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The objective of this study was to clarify the relationships between socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, stressors, coping strategies, social support and quality of life (QOL) in 143 patients with a diagnosis of either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. The research design is cross-sectional with repeated measures on the same subjects after a 6-month interval. A regression analysis generated a model that accounts for 50% of the variance in QOL at Time 1 and 43% at Time 2. The best predictors of QOL were two components of social support: attachment and reassurance of worth. Severity of daily hassles, the coping strategy of changing the situation, level of education and life-time hospitalization length were also related to QOL.

Affective instability is a psychophysiological symptom observed in some psychopathologies. It is a complex construct that encompasses (1) primary emotions, or affects, and secondary emotions, with each category having its own characteristics, amplitude, and duration, (2) rapid shifting from neutral or valenced affect to intense affect, and (3) dysfunctional modulation of emotions. Affective instability is often confused with mood lability, as in bipolar disorders, as well as with other terms. To clarify the concept, we searched databases for the term affective instability and read related articles on the topic. In this article we situate the term within the current affective nomenclature and human emotional experience, explore its psychophysiological features, and place it within the context of psychopathology. We explain why the term can potentially be confused with mood pathology and then define affective instability as an inherited temperamental trait modulated by developmental experience.

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Background: Measuring cognition in clinical practice is clearly essential to the appropriate characterisation of patients' clinical status and to the development of a personalised care plan. The Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) has been developed in order to provide a brief and accessible tool allowing the evaluation of cognitive function in psychiatric conditions. Objective: We present a validation of a French version of the SCIP. Method: Translation from English into French is carried out using the accepted back-translation method. Seventy-two healthy volunteers are characterised by demographic questionnaires and a neuropsychological battery. The French version of the SCIP is then administered on two separate occasions separated by at least a one-week interval. Results: High internal consistencies as well as strong correlations with comparable neuropsychological tests are obtained. A normalised Cronbach's α = 0.66 is obtained. Conclusions: The French version of the SCIP (SCIP-F) yields results comparable to the English version. The SCIP represents an essential tool for the preliminary evaluation of cognition. Its characteristics, brevity and the lack of need for a technological platform, allow for its integration into clinical practice. Further testing of SCIP-F in various psychiatric conditions will yield valuable information on its potential in clinical settings.

Objective Lithium remains an important treatment for mood disorders but is associated with kidney disease. Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is associated with up to 3‐fold risk of incident chronic kidney disease among lithium users. There are limited randomized controlled trials (RCT) for treatments of lithium‐induced NDI, and existing therapies can be poorly tolerated. Therefore, novel treatments are needed for lithium‐induced NDI. Method We conducted a 12‐week double‐blind pilot RCT to assess the feasibility and efficacy of 20 mg/d atorvastatin vs placebo in the treatment of NDI in chronic lithium users. Patients, recruited between September 2017 and October 2018, were aged 18 to 85, currently on a stable dose of lithium, and determined to have NDI. Results Urinary osmolality (UOsm) at 12 weeks adjusted for baseline was not statistically different between groups (+39.6 mOsm/kg [95% CI, −35.3, 114.5] in atorvastatin compared to placebo groups). Secondary outcomes of fluid intake and aquaporin‐2 excretions at 12 weeks adjusted for baseline were −0.13 L [95% CI, −0.54, 0.28] and 98.68 [95% CI, −190.34, 387.70], respectively. A moderate effect size was observed for improvements in baseline UOsm by ≥100 mOsm/kg at 12 weeks in patients who received atorvastatin compared to placebo (38.45% (10/26) vs 22.58% (7/31); Cohen's d = 0.66). Conclusion Among lithium users with NDI, atorvastatin 20 mg/d did not significantly improve urinary osmolality compared to placebo over a 12‐week period. Larger confirmatory trials with longer follow‐up periods may help to further assess the effects of statins on NDI, especially within patients with more severe NDI.