Anxiety and Frustration during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The lockdown and quarantine period set by authorities around the world in order to prevent the spread of the SARS-COV-2 virus has had a significant impact on the mental health of people around the world. The present research, carried out by qualitative methods, aimed at identifying the sources, but also the ways of expressing anxiety, frustration and anguish due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures to prevent the spread of the virus. The research was carried out on subjects of Romanian nationality, especially from the North Eastern Region of Romania. The main results of the research are: an extension of the medicalization of social life, the awareness of one's own finitude and the experience of helplessness, as sources of anxiety and frustration, and an accentuated social response to the risk society, manifested as a revolt against the authorities and the need to humanize every day life.

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF INFORMATION SUPPORT FOR MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING IN HEALTHCA

— The purpose of the work is to analyze the main problem areas and the possibilities of introducing an information support system for making management decisions (controlling) in the activities of managers of modern medical organizations. The work used bibliographic, descriptive-analytical, general scientific, methods of system and content analysis. As a result of the study, the prospects for the use of controlling tools in preventive and clinical medicine, including in activities directly related to the treatment of patients, have been substantiated; a number of indicators have been proposed for monitoring and assessing the health status of the population; an assessment was made of the possibilities of using the decision-making information support system in the management of a medical organization; the main directions of further implementation of IT-technologies in healthcare practice are presented. The results obtained in the course of the study will significantly improve the quality of management decisions made and the effectiveness of the activities of modern medical organizations.

MEANING IN LIFE IN ELDERLY

Aim: Starting from the research of the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, the meaning in life proved its importance, being studied in the context of different research traditions, existential psychology, positive psychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology. This is a pilot study targeting a group of twenty elderly Romanians who live in a Residential Center in Bucharest. Methods: The study assumes that we’ll have statistically significant correlations between independent variables (presence of meaning, search for meaning) and dependent ones (depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction). Method: The research uses correlation analysis for the variables: meaning presence and meaning search from M. Steger's MLQ questionnaire, defined as independent variables in the study and dependent variables: depression, anxiety, stress (DASS-21 questionnaire), and life satisfaction (Satisfaction Scale with Life, SWLS). Results: The research results highlight good internal consistency (Cronbach's coefficient α> 0.70) for the two subscales of the M.L.Q. questionnaire. The statistically significant inverse link between the level of stress and the presence of meaning in life is confirmed, the statistically significant inverse link between the total score of depression and the presence of meaning in life is confirmed; the variable life satisfaction is the only dependent variable for which statistically significant links are confirmed with both independent variables simultaneously (presence of meaning in life and search for meaning of life); Pearson correlation coefficients are statistically significant, Sig values, associated, lower than the 5% threshold, require the rejection of the null hypothesis.

PREVENTION OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USE

Substance use disorder in a severe mode is called addiction, it is a chronic disorder of the brain determined by biological and social factors that have unhealthy consequences to individuals and to community. Understanding substance use disorder has improved our perspectives in the last thirty years due to major advancement in researches related to genetics and neuroscience. In addition to the evolution of new technologies and methods that helped us create advanced prevention techniques and interventions. Methods: PubMed was used to conduct the literature searches, observational and interventional studies focused on adult substance use were obtained. Findings were collected and arranged to cover the main points of epidemiology, neurobiology and prevention. Results: substance-related use patterns have evolved over time, which are informed via peer behaviors, environmental factors, messaging platforms, availability of various substances, and other different variables. Many risk factors in addition to resiliency factors contributed to individual differences in substance use and related results. Prevention methods have achieved mixed results, although many evidence-based treatments were developed for substance use disorder, the results are limited to a moderate level, suggesting the need for additional research to evolve prevention methods and treatment. Conclusion: It is necessary to mention that there is a high demand to identify cost effective prevention methods. The integration of prevention methods and techniques, including interventions at the school, family and society levels, is more likely to achieve the results needed.

THE DIFFICULT PATH TO SCHOOL — THESCHOOLING OF PUPILS WITH SPECIALEDUCATIONAL NEEDS DURING THE PANDEMIC

Schooling at all levels from kindergarten to high school has suffered during the pandemic, as the school system has had to readjust to stimulate pupil's attention, rethinking teaching methods, maintaining a healthy climate of interaction between teacher and pupil, teacher and parents, but also between colleagues in the same group study. The management of these parameters becomes all the more delicate in the case of students with special educational needs during the during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why the preliminary investigations must be thoroughly completed (thorough medical, psychiatric, psychological, pedagogical anamnesis, schooling in the family having a great role here, then rigorous clinical and paraclinical investigations followed only in the last stage of placing the child in a diagnostic class and then stating its requirements). There is a white-gray territory of students who do not have an accurate diagnosis but who still require more attention and special teaching methods. False mental retardation unfortunately still creeps among the diagnoses received by children in some situations, all the more difficult to make a differential diagnosis during the pandemic where communication of all kinds is affected. Modern combined pedagogical methods can be managed in combination for the message to reach the beneficiaries as clearly and comprehensively as possible and the impact on the pupil should be the expected one. The establishment of an interdisciplinary team allows the facilitation of this approach to make the path towards school (be it virtual) easier for all students to create a climate in which the pupil can complete himself to his maximum capacity.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA IN ADOLESCENTS — CASE REPORT

Although there is no universally recognized protocol for the evaluation of eating disorders, all specialists agree that a broad-spectrum evaluation is needed, given the multidetermined nature of this pathology. Therapeutic intervention, supportive psychotherapy and CBT, have as main objective cognitive restructuring, identifying and addresing psychological causes that cause, precede and trigger eating disorders - anorexia nervosa. Aim: To identify the role of psychotherapy and the entire interdisciplinary team in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Case description: We present a case report of a 15-yearold girl diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, where I applied CBT. This case confirms by the objectives achieved, that CBT has a primordial role, in interrupting the vicious circle, somatic symptom- psychic-pseudo somatic symptom and to restore the emotional balance of the patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Conclusion: Compliance with psychiatric treatment increases, by addressing psychotherapy, as a clinical intervention, in the treatment of this complex condition.

SHOPPING ADDICTION — A REAL CHALLENGE DURING THE PANDEMIC

We live in a modern society, which imposes an alert pace of daily life for all of us. As a result, there are constant attempts to find ways for people to access any service as quickly as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic has made drastic changes in human behaviour, lifestyle and the reality people live in. There is a concern that people are living in times of multiple existential, economic and instability threats due to drastic changes in daily life. Also known as Oniomania, the habit of compulsive shopping has come to the attention of the medical world. Studies show that the habit of buying excessively has become a concern in today's society, being similar to other well-known compulsive or addictive disorders, such as substance abuse, gambling addiction, or eating disorders. Online shopping offers multiple benefits, therefore there has been an increase in using online shopping, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people had no other option than to stay at home and use the Internet for various purposes. Method: The review of the literature draws on searches within databases including Pubmed, Science Direct, Elsevier, EBSCO, Medline. Conclusion: Health crises, such as epidemics and pandemics, can be a key factor in compulsive shopping. There are seven variables which are thought to influence the possible development of online shopping addiction: low self-esteem, low self-regulation; negative emotion, enjoyment, gender, social anonymity and cognitive overload.

STRESS AND ANXIETY IN GENERAL POPULATION IN ROMANIA DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The mental health challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmingly affect the general population. Stress and health anxiety, the risk of losing a job and working at home, online education for children, and isolation have a devastating cumulative effect. This study aims to achieve the following: i) to identify the epidemiological specifics of the perceived stress levels in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic; ii) to evaluate the correlation between socioeconomic factors and the level of perceived stress and anxiety; iii) to analyze the correlation between the perceived stress scores and the anxiety scores in the general population. We applied Perceived Stress Score (PSS) validated questionnaire and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) online to a group of respondents (N=1.362), profiling the data based on demographics: age, sex, COVID-19 infection, behavior compliance to sanitary limitations, socioeconomic status, and pre-existing health issues. Results show differentiation of PSS values in female and male respondents; occupation significantly influences the perceived stress score among COVID-19 positive respondents. Educational level and income significantly influence the perceived stress score. Low educational level and low income increase the perceived stress score among negative COVID-19 respondents. Subsequent research is needed to clarify other correlations between the perceived stress levels and general population well-being. While certain life conditions enhance the perception of stress, others could provide protective value to demographic groups. Therefore, we suggest further studies and qualitative approaches to general population stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COERCIVE MEASURESIN PANDEMIC PSYCHIATRIC CARE — RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Coercion raises serious ethical and legal issues in psychiatric care. Coercive medical measures are applied in psychiatric institutions for protective purposes. Alcoholism is a social and medical problem because it especially affects the behavior of the individual. Alcohol consumption can catalyze exacerbations of mental illness and predispose to behaviors with an increased risk of violence. Aim: The purpose of this study is to illustrate medical and legal issues related to coercive measures in emergency psychiatric care during the pandemic. Methods: The study is retrospective, and the data were taken from the observation sheets of patients in the period between March 1, 2020–March 31, 2021, in acute section II in the Institute of Psychiatry "Socola" Iasi. Results: Of those who required coercive measures during hospitalization, most were restraint for symptoms such as: self-aggression and aggression towards others. Mechanical restraint measures were also necessary in cases with hallucinatory-delusional symptoms, associated with self-aggression and aggression towards others. The share of hospitalized patients for alcohol abuse, who required coercive measures, was significantly higher during the pandemic. Conclusion: Manifestations of violence among patients with major mental disorders are rare. Mechanical restraint was necessary especially in those who had self-aggression and aggression towards others, symptoms secondary to alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption amplifies the psychological imbalance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

THE EFFECTS OF VIRTUAL WORLD CAPTIVITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

In recent decades, access to digital technology has increased, and labor productivity has required the acquisition of digital knowledge, so that the same skills used to meet hedonic tendencies, have led to the initiation and amplification of harmful behaviors. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted normal activities globally, generating multiple challenges for people's physical and mental health. The adaptation to the new lifestyle, imposed by this pandemic, has increased the use of digital technology, which has led to the development of addictive behavior in some users. The purpose of this work is to bring to the attention of specialists, how the effects of virtual addictions, during the pandemic, act on mental health and unexpectedly change the normal rhythm of life. This work is a synthesis of possible addictive behaviors and mental disorders triggered by the use of digital devices, classified according to: the field in which the addictive behavior is installed, predisposed age groups and the association with pre-existing mental disorders. Changing people's behavior, associated with other stressors, can lead to a multitude of ailments, ranging from mental disorders to changes in compliance in organic diseases. Consequently, addictive behaviors have different intensities, occupy variable durations, have a fluctuating mental consumption. They generate a gradual social dysfunction, to which pre-existing mental suffering is added, and people involved develop disorders requiring the intervention of a specialist in the field of mental health.