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A possible definition of body image is the picture that an individual has of her/his own body, irrespective of how her/his body actually is. Body image is a competence that develops in children similar to many other skills. The aim of this study was to validate a new rapid 20-items questionnaire to study the body image distortion in children and adolescents: the Strange Sensations Questionnaire (SSQ). A secondary aim was to improve the knowledge about body image distortion and about depersonalization symptoms,and their correlation with possible hallucinations, in children and adolescents, as it can be investigated using a scale.1557 children and adolescents, balanced for sex and age filled out a new 20-items questionnaire (SSQ) about body image, and a second validated questionnaire about fantasy with a Reality/Unreality distinction subscale to study the relationship with hallucinations (Free Fantasy Questionnaire-FFQ).Results showed a good validation of SSQ with three subscales: depersonalization, fragility and other shapes. We found a relative high frequency of proneness to out-of-body experiences. Children of primary school age have a higher mean score than pre-adolescents and adolescents in the total score of all the three subscales of SSG. Adolescents seem to have a significantly higher mean score in Fragility subscale. The mean total score and the mean scores of all the three subscales have a significant correlation with the Reality/Unreality subscale of FFQ.SSQ was validated. The research could confirm also the high frequency of body image distortion in developmental age, suggesting the possibility of a specific retardation as a possible origin of some body image distortion disorders. Data also confirm the proneness for hallucination of adolescents with body image distortion.

Background The medical community has been deeply involved in fighting the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and, as a consequence, the care of non-COVID-19 patients has been impacted. However, the treatment of head and neck cancer patients is not deferrable, and an integrated strategy is required. The aim of the current article is to present the experience in the management of head and neck patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at the research hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza”. This review contains replicable and widely usable instructions on how to avoid delays in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck tumors and to ensure a gradual return to elective procedures. Main text The Head and Neck Department of the research hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” includes an Otolaryngology and a Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, both of which deal with the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant pathologies of the head and neck, as well as urgent/emergent consultations and surgical procedures that necessitate time sensitive operative management, such as cochlear implantation (CI). Given these premises and the complexity of the Department, the “COVID-19 organizing protocol” of the research hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” was divided into two phases in accordance with the different stages of the pandemic and the priority of treatment. Special attention was given to the medical surveillance of health care workers and hospitalized patients, to the organization of the outpatient clinic and the operating setting as well as to the implementation of telehealth systems. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic is going to be a long-term situation with lasting effects on the public health and the entire society. Therefore, an efficient health care system has to adopt a double strategy: always being ready for a “new wave” of the pandemic and not forgetting non-COVID-19 patients, among whom head and neck cancer patients represent a priority. More than 1 year since the first outbreak in Wuhan, this review offers a unique and helpful perspective that incorporates awareness of the disease.