OBJECTIVE: One of the areas of social cognition is Theory of Mind (ToM) is defined as the capacity to interpret, infer and explain mental states underlying the behavior of others. When social cognition studies on neurodevelopmental disorders are examined, it can be seen that this skill has not been studied sufficiently in children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). METHODS: In this study, social cognition skills in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), SLD or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) evaluated before puberty and compared with controls. To evaluate the ToM skills, the first and secondorder false belief tasks, the Hinting Task, the Faux Pas Test and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task were used. RESULTS: We found that children with neurodevelopmental disorders as ADHD, ASD, and SLD had ToM deficits independent of intelligence and language development. There was a significant correlation between social cognition deficits and problems experienced in many areas such as social communication and interaction, attention, behavior, and learning. CONCLUSION: Social cognition is an important area of impairment in SLD and there is a strong relationship between clinical symptoms and impaired functionality.
Adolescent ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Autistic Disorder* ; Child* ; Cognition* ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Language Development ; Learning ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Puberty ; Specific Learning Disorder* ; Theory of Mind

The current study evaluated DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses and investigated the psychological characteristics of sexual offenders by using the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory(HBI), Sexual Addiction Screening Test (SAST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Fifty male sexual offenders and 36 male healthy controls completed the psychiatric diagnosis and 30 of the 50 male sexual offenders completed the psychological tests listed above. Thirty-two of the 50 sexual offenders were patients with paraphilias, these sexual offenders had been admitted by the Ministry of Justice to the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry in Gongjui-si due to sexual violence. Participants displayed high lifetime rates of psychiatric disorders: 32 (64%) had paraphilias, 16 (32%) had depressive disorders, 10 (20%) had anxiety disorders, 9 (18%) had impulse control disorders, 6 (12%) had schizophrenia, 2 (4%) had bipolar disorders, and 16 (32%) had personality disorders or some other Axis II disorder. Scores for the sexual offenders were significantly higher both on the HBI and the SAST than the comparison group. Scores for the sexual offenders were also higher for the BDI and the BAI as compared to the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant. Results indicate that sexual offenders may have sexual addictions and be hypersexual. In addition to depressive and anxious psychopathologies, they also seem to have sexual psychopathologies. These results suggested that the psychopathology of sexual offenders may be different than that of a control group.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Bipolar Disorder ; Criminals ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Mental Disorders ; Paraphilic Disorders ; Personality Disorders ; Psychological Tests ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Sex Offenses ; Social Justice

This article provides an overview of the major psychiatric disorders in the adolescence. Attention and disruptive behavior disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and schizophrenia are the main diagnostic categories of adolescent psychiatric disorders. Attention and disruptive behavior disorders include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. Mood disorders include depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders include obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Eating disorders and tic disorders are described in the category of other disorders. This article discusses the demographic and clinical characteristics of the aforementioned disorders, focusing on the adolescent-specific clinical characteristics and the possible co-morbid conditions of each disorder. Diagnostic and evaluative points of each disorder for clinicians are also highlighted.
Adolescent ; Anxiety Disorders ; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Bipolar Disorder ; Conduct Disorder ; Depressive Disorder ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Mood Disorders ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder ; Phobic Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Tic Disorders

OBJECTIVES: Kleptomania is a disabling disorder, which results in intense personal shame, as well as familial, social, and legal problems. Despite its serious results, kleptomania remains poorly understood by the general public, clinicians, and the patients themselves. This study aimed to review the clinical characteristics, comorbidity, neurobiology, and treatment options of patients with kleptomania. METHODS: Domestic and international databases were searched using the keywords of "kleptomania" and "shoplifting". The search included articles published until May, 2010. RESULTS: The searches identified 252 articles. After excluding those which were overlapping in content or outside the scope of this study, a total of 65 articles remained for inclusion in this review. In general, the onset of kleptomania occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood, and the disorder is more common among women. Lifetime psychiatric comorbidity is frequent. Patients with kleptomania experience a significant decline in social and occupational functioning. Evidence suggests that kleptomania responds well to both pharmacological and psychosocial interventions. CONCLUSION: There is a need for mental health professionals to recognize and treat patients with kleptomania. More research into the etiology and treatment of this disorder, including studies involving double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, is required.
Adolescent ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders ; Mental Health ; Neurobiology ; Shame

Serotonin has been implicated in the etiology of many disease states and may be particularly mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, sleep disorders, suicide, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, migraine and others Many currently used treatments of these disorders are thought to act by modulating serotonergic function. The identification of many serotonin subtypes, most of which have been shown to have functional activity and differential distribution, has stimulated considerable effort into synthesizing selective ligands(drugs) to help understand their significance. This should understand the role of serotonin in mental disorders and these new drugs can be studied alone and in combination with other treatments in order to clarify the parameters of drug use for the clinical effect.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Mental Disorders ; Migraine Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin* ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Suicide

Social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD) is a new diagnosis included under communication disorders in the neurodevelopmental disorders section of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5. SCD is defined as a primary deficit in the social use of nonverbal and verbal communication. SCD has very much in common with pragmatic language impairment, which is characterized by difficulties in understanding and using language in context and following the social rules of language, despite relative strengths in word knowledge and grammar. SCD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are similar in that they both involve deficits in social communication skills, however individuals with SCD do not demonstrate restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, insistence on sameness, or sensory abnormalities. It is essential to rule out a diagnosis of ASD by verifying the lack of these additional symptoms, current or past. The criteria for SCD are qualitatively different from those of ASD and are not equivalent to those of mild ASD. It is clinically important that SCD should be differentiated from high-functioning ASD (such as Asperger syndrome) and nonverbal learning disabilities. The ultimate goals are the refinement of the conceptualization, development and validation of assessment tools and interventions, and obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the shared and unique etiologic factors for SCD in relation to those of other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Communication Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Learning Disorders ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Social Communication Disorder*

No abstract available.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Autistic Disorder ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Mental Health ; Spouse Abuse ; Learning Disorders

Objectives: To determine the burden of COVID-19 related mental health problems such as anxiety and/or depression among caregivers of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders in a government tertiary hospital. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Out-patient Department of PCMC. Caregiver data sheet and HADS-P forms were given to eligible caregivers. Results: A total of 102 caregivers were included. The prevalence of significant risk for anxiety disorder among caregivers of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders is 34.31% (n=35), 1.96% (n=2) for depression and 3.92% (n=4) for both anxiety and depression. Using logistic regression, marital status of common law partner and female sex have significant association with depression and anxiety; the number of household members has a direct association to significant risk for both anxiety and depression. Conclusion Female sex and common law partnership as marital status are associated with 2-3 times of having significant risk for anxiety or depression. The number of household members is correlated with an increased significant risk of having both anxiety and depression. Screening caregivers using appropriate tests would identify caregivers at significant risk for anxiety and depression and further create intervention programs.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Caregiversl ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; COVID-19 ; Mental Health

Occupational hazards of firefighting and rescue works include frequent exposure to emergencies and life-threatening situations. These stressful work conditions of being constantly under pressure and exposed to potentially traumatic events put them at higher risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compared to the general population. PTSD is a potentially debilitating mental disorder, due to persistent intrusive thoughts, negative alterations of mood and cognition, hypervigilance, avoidance of similar situations and reminders, and re-experiences of the traumatic event. Previous studies have shown a relatively high prevalence of PTSD among firefighters, indicating the need for a systematic approach of early detection and prevention. Therefore, a critical review of the current literature on PTSD in firefighters would provide valuable insights into developing effective prevention and intervention programs. Literature indicated that there are risk factors of PTSD in firefighters, such as pre-existing depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, occupational stress, physical symptoms, and binge drinking, whereas social support and adequate rewards are protective factors. Although there are differences in the prevalence of PTSD across studies, partly due to various assessment tools utilized, different sample sizes, and sample characteristics, over one tenth of the firefighters were estimated to have PTSD. The current review warrants further investigations to precisely assess PTSD and co-morbid mental disorders, functional outcomes, and associated factors, and to develop evidence-based preventive and interventional programs to help firefighters with PTSD.
Anxiety ; Binge Drinking ; Cognition ; Depression ; Emergencies ; Firefighters* ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Prevalence ; Protective Factors ; Rescue Work ; Reward ; Risk Factors ; Sample Size ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

OBJECTIVES: The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought psychological stress to the public, especially to patients. This study aims to investigate the mental health of patients with COVID-19 in Changsha. METHODS: We took cross-section investigation for the mental health of 112 patients with COVID-19 via questionnaires. Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare general and clinical data between the slight-ordinary patients and severe patients. Single sample -tests were used to compare the difference between the factor scores of the Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90) in COVID-19 patients with the norm of 2015 and factor scores of SCL-90 in patients with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). RESULTS: The obsessive-compulsive, depression, sleep and eating disorders had the highest frequency among the positive symptoms of SCL-90 in patients with COVID-19 in Changsha. The factor scores of somatization, depression, anxiety, phobia anxiety, sleep and eating disorders in patients with COVID-19 were higher than those of the norm (≤0.001 or <0.05). Slight-ordinary patients with COVID-19 in Changsha showed lower factor scores of somatization, depression, anxiety, and hostility compared with the patients with SARS (<0.001 or <0.05). There was no difference in factor scores of SCL-90 between the patients with severe COVID-19 and those with SARS(>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The levels of somatization, depression, anxiety, phobia anxiety, sleep and eating disorders in patients with COVID-19 in Changsha are higher than those of the norm. However, the mental health of slight-ordinary patients with COVID-19 is better than that of patients with SARS. It needs to provide targeting psychological interventions depending on the severity of patients.
Anxiety ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; psychology ; Depression ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Health Status ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; psychology ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires