Editorial issue 4/2019

Abstract

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the fourth and last issue of 2019. Our first article features a review of the comorbidity between Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders across the lifespan by D’Agati et al. Anxiety disorders may substantially change the presentation, the prognosis and the treatment of ADHD itself. In childhood, the presence of generalised anxiety disorder, could prevent the typical inhibitory dysfunction present in ADHD, in adolescence may increase the deficit of working memory, and in adulthood may enhance the presence of sleep problems. Wang et al. discuss the efficacy and safety of vortioxetine for the treatment of major depressive disorder in a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. Vortioxetine showed greater efficacy than the placebo in improving MADRS, HAM-A, CGI-I and SDS scores at Week 10. However, no significant differences were found between the groups for any treatment-emergent adverse events. Gokcen et al. investigated Mullerian Inhibiting Substance, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) and Sex Hormone Levels in Stimulant-naïve, First-Diagnosed Prepubertal Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and compared it with Matched Healthy Controls as well as Before and After Oros-Methylpenidate Treatment. Compared to ageand sexmatched healthy controls (HCs), prepubertal, stimulant-naïve boys with ADHD had significantly lower SHBG and higher free and bioavailable testosterone percentages, suggesting a possible contribution of sex hormones to ADHD. Osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate treatment for 30 d significantly improved ADHD symptoms and abnormal sex hormone levels, normalising SHBG and bioavailable testosterone percentages that were similar to HCs while free testosterone remained elevated versus HCs. Zaprutko et al. assessed the costs of inpatient care of depression in 2014 in a Polish (Poznan) and German (Kiel) hospital. The 3-fold difference in average costs of hospitalisation was found, which might result from differences in funding of mental health care. In general, treatment was comprehensive in both centres, non-pharmacological treatment, however, was more comprehensive in Kiel. Castelpietra et al. explored the occupational status and hospitalisation for mental disorders in Friuli Venezia Giullia region, Italy, 2008–2017. Employment was shown to be a protective factor for both urgent and involuntary hospitalisations and diagnosis of severe mental disorder. Managers, police and military forces were at higher risk of being hospitalised for affective disorders, while blue collars were at higher risk of hospitalisation for alcohol and substances abuse. Jia et al. investigated a nomogram for predicting depression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in an observational cross-sectional study. A visual, comprehensive and convenient nomogram was established for the prediction of depression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The variables found to be sufficiently informative and predictive to warrant inclusion in the nomogram were the patient education level, pain intensity, social support and disclosure of the hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis to the patient and Child-Pugh class. Marques et al. observed unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) and acute psychosis in a five-year retrospective observational controlled study in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. A statistically significant difference between UCB mean levels of patients with schizophrenia versus patients with schizoaffective and bipolar disorders has been found. Also, a statistically significant difference between UCB mean levels of patients with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder and a significant difference between mean admission duration of schizophrenia versus bipolar patients has been observed. Huang et al. investigate the role of attachment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and comorbid anxiety. Anxious/preoccupied attachment could be associated with an increased risk of multiple anxiety comorbidities in MDD patients; however, a longitudinal study with a larger sample size is needed. Iyar et al. assess the location of pain, psychological distress and alexithymia among outpatients seeking psychotherapy. The three most commonly reported pain locations were lower back, head and neck. Findings revealed that anxiety, depression and alexithymia were associated with number of reported pain locations. Specifically, participants with three or more pain locations reported significantly higher depression, anxiety and alexithymia in comparison to those with no pain. Gadelkarim et al. explore the overlap of obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and autism spectrum disorder traits among OCD outpatients. Clinicians should exercise a high level of vigilance for OCPD and ASD in patients presenting with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The presence of OCPD may indicate a likelihood of disabling ASD traits, including cognitive inflexibility, poor central coherence and poor social communication. Kalelioglu et al. explored serum osmolarity and blood viscosity as a potential explanation for the pathophysiology of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Findings indicate that serum osmolarity of NMS group was statistically significantly higher than the controls, which may be a reflection of a relative hemoconcentration in NMS. Dell’Osso et al. report the duration of illness and untreated illness in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). All reviewed reports clearly converge in delineating a duration of untreated illness of several years (around 7 years in the majority of them), which represented, on average, a portion ranging between the 40% and 70% of the overall duration of illness.