scholarly journals Overview of Stigma against Psychiatric Illnesses and Advancements of Anti-Stigma Activities in Six Asian Societies

Author(s):  
Zhisong Zhang ◽  
Kaising Sun ◽  
Chonnakarn Jatchavala ◽  
John Koh ◽  
Yimian Chia ◽  
...  

Background: In psychiatry, stigma is an attitude of disapproval towards people with mental illnesses. Psychiatric disorders are common in Asia but some Asians receive inadequate treatment. Previous review found that Asians with mental illness were perceived to be dangerous and aggressive. There is a need for renewed efforts to understand stigma and strategies which can effectively reduce stigma in specific Asian societies. The objective of this systematic review was to provide an up-to-date overview of existing research and status on stigma experienced by psychiatric patients and anti-stigma campaigns in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Korea, and Thailand. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in the following databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science, and local databases. Studies published in English and the official language of included countries/territories were considered for inclusion in the systematic review. Any article on stigma related to any form of psychiatric illness in the six Asian societies was included. Results: One hundred and twenty-three articles were included for this systematic review. This review has six major findings. Firstly, Asians with mental illnesses were considered as dangerous and aggressive, especially patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; second, psychiatric illnesses in Asian societies were less socially-acceptable and were viewed as being personal weaknesses; third, stigma experienced by family members was pervasive and this is known as family stigma; fourth, this systemic review reported more initiatives to handle stigma in Asian societies than a decade ago; fifth, there have been initiatives to treat psychiatric patients in the community; and sixth, the role of supernatural and religious approaches to psychiatric illness was not prevailing. Conclusion: This systematic review provides an overview of the available scientific evidence that points to areas of needed intervention to reduce and ultimately eliminate inequities in mental health in Asia.

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 799-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Emidio Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Ana Maria Baptista Menezes ◽  
Flavio Fernando Demarco ◽  
Fabiana Vargas-Ferreira ◽  
Marco Aurelio Peres

OBJECTIVE Identifying, through a systematic literature review, evidence of a possible association between obesity and dental caries. METHODS A search of articles published between 2005 and January 2012 was performed in the Medline/PubMed, LILACS and Web of Science databases. The quality of scientific evidence of the selected articles was assessed by the items proposed for observational studies in the Downs & Black instrument. RESULTS Initially, 537 references were found; after checking the titles and abstracts by two independent researchers, twenty-eight articles were selected for complete reading. Ten of them that assessed the primary and/or permanent dentition observed a positive association between obesity and dental caries and one study found an inverse association. According to the Downs & Black classification, thirteen articles with good scientific evidence were found. CONCLUSIONS The present review did not find sufficient evidence regarding the association between obesity and dental caries, and it did not clarify the possible role of diet and other possible effect modifiers on this association.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1352
Author(s):  
Gianluca Pandolfo ◽  
Fiammetta Iannuzzo ◽  
Giovanni Genovese ◽  
Antonio Bruno ◽  
Giovanni Pioggia ◽  
...  

Amyloid precursor protein and its derivates represent a central factor in the process of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since mental illnesses share with AD cognitive impairment, amyloid indicators have been used to explore the unknown pathophysiologic mechanisms underlining psychiatric illness. This work aims to compare the role of amyloid markers, together with tau proteins, among various mental disorders evaluating the possible role of altered amyloid metabolism in the onset and in the course of psychiatric diseases, considering the relationship with cognitive impairment in dementia. This review includes articles written in English, published between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2021, which evaluated amyloid and tau proteins in psychiatric patients. After screening, 31 studies were included in the review. Results suggest that amyloid metabolism is altered in major psychiatric disorders and that it could be a marker of cognitive impairment. Nevertheless, the role of amyloid in mental diseases seems to be related to neurodevelopmental alteration as well as neurodegeneration processes, like in AD. The role of amyloid in the pathogenesis of mental disorders is still unknown. Amyloid should not be only considered as a marker of cognitive impairment in mental illness, but also for altered neurodevelopment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-240
Author(s):  
David A. Ross ◽  
Andrew M. Novick

Patients with psychiatric illness often present a unique challenge to medical students: in contrast to some medical conditions, in which patients may seem to be stricken by a disease, patients with certain psychiatric illnesses may seem complicit with the illness. Questions of free will, choice, and the role of the physician can quickly become overwhelming. This may result in students feeling helpless, disinterested, or even resentful. Here we argue that integrating a modern neuroscience perspective into medical education allows students to conceptualize psychiatric patients in a way that promotes empathy and enhances patient care. Specifically, a strong grasp of neuroscience prevents the future physician from falling into dualistic thinking in which the psychosocial aspects of a patient’s presentation are considered beyond the realm of medicine. The value of incorporating neuroscience into a full, biopsychosocial formulation is demonstrated with the case example of a “difficult patient.”


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3872
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Styczewska ◽  
Małgorzata A. Krawczyk ◽  
Ines B. Brecht ◽  
Konrad Haug ◽  
Ewa Iżycka-Świeszewska ◽  
...  

Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy (MNTI) is a very rare pediatric neoplasm of neural crest origin. In most cases, it develops in infants as a localized tumor of the maxilla, and surgery is usually curative. In less than 10% of patients with inoperable, metastatic or persistently recurring MNTI, chemotherapy (CHT) may be considered; however, its role is still unclear. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of CHT in children with large, inoperable, metastatic and/or recurrent MNTI. Four such infants, treated with CHT in Polish and German centers of pediatric oncology, were presented. Additionally, a systematic literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science databases was performed, yielding 38 similar cases within the last 42 years. Neoadjuvant CHT, based mainly on the protocols for neuroblastoma, was often effective, allowing for complete delayed surgery in most cases. However, the role of adjuvant CHT in preventing recurrences after incomplete resection of MNTI remains unclear. Disseminated inoperable MNTI was almost universally associated with poor response to CHT and unfavorable outcome. Further investigations to elaborate standards of management in patients with inoperable, metastatic or persistently recurring MNTIs are necessary to improve outcomes.


1970 ◽  
Vol 117 (541) ◽  
pp. 635-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard W. Hudgens ◽  
Eli Robins ◽  
W. Bradford Delong

Physicians and patients frequently assume a causal connection between life events and subsequent episodes of psychiatric illness. It seems to ‘make sense’ that an illness which is to some extent manifested by disordered emotions could be caused in part by emotion-producing events. But plausibility alone is no proof of the truth of such an assumption. Realizing this, several investigators have conducted systematic studies of the interrelationships of life events and illnesses, both psychiatric and medical. Such work has been reported by Adamson and Schmale (1), Holmes, et al. (3, 7, 9, 10) Brown and Birley (2) Clayton, et al. (4) Morrison, et al. (11) Murphy, et al. (12, 13) and Hudgens, et al. (8). These authors differed regarding the specific question of whether illnesses may be caused by emotion-producing stress. The first six of the above papers presented positive evidence for such a cause-effect relationship. The last four papers reported that psychiatric patients had significantly more interpersonal conflicts than did well persons or medically ill persons, at least while their psychiatric illnesses were in progress; but the latter authors were unable to find evidence that any type of stress, interpersonal or otherwise, played a causative role in the illnesses. Disagreements among all these workers may be traced to differences in both theoretical approach and methodology.


Author(s):  
Fernanda Leite-Pereira ◽  
Filipa Brandao ◽  
Rui Costa

Purpose Diverse factors may influence travelers when choosing a hotel. Even though breakfast is often commented on in hotel and booking sites, its relative role in hotel selection is rarely studied. This paper aims to determine which attributes clients consider essential regarding the option towards a hotel and their hierarchy namely of breakfast. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was performed in Scopus, ISI-Web of Science and Google Scholar, including relevant original manuscripts published in all languages between 1998 and 2018. Findings Out of 337 initial references, 25 manuscripts were included. Features related to facilities and services were considered in most manuscripts with 21 and 20 citations, respectively, as being the more relevant factors in hotel selection. Room and accommodation were ranked first as the most important characteristic regarding the option for a hotel, whereas breakfast was only referred to in two articles, published in 2015 and 2017, rated in the tenth and fourth positions, respectively. Research limitations/implications Breakfast seems to be addressed in recent published manuscripts, what may reflect a trend toward its evaluation in travelling experiences. More studies should address the relevance of breakfast and food to (diverse type of) costumers, and managers should also consider these factors when advertising their hotels. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic approach to this question, emphasizing the apparent contradiction of breakfast being often cited in booking sites and not adequately studied in tourism research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Bastami ◽  
Jalal Choupani ◽  
Zahra Saadatian ◽  
Sepideh Zununi Vahed ◽  
Yaser Mansoori ◽  
...  

Recently extensive focus has been concentrated on the role of miRNAs in the initiation and progression of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCDs) which constitute a range of conditions including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs, especially coronary artery disease (CAD)), congenital heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular diseases (CBVDs, especially the ischemic stroke (IS)). An increasing number of studies are evaluating the association between different miRNA polymorphisms and risk of CCDs, but results have been inconclusive. This study represents a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between miRNA polymorphisms and risk of CCDs. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were queried to identify eligible articles. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the association of miRNA polymorphisms with CCD susceptibility. A total of 51 eligible articles evaluating the association of 31 miRNA polymorphisms were identified. Meta-analysis was performed for six miRNA polymorphisms. miR-146a rs2910164 (30 studies: 13,186 cases/14,497 controls), miR-149 rs2292832 (Nine studies: 4116 cases/3511 controls), miR-149 rs71428439 (Three studies: 1556 cases/1567 controls), miR-196a2 rs11614913 (20 studies: 10,144 cases/10,433 controls), miR-218 rs11134527 (Three studies: 2,322 cases/2,754 controls) were not associated with overall CCD. miR-499 rs3746444 was associated with CCD (20 studies: 9564 cases/8876 controls). In the subgroups, rs2910164 and rs3746444 were only associated with CVDs, especially CAD. In conclusion, the results support the existence of a role for miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-499 rs3746444 in determining susceptibility to CCDs, especially CAD.


2019 ◽  
pp. 105-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M.G. Brunasso Vernetti ◽  
Matteo Puntoni ◽  
Cesare Massone

Background: In 2007 the International Psoriasis Council considered palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) a condition separate from psoriasis, and several authors maintain that PPP is a reactive process to metal contact allergies independent from psoriasis. Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of allergies and psoriasis in patients with PPP and to determine the role of allergens in PPP. Methods: A systematic search of the English databases (PubMed and Web of Science) from January 1964 to August 2018 to identify all patients affected by PPP and allergies and/or psoriasis. Results: In total, 16 publications describing a total of 519 patients with PPP were evaluated and 122 cases of concomitant PPP and metal allergy were found. The frequency of allergies among patients with PPP was 22.7%; between the identified allergens, 84.3% of cases correspond to metal allergies. In 65.1% of metal allergies, an improvement in PPP was seen after withdrawal of contact. The concomitant presence of psoriasis was recorded in 18% of the cases. Conclusion: There is some evidence to support the association of PPP with metal allergies but also with psoriasis, suggesting the role of metal allergens as a trigger factor in patients with PPP.


1977 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur P. Schless ◽  
Alicia Teichman ◽  
J. Mendels ◽  
Joseph N. DiGiacomo

SummaryFifty-six psychiatric patients were interviewed to obtain a record of life events preceding admission to hospital, using a modified version of the Schedule of Recent Experiences. Two control groups were studied for comparison: medical and surgical in-patients and a ‘normal’ population studied independently by Myers. Psychiatric patients reported a significantly larger number of events than the medical-surgical patients, who, in turn, reported significantly more events than the ‘normal’ population. There were no significant differences in the specific life event histories between groups.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kainan Lin ◽  
Xiaoting Sun ◽  
Xiao Wang ◽  
Hanchu Wang ◽  
Xia Chen

AbstractConcentrations of circulating adipokines in non-obese polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients had been reported in many researches, however, these results were conflicting. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess whether the levels of circulating adipokines were changed in non-obese PCOS. To identify eligible studies, literature research was performed in the database of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science without the restriction of region, publication or language. Of the total studies found, only 81 met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that circulating levels of adiponectin [-0.95 (95% CI, −1.36 to −0.53)] decreased statistically in non-obese PCOS women. On the contrary, circulating levels of chemerin [1.13 (95% CI, 0.08 to 2.18)], leptin [0.47 (95% CI, 0.13 to 0.81)], resistin [0.45 (95% CI, 0.03 to 0.88)] and visfatin [1.38 (95% CI, 0.68 to 2.09)] increased significantly in non-obese PCOS females. Besides, there was no statistically significant change in the circulating levels of apelin [0.32 (95% CI, −1.34 to 1.99), irisin [1.01(95% CI, −0.68 to 2.70), omentin [-0.37(95% CI, −1.05 to 0.31)] and vaspin [0.09(95% CI, −0.14 to 0.32)] in non-obese PCOS patients. Scientific evidence suggested that the levels of circulating adipokines altered in non-obese PCOS patients compared with controls. Independent of the degree of obesity, the abnormal change of circulating adipokines levels might play an important role in the occurrence and development of PCOS.


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