Frontiers in Psychiatry

BackgroundTourette syndrome is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by recurrent motor and vocal tics. It shows a marked male predominance and is frequently associated with comorbid conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD). Histaminergic dysregulation in the brain has been proposed as one of the mechanisms underlying Tourette syndrome. Vitamin B6, a key cofactor in histamine metabolism, may therefore play a c...

Following the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) standard protocol, counting down a fixed number of bilateral stimuli (BLS) is the guideline-conforming strategy for determining the optimal length of each set within processing the pathogenic memories. A surprisingly high proportion of EMDR therapists, however, deviates from this recommendation, making the time-point for interruption dependent on the occurrence of Minimal Nonverbal Changes (MNCs) in gestures, facial mimics, muscl...

ObjectiveTo analyze the structure of mental disorders in children in the outpatient practice of a specialized mental health center for optimization of care organization for this patient category. MethodsA retrospective analysis of medical records of 23 children (out of 44 patients) at the Insight Mental Health Center (Dushanbe, Tajikistan) was conducted for the period from December 9, 2025, to January 8, 2026. Diagnosis was performed according to ICD-10 criteria using standardized instruments: ...

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is frequently associated with speech and language difficulties, yet empirical data from Central Asian countries remain scarce. This study examined the association between a diagnosis of childhood autism (ICD-10: F84.0) and the presence of speech development difficulties in a clinical sample from Tajikistan MethodA retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using clinical records of 85 patients (36 with F84.0; 49 with other psychiatric diagnoses) a...

BackgroundCognitive deficits in anxiety disorders (ADs) contribute to clinical and socio-occupational dysfunction, necessitating targeted interventions. NoveltyIntegrated Cognitive Control Training (ICCT), a novel intervention, has demonstrated benefits in other disorders, however, remains unexplored in ADs. With its process-specific training and multi-pronged exercises for stimulation, metacognitive training and generalization, it has potential for enhancing cognitive functions in ADs. Object...

AimSurgical interventions such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) have demonstrated efficacy for severe treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (TR-OCD) internationally, but surgical treatment has yet to be implemented in Japan. One factor hindering progress is uncertainty regarding domestic clinical demand, so a nationwide survey of psychiatrists was conducted to clarify their perceptions of OCD surgery. We analysed the data with the aim of identifying factors associated with the accepta...

BackgroundSubstance use disorders (SUD) are associated with a high global burden of disease, with 5.4% of all disability-adjusted life years lost due to alcohol and illicit drugs. Highly prevalent multimorbidity includes polysubstance use, mental health conditions, and other non-communicable and infectious diseases. Where traditional treatments are insufficient alone, music therapy (MT) is highly engaging and improves motivation and reduces craving; however, its long-term effects are unknown. Th...

BackgroundIn 2020, Oregon became the first U.S. state to establish a regulated framework for adults to access psilocybin services using naturally-derived mushroom products. No studies have examined mental health outcomes among individuals receiving psilocybin in this context. AimsTo evaluate changes in self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and well-being 30-days post-psilocybin session under the Oregon state-regulated model , and document session-related adverse events and doses consum...

IntroductionSepsis is a life-threatening ailment caused by an exaggerated immune response to infection that poses a major health problem, with increasing prevalence, high costs, and poor outcomes. Improved outcomes are seen in patients when providers follow the Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommended clinical practice guidelines for identifying and treating sepsis using a 3-hour and 6-hour bundle after sepsis is suspected. Previous research has shown patients with mental health issues receive wors...

BackgroundA growing population of working-aged men are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The COVID-19 pandemic increased rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) and affected treatment seeking in the general population, but the COVID era substance use patterns among NEET men are unknown. MethodsWe estimated the prevalence and correlates of NEET status among working-aged (18-64) men using data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey...

Evidence-based psychotherapies are first-line treatments for psychiatric disorders, yet response rates remain suboptimal. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may augment psychotherapy by modulating treatment-engaged circuits. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing active NIBS plus evidence-based psychotherapy versus sham NIBS plus psychotherapy. Following Cochrane methods, we searched six databases through February 2025, screening 1,017 reco...

The Social ABCs is a parent-mediated Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) that promotes early verbal communication and affect sharing emphasizing child-led learning within natural routines. Here we conducted a six-week pilot single-arm study of the Social ABCs program with 17 autistic toddlers (19-39 months) and their parents in Israel, employing pre- and post-intervention assessments including language, social communication, and parenting stress measures. Results demonstrat...

Background At present, there are no approved pharmacological treatments for people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P). We sought to assess the acceptability of cannabidiol (CBD): a promising candidate treatment for this population. Methods CHR-P individuals completed a survey which assessed their views on the acceptability of CBD, its expected effectiveness and side effects, and on formulation preferences. Results The sample comprised 55 CHR-P individuals (24.3 years and 69% female). Mo...

Numerous studies have shown that adults with depression have distinct oculomotor alterations during saccade tasks, but whether similar alterations occur in adolescents is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to test if eye-tracking during a structured saccade task could distinguish a group of adolescents with depression from healthy controls. We hypothesized that, due to overlapping circuitry between depression pathology and the oculomotor system, adolescents with depression would show...

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) is an effective treatment for adolescents exhibiting features of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, some do not benefit, potentially leading to major negative outcomes later in life. Previous quantitative studies have highlighted the importance of dynamic (changeable) factors in determining treatment success, including the therapeutic alliance, emotional dynamics between therapist and adolescent, and the motivation of those inv...

BackgroundNon-medical use of prescription psychotropic medications (NMUPM) among adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is an emerging public health concern. Such practices are associated with psychiatric comorbidities, increased risk behaviors, and long-term dependence. Limited access to mental health services, weak regulatory enforcement, and the widespread availability of prescription drugs contribute to NMUPM. Despite anecdotal reports, comprehensive epidemi...

BackgroundAttention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by attentional deficits, hyperactivity and impulsivity that often persists into adulthood. While dysfunction of dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems has been observed, underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Current treatments with methylphenidate and amphetamines show limited long-term effectiveness and do not address broader clinical needs. The endocannabinoid system represen...

Actigraphy is a popular behavioral sleep assessment tool in research and clinical practice. Hierarchical hand-scoring approaches remain the standard for actigraphy rest interval estimation, but can be impractical for large cohort studies and suffer from reproducibility problems. We developed a semi-automated pipeline (actiSleep) to set rest intervals consistent with best-practice hand-scoring algorithms incorporating event marker, diary, light, and activity data. To evaluate actiSleep performanc...

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by enhanced sensory-perceptual alterations. We investigated face identity recognition in people with schizophrenia with the Facial Identity Recognition Structured Task (FIRST) develop at our laboratory. This was created with natural interference features (beard, makeup and mask). This task consists in six block-trails of six images for identity recognition. Forty three adult volunteers divided into two groups: a Health Control (HC) and a g...

ImportanceLarge language models (LLMs) have demonstrated diagnostic potential in several medical specialties, but their application to psychiatry - where diagnosis relies heavily on clinical judgment, narrative interpretation, and reasoning under uncertainty - remains insufficiently evaluated. ObjectiveTo evaluate diagnostic accuracy and clinician-judged reasoning quality of multiple large language models using psychiatric case vignettes. DesignMixed-methods evaluation study of diagnostic accu...