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Suicide is a public health problem having important consequences also for people who survive to the suicide of a loved one – the suicide loss survivors. Since suicide bereavement can have a lasting and significant psychosocial impact on the bereaved individuals, psychosocial treatments are needed (postvention). Many countries have included postvention in their suicide prevention policies. This is a narrative review aiming to investigate the bereavement experience of suicide loss survivors, the associated symptoms, and to describe adequate treatments to properly reduce survivors’ grief and help them to adapt to the loss. Method. Literature review of peer reviewed literature (PubMed, PsycINFO), books about bereavement, suicide, postvention and postvention guidelines. Results. Suicide loss survivors may have an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety, and substance abuse; an increased risk of suicide; increased physical complaints; and an increased risk of developing Persistent Complex Bereavement. About postvention, two measures turn out to be very important. An immediate first on-the-spot intervention that includes: specific training for general practitioner and police; to direct survivors to support services; provide proactive and practical support; psychological autopsy. The second intervention is a long-term one and can be delivered in a variety of ways: the most effective therapy for survivors appears to be Complicated Grief Therapy, but in general the therapist must be adequately trained for individual psychotherapy with survivors. Other effective interventions include: writing projects; group psychotherapy; support groups. Conclusion. A public health approach to postvention can allow to tailor interventions to the needs of survivors, and to align postvention with suicide prevention programs.

La presente ricerca si configura come uno studio pilota all'interno di 5 strutture psichiatriche: due CPA (comunità protetta ad alta intensità assistenziale e media intensità riabilitativa), due CRA (comunità protetta ad alta intensità riabilitativa e ad alta intensità assistenziale) e un Centro Diurno (CD), di natura esplorativa, che ha l'obiettivo di individuare le possibili differenze tra pazienti psichiatrici autori di reato e pazienti psichiatrici non autori di reato sulla base di diversi indici psicopatologici. Sono stati raccolti dati anamnestici, sociodemografici (anno di nascita, genere, stato civile, nazionalità, livello di istruzione), clinici (diagnosi psichiatrica, anno della presa in carico nei servizi pubblici, struttura di residenza e di provenienza, condizione familiare e della rete parentale/sociale), criminologici (esito perizia psichiatrica e medico legale, numero di reati commessi, tipo di reato, pericolosità sociale, misura di sicurezza, misura di protezione giuridica) e psicopatologici in un gruppo di pazienti psichiatrici residenziali. Lo studio ha coinvolto 29 pazienti residenziali adulti (Metà= 44,86). Le informazioni cliniche e sociodemografiche di base sono state recuperate dalle cartelle cliniche e dal sistema di archivio informatizzato. Inoltre, i partecipanti hanno risposto a una batteria di questionari auto-somministrati (SCID-5-PD-SPQ, SD-3, SCL-90-R, AUDIT, CAST e DAST, TAS-20, BIS-11, WHOQL-Breef) e ad una intervista strutturata (C-SSRS, versione breve). La diagnosi più riscontrata nel campione totale è disturbo dello spettro schizofrenico (65,5%), mentre tra i pazienti autori di reato (N=16), che hanno commesso mediamente 2,44 reati a testa, i reati di furto o rapina sono i più comuni (24,1%). I risultati evidenziano delle differenze tra i due sottogruppi del campione: in merito alle variabili sociodemografiche, un basso livello di istruzione correla con l'aver commesso un reato. Per quanto riguarda le variabili cliniche, un pregresso abuso di sostanze in anamnesi e alti livelli di psicopatia sono associati all'aver commesso un crimine, mentre tratti di personalità e/o sintomi internalizzanti sono più marcati nel gruppo dei non autori di reato, suggerendo che potrebbero fungere da fattore di protezione per il comportamento criminale.

Molte persone a rischio suicidario non ricevono assistenza professionale per problemi economici, per il desiderio di risolvere il problema in autonomia o per via dello stigma. Gli Interventi Internet- e Mobile-based (o Internet and Mobile-based Interventions - IMI) sono in grado di superare molti di questi ostacoli, offrendo interventi flessibili e facilmente accessibili. Abbiamo condotto una revisione narrativa della letteratura riguardo le caratteristiche degli IMI rivolti al rischio suicidario, la loro efficacia e alcuni esempi di applicazioni e siti utilizzati per prevenire e trattare il rischio suicidario. Metodo. La ricerca della letteratura è stata condotta sui database PubMed e PsycINFO. Risultati. Gli IMI rappresentano una valida alternativa ai tradizionali trattamenti e diverse ricerche ne dimostrano l’efficacia nel ridurre l’ideazione e i comportamenti suicidari. La maggior parte degli IMI si basa sulla terapia cognitivo-comportamentale, un trattamento molto strutturato e facilmente trasferibile in formato digitale. L’auto-potenziamento, i meccanismi di rinforzo e il supporto umano sono i principali aspetti che promuovono il cambiamento dell’individuo e la sua aderenza al trattamento. Alcuni IMI sviluppati per la prevenzione del suicidio sono Stay Alive (Regno Unito), Virtual Hope Box (USA), This way up (Australia) e Jaspr Health (USA). Conclusioni. Gli IMI sembrano essere un valido aiuto nella prevenzione del suicidio. Riteniamo importante continuare le ricerche che ne supportino l’efficacia e implementare questo tipo di interventi in Italia. Many suicidal people do not receive professional assistance due to economic problems, the desire to autonomously solve the problem, or the stigma. Internet and Mobile-based Interventions (IMIs) can overcome many of these obstacles, offering flexible and accessible interventions. We conducted a narrative literature review about the characteristics of IMIs focused on suicide risks. We studied their efficacy and some examples of applications and websites used to prevent and treat suicide risk. METHOD: Literature research was conducted on Pub Med and PsycINFO databases. RESULTS: IMIs are a viable alternative to traditional treatments and several studies supported their effectiveness in reducing suicidal ideation and behaviors. Most IMIs are based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is very structured and easily transferable to digital format. Empowerment, reinforcement mechanisms and human support are the main features that promote the change of the individual and her or his adherence to the treatment. Some IMIs developed for suicide prevention are Stay Alive (UK), Virtual Hope Box (USA), This way up (Australia), and Jaspr Health (USA). CONCLUSIONS: IMIs can be considered a valid aid in suicide prevention. It is necessary to continue the research supporting their effectiveness and implement their interventions in Italy.

In this contribution, we will present some findings from the “Emotional Thermometer [Termometro Emotivo]” project. The project aims at investigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on mental health in Italian adults. In this contribution, we present findings on short-term psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (Study 1) and real-time emotional and psychological responses (Study 2) to this exceptional situation. The first study includes a large sample of participants taken from the general population (N = 1548), who completed measures of psychological distress, emotion regulation strategies, perceived social support, and subjective perceptions of the situation. The second study includes a subsample of 823 participants who completed daily measures of emotional and psychological states for 21 days. Results from Study 1 suggest increased levels of psychological distress and post-traumatic responses to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in participants. They also demonstrate the protective role of social support and coping strategies on individuals’ mental health. Furthermore, results from Study 2 show that participants experienced higher levels of daily negative psychological states during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and inflexibility of negative emotional states. Overall, our findings stress the psychological cost of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in community people. As a consequence, our contribution aims at suggesting the need of paying clinical attention to potential pathological or maladaptive conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in community people.

la relazione, a partire dalla condizione storico biografica, tra psicologia analitica e pratiche filosofiche

Aim. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in childhood and early-adolescence and the development of dysfunctional eating habits later in life. The sample under investigation is composed of 217 adolescents (males: 30.9%; mean age: 17.1 ± 0.88 ys; range: 16-19 ys) voluntarily recruited in the city of Parma (Northern Italy) in the context of a longitudinal research project focused on developmental factors of antisocial behaviour. All subjects were assessed at T1 (mean age: 12 ys) and at T2 (mean age: 14 ys) using a structured clinical interview to collect information on ADHD symptoms on a lifetime basis and, at T3 (mean age: 17 ys), they were administered an interview to assess pathological eating habits. Correlation and regression analyses were carried out between scores of the three symptom domains of ADHD and eating habits as assessed at T3. Results suggest that the association between ADHD symptoms and eating habits show differences according to gender, in that in females ADHD symptoms assessed at T2 are associated with compensatory behaviours, while in males they are predictive of overweight as assessed at T3. ADHD symptoms, although under threshold, may lead to chaotic and unorganized eating habits which might put female at risk for compensatory behaviours and males for overweight.

Introduction. Kennedy Axis V or K Axis acts is an alternative tool to the DSM-IVTR Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale, that many researchers describe as a scale with poor inter-rater reliability and clinical utility. Unlike the GAF scale, K Axis provides a multidimensional and multiaxial approach to measure personal, social and interpersonal functioning in psychiatric outpatients and inpatients. In this study, we examined K Axis's inter-raters reliability by using it with an Italian clinical population. Methods. Clinicians used Kennedy Axis V to assess global functioning among 180 inpatients, in 9 psychiatric services in Lombardia and Piemonte. Patients were divided into 4 different diagnostic groups, according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Results. Intraclass correlations between two independent raters's scores reveal high level of inter-rater reliability for all K Axis scales (0,633

Aim. Aim of this study is to investigate short-term (3 and 5 months) psychological consequences of severe motor-vehicle accidents. Methods. The sample under investigation is composed of two groups: 8 survivors of severe motor-vehicle accidents with spinal cord injuries (SCI) hospitalized in a Spinal Cord Unit, and 6 survivors who did not require hospitalization. All subjects were assessed twice, three and five months after the accident, on a variety of measures including the CAPS and the BDI-SF. Results. Prevalence of PTSD in the total sample was, 3 months after the accident, 14% with no significant differences between the two groups; some peculiarities in the symptomathological profile emerged as much as subjects with SCI experience avoidance of trauma-related stimuli more frequently. An overall decline in frequency and severity of post-traumatic symptoms between the two assessments was observed in the total sample, though some components (Criterion C symptoms) showed no relevant variations over time. Finally, depressive symptoms, which were characterized by higher severity in the SCI group, showed a significant decline between the two assessments. Discussion. Our data, although based on a limited sample, might help in tailoring psychological interventions for prevention and treatment of PTSD in survivors of severe motor accidents.