UNASSIGNED: Unemployment is an obstacle in recovery for people with severe mental illnesses (SMI), both in reducing psychopathological symptoms and in achieving a high quality of life. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of an internship program for people diagnosed with SMI on psychosocial variables using a pre-test and post-test design.
UNASSIGNED: Four scales were administered to a sample of 127 study participants, all of whom were diagnosed with SMI. The results of standard and sheltered employment outcomes were obtained by comparing the number and type of contracts gained by participants up to one year after program completion. A repeated measures ANOVA analysis was carried out with intervention being an independent intra-subject variable and type of participant diagnosis being a between-subjects variable.
UNASSIGNED: A limited increase in social functioning was found, as well as a significant decrease in psychiatric distress for users diagnosed with personality disorders. Participants in the internship program obtained a greater number of employment contracts than their peers who did not participate in the program, albeit with a low effect size.
UNASSIGNED: Though results were positive, extension of internship length and provision of more intensive counselling for participants may be useful.
An internship program for persons with severe mental illnesses yielded modest improvements in social functioning.A decrease in psychiatric distress in participants with personality disorders was found after the internships.Participants in the internship obtained a greater number of employment contracts.An extended internship programme with workplace support is likely to be beneficial.

The Gaza Strip is a notoriously high-conflict area, but few large-scale studies have examined the rates of psychiatric distress and emotional/behavioral problems among Gaza youth, and there are few trauma-informed, scaleable intervention options. Studies in existence have used smaller samples or have examined focal problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or aggression. Here, we examine the mental health burden of young individuals (ages 8-13) in Gaza across a broad range of symptoms, and demonstrate the impact of a community-based, trauma-informed program, Eye to the Future. At the outset of this supportive youth program, over 2000 children and adolescent youth and their parents reported on child well-being using standardized measures with established global norms (the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self Report). These measures examine symptoms broadly (e.g. anxiety, depression, social problems, attention problems, aggression, etc.). Relative to U.S. population estimates, children in Gaza had between 2.5- and 17-times higher point prevalence of clinical mental health problems. The most significant clinical concern was anxiety, but overall, their symptoms were not confined to posttraumatic stress as a disorder and were instead broadly dispersed. However, these concerns were responsive to intervention: over the course of a six-month community psychosocial program, symptoms ameliorated, with approximately 50-70% showing reliable improvement at post-program (varying by measure). These gains were maintained in a 9-month follow-up. Future work should consider the broader mental health impact, beyond PTSD and aggression, and incorporate community supports into addressing mental health among children in the region.

BACKGROUND: Mallory-Weiss syndrome (MWS), representing a linear mucosal laceration at the gastroesophageal junction, is a quite frequent cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, usually induced by habitual vomiting. The subsequent cardiac ulceration in this condition is likely due to the concomitance of increased intragastric pressure and inappropriate closure of the gastroesophageal sphincter, collectively inducing ischemic mucosal damage. Usually, MWS is associated with all vomiting conditions, but it has also been described as a complication of prolonged endoscopic procedures or ingested foreign bodies.
METHODS: We described herein a case of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a 16-year-old girl with MWS and chronic psychiatric distress, the latter of which deteriorated following her parents\' divorce. The patient, who was residing on a small island during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic lockdown period, presented with a 2-mo history of habitual vomiting, hematemesis, and a slight depressive mood. Ultimately, a huge intragastric obstructive trichobezoar was detected and discovered to be due to a hidden habit of continuously eating her own hair; this habit had persisted for the past 5 years until a drastic reduction in food intake and corresponding weight loss occurred. The relative isolation in her living status without school attendance had worsened her compulsory habit. The hair agglomeration had reached such enormous dimensions and its firmness was so hard that its potential for endoscopic treatment was judged to be impossible. The patient underwent surgical intervention instead, which culminated in complete removal of the mass.
CONCLUSIONS: According to our knowledge, this is the first-ever described case of MWS due to an excessively large trichobezoar.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic increased psychiatric distress and impacts differed by family structure. We aimed to identify mechanisms contributing to these inequalities.
METHODS: Survey data were from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Psychiatric distress (GHQ-12) was measured in April 2020 (first UK lockdown; n = 10,516), and January 2021 (lockdown re-introduced following eased restrictions; n = 6,893). Pre-lockdown family structure comprised partner status and presence of children (< 16 years). Mediating mechanisms included: active employment, financial strain, childcare/home-schooling, caring, and loneliness. Monte Carlo g-computation simulations were used to adjust for confounding and estimate total effects and decompositions into: controlled direct effects (effects if the mediator was absent), and portions eliminated (PE; representing differential exposure and vulnerability to the mediator).
RESULTS: In January 2021, after adjustment, we estimated increased risk of distress among couples with children compared to couples with no children (RR: 1.48; 95% CI 1.15-1.82), largely because of childcare/home-schooling (PE RR: 1.32; 95% CI 1.00-1.64). Single respondents without children also had increased risk of distress compared to couples with no children (RR: 1.55; 95% CI 1.27-1.83), and the largest PE was for loneliness (RR: 1.16; 95% CI 1.05-1.27), though financial strain contributed (RR: 1.05; 95% CI 0.99-1.12). Single parents demonstrated the highest levels of distress, but confounder adjustment suggested uncertain effects with wide confidence intervals. Findings were similar in April 2020 and when stratified by sex.
CONCLUSIONS: Access to childcare/schooling, financial security and social connection are important mechanisms that need addressing to avoid widening mental health inequalities during public health crises.

BACKGROUND: There has been growing interest in protecting workers\' mental health. Identifying social determinants that affect workers\' mental health could play an important role in preventing psychiatric diseases.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of temporary employment and job dissatisfaction on alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms.
METHODS: The Korea Welfare Panel Study data-set (2009-2021) was used, and 9611 participants with 52 639 observations were included. Generalised linear mixed models were employed to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) was calculated to assess supra-additive interactions between temporary employment and job dissatisfaction.
RESULTS: Increased risks for depressive symptoms were observed among fixed-term workers (odds ratio 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.26) and daily labourers (odds ratio 1.68, 95% CI 1.44-1.95). Daily labourers were associated with an increased risk of alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 1.54, 95% CI 1.22-1.95). Job dissatisfaction was associated with alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 1.78, 95% CI 1.52-2.08) and depressive symptoms (odds ratio 4.88, 95% CI 4.36-5.46). This effect became stronger when workers were concurrently exposed to temporary employment and job dissatisfaction. Daily labourers with job dissatisfaction showed the highest risks for alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 2.99, 95% CI 2.21-4.03) and depressive symptoms (odds ratio 9.00, 95% CI 7.36-11.02). RERIs between daily employment and job dissatisfaction were >0 for alcohol use disorder (0.91, 95% CI 0.06-1.76) and depressive symptoms (3.47, 95% CI 1.80-5.14), indicating a supra-additive interaction.
CONCLUSIONS: We revealed that temporary employment and job dissatisfaction had detrimental effects on alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms.

Living alone has been linked to poor mental health, however large-scale epidemiological studies on the association between living alone and psychiatric morbidity including depression and anxiety are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate this issue in a large Taiwanese cohort.
In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 121,601 volunteers from 29 community recruitment stations in Taiwan and divided them into two groups based on whether or not they lived alone. Psychiatric morbidity was defined as a Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item score ≥ 3, Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item score ≥ 3, or self-reported depression. Logistic regression was used to explore the associations between living alone and psychiatric morbidity.
The participants who lived alone had a higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidity [odds ratio (OR) = 1.608, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.473 to 1.755] after adjusting for potential confounders. In a subgroup analysis, married subjects who lived alone and divorce/separation (OR = 2.013, 95% CI = 1.763 to 2.299) or widowing (OR = 1.750, 95% CI = 1.373 to 2.229) were more likely to have psychiatric morbidity than those who were married and not living alone.
Our findings suggest that living alone is a risk factor for psychiatric morbidity, especially for married subjects who live alone in concordance with divorce, separation, or the death of a spouse.

OBJECTIVE: Loneliness has a long-established link with depression; however, patterns of loneliness, specifically transient (short-term) and chronic loneliness (longer-term), have seldom been researched in terms of their associations with depression and psychiatric distress. We investigated whether chronic loneliness could predict higher levels of psychiatric distress and higher chance of depression diagnosis (via self-report) than transient and no loneliness.
METHODS: We used data from 18,999 participants in Waves 9 and 10 of the Understanding Society survey: a nationally representative study of adults in the United Kingdom. The study used a between-subjects, cross-sectional, design, where participants\' scores on loneliness measures across two time points were combined to form patterns of loneliness, and participants were compared on their levels of psychiatric distress and depression diagnoses across the three loneliness groups: chronic loneliness (lonely at both time points), transient loneliness (lonely at one time point) and no loneliness.
RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed that patterns of loneliness predicted both the likelihood of participants reporting a history of depression diagnosis and participants\' levels of psychiatric distress. The chronic loneliness group had the highest likelihood of self-reported depression diagnosis and had the highest levels of psychiatric distress, compared to both the transient and no loneliness groups. Transient loneliness, in turn, predicted higher likelihood of reporting a history of depression diagnosis and higher levels of psychiatric distress than the no loneliness group.
CONCLUSIONS: The study replicates and extends prior findings, suggesting that prolonged loneliness even over the course of one year is a risk factor for poorer mental health.

Many COVID-19 patients with low to moderate disease severity were cared for at home by family members. Caring for relatives with COVID-19 could have a psychiatric disorder for informal caregivers. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the psychiatric disorders of family caregivers of relatives with COVID-19, in Iran.
This online survey was conducted with 350 family caregivers over 18 years from April to July 2020, which was guided by the STROBE checklist. The study survey consisted of socio-demographic items, 7-items fear of COVID-19 scale, and a 21-item version of the depression, anxiety, and stress scales.
The mean (standard deviation) scores for depression, anxiety, and stress were 20 (0.40), 19.52 (0.39), and 19.72 (0.35), respectively, moreover for fear of COVID-19 was 20.33 (0.43). Of all family caregivers, 77.75%, 75%, and 80% had depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Sixty-nine percent of caregivers had fear with moderate to high severity. Being younger, married, having a health-related occupation, not exercising, and high monthly salary were significant predictors of the total score of depression, anxiety, and stress scale (P < 0.05). Further, being married, having a health-related occupation, and not exercising, having comorbidity, high income, and being younger were independent predictors of fear of COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Only 32% and 33% of the variance of total depression, anxiety, and stress, and fear of COVID-19 scores were predicted by the studied variables (p < 0.001).
Our study demonstrated the high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in family caregivers, which requires swift and comprehensive attention from authorities.

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota impacts on central nervous system (CNS) function via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Thus, therapeutics targeting the gut microbiota such as probiotics have the potential for improving mental health. This meta-analysis synthesizes the evidence regarding the impacts of probiotics on psychological well-being, psychiatric symptoms and CNS functioning.
METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied for executing this review using the databases PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library. The data were summarized at qualitative and quantitative level.
RESULTS: Fifty-four randomized placebo-controlled studies were included, of which 30 were eligible for meta-analysis. If investigated, the probiotics mostly exerted effects on CNS function. Most probiotics did not affect mood, stress, anxiety, depression and psychiatric distress when compared to placebo at the qualitative level. At quantitative level, depression and psychiatric distress improved slightly in the probiotic condition (depression: mean difference -0.37 (95% CI: -0.55, -0.20); p ≤ 0.0001; psychiatric distress: mean difference -0.33 (95% CI: -0.53, -0.13); p = 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: To date it is unclear to which extent and in which specific areas next generation probiotics selected and developed for their ability to improve psychiatric condition and potentially other CNS functions are promising.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to comprehensively examine the measurement aspects, the prevalence, and the psychological correlates of problem shopping among a large-scale national sample of Turkish adults.
RESULTS: Participants (N = 24,380, 50% men, M age = 31.79 years, age range = 18-81 years) completed a questionnaire that comprised the Shopping Addiction Risk Questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised. Results showed that 1.8% of the participants had probable shopping addiction. Being female, being younger, psychiatric distress, positive affect, negative affect, anxious attachment, and avoidant attachment were positive correlates of problem shopping.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this large sample size study suggest that shopping addiction is not a rare condition in Turkey. Further research is needed to understand different motives that underlie the problematic shopping behavior in the young and female population in comparison to older and male populations. Preventive programs or any interventions for people with PSB needs to address regulation difficulties and development of healthy strategies to cope with psychiatric distress.