Stigma related to individuals with mental health problems is a relevant global public health issue. Values, as guiding principles, influence attitudes and behaviors, thus potentially informing the social functions of stigma. To provide a comprehensive overview and synthesis of quantitative evidence on values and belief systems studied in association with mental health stigma. Preregisteration in PROSPERO. To match conceptual vagueness and provide a starting point for future research, a scoping review was performed. A systematic search across multiple databases without publication year restrictions was performed, and the results were synthesized according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies checklist. A quality appraisal was conducted as per adapted Cochrane Collaborations´ suggested inclusions. A total of 49 original studies published in English or German were included after full-text screening and synthesized into five value clusters: cultural, political, religious/spiritual, personal and milieu-specific dimensions. Across studies, we observed a heterogeneous operationalization of value dimensions, which complicated comparability and synthesis. Overarching trends are illustrated graphically; e.g. conservative values are consistently associated with greater stigma, although they must be read as preliminary and do not allow for causal explanations. There is a growing interest in contextual aspects such as values studied in association with stigma towards people living with mental health problems. Future research should focus on refining conceptual frameworks and validating value-sensitive approaches that help fuel a deeper understanding of the contextuality of stigma functions.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex psychiatric disorder marked by extreme caloric restriction, intense fear of weight gain, and distorted body image perception. Not only influence physical health, but it also creates serious psychological burdens. Treatment of AN is especially daunting due to its multi-dimensional nature. Recent research indicates that a pharmacological approach, such as the prescription of atypical antipsychotics like Olanzapine, may help treat both the nutritional deficiency and psychological distress related to the disorder. By allowing an individual gain weight and potentially reducing comorbid depression and anxiety, Olanzapine can be a valuable add-on to standard treatments. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Olanzapine in causing weight gain among anorexia nervosa patients. Based on comparisons of results in a number of clinical trials, the study aims at establishing the effect of Olanzapine on weight restoration and investigating any accompanying shift in the psychological state of the patients. A comprehensive literature search was performed on Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov, Scopus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for all records from the earliest date available through to August 22, 2024. Randomized controlled trials of olanzapine treatment in anorexia nervosa were included. Studies were screened, and data were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Records for meta-analysis were combined in a random-effects model to calculate effect sizes, and heterogeneity was quantified with the I2 statistic. 207 records were found, 159 of which were excluded after title and abstract screening. After full-text review, seven RCTs were found. These trials involving 152 patients assessed the impact of olanzapine on weight gain in anorexia nervosa. Meta-analysis of 4 studies (91 patients) showed a mean difference in BMI of 1.68kg/m² (95% CI: 0.82, 4.18) in favor of olanzapine but not statistically significant (p = 0.19), with high heterogeneity (I² = 94%). Sensitivity analysis reduced the heterogeneity to 28% but not the effect size. Although olanzapine showed a numerically greater weight gain compared to control conditions, the pooled effect did not reach statistical significance and was associated with substantial heterogeneity. Therefore, current evidence remains inconclusive. Olanzapine may be considered in selected cases, particularly where psychological comorbidities are prominent, but larger and methodologically robust trials are needed before routine clinical use can be recommended. Not Applicable.

Methamphetamine (MA) is a substance commonly misused globally, with unclear brain imaging mechanisms impacting cognitive functions. This investigation sought to understand the cognitive traits of individuals with methamphetamine use disorders (MUDs) and relate these to structural brain changes, examined from a comprehensive perspective. This research encompassed 45 individuals with MUDs (MUD group) and 43 healthy controls (HC group). The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), including 10 subtests covering 7 cognitive domains, was administered to evaluate cognitive abilities in participants, while a 3.0T MRI scanner was employed to gather structural brain data. Compared to the HC group, the MUD group displayed reduced gray matter volume in the right insula, left middle frontal, left postcentral, and bilateral angular gyrus, while the left precentral, left postcentral, left superior frontal, left parstriangularis, left supramarginal, and left parsopercularis exhibited decreased cortical thickness (PFDR-corr < 0.05, cluster > 100). The digit-symbol coding test regression model demonstrated a noteworthy interaction effect between group and cortical thickness at the left precentral (p = 0.01) and left parsopercularis (p = 0.04). In the neuropsychological assessment battery-mazes (NAB-Mazes), a positive correlation was found between cortical thickness in the left parsopercularis and NAB-Mazes scores (p = 0.02), with a significant group interaction (p = 0.001). For the continuous performance test (CPT), a negative correlation emerged between cortical thickness in the left superior frontal and CPT scores (p = 0.03). MUDs exhibit altered gray matter morphology in several brain regions, where alterations in frontal cortex thickness may underlie the neuroanatomy of cognitive deficits common to MUDs.

Postpartum depression is a significant mental health disorder that can have profound and detrimental effects on both the mother and child. Early intervention, facilitated by a comprehensive understanding of the risk factors associated with this condition, is crucial for mitigating the onset of postpartum depressive symptoms. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to examine the effects of time perspective and circadian rhythm disturbances on postpartum depressive symptoms. Participants were examined in the first trimester of pregnancy and during the first 3 months after delivery. A total of 157 women were recruited. Of these, 126 participants successfully completed both stages of the study. At each stage, the women completed questionnaires-the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, the Dark Future Scale, the Biological Rhythms Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry, and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale. The participants also wore an actigraphy monitor for 1 week. The results showed that fatalistic time perspective, subjectively perceived disturbances of circadian rhythms, and a tendency to focus on a negative future in the first trimester were associated with increased postpartum depressive symptoms. Moreover, the association of fatalistic and future negative perspectives with postpartum depressive symptoms was statistically mediated by the perception of disturbances of circadian rhythms. There were no significant relationships between objective and self-report measures of circadian rhythm disturbances. The findings of the present study highlight the need for future preventive research on postpartum depression symptoms to assess time perspective and perceived circadian rhythm disturbances among women in early pregnancy.

Mental disorders are highly prevalent among offenders. In Amsterdam, the Psychiatric Emergency Service and the Public Prosecutor's Office jointly implemented a post-booking diversion program to improve clinical outcomes and reduce recidivism among people suspected of an offence and referred for psychiatric assessment. To identify demographic, clinical and legal factors associated with rearrest among participants in a post-booking diversion program. In this prospective observational study, 292 participants were followed for one year. Using routinely collected demographic, psychiatric, and judicial data, we applied a two-step negative binomial regression analysis to examine associations between demographic, clinical, and legal variables and the number of rearrests. First, bivariate associations between potential predictors and the number of rearrests were examined. Second, a comprehensive multivariate model was fitted including all significant predictors from step 1. During follow-up, 42% of participants were rearrested. Participants with substance use disorders initially showed a higher rate of rearrest (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) = 1.92, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.17-3.15, p = .01), but diagnostic category was no longer associated with rearrest after adjustment for covariates. Independent predictors of rearrest included receiving a subpoena or arraignment (IRR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.48-4.93, p = .001), homelessness (IRR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.32-4.37, p = .004), welfare dependence (IRR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.01-2.36, p = .045), and prior-year arrests (IRR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.07-1.27, p < .001). In this post-booking diversion program, social and legal vulnerabilities-rather than psychiatric diagnosis-were associated with rearrests. Addressing homelessness, economic instability, and prior justice involvement may be more effective in reducing recidivism than interventions focusing solely on mental health treatment. Broader diversion strategies integrating social support and housing in itiatives are warranted.

The pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unclear. Diagnosis relies on symptoms and relevant scales, which are highly subjective. Moreover, most diagnoses are made after the age of 3, delaying treatment opportunities. This study aimed to explore dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) in toddlers with ASD aged 1-3 years, to identify group-level differences in dynamic functional connectivity (FC) patterns and investigate their associations with autistic symptoms, with the goal of providing preliminary neuroimaging insights into the neural mechanisms underlying ASD during this critical developmental window. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 41 toddlers diagnosed with ASD and 23 age- and sex-matched normal development control (NC) individuals were collected. We examined group differences in dFNC properties, including temporal characteristics of brain states, mean dwell time (MDT), state occurrence rate (OR), and state transition frequency. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationships between these dFNC metrics and the severity of autistic symptoms. Compared with the NC group, toddlers with ASD spent more time in a brain state characterized by globally weak connectivity and a notable lack of between-network functional connectivity, with a significantly higher OR and nominally longer MDT. They also showed a nominally reduced MDT in a brain state marked by strong within-network connectivity and enhanced modular organization across multiple functional networks. Exploratory correlation analyses between autism metrics and dFC measures suggested several nominal associations (uncorrected p < 0.05). Toddlers with ASD exhibit abnormal dFNC patterns, characterized by altered temporal properties of brain states and disrupted state-related connectivity profiles. These results provide empirical evidence for altered dynamic brain organization in early ASD, contributing to a better understanding of its neural underpinnings during this critical developmental window.

Long-term use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) increases the risk of metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). Using susceptibility loci identified by European Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) as entry points, we conducted a case-control study to verify their association with antipsychotic-induced MS in Chinese Han SCZ patients. Clinical and metabolic data were collected from 528 chronically SCZ patients who had been treated with SGAs for ≥ 12 months. Patients were divided into MS (n = 232) and non-MS (n = 296) groups. Forty tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from European GWAS data were genotyped; inter-group comparisons and risk analyses for MS-related factors were performed. Compared with the non-MS group, the MS group exhibited significantly elevated waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides (TG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and body-mass index (BMI), alongside significantly reduced age and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (all P < 0.05). Allele-based analysis revealed that the G allele of G-protein-coupled receptor 98 (GPR98) rs1967256 was more prevalent in MS patients (χ² = 4.049, P = 0.046), whereas the T allele of Tudor domain-containing protein 15 / Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1822 (TDRD15/LINC01822) rs1117324 showed reduced frequency (χ² = 6.639, P = 0.011). Genotype analysis further indicated an over-representation of the rs1117324 T/T genotype in the MS group (χ² = 10.833, P = 0.004). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that older age at onset, lower BMI and rs1117324 C/T genotype (compared to T/T) were protective factors, while rs1117324 C/C genotype was risk factor for hyperglycaemia. In addition, male sex, higher BMI and rs1967256 C/C genotype (compared to GG) were identified as risk factors for low HDL-C. Among the 40 MS susceptibility loci previously identified by European GWAS, we validated two loci-GPR98 rs1967256 and TDRD15/LINC01822 rs1117324-as being significantly associated with antipsychotic-induced MS in Chinese Han patients with SCZ.