Ketamine is an N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist which is increasingly being researched and used as a treatment for depression. In low doses, it can cause a transitory modification in consciousness which was classically labelled as ‘dissociation’. However, ketamine is also commonly classified as an atypical psychedelic and it has been recently reported that ego dissolution experiences during ketamine administration are associated with greater antidepressant response. Neuroimaging studies have highlighted several similarities between the effects of ketamine and those of serotonergic psychedelics in the brain; however, no unified account has been proposed for ketamine’s multi-level effects – from molecular to network and psychological levels. Here, we propose that the fast, albeit transient, antidepressant effects observed after ketamine infusions are mainly driven by its acute modulation of reward circuits and sub-acute increase in neuroplasticity, while its dissociative and psychedelic properties are driven by dose- and context-dependent disruption of large-scale functional networks. Computationally, as nodes of the salience network (SN) represent high-level priors about the body (‘minimal’ self) and nodes of the default-mode network (DMN) represent the highest-level priors about narrative self-experience (‘biographical’ self), we propose that transitory SN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine’s ‘ dissociative’ state, while transitory DMN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine’s ‘ psychedelic’ state. In psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, a relaxation of the highest-level beliefs with psychotherapeutic support may allow a revision of pathological self-representation models, for which neuroplasticity plays a permissive role. Our account provides a multi-level rationale for using the psychedelic properties of ketamine to increase its long-term benefits.

IntroductionThe devastating effects of the current pandemic are profoundly affecting peoples’s physical and psychological health. Numerous studies on the effects of previous infectious outbreaks have been published. Similarly, an increasingly growing body of research on COVID-19 has been developed and released, reporting a substancial psychological impact of both the outbreak and the response, suggesting that the population may express high levels of psychological symptoms.ObjectivesThis presentation aims to synthesize existent literature that reports on the effects of COVID-19 on psychological outcomes of the general population, groups with higher vulnerability and its associated risk factors.MethodsBibliographic research was made through scientific databases such as PubMed and EMBASE. No time limit was used. Pertinent articles were carefully reviewed for additional relevant citations.ResultsGenerally, there is a higher prevalence of symptoms of adverse psychiatric outcomes among the public when compared to the prevalence before the pandemic. Psychological reactions to pandemics include maladaptive behaviours, emotional distress and symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and avoidance behaviors. The groups known to be at higher risk for mental health problems during the pandemic are: women, healthcare workers, people under 40 years old and with chronic diseases. Other risk factors are: frequent exposure to social media/news relating to COVID-19, poor economic status, lower education level, and unemployment.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented threat to mental health. In addition to flattening the curve of viral transmission, special attention needs to be paid to the challenges it poses to the mental health of the population at a global scale.

IntroductionSleep disorders (e.g., insomnia) are extremely prevalent in our population and are intimately associated with distress and productivity impairment. It is estimated that between 40 to 60% of people suffering from a sleep disorder have an underlying psychiatric diagnosis.Mindfulness, which is described as the quality or state of being self-conscious or aware of something, has shown to be a potential helpful therapy in insomnia.ObjectivesTherefore, and due to the lack of new and effective treatment approaches, we did a non-systematic review of the positive impact of mindfulness in quality of sleep.MethodsBibliographic research through PubMed, Web of Science and Springer Link.Results The mindfulness tools that may be linked to its therapeutic effects include the awareness state and conscious posture to respond when perceiving insomnia symptoms, as well as the modulation of sleep-related arousal courses. These can be primary when directly related to the inability to sleep, or secondary if considering the relationship with thoughts about sleep (such as the tendency to create bias in the attention and perception of sleep related thoughts). Formerly, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MTPC) was designed for the treatment of chronic depression and has shown to be efficacious. It was hypothesized that interoceptive dysfunction in the insula, commonly observed in anxiety and depression, may respond to MTPC by the gained interoceptive awareness, which provides advantage to adapt to life challenges and ongoing adjustments.ConclusionsBased on the currently available literature, mindfulness-based strategies may be a valuable treatment option in sleep disorders, especially for patients with concomitant mental illness. Therefore, it is necessary further research to standardize in terms of type of approach, duration, and outcome measures since it seems promising as an intervention for insomnia.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Introduction‘Health‐related stigma’ is typically known as social rejection or exclusion of individuals and populations suffering from specific health problems. Results on previous infectious diseases showed that stigma can be experienced by survivors but also by health‐care workers (HCW). Several factors contribute to stigma associated with infectious diseases, such as people’s knowledge, myths and stories transmitted by the mass and social media and psychosocial variables, such as risk perception and fear of being infected. COVID‐19 is a new disease with many unknown aspects and, naturally, people are afraid of the unknown.ObjectivesTo reflect on infectious diseases and social stigma during covid-19 pandemics.MethodsPubmed and Google Scholar search.Results Stigmatization can considerably increase psychosomatic distress and disturbance and can negatively affect people with infection and those at risk of infection in seeking medical care. HCWs and volunteers working in the field may also become stigmatized, leading to higher rates of distress, stress, and burnout When people avoid groups or geographic areas related to infectious diseases, this can pose significant economic losses. Thus, stigma is more than a mere negative outcome of infectious diseases; it is both a factor that contributes to the epidemics and pandemics and a disease in itself.ConclusionsAnticipating disease‐related stigma during the COVID‐19 pandemic enables policy‐makers to address it, restricting its adverse effects. The hidden burden caused by this stigma can cause severe consequences for patients, HCW, and public health measures, so, coordinated psychological interventions to overcome this crisis seems essential.

✓ With the present essay, our goal is to compare the survival time after diagnosis in individuals suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia with Lewy Bodies; ✓ Furthermore, we aim to investigate the (possible) contributing factors for those differences. BACKGROUNDOver the past century, there has been a rapid aging of the population, especially in the western countries. Given this fact, we

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IntroductionIn this presentation we describe the case of a woman referred to the Sexology Department after having developed symptoms of Persistent Genital Arousal (PGAD) for the last 5 years, during treatment for Depression with Venlafaxine. PGAD is a clinical entity first described in 2001 by Leiblum and Nathan. Despite having received more attention in the last few years, its etiology remains unclear, with numerous causal factors of different natures being suggested.ObjectivesWe aim to describe this clinical case of PGAD and to discuss the possible etiological factors involved as well as to make a brief revision of the literature on this topic.MethodsWe conducted a detailed interview, focused on the nature of the complaints, psychological history, medications, diet and neurologic disorders and performed a thorough clinical examination. We also searched for relevant articles in medical databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar.ResultsA 52 year-old woman previously treated for Depression with Venlafaxine complains of involuntary sensations of genital arousal, with perceived vasocongestion, tingling and pulsatlity during her journey to work in public transportations. The symptoms subsided only after getting home 8-10 hours later and reaching orgasm by masturbating. She stopped Venlafaxine in 2015, but these symptoms persisted. Some authors suggest a link between SSRIs/SNRIs and PGAD.ConclusionsPGAD is a relatively recent addition to our diagnostic catalog with increasingly more cases being reported in the last few years. It is likely that the condition, however, has no discrete etiology and that a customized approach will be necessary to successfully treat most patients.

IntroductionAttention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are two of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders presenting in children and adults, respectively. Reported co-occurrence of ADHD and BD in adulthood is higher than would be expected by chance, with great impact on prognosis and treatment. Since features of both entities can overlap, careful assessment of these patients is crucial.ObjectivesTo understand the relation between BD and ADHD, and how co-occurrence impacts clinical evaluation.Methods Bibliographic research was made through the PubMed/NCBI database. No time limit was specified on the search. Pertinent manuscripts were individually reviewed for additional relevant citations.ResultsADHD influences the course and manifestations of BD, regardless of its presence later in adulthood. There is a 3-fold increase of ADHD co-occurrence in individuals with BD when compared to normal population, and ADHD seems to co-occur in about 20% of BD patients (even after correction for overlapping symptoms). Features which may suggest simultaneous diagnosis are: earlier occurrence of BD-related symptoms (especially manic or hypomanic states), more severe course of the mood disorder, less adherence to treatment and higher functioning impact. This makes for a worse prognosis, with increased suicidal risk in these patients.ConclusionsThe co-occurrence of BD and ADHD may represent a distinct clinical phenotype, with recent findings highlighting the presence of common neurobiological mechanisms. Accordingly, patients with BD should be screened for ADHD and viceversa. There is no consensus for treatment of ADHD-BD patients, with further studies being necessary to better define and define possible therapeutic approaches.