Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: A Review of Relationships and Potential Mechanisms
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPostpartum depression (PPD) and breastfeeding are important, interrelated health factors. It is established that women who breastfeed exclusively have lowered likelihood of developing significant PPD. Yet, many questions remain around what factors are involved. The purpose of this review is to provide updated information about the relationship between PPD and breastfeeding.Recent FindingsBoth psychological and physiological factors have emerged as important moderators and mechanisms of the relationship between postpartum depression and breastfeeding. Breastfeeding self-efficacy, self-compassion, an...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 31, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
A Model of Trust Processes in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewUnstable relationships are a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Impairments in trust processes (i.e., appraisal and learning regarding others ’ trustworthiness) can subserve interpersonal problems associated with BPD, but the determinants, mechanisms, consequences, and variations in trust impairments among individuals with BPD remain poorly characterized. Thus, a better understanding of such impairments could help target interventions t hat address the interpersonal problems of individuals with BPD beyond emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and aggression.Recent FindingsWe con...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 27, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
No Baby to Bring Home: Perinatal Loss, Infertility, and Mental Illness —Overview and Recommendations for Care
AbstractPurpose of ReviewUpdate readers on the state of the research on mental health, perinatal loss, and infertility with a focus on providing a comprehensive overview to empower clinicians in treating this population.Recent FindingsRates of psychiatric illness are increased in people that experience perinatal loss and infertility. The research remains largely below the clear need for focused screening, prevention, and treatment.SummaryClinicians and researchers need to remain attuned to the impact of perinatal loss and infertility on the mental health of patients and families. Screening, referral, and expanded therapeut...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 25, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Cluster C Personality Disorder Traits: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AbstractPurpose of reviewWe systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the literature on the relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and Cluster C personality disorders (PDs). Our aim was to clarify which of the 18 EMSs exhibit the strongest associations and are most frequently endorsed in clinical and non-clinical samples with Cluster C PDs and traits.Recent findingsAfter initially screening 2622 records, 12 studies were selected with 5310 participants. Meta-analyses of the raw correlation coefficients for each EMS-Cluster C PD link (3-8 studies per meta-analysis) indicated that the 18 EMSs were significantly...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 23, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Evidence-Based Recommendations for the Pharmacological Treatment of Women with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders
AbstractPurpose of ReviewDespite clear evidence that sex differences largely impact the efficacy and tolerability of antipsychotic medication, current treatment guidelines for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) do not differentiate between men and women. This review summarizes the available evidence on strategies that may improve pharmacotherapy for women and provides evidence-based recommendations to optimize treatment for women with schizophrenia.Recent FindingsWe systematically searched PubMed and Embase for peer-reviewed studies on three topics: (1) sex differences in dose-adjusted antipsychotic serum concentration...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 21, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Digital Phenotyping in Adults with Schizophrenia: A Narrative Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAs care for older adult patients with schizophrenia lacks innovation, technology can help advance the field. Specifically, digital phenotyping, the real-time monitoring of patients ’ behaviors through smartphone sensors and symptoms through surveys, holds promise as the method can capture the dynamicity and environmental correlates of disease.Recent FindingsFew studies have used digital phenotyping to elucidate adult patients ’ experiences with schizophrenia. In this narrative review, we summarized the literature using digital phenotyping on adults with schizophrenia. No study focused solely on...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 20, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Sadism and Personality Disorders
AbstractPurpose of ReviewSadistic pleasure —the enjoyment of harm-infliction to others—can have devastating interpersonal and societal consequences. The goal of the current review is to illuminate the nomological net of traits related to sadism. We aim to achieve an understanding of the current empirical status on the link between sadism and personality disorders, psychopathy, the Dark Triad, and basic personality traits in clinical and community-based samples.Recent FindingsThe field is dominated by self-report studies on the Dark Triad with convenience samples. The link with DSM personality disorders has hardly been ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 19, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Children ’s Psychological Reactions to Wildfires: a Review of Recent Literature
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review aims to synthesize currently available literature regarding the impact of wildfire on mental health, specifically the psychological reactions of children to wildfires. The information gathered from this review will help health experts understand and address the mental health needs of children during wildfire disasters and may serve as a base for future studies to evaluate evidence-based public health responses to mitigate adverse outcomes.Recent FindingsThe results identified post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, stress, alcohol/substance misuse, hopelessness, low ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 18, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Role of Peer Providers to Scale Up Psychological Treatments for Perinatal Populations Worldwide
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPsychological treatments remain largely inaccessible to perinatal populations despite their robust effectiveness. This gap is partly due to the limited number of available treatment providers. In this review, we critically evaluate recent literature on task-sharing to peer providers and propose future directions.Recent FindingsThere is a growing evidence base demonstrating that peer providers can effectively deliver psychological treatments for perinatal populations, as well as engage in processes critical to quality assurance, such as measurement-based peer supervision. Findings have also highl...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 11, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Insomnia During the Perinatal Period and its Association with Maternal and Infant Psychopathology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWhile sleep serves important regulatory functions for mental health, sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia, may contribute to mental disorders. Since insomnia symptoms are frequent during the perinatal period, the aim of this work is to systematically review the potential association between perinatal insomnia and maternal and infant psychopathology.Recent FindingsA systematic search was conducted according with PRISMA guidelines, and meta-analytic calculations were conducted. Totally, 34 studies were included and involved 835,021 perinatal women. Four meta-analysis yielded four statistically ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 11, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies of Brain Energy Metabolism in Schizophrenia: Progression from Prodrome to Chronic Psychosis
AbstractPurpose of ReviewSchizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating mental illness; existing treatments are partially effective and associated with significant side effect burden, largely due to our limited understanding of disease mechanisms and the trajectory of disease progression. Accumulating evidence suggests that metabolic changes associated with glucose metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction, and redox imbalance play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, the molecular mechanisms associated with these abnormalities in the brains of schizophrenia patients and the ways in which they change over ...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 9, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Gamification: a Novel Approach to Mental Health Promotion
AbstractPurpose of ReviewGamification has emerged as a novel technique for improving mental health and enhancing treatment effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of gamification approaches to mental health intervention, identifies factors that may be related to variations in treatment effectiveness, and discusses possible strategies for tailoring gamified interventions to clients ’ needs.Recent FindingsRecent research has documented the potential of gamified mental health interventions for bolstering mental wellness and mitigating psychological symptoms. However, their effectiveness may vary depending on study de...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 6, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
The Co-occurrence of Personality Disorders and Substance Use Disorders
AbstractPurpose of ReviewDespite significant negative outcomes, the co-occurrence of personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) continues to be underrecognized, and the mechanisms contributing to this co-occurrence remain unclear. This review summarizes recent work on PD-SUD co-occurrence, with a focus on borderline and antisocial PDs, general substance use patterns among those with PDs, and the association of personality traits with SUDs.Recent FindingsThe prevalence of co-occurring PD-SUD is generally high, with estimates ranging depending on the type of PD and SUD, the population assessed, and the sa...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 3, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Digital Tools in the Service of Peer and Social Support for Perinatal Mental Health
This study is critically evaluating the current status of digital tools for perinatal mental health, specifically focusing on how these tools can enhance peer and social support.Recent FindingsDigital tools could be used to: (1) identify individuals in need and guide them towards appropriate human-supportive care; (2) autonomously train and allocate peers to aid women experiencing perinatal mental health challenges; and (3) amplify support from their natural social network. Despite clear evidence supporting the significance of social support for perinatal mental health, there is a dearth of studies on digital tools aimed a...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - October 2, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
Interpersonal Factors, Peer Relationship Stressors, and Gender Differences in Adolescent Depression
AbstractPurpose of ReviewCompared to boys, girls value close relationships more. Thus, heightened affiliative proclivities may serve as a particularly salient psychosocial risk factor for depression in adolescent girls. The purpose of this review is to examine whether the preponderance of depression in girls is because of gender differences in interpersonal vulnerabilities and peer relationship stressors and/or in the associations between these factors and depression.Recent FindingsGirls (vs. boys) exhibit higher levels of co-rumination and affective empathy, but not excessive reassurance-seeking. The prevalence of differe...
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - September 29, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research
