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Despite the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic not yet being under control, post‐Covid‐19 syndrome is already a challenging topic: long‐term multiorgan sequelae, although increasingly described, have not yet been systematized. As post‐Covid‐19 syndrome can significantly impact both the working capacity and the relationship life of surviving patients, we performed a systematic review of the evidence published over the last year and currently available in medical literature search databases (MEDLINE/Pubmed) and searching clinical trial registries, to evaluate the available evidence among workers. From 31 publications that initially matched inclusion criteria, 13 studies have been considered suitable for relevance and age of subjects. A wide range of patients (16%–87%) have post‐Covid syndrome; pneumological and neuropsychological symptoms were the most common disorders reported. The most frequent organic sequel found in post‐Covid patients was pulmonary fibrosis. The number of symptoms during acute SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, severity of the disease, and high serum levels of d‐dimer were related to high risk of post‐Covid syndrome. In conclusion, post‐Covid‐19 syndrome can significantly impact the health conditions of surviving patients. Rehabilitation and follow‐up in multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs should be considered for working‐age patients.

Despite the growing amount of data, much information is needed on patients' mental capacity to consent to psychiatric treatment for acute mental disorders. The present study was undertaken to compare differences in capacity to consent to psychiatric treatment in patients treated voluntarily and involuntarily and to investigate the role of psychiatric symptoms, competency, and cognitive functioning in determining voluntariness of hospital admission. Involuntary patients were interviewed with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T), the 24-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, and their data were compared with those for age- and sex-matched voluntary patients. Involuntary patients performed worse in all MacCAT-T subscales. Capacity to consent to treatment varied widely within each group. Overall, involuntary patients have worse consent-related mental capacity than those treated voluntarily, despite capacity to consent to treatment showing a significant variability in both groups.

Background The prevalence of depressive disorders is high among patients with skin disease. The PC-SAD is a 37-item self-administered depression screening questionnaire that has been validated in dermatological patients. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a brief depression severity instrument derived from the PC-SAD that can be used to assess severity and monitor ongoing clinical course. Methods Two patient samples participated in the study: 72 adult dermatological inpatients and 73 adults attending six primary care practices. Psychiatric assessment included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and an 18-item version of the PC-SAD; moreover, dermatological patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9), while primary care patients were administered the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A subset of five PC-SAD items showing the best psychometric properties were selected, and the reliability and validity of the resulting instrument (PC-SAD5) were examined. Results The PC-SAD5 showed satisfactory internal consistency in both samples. There was a high correlation between PC-SAD5 and PHQ-9 and MADRS scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed a gradient of PC-SAD5 scores from patients with no mental disorder, those with milder forms of depression, to those with Major Depressive Disorder. Similar results were observed for the 18-item version of the PC-SAD. Conclusion The availability of valid and reliable continuous measures of depression severity derived from the PCSAD extends its field of application from depression screening to use as a follow-up measure of depression severity in routine clinical practice. A validated very short instrument such as the PC-SAD5 may have substantial clinical value.

The aim of this study was to assess subjective stress in the municipal police force of a large Italian city by administering the Rapid Stress Assessment (RSA) Scale, a self-rated tool, in order to identify any possible differences between the start and the end of the shift. Two samples of 100 exposed traffic police officers and 100 non-exposed office-workers of both sexes were assessed. The subjects were interviewed on a working day, at the start (6.45 a.m.) and end (2 p.m.) of their shift. The analysis of the data showed a significantly higher total score, as well as scores in the anxiety and aggressiveness clusters at the end of the shift both in traffic police officers and in office-workers compared to those recorded at the start of the shift. The RSA ‘somatization’ cluster was only significantly higher at the end of the shift in traffic police officers with respect to the start of the shift. A gender analytical framework showed a higher score among separated or divorced women with children. The results could be taken to mean that the stressors have, throughout the working day, an ‘exhausting’ effect and the subject feels ‘down’, despite having finished his/her work for the day. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objectives: Whether the effect of tricyclic antidepressants on Pain Disorder arises from their noradrenergic or serotonergic actions or both remains unclear. We compared the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram and the noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor (NARI) reboxetine in outpatients with Pain Disorder. We also distinguished the drugs' analgesic and antidepressant effects. Methods: In this 8-week, randomized double-blind study, 35 patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of Pain Disorder were randomly assigned to receive either citalopram 40 mg/day (N=17 patients) or reboxetine 8 mg/day (N=18). The Present Pain Intensity (PPI) scale and the Total Pain Rating Index (tPRI) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire were used to measure the effect on pain symptoms. Changes in the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung-D) scores were evaluated to monitor a possible antidepressant effect. For all patients who had at least one assessment, an intent-to-treat analysis was performed. Results: No significant differences were found in the demographic variables or clinical characteristics of the two treatment groups. In the citalopram group, PPI and tPRI scores measured at baseline decreased after treatment (tPRI: 41.9 vs. 30.0, p=.004; PPI: 3.5 vs. 2.8, p=.045) whereas in the reboxetine group differences were not statistically significant (tPRI: 35.2 vs. 31.5; PPI: 3.7 vs. 3.1). The Zung-D showed no significant changes between baseline and endpoint assessment in either group. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the SSRI citalopram may have a moderate analgesic effect in patients with Pain Disorder, and that this analgesic activity appears to be not correlated to changes in depressive scores. If confirmed in a larger sample, this evidence suggests that patients who are intolerant or resistant to tricyclic antidepressants, may be treated with SSRIs.