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During qualification for mechanical circulatory support, the comprehensive assessment of a patient's mental state is an integral element of the overall medical evaluation. It encompasses a range of psychosocial issues, and as such provides information helpful in the selection of a suitable candidate for the required treatment, and sometimes identifies contraindications to it. It allows ensuring that the patient meets expectations regarding both mental health stability and adherence to medical recommendations. It is also helpful in an early detection and diagnosis of mental problems before the surgery, which can increase the possibility of implementation of appropriate treatment and intervention. Due to the lack of generally accepted guidelines, this assessment can be subjective to some extent, especially if it takes place outside experienced transplant centres. This article presents the core principles of mental status evaluation and management of candidates for heart transplantation or mechanical circulatory support, and psychosocial factors increasing the risk of poor prognosis in this group. The article aims to share with psychiatrists and psychologists the clinical experience and comprehensive knowledge about psychosocial eligibility criteria for mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health information provided by patients in the doctor's office belongs to the sphere of their private life. Medical confidentiality is intended to prevent unwarranted interference with the content of this information, both by state authorities and private entities. Thus, it is an instrument to protect the individual's constitutional right to privacy and, at the same time, guarantee an effective diagnostic and therapeutic process. For these reasons, access to the information covered by medical secrecy should be exceptional, especially since this data is highly sensitive in nature. This is especially true of psychiatric confidentiality. Contrary to these seemingly obvious assumptions, the Polish legislator introduces into the legal system further legal solutions that seriously interfere in the sphere of information about an individual's health. This makes medical (psychiatric) secrecy an institution of illusory nature and violates the patient's constitutional right to privacy. It also negatively affects the effectiveness of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. The latter requires complete trust in the doctor-patient relationship and, thus, full confidentiality. The article discusses the ratio legis of medical secrecy, the interrelation of psychiatric and medical secrecy, and the prerequisites for abrogating these secrets. It then discusses the relationship between medical confidentiality and other legal duties incumbent on physicians. Against the backdrop of these considerations, legal solutions that reflect the tendency to weaken the legal protection of medical confidentiality and thus pose a real threat to the information covered by it, were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health information provided by patients in the doctor's office belongs to the sphere of their private life. Medical confidentiality is intended to prevent unwarranted interference with the content of this information, both by state authorities and private entities. Thus, it is an instrument to protect the individual's constitutional right to privacy and, at the same time, guarantee an effective diagnostic and therapeutic process. For these reasons, access to the information covered by medical secrecy should be exceptional, especially since this data is highly sensitive in nature. This is especially true of psychiatric confidentiality. Contrary to these seemingly obvious assumptions, the Polish legislator introduces into the legal system further legal solutions that seriously interfere in the sphere of information about an individual's health. This makes medical (psychiatric) secrecy an institution of illusory nature and violates the patient's constitutional right to privacy. It also negatively affects the effectiveness of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. The latter requires complete trust in the doctor-patient relationship and, thus, full confidentiality. The article discusses the ratio legis of medical secrecy, the interrelation of psychiatric and medical secrecy, and the prerequisites for abrogating these secrets. It then discusses the relationship between medical confidentiality and other legal duties incumbent on physicians. Against the backdrop of these considerations, legal solutions that reflect the tendency to weaken the legal protection of medical confidentiality and thus pose a real threat to the information covered by it, were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: There are many reports in the literature on the co-occurrence of somatic diseases and psychiatric disorders. Relatively few have addressed the co-occurrence of corneal cone with anxiety, depression, or personality disorders. Materials and Methods: 99 patients with keratoconus (study group) and 92 patients without keratoconus (control group) participated in the entire study, which was conducted in 2015 and 2020–2023. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess depressive symptoms, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety symptoms, and the DSM-IV Personality Disorder Inventory (IBZO-DSM-IV) to identify personality disorders. Results: In the study group, the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms correlated with all types of personality disorders. In the control group, these symptoms did not correlate with antisocial and narcissistic personalities. In the comparative analysis, there were more patients with antisocial, schizotypal, obsessive compulsive, schizoid, paranoid, and dependent personality traits in the study group. Conclusions: Patients with keratoconus have increased expressions of antisocial personality traits, but no differences in anxiety and depression symptoms were evident. Further research is needed among patients diagnosed with keratoconus in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. MDMA is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Clinical studies are currently being conducted around the world on the use of this substance in the treatment of PTSD and alcoholism. However, little demographic information is available on users who use the substance for non-medical purposes. The aim of the study was to determine basic demographic and health characteristics with validated tools. Method. The authors prepared an original questionnaire on the demography of MDMA users and combined it with the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The survey was sent to Polish MDMA users via the Internet. Results. 304 responses were received from people over 18 years of age. MDMA is wide- spread among young adults, in many different places of residence and regardless of gender. The users take MDMA in both pill and crystal form and very rarely test drugs bought from a dealer. Most users feel that MDMA has had a good impact on their lives. Conclusions. MDMA is rarely used as the only psychoactive substance. MDMA users rate their health higher than people using other psychoactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dental profession is extremely stressful, as it relies heavily on medical procedures with immediate effect and evaluation both by the patient and the dentist. In addition, management of patients’ anxiety and pain is also a significant psychological burden for dentists. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and importance of anxiety and depression among dentists living in Silesia (Poland). Material and methods: The study group consisted of 59 Silesian dentists. The tool applied was the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). As part of the statistical analysis, the reliability of the anxiety (HADS A) and depression (HADS D) scales was assessed using the α-Cronbach coefficient. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was also utilized to compare the above-mentioned scales with subgroups distinguished on the basis of adopted criteria. Results: The values of the α-Cronbach coefficient indicated high reliability of the scales used. The HADS scale revealed anxiety disorders in 25.5% of examined Silesian dentists and depression disorders in 18.6% of the respondents. The mean value and standard deviation for HADS-A and HADS-D were 8.7 (4.1) and 6.1 (3.7) respectively. The level of anxiety and depression did not depend on the gender of the respondents. In addition, good somatic health, having a specialization, and having more than one workplace have been shown to be associated with a lower risk of these disorders. In turn, serious stressful situations in the last 3-year increased the risk of anxiety disorders. Conclusions: Presented results indicate the need for further extensive research on the mental health of Polish dentists and the preparation and implementation of methods for the prevention of anxiety and depressive disorders in this professional group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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