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Objectives: The bipolar spectrum concept has resulted in a paradigm shift that has affected both the diagnosis and therapy of mood disorders, with bipolarity becoming an indicator of treatment resistance in depression. Evening circadian preference has also been linked to affective disorders. The aim of our study was to confirm the relationship between the severity of depressive symptoms, bipolar features, chronotype, and sleep quality among patients with major depressive disorder., Methods: A group of 55 individuals who were recruited from a mental health outpatient clinic completed the following psychometric tools: a Chronotype Questionnaire comprising morningness-eveningness (ME) and subjective amplitude of the rhythm (AM) scales, the Hypomania Checklist 32 (HCL-32), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)., Results: Factor analysis identified two latent components, accounting cumulatively for 58% of variables: depressive symptoms (BDI and PSQI) and bipolarity (ME, AM, and HCL-32). After rotation, ME loading in the first factor increased the result to a significant level. The correlation between the two components was very low., Conclusions: Evening chronotype appears to be a bipolarity-related marker, with this relationship being independent of its link to depressive symptoms and sleep quality. Eveningness and high circadian rhythm amplitude may offer promise as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic predictors.

Objective: To assess long-term effectiveness of guided self-help for parents of children with ADHD under routine care conditions. Method: 6- to 12-year-old children diagnosed with ADHD were enrolled in an observational study on a 1-year telephone-assisted parent-administered behavioral intervention. N = 136 families who completed the intervention participated in a follow-up assessment. Pre-, post-, and follow-up data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA with planned contrasts. Clinical significance was analyzed according to the reliable change index. Results: Child ADHD symptoms (primary outcome), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms, overall behavioral problems, and quality of life improved during the intervention. There was a further improvement in ADHD symptoms at follow-up, with a medium effect size. Improvements during treatment in ODD symptoms, overall behavioral problems, and quality of life were maintained at follow-up. Conclusion: The findings suggest that telephone-assisted self-help interventions may result in a long-term reduction of child behavior problems.

Introduction: Asthma is a disease of a psychosomatic nature. The control of asthma is still poor in approximately 5% of patients, despite introduction of modern inhalant drugs and psychotherapeutic interventions., Aim: To evaluate whether the degree of bronchial asthma control is related to the characteristics of temperament according to Eysenck's concept., Material and Methods: The study was conducted on a group of 111 bronchial asthma patients and 44 healthy subjects. In all of them, the Eysenck temperament questionnaire was administered and the level of asthma control was determined., Results: Increase in the scale of neuroticism was associated with an 1.83-fold increase in the likelihood of poor asthma control. Increase in the result on the psychoticism scale and lie scale of about one point was associated with a slightly smaller increased risk of poor asthma control (respectively: 1.49-fold and 1.61-fold)., Conclusions: The structure of temperament of a person with poor control of bronchial asthma can be characterized. Patients with poor asthma control have a higher level of neuroticism, psychoticism and propensity to lie, compared with the healthy population and subjects with good or partial bronchial asthma control., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Termedia Sp. z o. o.)

Background: Current treatments for adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) have had only limited success. In recent years, research has underlined the role of self-regulatory processes and impulsivity in the development and maintenance of SUD in adolescents. Mindfulness has gained much attention due to its capacity to influence self-regulatory processes, particularly in adult populations. Initial studies have shown the potential of mindfulness-based approaches in younger SUD patients. The aim of the present clinical trial is to evaluate the added treatment effect of a mindfulness-based group psychotherapy ("Mind it!") for adolescents with SUD in comparison to the current standard treatment. Moreover, we seek to explore the feasibility of the intervention and possible mediators of treatment effects., Methods/design: There will be N = 340 participants aged between 13 and 19 years who are receiving child or adolescent psychiatric or psychotherapeutic inpatient or day treatment targeting their SUD and who have reported substance use 30 days before detoxification and do not show acute psychotic or suicidal symptoms at baseline. The study is a prospective randomized controlled multi-center trial in which patients are assessed: (1) after completing a prior detoxification phase (t 0 ), (2) at 4 weeks (t 1 ), (3) at 8 weeks (t 2 ), and (4) at 6 months after t 2 (t 3 ). Participants in the intervention group will receive mindfulness-based group psychotherapy in addition to their existing treatment regime. The primary outcome is substance use in the past 30 days at follow-up based on the Timeline Followback self-report. Secondary outcomes include craving, severity of dependence, and abstinence motivation. Mindfulness, impulsivity, and emotion regulation will be analyzed as possible mediators of treatment effects., Discussion: This trial is expected to provide evidence of the added effect of a novel, safe, and feasible treatment option for adolescents with SUD., Trial Registration: German Register of Clinical Studies, DRKS00014041 . Registered on 17 April 2018.

Introduction: Type A behavior pattern is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It is a learned way to respond to stress. The capability of empathy and impulsiveness is an important element of functioning of the human being., Aim: To assess the degree of bronchial asthma control in the context of the intensity of type A pattern of behavior, Impulsivity, Risk Propensity and Empathy., Material and Methods: The study involved examination of 150 subjects, including 111 with asthma of different degrees of control, all of whom were young, professionally active people. Two validated questionnaires (IVE Impulsivity Questionnaire and Type A Scale) were used to assess the correlation between the degrees of asthma control and type A behavior pattern, Empathy, Impulsivity and Risk Propensity., Results: The level of type A behavior pattern was significantly higher in the subjects with poorly controlled asthma as compared with those with partially controlled and well-controlled asthma and with healthy subjects. Impulsivity and Risk Propensity were higher in the group with poorly controlled asthma compared with the other analyzed groups. Empathy was lower in the group with poorly controlled asthma than in the other analyzed groups. There was no difference in the intensity of the analyzed mental variables between persons with partially controlled and well-controlled asthma and people without bronchial asthma., Conclusions: Poor control of asthma may be associated with type A behavior pattern and high impulsivity and risk propensity.

Background: Depressive disorders are among the most prominent health problems in youth. Even with the best available pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, remission rates are low. Without early treatment, depression in youth is associated with a high risk of symptom progression, chronicity, co-morbidity, and suicidal behavior. Thus, adolescent depression is a prime candidate for innovation in treatment. In depressive adults, meta-analytic evidence has proven that bright light therapy (BLT) is a potent low-threshold intervention, promising due to easy application, low side effects, and optimized compliance. In adolescents, studies with small samples show promising effects. This randomized controlled trial will examine the effectiveness of BLT in youth inpatients., Methods/design: In this randomized, controlled, double-blind multicenter parallel group trial, morning BLT is applied for four weeks in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) for depressed youth inpatients (daily morning exposure to bright light via light-emitting glasses, 10,000 lx, for 30 min) and will be compared to a control condition (placebo light treatment, red light, identical light glasses). The primary objective is to assess whether BLT reduces symptoms of depression in youth with greater effect compared to placebo light therapy. Secondary objectives are to examine the impact of BLT on responder status, application of antidepressant medication, and further depression-related symptoms (sleep, activity, quality of life, satisfaction with health, general psychopathology, alertness, and circadian function). N = 224 patients will be recruited in a naturalistic inpatient setting. A follow-up will be carried out after three and six months., Discussion: The study aims to discuss and evaluate BLT as an additive method supporting standardized clinical procedures dealing with severe to moderate depressive symptoms in youth., Trial Registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00013188 . Registered on November 30, 2017.

Objectives: The effects of guided self-help interventions for parents of children with ADHD have already been proven in randomized controlled trials. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this novel form of intervention under routine care conditions in a nationwide trial., Method: Registered pediatricians as well as child and youth psychiatrists enrolled 274 children between 6 and 12 years old (83.6% male) diagnosed with ADHD to a self-help program for parents of children with ADHD. The program lasted for 1 year and consisted of eight booklets with advice for parenting children with ADHD as well as complementary telephone consultations (14 calls, up to 20 minutes each). The course of the ADHD symptoms and the comorbid symptoms as well as the development of the child’s individual problems were assessed in a pre-post design., Results: 63% of the enrolled parents adhered to the program until the end. The families who cancelled the program did not differ concerning the severity of ADHD symptoms, but they did more often show an impaired familial and social background, and their children received pharmacological treatment more often. Three-fourths of the children who completed the program had received pharmacological treatment at the beginning of the program. The children had more severe ADHD symptoms than a clinical control group. During the intervention, ADHD symptoms as well as psychosocial functioning improved with large effect sizes of d>0.9. Additionally, comorbid oppositional and emotional symptoms decreased., Conclusions: These results indicate that guided self-help programs for families with children with ADHD are effective, also as an addition to pharmacological treatment.