IntroductionA child’s ASD diagnosis represents a critical event for parents, often requiring them to face the loss of their child’s ideal image and reevaluate the family life projects. The aim of this study is to explore how parents retrospectively reconstruct and integrate their child’s ASD diagnosis through autobiographical memories.Methods21 parents, 16 mothers and 5 fathers, that received the ASD diagnosis within five years, were administered the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview (RDI). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a two levels approach. The first one to explore the patterns of meanings that emerged in the whole parents’ autobiographical memories through the Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The second one is to identify patterns of resolution or non-resolution of the impact of the diagnosis.ResultsFindings show suffering and struggling as main themes and subthemes and a prevalence of unresolved diagnoses; gender differences in the way of managing the child-related care tasks, efforts, and coping strategies emerged.DiscussionIn line with literature, our findings suggest that the availability of supportive resources plays a crucial role in facilitating parents’ adjustment and integration of the ASD experience and harmonizing gender differences. They also emphasize that the impact of ASD diagnosis is not a single event but an ongoing process of meaning-making which changes with the child’s developmental path. Our findings highlight the need for cognitive and emotional reconstruction and reframing of parents’ autobiographical memories. These processes play a kay role in shaping how the diagnosis experience is integrated into one’s narrative identity, creating opportunities for transforming the meaning of the remembered experience.
Acupoint temperature as a biomarker: infrared thermography in the diagnosis of adolescents with major depressive disorder
BackgroundThe prevalence of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) is rising; however, diagnosis relies on subjective measures due to a lack of objective biomarkers. This study explored infrared thermography (IRT) as a non-invasive tool to quantify thermal radiation characteristics of acupoints in adolescents with MDD. The objective was to establish diagnostic models based on acupoint temperature-derived biomarkers.MethodsA prospective, multi-center observational study enrolled 108 participants (65 adolescents with MDD and 43 healthy controls [HCs]). We first examined correlations between acupoint temperatures and depression severity using Pearson analysis. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression models were developed to diagnose MDD and assess severity. The diagnostic model for MDD was visualized as a nomogram and validated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow tests, calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Internal validation was performed using the bootstrap method.ResultsAmong 27 acupoints analyzed, adolescents with MDD exhibited altered acupoint temperatures at Taiyang (EX-HN5), Quchi (LI11), Yanggu (SI5), and Waiqiu (GB36). Subsequent Pearson correlation analysis revealed negative correlations between the infrared relative temperatures of Taiyang (EX-HN5), Quchi (LI11), and Waiqiu (GB36) and depression severity (P = 0.001, r = -0.319; P = 0.022, r = -0.229; P = 0.001, r = -0.325) and a weak positive correlation between the infrared relative temperature of Yanggu (SI5) and depression severity (P = 0.043, r = 0.202). Building on these findings, two diagnostic models were developed: a linear regression model for depression severity of adolescents (Y = 52.25-9.52*TEX-HN5-13.07*TGB36) and a logistic regression model for adolescents with MDD diagnosis (P = ex/(1+ex), x = 0.22-1.14*TEX-HN5+0.45*TSI5-2.19*TGB36). The nomogram-based model demonstrated good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow P = 0.855), discrimination (AUC = 0.785, 95%CI: 0.693 – 0.876), and clinical utility. Internal validation using the bootstrap method produced a C-index of 0.752 (95% CI: 0.617 – 0.877), further confirming the model’s robustness.ConclusionsIn conclusion, acupoint temperature-based models show promising efficacy for the objective and non-invasive diagnosis and severity quantification of adolescents with MDD, offering valuable tools for early clinical intervention. Future studies should validate these findings across diverse populations and integrate multi-modal biomarkers to enhance diagnostic precision.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06750640.
Stigma in adults with ADHD: a systematic review of types, experiences, and potential implications for quality of life
BackgroundAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder characterized by hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive symptoms. Adults with ADHD often report reduced quality of life (QoL) across social, educational, and occupational functioning. Part of these deficits may be attributed to stigma, which includes stereotypes, prejudices, discrimination, and negative labelling. While stigma’s effects on QoL have been extensively documented in other mental health conditions, the specific types and impacts of stigma experienced by adults with ADHD remain underexplored in recent reviews.AimsTo identify and describe the different types of stigmas experienced by adults with ADHD, while exploring how stigma may impact QoL’s key domains as defined by WHO (physical domain, psychological domain, level of independence, social relationships, environment, and spirituality/religion/personal beliefs).MethodsA literature search was conducted across APA PsycArticles, Embase, and Ovid MEDLINE(R) for ADHD AND stigma-related keywords. Eligible studies were English, peer-reviewed articles from the past decade involving adults (≥18) and describing or specifying at least one type of stigma.ResultsA total of 17 papers met the inclusion criteria. Stigma types included self-stigma and/or internalized stigma, perceived stigma, public stigma, and structural stigma. QoL domains affected included the psychological domain, social relationships, environment, and level of independence. Greater ADHD symptomatology was positively correlated with more internalized stigma, which in turn was linked to functional impairment, worse self-esteem, and poorer QoL. Self-stigma manifested as self-deprecating labels and ADHD devaluation. Perceived stigma hindered treatment seeking, medication compliance, and diagnostic disclosure, although associations with QoL were insignificant. Public stigma was the most investigated and related to negative societal attitudes, notably in academic contexts. Few studies looked at structural stigma; those that did identified structural barriers to care, though none directly assessed QoL outcomes.ConclusionStigma remains pervasive, though direct effects on QoL domains are less widely investigated. Future studies should investigate structural stigma in more depth and explore causal relationships between stigma and QoL.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Y52HK
PAD-S/CSA as a candidate shared representation layer for computational psychotherapy: minimal architecture and a staged validation roadmap
Psychotherapy schools often describe overlapping process phenomena in non-interoperable vocabularies. This pluralism is clinically valuable but computationally costly: datasets become difficult to compare, clinically load-bearing distinctions are collapsed into convenience labels, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems inherit annotation schemes rather than a clinically interpretable intermediate representation. Building on the Perceive–Assess–Dose–Safeguard (PAD-S) framework and the Conflict-Square Algorithm (CSA), this theory article asks a narrower question than the prior PAD-S and CSA papers: can the same variables be formulated as a candidate shared representation layer between heterogeneous observation models and school-specific intervention policies? The proposed layer projects a high-dimensional biopsychosocial state into four clinically observable process coordinates—defensive/avoidant organization (DEF), anxiety/arousal and tolerance (ANX), progression toward direct experience and action (PRO), and self-attack/shame processes (SUP)—plus a safety threshold that constrains admissible intervention intensity. The contribution is architectural rather than empirical: it isolates the representational role from earlier decision-grammar and transcript-coding roles; clarifies the distinction between observations, representation, and policy; specifies a minimal falsifiable family of state-transition models; illustrates translation across four pragmatic therapy families; and defines a staged validation order from reliability and function linkage to transcript-level predictive operationalization and only then sparse equation discovery. The framework should therefore be read as a candidate shared representation layer for computational psychotherapy and computational psychiatry rather than as a therapy protocol, a fitted predictive model, a complete generative theory, or an autonomous decision system. No new dataset, fitted classifier, transcript-level predictive result, or discovered equation is reported here. The article aims instead to state what would count for or against PAD-S/CSA as a clinically interpretable interface for later empirical modeling.
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Morning. In the same way that Athena orchestrated the logistics around Telemachus’s journey in the first three books of “The Odyssey,” I hope some gods out there are coordinating a “Survivor” season 50 win for Cirie Fields. She’s earning it, but I wouldn’t mind some divine intervention to make sure.
Circulating Oxytocin Changes in Response to MDMA vs. Placebo in Adult Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Matched Healthy Controls
Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Interventions: Diagnostic Test: MDMA; Diagnostic Test: Placebo
Sponsors: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Not yet recruiting
Interventions: Diagnostic Test: MDMA; Diagnostic Test: Placebo
Sponsors: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Not yet recruiting
The Impact of Digital Detox Training on Screen Use, Sleep Quality, and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Adolescents
Conditions: Digital Screen Addiction and Sleep Quality in Adolescents
Interventions: Behavioral: Digital Detox Intervention
Sponsors: Şırnak Üniversitesi
Completed
Interventions: Behavioral: Digital Detox Intervention
Sponsors: Şırnak Üniversitesi
Completed
Prevalence of Cognitive Distortion Markers in a Suicide Prevention Chat Service: Mixed Methods Study
Background: Suicide helplines increasingly employ chat services to aid those in urgent need, but the wording and structure of text-driven exchanges may affect their effectiveness. Objective: Given the association of cognitive distortions with depression and anxiety, this study investigated their prevalence in the language of individuals seeking help from the Dutch 113 suicide helpline. Methods: We observed the prevalence of cognitive distortions for both help seekers and counselors in a large volume of chat sessions (N=71,148) of the Dutch 113 suicide chat helpline using natural language processing. The results were compared to 2 large collections of online text data from Dutch social media and web content. Results: We found that nearly all types of cognitive distortions are more prevalent in the language of help seekers compared to the control group of helpline counselors. Distortions of the personalizing, emotional reasoning, and mental filtering types were, respectively, 20.22, 7.87, and 4.53 times more prevalent among help seekers, revealing a distinct pattern of thought and language among individuals affected by suicidality. Conclusions: Our results raise the prospect of improving the effectiveness of online therapeutic interventions that target cognitive distortions through lexical analysis that detects the cognitive and lexical markers of suicidality.
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Oxygen extraction fraction is differentially associated with pathological biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease and non-Alzheimer’s dementias
IntroductionWe aimed to understand the pathophysiological differences between 16 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 15 non-AD dementia patients by quantifying oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in cortical (CGM) and deep gray matter (DGM) regions.MethodsTo achieve this, we used a novel MRI-based OEF mapping technique, QQ, which estimates OEF from routine multi-echo gradient echo data. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to compare the associations between OEF and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) or cognitive impairment (measured by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) between the two groups.ResultsIn the AD and non-AD group, OEF showed negative associations with WMH in DGM and positive associations with MoCA in DGM and CGM.DiscussionOur study suggests that QQ is a promising tool for differentiating between AD and non-AD dementias, by revealing abnormalities in tissue oxygen usage and their relationships to microvascular changes and cognitive impairment.
Quality, reliability, and transparency of late-life depression videos on Chinese social media: a cross-sectional study of Douyin, Rednotes, and BiliBili
BackgroundLate-life depression is common in older adults and is often under-recognized. Short-video platforms have become a major source of mental health information. However, content quality and transparency remain uncertain.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional assessment of highly viewed videos on late-life depression on three Chinese platforms. We searched each platform using the keyword in Chinese “Late-life depression”. We selected the top 200 videos by view count on Douyin, Rednotes (Xiaohongshu), and BiliBili. After exclusions, 562 videos were included (Douyin, n=188; Rednotes, n=188; BiliBili, n=186). Two medically trained raters scored videos using the Global Quality Score (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), and JAMA benchmark criteria. We also coded content categories and creator types. We assessed platform differences using non-parametric tests. We examined associations between a limited engagement proxy, defined as the comment-to-view ratio, and quality scores using Spearman correlation.ResultsVideo duration differed across platforms (p<0.001). Engagement indicators were higher on Douyin and Rednotes than on BiliBili. Symptoms were the most common topic on all platforms. Prevention and intervention ranked second on Douyin and Rednotes. On BiliBili, causes and case-based analysis were also common. Overall quality was moderate. Mean GQS ranged from 2.96 to 3.05. Transparency was limited. Mean JAMA ranged from 1.91 to 2.04. Reliability was slightly higher on BiliBili based on mDISCERN. Creator type was strongly associated with scores. Expert and institutional videos scored higher than general and marketing-oriented accounts. Correlations between visible audience interaction and quality were weak.ConclusionHighly viewed late-life depression videos on major Chinese platforms show moderate quality and limited transparency. Exposure does not reliably signal higher-quality information. Platforms and health authorities should strengthen source disclosure and promote evidence-based content from qualified creators.