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Previous studies on same-sex attractions and sexualities in general have explored various dimensions and the social and psychological implications of its existence in societies where they are rejected or accepted. While existing studies have addressed these phenomena in the broader context, this research focuses specifically on Nigeria. Recent investigations indicate that same-sex attraction is vehemently rejected in Nigerian society, both in physical and online spaces, reinforced by the enactment of the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA 2014) and prevalent homophobia. This implies that queer Nigerians put in efforts to ensure networking and sociality amidst these impediments. The current study examines the presence of queer Nigerians and the visibility of their sexualities as sex panic in Nigeria. It also examines the formation of queer publics and counterpublics in the country, and shedding light on the ways queer Nigerians navigate societal constraints through traditional and geosocial networking options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Panic disorder (PD) is highly prevalent during the peripartum period. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence on risk factors and course patterns of peripartum PD as well as maternal, infant or dyadic outcomes during the first three years after delivery. Methods: A literature search was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were: (1) a diagnosis of PD or panic attacks during pregnancy, (2) risk factors and course as well as maternal, infant or dyadic outcomes measured in pregnancy and/or up to 3 years postpartum (3) peer-reviewed articles in English or German published between 1980 and April 2024. After screening of n = 2,740 records, n = 75 records based on n = 64 projects were eligible for this systematic review. Results: Overall, n = 47 studies investigated the course of PD during the peripartum period, n = 23 studies examined the associations of PD and obstetric, neonatal or infant outcomes, and n = 5 studies focused on the associations of PD and characteristics of the mother-infant dyad. We found (1) no common trajectory, but heterogeneous courses of maternal PD in the peripartum period, (2) associations of maternal PD with birth complications and subsequent postpartum depression, and (3) evidence for associations of PD with infant and dyadic outcomes. Limitations: Diverse outcome measures in recent original publications did not allow for a meta-analytic approach. Conclusion: Heterogenous courses and outcomes of peripartum PD require comprehensive monitoring of affected mothers and their infants. There is a need for further longitudinal investigations into familial transmission of anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrasting widespread speculation in the media and public debate about spiking (administration of a substance to a person without their knowledge/consent), empirical evidence on the subject is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the assumed prevalence, perceived likelihood, and fear of drink-versus needle-spiking, and associated mental strain. Data from a cross-sectional online-survey (November 2022 – January 2023) of 1916 adults connected to Berlin's nightlife-scene were analyzed. Almost a quarter reported having experienced drink-spiking, but only a small fraction sought medical or police attention; about 1% suspected needle-spiking. Presumptive victims of drink-spiking rated the likelihood and fear of spiking significantly higher and exhibited more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Considering toxicological and police findings, the reported prevalence and perceived likelihood of spiking seem to be highly overestimated. This, in conjunction with associated mental strain, highlights the importance of adequately addressing the issue of spiking through psychoeducation, prevention, and interprofessional investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Model selection is a ubiquitous problem that arises in the application of many statistical and machine learning methods. In the likelihood and related settings, it is typical to use the method of information criteria (ICs) to choose the most parsimonious among competing models by penalizing the likelihood‐based objective function. Theorems guaranteeing the consistency of ICs can often be difficult to verify and are often specific and bespoke. We present a set of results that guarantee consistency for a class of ICs, which we call PanIC (from the Greek root 'pan', meaning 'of everything'), with easily verifiable regularity conditions. PanICs are applicable in any loss‐based learning problem and are not exclusive to likelihood problems. We illustrate the verification of regularity conditions for model selection problems regarding finite mixture models, least absolute deviation and support vector regression and principal component analysis, and demonstrate the effectiveness of PanICs for such problems via numerical simulations. Furthermore, we present new sufficient conditions for the consistency of BIC‐like estimators and provide comparisons of the BIC with PanIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent emergencies always induce panic in the public and cause crowd chaos and casualties. To study the spread laws of panic in the crowd, an NEMSC (Normal-Expose- Mild Panicky-Severe Panicky-Cool) model for the spread of panic emotions was proposed based on the infectious disease model. An improved panic emotion propagation model considering intervention factors was established and the number of trends of crowd emotion contagion was observed by using the NEMSC model and its improved model, and the simulation results were compared and analyzed. Then, take the COVID-19 epidemic and the stampede on the Bund in Shanghai as examples for application simulation. The results show that the NEMSC model can describe the spread of panic emotions in crowds in emergencies, and the intervention factors can effectively inhibit the spread of different panic emotions, which is helpful for emergency decision-making management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersection of COVID-19 and panic in Indonesia, with the aim of analysing four factors driving panic during the 2020–2022 pandemic: limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE); delayed diagnosis of COVID-19 among clusters of health workers; distrust of health services; and amplification of distrust and misinformation through social media, particularly about the role of health workers. We employ an intersectional lens to analyse the complex social positions, cultural gender norms and roles that influence the experiences and perceptions of male and female health workers during the pandemic. Through six case studies involving three doctors, two nurses and one midwife, all of whom tragically succumbed to the virus within the first 16 months of the pandemic, this research highlights the need for the Indonesian public health system to prepare for further pandemics and to ensure the capacity of the Indonesian public health system for its preparedness and resilience for future health emergencies or crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humans, adverse physical and/or psychological traumas in childhood may predispose to developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood, including panic disorder. To model early life adversity in mice, we subjected male and female C57BL/6 J mice to a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) protocol between postnatal days 2–9 and investigated its effect on responsiveness to panicogenic challenges in adulthood. Panic‐like escape behaviour was assessed during exposure to a high concentration of CO2 (20%) or in the beetle mania task (BMT), used to model respiratory and non‐respiratory‐related types of panic respectively. Neonatal exposure to LBN increased panic‐like jumping during the CO2 challenge in male but not female mice. In an initial pharmacological validation of the BMT as a panic‐inducing paradigm, undirected jumping and horizontal escape behaviours were reduced significantly by the panicolytic alprazolam (0.05 and 0.1mg.kg−1 i.p.) whilst tolerance to the close proximity of the aversive robo‐beetle increased. The anxiolytic diazepam (1 mg.kg−1 i.p.) reduced only the number of horizontal escape attempts. In both sexes, previous experience of LBN significantly enhanced the number of horizontal escape episodes, indicating a pro‐panic phenotype. Directed escape to access a safe ledge on the wall of the test arena, which was seen only in males, was also reduced significantly following LBN. These findings indicate that early life adversity produced by fragmented and unpredictable maternal care promotes a sex‐specific increase in susceptibility to panic‐like behaviour in adulthood. Whilst non‐respiratory‐related panic‐like behaviour was enhanced in both sexes, females were resilient to respiratory‐related challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical and psychological problems are common among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), thus emphasizing the need for the evaluation of the effectiveness of different psychological therapies for these patients. Thus, this study aimed to compare the efficacy of group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) with group acceptance and commitment therapy (GACT) in the treatment of fear beliefs related to panic disorder in MS patients, focusing on the revised sensitivity theory of brainbehavioral systems. Methods: This experimental study was conducted employing a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of MS patients with panic disorder who sought treatment at the Khorasan MS Association in Mashhad, Iran. Through the convenience sampling method, 36 women who met the inclusion criteria were selected from among 3200 patients. The participants were randomly divided into 3 groups: GCBT (N = 12), GACT (N = 12), and the control group (N = 12). Pretest and posttest intervention assessments were conducted using Jackson's five-factor questionnaire and the Panic Belief Inventory (PBI). Descriptive methods and repeated measures analysis of variance were utilized for data analysis. Results: The results revealed a significant reduction in fear beliefs among participants in the intervention groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, significant changes were observed in the behavioral-brain systems of the participants in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Comparing the intervention groups revealed that the impact of GACT is higher than GCBT on the behavioral activation system (BAS) and panic beliefs (P = 0.04). Conclusion: It can be concluded that GCBT and GACT were effective in improving the fear beliefs of patient and changing their brain-behavioral systems. Comparing two interventions showed higher efficacy of GACT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ben Bernanke first referred to Walter Bagehot's Lombard Street when he was in the chair of the Board of Governors, and when the Federal Reserve responded to the global financial crisis that began in August 2007. While the literature has dealt with the practice of the Federal Reserve and its compliance or otherwise with Bagehot's rules, it has not detailed Bernanke's theory of lending in last resort and the underlying interpretation of Bagehot's rules. Thus, our approach is not empirical but theoretical. We first recall Bagehot's arguments especially regarding the respective levels of interest rates. Then we show how Bernanke met Bagehot and how he revisited Bagehot's rules. We find that Bernanke's approach can be sustained under theoretical conditions—notably working on the assumption that the fundamental value of financial assets can be identified. We conclude by emphasising that the debate can be either restricted to the question of moral hazard, or broadened to the question of the financial cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a bid to transform social and political circumstances by instilling outsized fear, terrorists orchestrate atrocities that are unsettling, unanticipated and preclude effective countermeasures. Utilising the critical case of explosive devices – the leading method of 'pure' terrorism – this article analyses an important, yet underexplored, dimension of this process: the weaponisation of the familiar and everyday. By repurposing ubiquitous, banal artefacts to conceal, manufacture or serve as destructive instruments, terrorists nurture vulnerability, inflict psychic trauma and produce conditions of ontological and social entropy where the surrounding environment appears unstable, corrupted and on the brink of rupture. Rather than a subsidiary dimension of asymmetrical conflict, it is argued that these dynamics are central to terrorism's organising logic. Accentuating them can, therefore, deepen understanding of the phenomenon's fearsome effectuation and ability to produce extreme discrepancy between risk and response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: PTSD is comorbid with a number of other mental health difficulties and the link between voice hearing and PTSD has been explored in adult samples.Objective: To compare the trauma history, symptomatology, and cognitive phenotypes of children and adolescents with a PTSD diagnosis following exposure to multiple traumatic events presenting with voice hearing with those who do not report hearing voices.Methods: Participants (n = 120) were aged 8–17 years and had PTSD following exposure to multiple traumas. Three primary analyses were conducted, comparing PTSD symptom severity, prevalence of sexual trauma, and level of negative post-traumatic cognitions between the voice hearing and non-voice hearing groups. Participants were allocated to the voice hearing group if they reported hearing voices in the past two weeks. A range of mental health and cognitive–behavioural factors were considered in exploratory secondary analyses. All analyses were pre-registered.Results: The voice hearing group (n = 50, 41.7%) scored higher than the non-voice hearing group (n = 70, 58.3%) for negative post-traumatic cognitions, but not PTSD symptom severity or prevalence of sexual trauma. In secondary analyses, the voice hearing group had more sensory-based and fragmented memories and higher scores for panic symptoms than the non-voice hearing group. When participants whose voices were not distinguishable from intrusions or flashbacks were removed from the voice hearing group in a sensitivity analysis, the voice hearing group (n = 29, 24.2%) scored higher on negative post-traumatic cognitions and trauma memory quality, with similar effect sizes to the original analysis.Conclusions: Voice hearing is common among youth exposed to multiple traumas with PTSD and is related to cognitive mechanisms proposed to underpin PTSD (appraisals, memory quality) and more panic symptoms. Further research should seek to investigate the underlying mechanisms and directionality for these relationships.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 became unprecedented and sent shockwaves through financial markets worldwide. This study investigates the impact of the pandemic on the performance of the U.S. financial market from March 1, 2020, to April 14, 2022. Utilizing Bai and Perron’s (1998) least squares with breaks during this period. The study’s test findings validate the existence of seven structural changes, signifying the occurrence of eight effects of independent factors on the S&P 500 index. The empirical findings demonstrate a substantial influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of financial markets. Specifically, the impact of the number of COVID-19 cases and new fatalities on financial market performance, exhibits variations in terms of direction, nature, depth, and level. Based on an analysis of the structural changes, it can be inferred that the initial period exhibits the most pronounced negative impact on the number of new COVID-19 cases. Subsequently, the direction and nature of this impact undergo a transformation from the second to the eighth periods. Specifically, the impact of the number of new COVID-19 cases becomes positive in the second, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth periods, gradually diminishing until it reaches its lowest levels of impact in the eighth period. The research further identifies a detrimental impact on the occurrence of new fatalities. However, the periods spanning from the third to the fifth period exhibit very modest levels of influence, which then transition into a beneficial effect during the fifth period. Moreover, the research reveals that the impact of mortality rates on the performance of the United States stock market was greater than that of COVID-19 cases across all periods linked to structural changes. Additionally, the exchange rate of the dollar has a consistent and favorable impact, and the real interest rate has a pronounced negative impact, which gradually reduces over time and eventually transitions into a positive value by the eighth period.

We describe the close correspondence between predatory imminence continuum theory (PICT) and the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) for negative valence. RDoC's negative valence constructs relate aversively motivated behavioral reactions to various levels of threat. PICT divides defensive responses into distinct modes that vary along a continuum of the psychological closeness of predatory threat. While there is a close correspondence between PICT modes and negative valence threat constructs, based on PICT, we describe some potential elaborations of RDoC constructs. Both have consonant views of fear and anxiety and provide explicit distinctions between these emotional states, relating them to specific defensive behaviors and functions. We describe recent data that causally implicate human subjective emotional states with amygdala activity, which is also critical for defensive behavior. We conclude that attention to neuroethological views of defense can advance our understanding of the etiology and treatment of anxiety and stress disorders. Public Significance Statement: The National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) for negative valence aims to connect clinical observations relevant to anxiety disorders to their underlying biology. RDoC's negative valence constructs relate aversively motivated behavioral reactions to various levels of threat. We describe the correspondence between predatory imminence theory, which divides defensive responses into distinct modes that vary along a continuum of the psychological closeness of predatory threat and RDoC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, using the theory of first-order macroscopic crowd models, we introduce a compartmental advection–diffusion model, describing the spatio-temporal dynamics of a population in different human behaviors (alert, panic and control) during a catastrophic event. For this model, we prove the local existence, uniqueness and regularity of a solution, as well as the positivity and L 1 -boundedness of this solution. Then, in order to study the spatio-temporal propagation of these behavioral reactions within a population during a catastrophic event, we present several numerical simulations for different evacuation scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes the case that electric micromobilities (EMMs) are the site of a moral panic and employs the lens of mobility justice to explain it. Through analysis of scholarly and media discourse, interviews with, and social media content produced by, EMM riders (eriders), and the auto ethnographic experiences of the lead author as an electric unicycle rider in daily life, as a participant in online and offline "erider" communities, and as a food delivery worker, we reinforce the conclusion that alternate mobilities face an uphill battle in gaining legitimacy and inclusion in transportation policy and infrastructure. While this is not a new finding—alternate mobilities have a long history of being demonized and excluded—this article offers insight into how individuals who find themselves unwitting scapegoats in conflicts over public space consciously engage in deliberate actions to resist EMM panic and achieve greater mobility justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is a relatively new diagnosis. The objective of the present study was to investigate how trauma characteristics, comorbid psychopathology and cognitive and social factors experienced by children and adolescents with a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis following exposure to multiple traumatic events differs between those who meet the criteria for CPTSD and those who do not. Method: The present research used baseline data from the DECRYPT trial (BMJ Open, 2021, 11, e047600). Participants (n = 120) were aged 8–17 years and had exposure to multiple traumas and a PTSD diagnosis. The data collected comprised self‐report and parent/caregiver‐report questionnaires and interviews. Three primary analyses were conducted, comparing number of trauma types, prevalence of sexual trauma and prevalence of intrafamilial abuse between the CPTSD and PTSD‐only groups. A range of comorbid psychopathology and cognitive and social factors were compared between the groups in an exploratory secondary analysis. All analyses were preregistered. Results: The CPTSD group (n = 72, 60%) had a significantly higher frequency of sexual trauma than the PTSD‐only group (n = 48, 40%). The groups did not significantly differ on number of trauma types or prevalence of intrafamilial abuse. From the secondary analysis, the CPTSD group were found to have significantly higher scores on measures of negative post‐traumatic cognitions, depression and panic. These results were replicated in correlation analyses using a continuous measure of CPTSD symptoms. Conclusions: A large proportion of youth exposed to multiple traumatic events met criteria for CPTSD. Sexual trauma appears to be related to CPTSD symptoms. Youth with CPTSD appear to have greater severity of comorbid depression and panic symptoms, as well as more negative post‐traumatic cognitions. Further investigation could focus on the directionality and mechanisms for these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass panics can arise in response to a variety of situations, such as the spread of pathogens, bank failures, or insecurities about economic supplies. Such panics can produce contagious behaviors such as fleeing social contacts, bank withdrawals, and panic buying. In such situations, the processing of external stimuli, mediated by the perceptions and biases of the individual, can reach a threshold point at which panic behaviors are triggered. Due to the human propensity to imitate the behavior of others in uncertain crisis situations, one individual's panic behavior can spread contagiously. This paper looks at the similarities among case studies of mass panic around the world and from these cases synthesizes a conceptual model to aid our understanding. Decision-makers can use this model to strengthen national resilience against panic-generated behaviors and ensure an orderly and successful public response to future biological, financial, or economic crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most theoretical models of panic disorder have emphasized the role of several vulnerability factors in the development of this disorder, such as: neuroticism, low perceived control, trait emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, and anxiety sensitivity. To examine the nature of the relationship between these factors and panic disorder symptoms, we performed a complex network analysis to determine the symptoms and mutually reinforcing patterns that define this disorder. Participants with self-reported panic disorder (n = 326) completed a series of online self-report questionnaires. Node centrality indices, estimation of bridge nodes, and community analysis, were calculated using partial correlation coefficients and glasso regularization. The results revealed that low levels of well-being and the frequency of panic attacks were the most central symptoms of the network, while fear of physical concerns of anxiety sensitivity was a strong predictor of other network symptoms. Moreover, depression and fear of physical concerns represented the bridge nodes that link the vulnerability factors to panic disorder symptoms network. These results suggest that low levels of well-being should be included in the clinical taxonomy and assessment of panic disorder, and can be considered as a therapeutic target in cognitive and behavioral therapy for this disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a dearth of evidence, we examined the effectiveness of brief-intensive CBT on symptom severity and catastrophic cognition in patients with panic disorder (PD). In this randomized controlled trial, 155 patients were assigned to either the experimental group (2 successive days of brief-intensive CBT-3 h per day) or the control group (regular pharmacotherapy only). After excluding ineligible participants, 20 patients in the brief intensive CBT group and 18 patients in the control group completed the study and were included in the final analysis. The primary outcome was symptom severity, and the secondary outcome was catastrophic cognition, assessed by the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) for symptoms severity and the Agoraphobic Cognition Scale (ACS) for cognitive assessment, respectively. The study showed that after one month of treatment, the PDSS (1.70 vs. 4.78; p = 0.0172) in the brief-intensive CBT group was significantly lower compared to the control group in contrast with the ACS (5.10 vs. 5.44; p = 0.8533). The mean score of PDSS and ACS significantly decreased from 21.60 to 1.7 (p < 0.0001) and from 22.55 to 5.10 (p < 0.0001) in the brief CBT group and from 19.44 to 4.78 (p < 0.0001) and 20.00 to 5.44 (p < 0.0001) in the control group, respectively. After treatment, the mean scores of PDSS and ACS significantly decreased in the brief intensive CBT and control groups. Both higher ACS and lower education levels contributed to higher PDSS in the brief intensive CBT group. However, only the PDSS correlated to the ACS in the control group. The study showed that brief-intensive CBT is an effective technique for reducing the severity of symptoms among PD patients. But, it was not effective to improve the cognitive level in PD patients at one month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 became unprecedented and sent shockwaves through financial markets worldwide. This study investigates the impact of the pandemic on the performance of the U.S. financial market from March 1, 2020, to April 14, 2022. Utilizing Bai and Perron's (1998) least squares with breaks during this period. The study's test findings validate the existence of seven structural changes, signifying the occurrence of eight effects of independent factors on the S&P 500 index. The empirical findings demonstrate a substantial influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of financial markets. Specifically, the impact of the number of COVID-19 cases and new fatalities on financial market performance, exhibits variations in terms of direction, nature, depth, and level. Based on an analysis of the structural changes, it can be inferred that the initial period exhibits the most pronounced negative impact on the number of new COVID-19 cases. Subsequently, the direction and nature of this impact undergo a transformation from the second to the eighth periods. Specifically, the impact of the number of new COVID-19 cases becomes positive in the second, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth periods, gradually diminishing until it reaches its lowest levels of impact in the eighth period. The research further identifies a detrimental impact on the occurrence of new fatalities. However, the periods spanning from the third to the fifth period exhibit very modest levels of influence, which then transition into a beneficial effect during the fifth period. Moreover, the research reveals that the impact of mortality rates on the performance of the United States stock market was greater than that of COVID-19 cases across all periods linked to structural changes. Additionally, the exchange rate of the dollar has a consistent and favorable impact, and the real interest rate has a pronounced negative impact, which gradually reduces over time and eventually transitions into a positive value by the eighth period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation is a significant cardiovascular disease, and the increased risk of its occurrence may be influenced by mental disorders. Currently, the causal relationship between them remains controversial. Our aim is to ascertain the relationship between atrial fibrillation and mental disorders including depression, anxiety, and panic, as well as the risk factors mediating this relationship, through the judgment of genetic susceptibility. We utilized the summarized statistics from nine large-scale genome-wide association studies (in European populations), including depression (PGC, N = 807,553), anxiety (FinnGen, N = 429,209), panic (PGC, N = 230,878), diabetes (UK Biobank, N = 655,666), smoking (IEU, 607,291), hypertension (UK biobank, N = 463,010), obstructive sleep apnea (IEU, N = 476,853), obesity (UK biobank, N = 463,010), and AF (IEU, N = 1,030,836). By applying bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization and multivariable Mendelian randomization to depression, anxiety, panic, and AF, we analyzed their causal relationships and the independent influence of specific risk factors. Furthermore, a two-step MR approach was used to assess the mediating effects of diabetes, smoking, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity. Results from the Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Inverse Variance Weighted Random Effects Model show: the occurrence of genetically predicted depression is related to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) (OR: 1.073; [95 % CI: 1.005–1.146] P < 0.05), and panic is more significantly associated than depression (OR: 1.017; [95 % CI: 1.008–1.027] P < 0.001), while anxiety has no causal relationship with the occurrence of AF (OR: 1.023; [95 % CI: 0.960–1.092], P > 0.05), and AF is not significantly related to the occurrence of depression, anxiety, or panic (P > 0.05). After correcting for the other two risk factors using multivariable Mendelian randomization, depression remains significantly related to the occurrence of AF (β: 0.075; 95 % CI: [0.006, 0.144], P < 0.05), while panic and anxiety are not related to the occurrence of AF. Among them, the risk factors for AF occurrence, hypertension and obesity, are mediators between depression and AF, with mediation proportions of 74.9 % and 14.3 %, respectively. The mediating effects of diabetes, smoking, and obstructive sleep apnea were found to be not statistically significant. The above results are robust after sensitivity analysis. Our results identified that the genetic susceptibility to depression is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of AF, and that hypertension and obesity can mediate this process. Panic also poses some risk to the onset of AF. This demonstrates that controlling hypertension and obesity for emotional management is of great importance in preventing the occurrence of AF. • Provided evidence for the potential link between depression and atrial fibrillation. • Proved the existence of a correlation between depression and atrial fibrillation independent of panic and anxiety. • Hypertension and obesity are mediators between depression and AF. • Conducted research utilizing multiple large-scale GWAS databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panic buying poses significant challenges for individuals and societies. This paper provides a literature review on the process by which a pandemic crisis evolves into panic buying behavior. The review offers a comprehensive perspective on studies related to panic buying and mitigation efforts, categorizing them based on their contributions in three stages: factors influencing panic buying, the process of transforming panic into increased demand and stockpiling, and applicable intervention strategies to mitigate panic situations. The paper introduces the Socio-Economic Framework of Panic (SEFP) to illustrate the interaction between demand and supply during a panic. The review identifies a lack of quantitative models explicitly correlating influencing factors with panic and estimating panic demand. Additionally, it reveals that suggested intervention strategies often lack practical implementation guidelines. Using the SEFP, the importance of considering interventions at various stages is highlighted, ranging from controlling influencing factors and panic demands to overseeing stockpiling and supply-related activities. The paper also identifies research gaps in both qualitative and quantitative modeling, policymaking, and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Although the study of emotions can look back to over 100 years of research, it is unclear which information the brain uses to construct the subjective experience of an emotion. Objective: In the current study, we assess the role of the peripheral and central adrenergic system in this respect. Methods: Healthy volunteers underwent a double inhalation of 35% CO2, which is a well-validated procedure to induce an intense emotion, namely panic. In a randomized, cross-over design, 34 participants received either a β1-blocker acting selectively in the peripheral nervous system (atenolol), a β1-blocker acting in the peripheral and central nervous system (metoprolol), or a placebo before the CO2 inhalation. Results: Heart rate and systolic blood pressure were reduced in both β-blocker conditions compared to placebo, showing effective inhibition of the adrenergic tone. Nevertheless, the subjective experience of the induced panic was the same in all conditions, as measured by self-reported fear, discomfort, and panic symptom ratings. Conclusions: These results indicate that information from the peripheral and central adrenergic system does not play a major role in the construction of the subjective emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand newspapers' Covid-19 portrayal in the Philippines and contribute to COVID-19 media framing literature, this study identified news frames in 97 banner stories of three Philippine broadsheets and determined how major frames depicted COVID-19 during its initial spread in the country (January 30 - March 25, 2020). Utilizing deductive and inductive approaches to generate news frames for coding, results yielded 12 frames in the three newspapers, with Action, New Evidence, Reassurance, Conflict, Economic Consequence, and Social Consequence as major frames. Generally, the newspapers' pandemic depiction was similar in foregrounding government response and new COVID-19 information instead of news that invites fear and panic. Variations were found in the newspapers' individual focus on the pandemic, conflicts about it, and its economic effects – nuances which reflected the newspapers' reputation. Results identify the need for developing people's critical media and information literacy skills. Studying COVID-19 news framing in developing these skills is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's significance lies in the multitude of challenges facing individuals today, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, military conflicts like the war in Ukraine, and the escalating rates of cancer morbidity and mortality. These factors contribute to the onset of anxiety and depressive disorders, disrupting various aspects of individuals' mental functioning and social interactions. Addressing these disorders effectively necessitates a comprehensive approach, combining pharmacological interventions with psychotherapeutic strategies under the guidance of specialized professionals. In this regard, the study is aimed at identifying aspects and features of the development of psychological problems and personality disorders in the modern world filled with various stressors. The leading methods of studying this problem are analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparison, experiment and systematisation of approaches that will help determine a wide range of mental disorders. Theoretical methods were used to analyze the literature and summarize theoretical material on anxiety and depressive disorders. Diagnostic methods were used to assess the psychological state of the study population. The study examines significant clinical syndromes and vegetative disorders that disrupt normal lifestyle, hinder daily activities, and impede professional growth. It evaluates the roles of psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers in assisting individuals with anxiety disorders. It outlines preventive measures for anxiety and depression, while also delving into various types of anxiety disorders. The research proposes diverse methods to prevent emotional anxiety and instability. It underscores the importance of devising novel strategies for diagnosis and therapy, emphasizing a comprehensive approach involving psychotherapeutic support, medical intervention, and adaptive behavioral techniques. The findings of the study hold both practical and theoretical significance for professionals in psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and sociology who provide support for individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders. Furthermore, the insights provided may be pertinent to researchers and scholars investigating the psychological well-being of contemporary society amidst adverse external circumstances.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of panic on evacuation time. Evacuation is the movement of individuals from a place in danger to a safer place. Evacuation is usually done when there is an emergency such as an earthquake, fire or attack, which will make the movement of individuals difficult. Individuals who are in an emergency will feel panic. The panic that occurs will cause individuals to lose their way to a safer place such as an exit. This research is a basic or theoretical research. The evacuation model uses cellular automata that simulates the behavior of individuals in cells for the evacuation process. This model considers the panic factor in the evacuation process which will affect the steps taken by individuals. Individual steps based on transition probabilities will obtain evacuation time. The parameters used are static coefficient, dynamic coefficient, and panic coefficient. Simulation using software by entering the grid size, obstacle position, exit position, individual position and parameters. Based on the simulation results, it is obtained that the increase in individual panic, the longer the evacuation time

Abstract Background Whether the positive associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders are causal is uncertain. We conducted this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to comprehensively investigate associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders. Methods Univariable and multivariable models were established for MR analyses. Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) MR was employed as the main approach; weighted median and MR-Egger were used as sensitivity analysis methods. The possibility of violating MR assumptions was evaluated utilizing several sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity statistics, horizontal pleiotropy statistics, single SNP analysis, leave-one-out analysis and MR-PRESSO analysis. As instrumental variables, we screened 362 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) related to blood lipids from a recent genome-wide association study involving 76,627 individuals of European ancestry, with a genome-wide significance level of p

Difficulty in appropriately responding to threats is a key feature of psychiatric disorders, especially fear-related conditions such as panic disorder (PD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most prior work on threat and fear regulation involves exposure to external threatful cues. However, fear can also be triggered by aversive, within-the-body, sensations. This interoceptive signaling of fear is highly relevant to PD and PTSD but is not well understood, especially in the context of sex. Using female and male mice, the current study investigated fear-associated spontaneous and conditioned behaviors to carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation, a potent interoceptive threat that induces fear and panic. We also investigated whether behavioral sensitivity to CO2 is associated with delayed PTSD-relevant behaviors. CO2 evoked heterogenous freezing behaviors in both male and female animals. However, active, rearing behavior was significantly reduced in CO2-exposed male but not female mice. Interestingly, behavioral sensitivity to CO2 was associated with compromised fear extinction, independent of sex. However, in comparison to CO2-exposed males, females elicited less freezing and higher rearing during extinction suggesting an engagement of active versus passive defensive coping. Persistent neuronal activation marker ΔFosB immuno-mapping revealed attenuated engagement of infralimbic-prefrontal areas in both sexes but higher activation of brain stem locus coeruleus (LC) area in females. Inter-regional co-activation mapping revealed sex-independent disruptions in the infralimbic-amygdala associations but altered LC associations only in CO2-exposed female mice. Lastly, dopamine β hydroxylase positive (DβH + ve) noradrenergic neuronal cell counts in the LC correlated with freezing and rearing behaviors during CO2 inhalation and extinction only in female but not male mice. Collectively, these data provide evidence for higher active defensive responding to interoceptive threat CO2-associated fear in females that may stem from increased recruitment of the brainstem noradrenergic system. Our findings reveal distinct contributory mechanisms that may promote sex differences in fear and panic associated pathologies.

Background: The ever-increasing spread of Internet-based systems for common mental disorders has generated the need for brief online screening methods. This study aims to test the psychometric properties of the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ) to examine its suitability for screening for common mental health problems among a community sample of Italian adults. Methods: A total of 1282 subjects (F = 819; mean age = 42.05) answered the WSQ. Its discriminant characteristics were examined with other validated selected scales for measuring mental health widely used in the Italian population using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC), as well as positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV). Results: Most of the WSQ subscales exhibited moderate to high specificity values. Specifically, the scales of 'agoraphobia' (0.947; 95%CI [0.934, 0.960]), 'anxiety' (0.959; 95%CI [0.946, 0.970]), and 'panic disorder' (0.973; 95%CI [0.964, 0.981]) showed the highest values whilst the 'obsessive-compulsive' dimension had the lowest value at 0.838, 95%CI [0.815, 0.861]. With exceptions observed for 'depression' (0.716; 95%CI [642, 798]) and 'alcohol abuse' (0.760; 95%CI [560, 920]), instead, the WSQ demonstrated critical sensitivity values (<0.6) in all dimensions. Conclusions: The WSQ was appropriate for discriminating between people with and without a psychiatric condition, as it helps to confirm the absence of disorders. However, further diagnostic procedures are required, in case of a positive WSQ screening result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends the literature on the permanent or transitory nature of shocks to per capita tourist arrivals along several dimensions. First, the study evaluates the nature of shocks to per capita tourist arrivals for a global panel of 129 countries. Second, unlike previous studies, we jointly estimate structural changes that represent either abrupt breaks or as a Fourier approximation of smooth breaks along with introducing a factor structure to test for the presence of unit roots in per capita tourist arrivals. Third, contrary to previous studies, our results show that rejection of the null hypothesis of a unit root in per capita tourist arrivals is quite limited compared to other unit root tests that fail to account for cross-correlations. Policy implications of the findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The existing literature on the association between brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels and panic disorder presents inconsistent findings. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aim to synthesize the available evidence and determine the overall effect of BDNF protein levels in individuals diagnosed with panic disorder. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) from inception to April 21, 2023. The search strategy included relevant keywords and medical subject headings terms related to BDNF, panic disorder, and protein levels. A random‐effects model was used for the meta‐analysis, and subgroup analyses were performed to explore heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and statistical tests. Results: A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta‐analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in BDNF protein levels in individuals with panic disorder (SMD = −.53, 95% CI: −1.02 to −.04, p <.001; I2: 92%). The results of subgroup and meta‐regression analyses were not statistically significant. No significant publication bias was observed based on the results of Egger's regression test (p‐value =.3550). Conclusion: This systematic review and meta‐analysis provide evidence of lower BDNF protein levels in individuals diagnosed with panic disorder compared to healthy controls. The findings suggest a potential role for BDNF dysregulation in the pathophysiology of panic disorder. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Henry Abramovitch has written a mystery that astonishingly replicates the process of individuation in Jungian analytical treatment. Like any mystery it focuses on uncovering clues to the problem and finding a solution. This story is assisted by the guide of the analyst and the active imagination of the client in the character of Sherlock Holmes, of all people. The book brings into question the personality and role of the analyst, the meaning of the symptom, and the personality and role of the client. Like analysis, the ending is a surprise, culminating from a startling beginning plot line with spell-binding intrigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Panic disorder is a common and important disease in clinical practice that decreases individual productivity and increases health care use. Treatments comprise medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, adverse medication effects and poor treatment compliance mean new therapeutic models are needed. Objective: We hypothesized that digital therapy for panic disorder may improve panic disorder symptoms and that treatment response would be associated with brain activity changes assessed with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: Individuals (n=50) with a history of panic attacks were recruited. Symptoms were assessed before and after the use of an app for panic disorder, which in this study was a smartphone-based app for treating the clinical symptoms of panic disorder, panic symptoms, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. The hemodynamics in the frontal cortex during the resting state were measured via fNIRS. The app had 4 parts: diary, education, quest, and serious games. The study trial was approved by the institutional review board of Chung-Ang University Hospital (1041078-202112-HR-349-01) and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results: The number of participants with improved panic symptoms in the app use group (20/25, 80%) was greater than that in the control group (6/21, 29%; χ 21=12.3; P =.005). During treatment, the improvement in the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) score in the app use group was greater than that in the control group (F 1,44=7.03; P =.01). In the app use group, the total PDSS score declined by 42.5% (mean score 14.3, SD 6.5 at baseline and mean score 7.2, SD 3.6 after the intervention), whereas the PDSS score declined by 14.6% in the control group (mean score 12.4, SD 5.2 at baseline and mean score 9.8, SD 7.9 after the intervention). There were no significant differences in accumulated oxygenated hemoglobin (accHbO2) at baseline between the app use and control groups. During treatment, the reduction in accHbO2 in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC; F 1,44=8.22; P =.006) and the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; F 1,44=8.88; P =.005) was greater in the app use than the control group. Conclusions: Apps for panic disorder should effectively reduce symptoms and VLPFC and OFC brain activity in patients with panic disorder. The improvement of panic disorder symptoms was positively correlated with decreased VLPFC and OFC brain activity in the resting state. Trial Registration: Clinical Research Information Service KCT0007280; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=21448 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the representation of the crowd in Péter Nádas's Parallel Stories. In the plot, there are multiple scenes including the masses that highlight different features of the phenomenon. I argue that the 1956 Hungarian Revolution appears in the novel as a fundamental experience of society, influencing the nature of people's gatherings even after its defeat. Firstly, I show that the characteristics of the swarm appear in the cooperation of people foraging for food during the revolution. However, the bread queue represents the extreme behaviour and the aggression of the acquisitive masses, whose collective action is always directed at acquiring something. Thereafter, I examine the representations of crowd panic in the basement scene of the 1956 cannonade and of the 1957 railway station gathering. Finally, I scrutinise two scenes with the seemingly liberated and intoxicated crowd. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the crowd and the individual, on the narrative representation of the crowd, on its influence on the participants' perceptions, and the associated attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: No study has yet to simultaneously compare generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) with respect to restingstate functional connectivity (rsFC) and anxiety symptom severity. Methods: We collected articles from PubMed, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect and subjected articles to seven eligibility criteria to be considered for inclusion. Included articles were screened using the QUADAS-2 to assess article quality. Articles were also subjected to a forest plot, activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis, and a multiple regression to measure the effect of anxiety symptom severity and rsFC between conditions. We also subjected our sample to a funnel plot with Egger's test to determine publication bias. Results: Our initial search yielded 1022 studies. After eligibility criteria we retained 30 articles. Quality assessment indicated no major issues with bias or applicability. Our forest plot indicated that all conditions showed a robust effect on anxiety symptom severity when compared with controls. Our ALE meta-analysis showed convergent intranetwork rsFC within the default mode network (DMN) across conditions. Our multiple regression indicated that all conditions exhibited very strong correlations between DMN connectivity and anxiety symptom severity. Funnel plot and Egger's test indicated no presence of publication bias. Limitations: Our sample was limited by the following: No longitudinal data, no specific time series neuroimaging data, some biased demographic data, and the possibility that some studies might have been missed during review. Conclusion: GAD, PD, and SAD appear to exhibit increased intranetwork connectivity in the DMN which correlates with increased severity of anxiety symptoms.

To successfully address large-scale public health threats such as the novel coronavirus outbreak, policymakers need to limit feelings of fear that threaten social order and political stability. We study how policy responses to an infectious disease affect mass fear using data from a survey experiment conducted on a representative sample of the adult population in the USA (N = 5,461). We find that fear is affected strongly by the final policy outcome, mildly by the severity of the initial outbreak, and minimally by policy response type and rapidity. These results hold across alternative measures of fear and various subgroups of individuals regardless of their level of exposure to coronavirus, knowledge of the virus, and several other theoretically relevant characteristics. Remarkably, despite accumulating evidence of intense partisan conflict over pandemic-related attitudes and behaviors, we show that effective government policy reduces fear among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether the positive associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders are causal is uncertain. We conducted this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to comprehensively investigate associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders. Methods: Univariable and multivariable models were established for MR analyses. Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) MR was employed as the main approach; weighted median and MR-Egger were used as sensitivity analysis methods. The possibility of violating MR assumptions was evaluated utilizing several sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity statistics, horizontal pleiotropy statistics, single SNP analysis, leave-one-out analysis and MR-PRESSO analysis. As instrumental variables, we screened 362 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) related to blood lipids from a recent genome-wide association study involving 76,627 individuals of European ancestry, with a genome-wide significance level of p < 5 × 10− 8. Summary-level information for the six psychiatric disorders was extracted from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. Results: We observed eight significant associations in univariable MR analysis, four of which were corroborated by multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis modified for the other three lipid traits: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level with the risk of PTSD (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85–0.97, p = 0.002) and AD (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.71–0.88, p < 0.001) and triglycerides (TG) level with the risk of MDD (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.003–1.03, p = 0.01) and panic disorder (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.74–0.92, p < 0.001). In addition, four associations were not significant in MVMR analysis after adjustment for three lipid traits: total cholesterol (TC) level with the risk of PTSD, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level with the risk of MDD and AD and TG level with the risk of AD. Conclusions: Our results show that blood lipids and psychiatric disorders may be related in a causal manner. This shows that abnormal blood lipid levels may act as reliable biomarker of psychiatric disorders and as suitable targets for their prevention and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to major cognitive accounts of panic disorder, bodily sensations can lead to automatic activation of an associative fear network, potentially triggering a cascade of cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses culminating in a panic attack. However, the evidence for the automatic associations assumed by these models is mixed. This may reflect the heterogeneous nature of panic disorder, in that the relative importance of different bodily sensations and symptoms varies between individuals. The current study aimed to test this possibility via measuring the associations between three different sets of panic symptoms (cognitive, respiratory, cardiac) and scores on three symptom-specific single target implicit association tests (STIATs). Methods: A total of 226 unselected female participants aged 18–35 completed the STIATs as well as questionnaires assessing panic symptoms and related measures in a web-based study. Results: Only limited evidence was found to support the idea of specific associations between STIAT stimuli sets and their related panic symptoms. Exploratory analyses indicated that there were only associations between STIAT scores and panic-relevant questionnaires amongst those participants who had experienced a panic attack in the previous 6 months. Conclusions: The results have implications for measuring panic-relevant associations and understanding their role in panic disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the challenges faced by instructors teaching about racism, particularly in the context of the backlash against Critical Race Theory (CRT). The author, working at a minority-serving institution, discusses how the politicization of CRT and widespread misunderstandings impact classroom discussions on racism, emphasizing the need for educators to address these challenges while promoting critical race perspectives.

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of consequences of anxiety-related sensations, and has been linked to the development of panic symptoms. Distress tolerance (DT) encompasses one's behavioral or self-perceived ability to handle aversive states. We examined whether higher DT buffers the relationship between AS and changes in panic symptoms across two timepoints, spaced ∼three weeks apart. At Time 1, 208 participants completed questionnaires and a physical DT task (breath-holding duration), a cognitive DT task (anagram persistence), and a self-report measure of DT (perceived DT). Panic symptoms were assessed at both timepoints. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate two models in which AS and DT predicted changes in panic. Contrary to hypotheses, for those with longer breath-holding duration (higher physical DT), higher fears of physical anxiety-related sensations (higher physical AS) were associated with worse panic outcomes over time. Findings suggest that those with lower physical DT may have been less willing to engage with difficult tasks in the short-term. Although disengagement in the short-term may provide temporary relief, it is possible that averse psychopathological consequences stemming from rigid or habitual avoidance of distressing states may develop over longer periods of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral panics around the issue of sex trafficking are not new, as human trafficking itself has roots in the moral concern over the prostitution of white women. However, in modern times the growth of social media has enabled sex trafficking conspiracies to quickly emerge and easily spread. Scant literature has explored how social media now plays a role in generating moral panics around sex trafficking. This paper uses tweets about the #WayfairGate conspiracy as a case study to analyze this issue. Findings reveal that moral panics generated through social media still follow the basic elements of a moral panic. Themes of religion and patriotism are also found. Further, the use of technology enables the fast spread of misinformation, generates stereotypes about both sex trafficking and human trafficking more broadly, and acts as a gateway introduction to other conspiracies. Such conspiracies should not be dismissed as they have the ability to impact public opinion and shape policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism expenditures and receipts are an important component of many countries' balance of payments. Indeed, the determination of whether shocks to tourism expenditures and receipts are permanent or transitory in nature is relevant to understanding the appropriate policy response. This study introduces new panel stationarity tests that simultaneously model structural breaks and a common factor structure. The results from several panel stationarity tests including the new tests reject the null hypothesis of stationarity for the panel of 63 countries. Based on tests of stationarity with a common factor structure without structural breaks at the individual country level, the null hypothesis of stationarity is rejected in 24 and 26 countries with respect to per capita international tourism expenditures and tourism receipts, respectively. The inclusion of the Fourier approximation for smooth structural breaks alongside the common factor structure increases the number of rejections of the null hypothesis of stationarity to 48 and 54 countries for per capita international tourism expenditures and receipts, respectively. Hence, shocks to either tourism expenditures or receipts will likely be permanent in nature requiring a policy response in order to return tourism expenditures and receipts to their original trend path. JEL Codes: Z32, C33. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]