo, Rebecca A. Segrave, Maja Brydevall, Rebecca Kirkham, Chang Liu, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Kristian Rotaru, Murat Yucel
Summary: The purpose of this study was to validate a gamified battery of neurocognitive tasks for assessing addictive behaviors. The findings showed that the gamified tasks were sufficiently valid for assessing key neurocognitive processes related to addiction. This validation has significant implications for risk detection and the successful deployment of next-generation assessment tools for substance use or misuse and other mental disorders characterized by neurocognitive anomalies.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ivan Abdalla Teixeira, Evandro Silva Freire Coutinho, Valeska Marinho, Erico Castro-Costa III, Andrea Camaz Deslandes
Summary: This study investigates the prevalence of dynapenia among older adults in different regions of Brazil. The study also examines the overlap between dynapenia and IADL disability, depression, and executive dysfunction. The results show significant differences in the prevalence of dynapenia and its overlap with other health issues across different macroregions.
REVISTA DE SAUDE PUBLICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Campbell Ince, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Adrian Carter, Lucy Albertella, Jeggan Tiego, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Kristian Rotaru
Summary: Problematic pornography use is a complex and growing research area, but limited knowledge exists regarding the lived experience of individuals with this issue. An online qualitative study revealed dimensions that have not been fully explored, including various mental and physical complaints, sexual functioning deficits with real partners, and subjective changes in sexual arousal while using pornography. The study also expanded on understanding the inner conflict associated with problematic pornography use and clarified ways in which users can progress to more intensified patterns of use.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Marcelo Piquet-Pessoa, Joane de Oliveira, Ana Paula Ribeiro, Lucy Albertella, Gabriela M. Ferreira, Gabriela B. de Menezes, Leonardo F. Fontenelle
Summary: This study investigated whether the habitual use of alcohol in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) at baseline would lead to worse outcomes after one year of follow-up. The results showed that greater fear and reward motivations for alcohol use predicted a greater improvement in AUD symptoms at the end of one year. These findings may contribute to the development of new approaches for AUD treatment and inform addiction research models.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
