Performance of primary health care workers in detection of mental disorders comorbid with epilepsy in rural Ethiopia

Background Timely detection and management of comorbid mental disorders in people with epilepsy is essential to improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to measure the performance of primary health care (PHC) workers in identifying comorbid mental disorders in people with epilepsy against a standardised reference diagnosis and a screening instrument in rural Ethiopia. Methods People with active convulsive epilepsy were identified from the community, with confirmatory diagnosis by trained PHC workers. Documented diagnosis of comorbid mental disorders by PHC workers was extracted from clinical records. The standardized reference measure for diagnosing mental disorders was the Operational Criteria for Research (OPCRIT plus) administered by psychiatric nurses. The mental disorder screening scale (Self-Reporting Questionnaire; SRQ-20), was administered by lay data collectors. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PHC worker diagnosis against the reference standard diagnosis was calculated. Logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with misdiagnosis of comorbid mental disorder by PHC workers. Results A total of 237 people with epilepsy were evaluated. The prevalence of mental disorders with standardised reference diagnosis was 13.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 9.6, 18.2%) and by PHC workers was 6.3% (95%CI 3.2, 9.4%). The prevalence of common mental disorder using SRQ-20 at optimum cut-off point (9 or above) was 41.5% (95% CI 35.2, 47.8%). The sensitivity and specificity of PHC workers diagnosis was 21.1 and 96.1%, respectively, compared to the standardised reference diagnosis. In those diagnosed with comorbid mental disorders by PHC workers, only 6 (40%) had SRQ-20 score of 9 or above. When a combination of both diagnostic methods (SRQ-20 score ≥ 9 and PHC diagnosis of depression) was compared with the standardised reference diagnosis of depression, sensitivity increased to 78.9% (95% (CI) 73.4, 84.4%) with specificity of 59.7% (95% CI 53.2, 66.2%). Only older age was significantly associated with misdiagnosis of comorbid mental disorders by PHC (adjusted odds ratio, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.02 to 1.11). Conclusion Routine detection of co-morbid mental disorder in people with epilepsy was very low. Combining clinical judgement with use of a screening scale holds promise but needs further evaluation.

307Association between patterns of comorbid mental disorders and mortality-related estimates. A Danish register-based cohort study

Background Comorbidity within mental disorders is common, and people with two or more types of mental disorders have shorter life expectancy compared to those with exactly one type. The aims of this study were to: (a) describe the prevalence of combinations of mental disorders; and (b) estimate the excess mortality for each of these combinations. Methods We conducted a population-based cohort study including all 7,505,576 persons living in Denmark in 1995-2016. Using national registers, we described the most common combinations of mental disorders and investigated excess mortality by means of mortality rate ratios (MRRs) and differences in life expectancy. Results At the end of the 22-year observation, 6.2% individuals were diagnosed with exactly one disorder, and 5.3% with two or more types. People with any combination of disorders had higher mortality rates than those without any diagnosis (MRRs ranging from 1.10 [95% CI 0.67 – 1.84] to 5.97 [95% CI 5.52 – 6.45]) and shorter life expectancies compared to the general population (estimates ranging from 5.06 years [95% CI 5.01 – 5.11] to 17.46 years [95% CI 16.86 – 18.03]). Conclusions Mood disorders and neurotic disorders commonly co-occur, and contribute to many different sets of comorbid mental disorders. The association between mental disorders comorbidity and mortality revealed the prominent role of substance use disorders. Key messages Our study provides prevalence estimates of the most common sets of mental disorders. In light of the substantial contribution of substance use disorders to premature mortality, efforts related to the ‘primary prevention of secondary comorbidity’ warrant added scrutiny.

Psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis (review)

The review reflects the increased scientific interest in the psychosomatic aspects of psoriasis in the world literature in recent years. The studied material of the articles is structured according to the principles of the modern clinical psychosomatic approach. The introduction substantiates the relevance of studying this topic. The article considers the stress manifestations/examinations of psoriasis under the influence of psychosocial acute and chronic stress, including under the action of the COVID-19 pandemic; the quality of life and stigmatization of patients with psoriasis. The driving factors leading to the formation of nosogenic psychosomatic disorders are identified: common disfiguring rashes, itching, recurrent course, the threat of disability, social restrictions, constitutional premorbid features of patients. The description of comorbid mental disorders of the anxiety and affective range with a discussion of suicidal risk is presented. A separate section of the review is devoted to itching, as one of the most discussed aspects of psoriasis in the modern literature. Different points of view on the psycho-biological structure of itching in psoriasis are presented. Various factors related to the intensity, objective and subjective perception of itching are considered. Among them are the clinical form and severity of psoriasis, the localization and prevalence of rashes, gender, age, level of education, marital status of patients, concomitant somatic and mental diseases.

Psychopathology and Parental Stress in 3–6-Year-Old Children with Incontinence

Objective: Incontinence and functional gastrointestinal disorders are common in young children and are associated with higher rates of psychological symptoms and mental disorders. This article focuses on the mutual association between incontinence and related toilet refusal syndrome, parental stress, and children’s psychopathology especially in young children. Methods: Children’s psychological symptoms, mental disorders, and parental stress levels were assessed in 38 parent-child dyads involving children with incontinence and 42 dyads of typically developing (TD) children. Results: Compared to TD children, patients had higher internalizing and externalizing CBCL scores and higher rates of clinically relevant externalizing problems. However, the rates of clinically relevant internalizing problems and mental disorders did not differ. The parents of children with incontinence reported significantly higher stress levels regarding child-related stress factors (PSI-CD) than did parents of TD children. However, there were no clinically relevant parental stress scores on a group level, which remained below the clinical range (T-value < 60). When simultaneously analyzed, children’s (comorbid) mental disorders but not incontinence had a major impact on parental stress. Conclusions: Despite moderate stress levels, incontinence symptoms, urinary and fecal incontinence are highly prevalent in young children. However, stress among parents of young children was mainly elicited by any (comorbid) mental disorder.

Discussion questions about the therapy of nonchemical addictions

Today there are no international standards for the treatment of non-chemical (behavioral) addiction (NA). This is largely due to the vagueness of their existence as nosological units and, as a consequence, their place in international classifications. This article discusses the forms of NA that are or will be included in DSM-V and ICD-11. It has been shown that NA research has sparked discussions about the spectrum of addictive disorders, expands the multidisciplinary understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of addictive disorders, and promotes the study of new forms and expansion of therapeutic approaches. The criticism of the addictive spectrum concept is analyzed. The modern approaches of non-drug and pharmacological therapy of different forms of NA are presented. The following conclusions are drawn. The existence of NA is confirmed by the inclusion of a part of them in the International Classifications of Diseases. NA have high comorbidity with other mental disorders, in respect of which pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are not in doubt. Taking into account the general neurobiological mechanisms of the formation of addictive disorders, the possible pharmacotherapy of non-chemical addictions, officially recognized in the ICD and DSM, should proceed from the currently available approaches to the therapy of substance use disorders. Treatment of non-chemical addictions that are not included in the International Classifications can only be carried out within the framework of therapy for confirmed comorbid mental disorders. In its absence, psychological correction seems to be possible. There is an obvious need to continue researching the problem of non-chemical addictions to expand new approaches to their therapy and psychological correction.