What drives the higher incidence of psychosis in London compared to Palermo?

Background: Incidence of psychosis seems to be lower in Italy than in other European countries (Tansella et al. 1991; Lasalvia et al. 2012, Tarricone et al. 2012); however there are no studies comparing the incidence of psychotic disorder in Northern and Southern Europe. Methods: Incidence and socio-demographic data on all psychotic patients presenting for the first time to the mental health services of Palermo were collected over a period of three years. Palermo incidence rates were compared to South London rates obtained from the AESOP study (Kirkbride et al 2006). South London rates were reanalyzed excluding people aged 16-17 years and substance related psychoses. Second generation migra…

Pathological gambling in adolescence: A narrative review

Pathological gambling is an emerging and increasing phenomenon in Western counties. This work is aimed at reviewing the existing literature on this topic, paying special attention to its development, course and outcome in adolescence. We will explore epidemiological data, the instruments for the diagnostic and clinical assessment, the course and the outcome of the disorder, the comorbidity with other psychiatric syndromes and disorders. The main risk factors will be described at individual, social and community level. We provide an overview of the available pharmacological and psychological treatments and we report a clinical vignette in order to describe the psychological and psychopatholo…

Using network community detection to investigate psychological and social features of individuals condemned for mafia crimes

Objective: Only few studies have investigated social and personality characteristics of members of Italian organized criminal groups: Mafia, Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta, and Sacra Corona Unita. This study aimed to explore the most relevant social and clinical features of Mafia criminals and their psychopathic traits. Method: The Psychopathy Check List-Revised (PCL-R) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were administered to 30 condemned for Mafia crimes and imprisoned in the “Pagliarelli” district prison of Palermo (Italy). The results were investigated applying the methods of Network Theory. Results: The study identified two communities, which were statistically different in terms of history of …

Cumulative social disadvantage and psychosis: findings from a southern Italy case-control study

Aim: There are consistent evidence suggesting that psychotic disorders are associated to social disadvantage and isolation in adulthood, and research suggested that they these are not simply a consequence of the functional impairment related to onset of the disease (Stilo et al., 2013; Morgan et al., 2008). To date only a few studies have investigated the impact of social risk factors on psychosis in Italy. This study aimed to replicate existing findings in a case-control sample from Southern Italy. Methods: 134 individuals presenting for the first time to mental health services of Palermo (Italy) with an ICD 10 diagnosis of psychosis and 175 population controls from Palermo (Italy) were en…

Validation of the Italian version of the Devaluation consumers' Scale and the Devaluation Consumers Families Scale

Objectives This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Italian versions of the Devaluation of Consumers Scale (DCS) and the Devaluation of Consumer Families Scale (DCFS), twoshort-scales examining public stigma towards people with mental disorders and their relatives. Methods The scales were administered to 117 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of affective or non-affective psychoses (ICD 10 criteria F20-29, F30-33). Translation procedures were carried out according to accepted standards. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Convergent validity was evaluated in terms of correlation with the Global Functioning Scale (GAF) and with the Qu…

Cannabis consumption and the risk of psychosis

Summary Objectives: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug globally and its use has been linked to an increased risk for psychotic disorders. An association between cannabis consumption and psychotic symptoms was consistently reported by several studies. This case-control study aimed to widen the current findings about the impact of cannabis exposure on the risk of psychosis, by investigating the pattern of cannabis consumption in a sample of first-episode of psychosis (FEP) patients compared to healthy controls. Material and methods: 68 individuals who presented for the first time to mental health services of Palermo (Italy) with an ICD-10 diagnosis of psychotic disorders and 74 hea…

Internet out of control: The role of self-esteem and personality traits in pathological internet use

Objective: Young people seem particularly likely to develop pathological Internet use (PIU) with the use of social networks, chat, and videos. Sensation-seeking, neuroticism, introversion, and low self-esteem are personality features frequently associated with the disease. The aim of this study was to replicate and to extend previous findings by exploring the combined effect of personality traits and self-esteem on PIU. Method: A sample of 652 male students attending vocational technical schools in Palermo (Southern Italy) was assessed using the following measures: the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire to evaluate personality traits; the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale to asse…

P.0170 Distinct polygenic risk scores in clusters of psychotic subjects with different premorbid trajectories and current IQ

Perceived stigma in patients affected by psychosis: Is there an impact on relapse?

Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) considers stigma of mental illness as a crucial problem (WHO, 2001). Stigma contributes to the onset (Morgan et al., 2010) and the outcome of people affected by schizophrenia (Himan, 2015). Objectives To evaluate the perception of patients affected by psychotic disorders of being stigmatized by the community. Aims To compare the perception of stigma among subgroups of patients at different stage of their disorder. Methods Thirty-five patients affected by a first-episode of psychosis (FEP) and 96 patients affected by chronic psychosis were recruited. The Devaluation of Consumers Scale (DCS) and the Devaluation of Consumer Families Scale (DCFS)…

Virtual reality environments to rehabilitation attention deficits in schizophrenic patients

Abstract. Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia shown perform poorly on tasks that require vigilance or sustained attention. Patients with more pronounced attention deficits are least likely to acquire skills in psychosocial programs as the attention problems makes it difficult for them to process the information given in groups, and they may not be able to sustain attention for the session duration. The study aimed to develop a Virtual Reality cognitive training to improve the selective, divide and sustained attention. Specifically, we developed, via the NeuroVr 2.0 software, three different virtual environments with the hierarchical sequence…

Does age of first cannabis use and frequency of use influence age of first-episode psychosis (FEP)?

Background: Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs among young people across Europe (EMCDDA data 2014), Moreover, it is one of the most abused illicit drugs among patients suffering from schizophrenia (Linszen et al., 1994) and, particularly, in patients at their first episode of psychosis (Donoghue et al., 2011). Furthermore, patients suffering from psychosis with a history of cannabis use have an earlier age of onset of psychosis (AOP) than those who never used it (Di Forti et al., 2013). We aim to investigate if the reported association between use of cannabis and AOP is consistent across to European samples with expected differences in pattern of cannabis use (i.e. age at first…

Quality of life, alexithymia, and defence mechanisms in patients affected by breast cancer across different stages of illness

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alexithymia and defence mechanisms on the quality of life of patients affected by breast cancer at different stages of the disease. Methods A convenience sample of 110 patients with breast cancer was involved in the study: 41 were receiving adjuvant chemotherapyafter surgery, 29 had disease-free survival in follow-up and 40 were receiving chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Quality of life, alexithymia and defence mechanisms were assessed using the following instruments: EORTC QLQ-C30-BR23, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Defense Mechanism Inventory (DMI). Results Compared to the other groups, patients receiving chemoth…

Cognitive rehabilitation of schizophrenia through NeuroVr training.

Cognitive difficulties are prevalent in people with diagnosis of schizophrenia and are associated with poor long-term functioning. In particular, memory, selective, divided and sustained attention and executive functions are altered by this disease. We used a Virtual Reality environment (developed via the NeuroVr2.0 software) for the rehabilitation of shifting, sustained attention and action planning functions using tasks reminiscent of daily life tasks. Test and retest showed significant differences in the assessed cognitive dimensions.

IL TRATTAMENTO INTEGRATO DELLA SCHIZOFRENIA. UN MANUALE PER LA GESTIONE CLINICA

Le prospettive per pazienti con schizofrenia sono oggi decisamente migliori di quanto precedentemente si pensava. L’idea tradizionale era che questa malattia fosse inevitabilmente grave, ricorrente, invalidante e cronica. Tuttavia, è diventato chiaro che con un buon trattamento una percentuale di pazienti può ristabilirsi completamente e molti altri possono vivere una vita gratificante, a condizione di aderire alle indicazioni dei medici. Inoltre, sebbene si affermi spesso che l’eziologia della schizofrenia è sconosciuta, abbiamo appreso molte cose riguardo ai fattori genetici e ambientali che contribuiscono al suo sviluppo. Purtroppo, la percezione sociale della malattia rimane molto negat…