{"title":"Pineal Gland Volume, Sleep Quality, and Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","authors":"Sophie Bolwig, Kristian H. R. Jensen","doi":"10.1111/acps.70092","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70092","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms are features of several psychiatric disorders. The pineal gland regulates these rhythms via melatonin, with pineal gland volume (PGV) serving as a structural proxy. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize evidence on differences in PGV between patients with psychiatric disorders and healthy controls and the association between PGV and sleep outcomes.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Systematic searches of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were performed (August 2025). Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects meta-analyses using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimation were conducted for correlation and group-comparison outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed by diagnostic category.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fourteen studies compared PGV between psychiatric patients and healthy controls, and seven studies examined associations between PGV and sleep outcomes. PGV was significantly lower in patients with psychiatric disorders compared with healthy controls (1055 patients, 712 controls, Hedges' <i>g</i> = −0.54 [−0.68, −0.41], <i>p</i> < 0.001). Reductions were most pronounced in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (<i>g</i> = −0.63 [−0.81, −0.46], <i>p</i> < 0.001), and were approximately twice the magnitude observed in mood disorders (<i>g</i> = −0.33 [−0.59, −0.06], <i>p</i> = 0.027). The pooled association between larger PGV and better sleep was weak and nonsignificant (47 patients, 713 controls, <i>Z</i><sub>r</sub> = 0.18 [−0.08, 0.43], <i>p</i> = 0.136), with substantial heterogeneity (<i>I</i><sup>2</sup> = 82%), likely reflecting variability in sleep assessment and study populations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Across psychiatric disorders, PGV is reduced relative to healthy controls, with the largest and most consistent reductions observed in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In contrast, evidence for an association between PGV and sleep outcomes remains inconclusive. These findings suggest that reduced PGV may represent a trait-like structural alteration linked to psychiatric illness, particularly schizophrenia spectrum disorders, rather than a direct marker of sleep disturbance.</p>\u0000 \u0000 <p><b>Trial Registration:</b> PROSPERO: CRD420251138624.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"36-49"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acps.70092","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147588847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Using Pharmacological Knowledge to Provide Safety Suggestions During Involuntary Clozapine Treatment","authors":"Jose de Leon","doi":"10.1111/acps.70087","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70087","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"92-93"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Postpartum Depression: Overlap Between Symptom-Based and Register-Based Measures","authors":"Sofie Egsgaard, Mette Bliddal, Mette-Marie Zacher Kjeldsen, Xiaoqin Liu, Kathrine Bang Madsen, Merete Lund Mægbæk, Trine Munk-Olsen","doi":"10.1111/acps.70090","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70090","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Introduction</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Postpartum depression (PPD) can be measured in various ways, including questionnaire-based symptom scores or through administrative health databases. We examined the overlap between symptom-based and register-based PPD definitions and assessed the consistency in exposure-outcome associations.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We linked Danish nationwide health registers to PPD screening records (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, EPDS) at 2 months postpartum from women screened between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2021. We defined symptom-based PPD as an EPDS ≥ 11, and register-based PPD as an antidepressant prescription or hospital depression diagnosis within 1 year postpartum. We estimated the overlap between women with register-based and symptom-based PPD, as well as between continuous EPDS scores and register-based treatment indicators. We evaluated consistency between the two definitions using logistic regression analyses for socioeconomic, obstetric, demographic- and health-related exposures from which we obtained odds ratios (ORs) for each PPD definition and calculated ratio of odds ratios (ROR).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Among 157,193 mothers (132,593 unique), 11,193 (7.1%) had symptom-based PPD and 2409 (1.5%) had register-based PPD. Of those with symptom-based PPD, 8.8% also had register-based PPD, while 40.8% of those with register-based PPD had symptom-based PPD. We observed a higher overlap with higher EPDS scores. Consistency was highest for obstetric variables but varying for demographic- and health-related exposures (ROR register-based vs. symptom-based 1.84 [95% CI 1.67–2.03] for psychiatric history and 0.75 [95% CI 0.68–0.83] for primiparity).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We observed substantial differences and limited overlap between symptom-based and register-based PPD. Register-based measures capture hospital-based diagnoses and pharmacological treatment only, but not all treatment within the healthcare system, and differences may reflect a combination of severity, symptom transience, misclassification, and timing of measurement. Consistency in exposure-outcome associations varied, particularly for certain exposures. Our findings underline the importance of considering both the nature and implications of PPD definitions in epidemiological research.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"50-59"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acps.70090","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147669440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychotic Features in Unipolar and Bipolar Depression: Commentary","authors":"Ross J. Baldessarini, Leonardo Tondo","doi":"10.1111/acps.70111","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70111","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In their detailed and systematic review of depression with psychotic features, Andreu and colleagues of Barcelona [<span>1</span>] reported that the overall prevalence of psychotic features with depressive episodes of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder was 22.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 21.8–23.2). With specific disorders, the prevalence of psychotic depression ranked: bipolar-1 (49.8% [CI: 46.2–53.4]) > all bipolar disorder (41.3% [38.7–43.9]) > all subjects (26.1% [25.4–26.8]) > bipolar II (21.9% [18.5–25.6]) ≥ major depressive disorder (20.9% [20.2–21.6]). The 2.38-fold higher rate with bipolar I than major depressive disorder suggests an unsurprising affinity between mania and psychosis.</p><p>Many characteristics were compared between psychotic and nonpsychotic depressed subjects. The results were quite variable and were ascribed to differences in sampling and analytic methods employed in different studies [<span>1</span>]. We considered the reported proportions of studies finding a significant difference between the psychotic and nonpsychotic groups for a total of 20 factors (Table 1). Overall, the mean proportion of studies supportive of differences between psychotic and nonpsychotic subjects was less than one-half (49.3% [43.3–55.3]). The proportion of supportive studies ranged from 100% of 4–8 reports for higher rating-scale scores, melancholic features, and greater use of combination medicinal treatments in subjects with psychotic features, to 18.5%–25.0% of 16–38 studies for younger onset, less education, and more time in hospital among psychotic subjects (Table 1). Overall, supportive evidence regarding 12/20 factors (60.0%) exceeded half of the relevant reports reviewed and ranged from 60.0% to 100%. These 12 factors were notably associated with what can be considered <i>more severe illness</i>, based on such measures as higher ratings of psychosis and depression, more recurrences, more use of psychotropic drug-combinations or electroconvulsive treatment (ECT), and poorer functioning (Table 1).</p><p>This outcome associating psychotic depression with various measures consistent with greater illness severity is highly plausible and was the primary conclusion of the reviewers (<i>Conclusions</i>: “Across 41 studies, PD [psychotic depression] overall emerges as a more severe clinical presentation than NPD [nonpsychotic depression].”) [<span>1</span>]. The term <i>psychotic</i>, indeed, is virtually synonymous with severe psychiatric illness.</p><p>It is also possible that the high heterogeneity of outcomes among studies addressing particular characteristics (Table 1) may be related to illness severity. If psychotic and nonpsychotic depression represent a single disorder in which psychotic features may or may not occur in close association with illness severity, then variance in the presence of psychotic features among patient samples may reflect variance in illness severity among depressed patients. That is","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"3-5"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acps.70111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abigail Ortiz, Ramzi Halabi, Daniel Blumberger, Christina Gonzalez-Torres, Arend Hintze, Muhammad I. Husain, Mirkamal Tolend, Juveria Zaheer, Martin Alda, Benoit H. Mulsant
{"title":"Trajectories of Suicidal Risk Impact Mood Regulation Differently in Patients With a Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder","authors":"Abigail Ortiz, Ramzi Halabi, Daniel Blumberger, Christina Gonzalez-Torres, Arend Hintze, Muhammad I. Husain, Mirkamal Tolend, Juveria Zaheer, Martin Alda, Benoit H. Mulsant","doi":"10.1111/acps.70094","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Bipolar disorder (BD) carries a suicide risk 20 times higher than the general population, with up to 60% of patients attempting suicide. Current interventions have failed to reduce its incidence; static factors have shown limited predictive utility. Emerging evidence suggests dynamic monitoring approaches may offer complementary value. This study examined whether quantifiable differences in mood regulation patterns exist across the suicidality continuum among patients diagnosed with BD.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Method</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We analyzed daily self-reported mood, anxiety, and energy levels from 164 participants recruited from two Canadian academic hospitals (April 2021–August 2024). Participants were stratified into six groups based on suicide attempt history, current polarity, and active suicidality status. Using time-series analysis, we computed autocorrelation and cross-correlation functions to examine temporal relationships within and between variables across 1–7 day lags. Data comprised 64,351 valid observations over 461.5 ± 236.6 days of follow-up.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Participants with the highest suicide risk (previous attempt, in a current depressive episode with active suicidality) demonstrated significantly higher day-to-day autocorrelation compared to the lowest-risk participants (no prior attempts and currently euthymic) for mood (0.53 vs. 0.29, <i>p</i> = 0.01), energy (0.52 vs. 0.23, <i>p</i> = 0.02), and anxiety series (0.55 vs. 0.32, <i>p</i> = 0.04). Cross-correlation analysis revealed mood-energy decoupling during active suicidality; as well as a stronger negative mood-anxiety correlation in those with a prior attempt, even during euthymia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Higher autocorrelation patterns are indicative of a pathologically stable mood regulation in high-risk individuals, potentially serving as dynamic biomarkers for suicide risk stratification and targeted intervention development. Our findings demonstrate that a more aggressive approach to treating comorbid anxiety may be essential for reducing the risk of future attempts. They also challenge traditional conceptualizations equating euthymia with the absence of suicide risk, suggesting neurobiological vulnerability despite symptomatic remission.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"60-73"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acps.70094","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147588844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harms of Antenatal Corticosteroids Among Infants Born at Term: Cause for Concern or Caused by Bias?","authors":"Peter M. Socha, Jeremy Labrecque, Jasper V. Been","doi":"10.1111/acps.70078","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70078","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":"154 1","pages":"89-91"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146193835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Involuntary Clozapine Treatment: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Hélène Verdoux, Alexis Lepetit, Peter F J Schulte","doi":"10.1111/acps.70076","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>We aimed to synthesize the information relevant for clinical practice on involuntary clozapine treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Articles were identified with MEDLINE, Web of Sciences and PsycINFO search from inception through September 2025 (PROSPERO database registration CRD420251234475). We included all articles addressing issues related to involuntary clozapine treatment irrespective of the route of administration, i.e., oral, intra-muscular (IM) or nasogastric. Data were synthesized narratively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 29 identified articles, most clinical studies (n = 18) on people prescribed involuntary clozapine treatment (n = 236) were case reports/series or chart reviews. IM or nasogastric routes were the last-resort treatment for people with extremely severe psychotic disorders presenting with risky behavior. The decisional process was often lengthy due to the complex legal and ethical issues raised by involuntary treatment and restricted access to the unlicensed IM formulation. In nearly half of cases, the oral route was accepted after the decision to perform IM or nasogastric administration. Pain at the injection site was the most frequent adverse event after IM administration. Transition to this route occurred rapidly in the vast majority of the other cases, most often allowing a dramatic reduction in the severity of target symptoms and coercive measures. Clozapine was maintained orally after the acute phase in the majority of people with involuntary administration.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although the body of evidence supporting the use of involuntary clozapine treatment is mostly drawn from small observational studies, their findings suggest that this last-resort option may save the life and promote recovery of people for whom other treatments have failed. Access to IM clozapine is currently restricted in most countries. Whether this barrier to clozapine treatment for severely ill people with impaired decision-making capacities should be overcome in other countries needs to be further addressed.</p><p><strong>Registration: </strong>PROSPERO database registration CRD420251234475.</p>","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":" ","pages":"595-609"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13124317/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146163083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mortality Gap for People With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: An Elephant in the Room?","authors":"Alain Braillon","doi":"10.1111/acps.70070","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70070","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":" ","pages":"667"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146002707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction to \"Risk Factors for Mortality in Patients Admitted to a Psychiatric Acute Ward: A Prospective Cohort Study\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/acps.70080","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70080","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":" ","pages":"668"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146211572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Association Between Accelerated Atherosclerosis and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia.","authors":"Shang-Ying Tsai, Yao-Tung Lee, Martha Sajatovic, Shan Hung, Pao-Huan Chen, Ting-Hsuan Chang, Yu-Jui Huang","doi":"10.1111/acps.70083","DOIUrl":"10.1111/acps.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Individuals with bipolar disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and have been reported to exhibit inflammatory activation. This study examined the link between systemic inflamm-ation and accelerated atherosclerosis, focusing on whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is associated with carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in these populations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Physically healthy outpatients with bipolar I disorder or schizophrenia (DSM-5) as well as healthy controls, aged 20-60 years, were recruited to assess cIMT via high-resolution carotid ultrasound. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to measure levels of hs-CRP and lipid profiles on the day of ultrasonography. Clinical data were obtained from medical records and interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients with BPD (n = 111) and SCZ (n = 115) demonstrated significantly higher cIMT and hs-CRP levels compared to healthy controls (n = 84). In the BPD group, age, BMI, hs-CRP levels, duration of illness, and lithium daily dosage were identified as significant correlates of cIMT in bivariate analyses. In the multivariate analyses, hs-CRP levels were independently associated with increased cIMT after adjustment for age, body mass index, sex, and smoking habit, explaining 5.6% of the variance. In SCZ group, only age was significantly associated with cIMT. Smoking status and lipid profiles were not significantly associated with cIMT in either group.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Even physically healthy patients with BPD and SCZ exhibit accelerated atherosclerosis before geriatric age, reflected by increased cIMT. The association between hs-CRP and cIMT is observed in BPD, but not in SCZ, suggesting a greater role of chronic low-grade inflammation in BPD-related early vascular changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":108,"journal":{"name":"Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica","volume":" ","pages":"656-664"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147363484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}