Siamand Mazhar, Ahmad Shamabadi, Kimia Kazemzadeh, Mohammad Aidin Farahvash, Atiye Heidari Dalfard, Bita Fallahpour, Mohammad-Reza Khodaei Ardakani, Shahin Akhondzadeh
{"title":"Crocus sativus (saffron) adjunct to risperidone for negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.","authors":"Siamand Mazhar, Ahmad Shamabadi, Kimia Kazemzadeh, Mohammad Aidin Farahvash, Atiye Heidari Dalfard, Bita Fallahpour, Mohammad-Reza Khodaei Ardakani, Shahin Akhondzadeh","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000575","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000575","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Current treatments for schizophrenia encounter resistance, limited efficacy, and limiting complications, necessitating novel approaches. The effects of saffron on negative symptoms were investigated as it has shown neuroprotective and antipsychotic properties. Fifty-six clinically stable chronic schizophrenic outpatients were equally assigned to saffron 15 mg q12hr or placebo groups while continuing risperidone. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess schizophrenia-related symptoms in weeks 4 and 8. Also, the patients were assessed for the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) and adverse effects. The baseline characteristics of the groups were comparable ( P s > 0.05). There were significant time-treatment interaction effects on negative ( = 0.137), general psychopathology ( = 0.193), and total ( = 0.113) PANSS scores. Affirmatively, their reductions were significantly greater in the saffron group until weeks 4 (Cohen's d s = 0.922, 0.898, and 0.759, respectively) and 8 (Cohen's d s = 0.850, 1.047, and 0.705, respectively). Regarding the negative symptoms, a better 25% response rate was obtained in the saffron group until the endpoint ( P = 0.003). The HDRS scores, extrapyramidal symptom rating scale scores, and side effect frequencies were comparable between the groups ( P s > 0.05). Saffron was beneficial for primary negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia in a safe and tolerable manner. It also outperformed placebo in improving general psychopathology and total symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"353-361"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142806790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alberto Raggi, Alessandro Serretti, Raffaele Ferri
{"title":"The P300 component of the auditory event-related potential in adult psychiatric and neurologic disorders: a narrative review of clinical and experimental evidence.","authors":"Alberto Raggi, Alessandro Serretti, Raffaele Ferri","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000566","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000566","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The auditory P300 wave, also known as P3b, is an event-related potential component thought to reflect central information processes involved in stimulus evaluation or categorization. It is typically elicited using the oddball paradigm, which involves mixing low-probability target items with high-probability standard stimuli. Its latency is associated with the timing of cognitive processes such as stimulus evaluation and response preparation, while its amplitude is related to the amount of attentional resources engaged during the task. Despite decades of use in research settings, its application in clinical practice has been limited. Prolongation of latencies and reduction of amplitudes in the auditory P3b have been observed in both psychiatric and neurological conditions. This includes cases where traditional neuropsychological tests are challenging due to severe motor or speech dysfunctions, or in conditions characterized by subtle cognitive deficits. Additionally, specific laterality patterns in psychoses and a loss of P300 habituation in migraines have been described. The wealth of experimental evidence supports the use of this evoked potential, which can be elicited through a relatively simple paradigm, for objectively evaluating cognition in psychiatric and neurological patients, particularly in follow-up assessments. Therefore, the auditory P300 appears to be a valuable tool for monitoring the clinical course of patients with mental and neurological disorders in certain circumstances.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"259-274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142008697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lourdes M DelRosso, Sam Bradshaw, Amitoj Singh, Viraj Jain, Maria P Mogavero, Raffaele Ferri
{"title":"A comparative study of depressive and anxiety symptoms, insomnia, and sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or both (CO-ROSA): preliminary findings from a retrospective study.","authors":"Lourdes M DelRosso, Sam Bradshaw, Amitoj Singh, Viraj Jain, Maria P Mogavero, Raffaele Ferri","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000571","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000571","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless legs syndrome (RLS), or both may exhibit varied manifestations of depressive and anxiety symptomatology, reflecting the complex interplay between sleep disturbances, neurotransmitter imbalances, and psychosocial stressors in these often overlapping conditions. The aim of this study was to compare depressive and anxiety symptomatology, insomnia severity, and sleepiness in these conditions. Patients were enrolled and subdivided into those with OSA, RLS, and OSA + RLS. All were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. A total of 159 patients were enrolled, with OSA ( n = 85), RLS ( n = 11), and OSA + RLS ( n = 63). A significant difference was observed for PHQ-9 (higher in patients with RLS, associated or not with OSA); however, the groups also differed for age (older in RLS) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (higher in OSA). The group difference in PHQ-9 persisted also after ruling out the confounding effects of age and AHI. Our study highlights the significant burden of depressive symptomatology in patients with OSA, RLS, or both. RLS patients consistently exhibited higher levels of depressive symptomatology compared with OSA patients, emphasizing the need for comprehensive assessment and tailored management strategies targeting both sleep-related and psychiatric symptoms in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"275-280"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142864344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An algorithmic approach to the case management of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and substance use disorders: what is the evidence?","authors":"Octavian Vasiliu","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000582","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000582","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":"40 5","pages":"299-303"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144760028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Suicide behind bars: time to tackle barriers to mental healthcare access in prisons.","authors":"Yasin Hasan Balcioglu","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000591","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":"40 5","pages":"304-306"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144760030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raffaella Calati, Stefano Tambuzzi, Rosa Gravagnuolo, Livio Muscatiello, Maria Elena Magrin, Franca Crippa, Fabio Madeddu, Riccardo Zoja, Guendalina Gentile
{"title":"Suicide in prison in the North of Italy (1993-2022): a case-control study examining differences between suicides inside and outside prison.","authors":"Raffaella Calati, Stefano Tambuzzi, Rosa Gravagnuolo, Livio Muscatiello, Maria Elena Magrin, Franca Crippa, Fabio Madeddu, Riccardo Zoja, Guendalina Gentile","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000569","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000569","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prisoners constitute a group at suicide risk, showing higher relative rates of suicides than the general population. However, there is limited knowledge about the characteristics of those who die by suicide in Italian prisons. Based on the total sample of suicides of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Milan (1993-2022), suicides in prison ( N = 120) were matched by age and gender with cases that occurred outside prison ( N = 300) and compared with them. The considered variables were sociodemographic, clinical, and suicide-related. Univariate analyses and logistic regression model were performed. In univariate analyses, suicides in prison showed higher rates of ethnicity different from white Caucasian, lower rates of depression, higher rates of alcoholism, addiction, respiratory system diseases, hepatitis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, lower use of any medication, and in particular psychotropic medications, and a higher percentage of violent suicide method versus nonviolent compared to suicides outside prison. In the logistic regression model, ethnicity, depression, and addiction were the only features differentiating suicides in prison from ones outside prison. Particular attention should be paid to inmates with non-white ethnicity and those with addiction. Ensuring adequate access to psychiatric care and implementing comprehensive suicide prevention strategies within Italian prisons is crucial.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"288-294"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142390343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mauro Scala, Daniel Sánchez-Reolid, Roberto Sánchez-Reolid, Patricia Fernández-Sotos, Verónica Romero-Ferreiro, Miguel Ángel Alvarez-Mon, Guillermo Lahera, Giuseppe Fanelli, Alessandro Serretti, Chiara Fabbri, Antonio Fernández-Caballero, Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez
{"title":"Differences in emotion recognition between nonimmersive versus immersive virtual reality: preliminary findings in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.","authors":"Mauro Scala, Daniel Sánchez-Reolid, Roberto Sánchez-Reolid, Patricia Fernández-Sotos, Verónica Romero-Ferreiro, Miguel Ángel Alvarez-Mon, Guillermo Lahera, Giuseppe Fanelli, Alessandro Serretti, Chiara Fabbri, Antonio Fernández-Caballero, Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000576","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000576","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Deficits in social cognition may impair emotional processing and facial emotional recognition (FER) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia. FER is generally explored using photographs or images of static faces that do not fully capture the complexity of real-life facial stimuli. To overcome this limitation, we developed a set of dynamic virtual faces depicting six basic emotions (i.e. happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise) and a neutral expression suitable for presentation in immersive and nonimmersive virtual realities. This study presents preliminary findings on the differences in FER accuracy from a frontal view between immersive and nonimmersive virtual realities among patients experiencing a relapse of schizophrenia ( n = 10), a manic phase of BD ( n = 10), and a group of healthy controls (HCs) ( n = 10). As a secondary objective, we compare the FER accuracy across these three groups. Patients with schizophrenia and BD showed similar accuracy in recognizing emotions in immersive and nonimmersive virtual reality settings. However, patients with schizophrenia exhibited lower FER accuracy than HCs in both settings. Individuals with BD showed intermediate accuracy between those with schizophrenia and HCs, although these differences were not statistically significant. Notably, recognition of negative emotions was significantly impaired in both groups of patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"281-287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12309510/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142785531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Helena Andreu, Blanca Serra-Sarró, Laura Bueno, Òscar de Juan, Iñaki Ochandiano, Luis Olivier, Helena Álvarez, Ailin Herrero, Cecilia Mantellini, Miguel Vicente, Maria Sagué-Vilavella, Lidia Ilzarbe, Luis Pintor, Marina Garriga, Vicent Llorca-Bofí, Miquel Bioque
{"title":"Catatonia as a debut of systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report on a diagnostic challenge.","authors":"Helena Andreu, Blanca Serra-Sarró, Laura Bueno, Òscar de Juan, Iñaki Ochandiano, Luis Olivier, Helena Álvarez, Ailin Herrero, Cecilia Mantellini, Miguel Vicente, Maria Sagué-Vilavella, Lidia Ilzarbe, Luis Pintor, Marina Garriga, Vicent Llorca-Bofí, Miquel Bioque","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000572","DOIUrl":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000572","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by a wide variety of symptoms, including frequent neurological and psychiatric symptomatology. Psychiatric symptoms encountered in SLE are frequent, between 37 and 95% of SLE patients present them, can appear at any point in the course of the disease and may include almost any type of disorder. We present the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented an SLE debut with catatonic symptoms without previous psychiatric history, representing a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge given that the diagnosis was initially wrongly filtered out and required up to three hospital admissions in a row to reach a proper diagnosis and treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"295-298"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142675826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurological features in psychiatric disorders: biomarkers, comorbidity, and clinical translation.","authors":"Alessandro Serretti","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000598","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000598","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":"40 5","pages":"253-258"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144760029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparing adherence and persistence of common selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in veterans with major depressive disorder: a retrospective analysis of Veterans Affairs healthcare data.","authors":"Ryan D Pittman","doi":"10.1097/YIC.0000000000000604","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/YIC.0000000000000604","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Depression has a high prevalence and increasing incidence in the USA. Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are the most commonly used treatments. To be effective, SSRIs must be taken consistently. This study evaluated adherence and persistence among veterans diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) who initiated SSRI monotherapy within 90 days of diagnosis. Using Veterans Affairs healthcare data from 2000 to 2023, we identified veterans with MDD who filled a prescription for one of the five most common SSRIs: citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, or sertraline. Adherence was measured as the proportion of days covered during the first year, with greater than or equal to 80% considered adherent. Persistence was measured as time to discontinuation, defined as a 90-day gap in supply. Among 300 628 eligible patients, 29.3% were adherent and 49.6% persisted on treatment for more than 180 days. Escitalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline had significantly higher adherence and lower discontinuation hazards compared with citalopram and paroxetine. These results suggest that escitalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline support better long-term adherence and persistence in veterans with MDD. Enhanced understanding of these dynamics can improve patient education and support systems that address specific adherence barriers, including side effects and lack of information about treatment duration and expectations.</p>","PeriodicalId":13698,"journal":{"name":"International Clinical Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144855176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}