Suicide is a global phenomenon and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The analysis covers suicidal risk factors (depression, psychological pain, fascination with death) and protective factors (spirituality, religiosity) in the population of healthy people in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the relationship between recent stressful events and suicide risk factors. In the period from October 2020 to March 2021, 260 people aged 18-63 were surveyed electronically, using the own questionnaire and Polish adaptations of research tools to assess: depression, mental pain, anxiety and fascination with death, spirituality and religiosity and the AUDIT screening test. 38.8% of the respondents achieved the result indicating the presence of symptoms of depression and the need for specialist consultation. Women achieved higher results compared to men (Z = -2.424; p = 0.015). In the measurement of religiosity and spiritual transcendence, the lowest score was noted on the following scales: religious commitment, religious crisis and fulfillment in prayer, while the highest score in the sense of attachment scale. Among the maximum results, the lowest was recorded in the measurement of transcendence and the highest in religious commitment. In the subscale of religious commitment, the respondents achieved the lowest average intensity, and slightly higher in the measurement of the religious crisis. However, the feeling of fulfillment in prayer and universality were the most intense. Statistical significance was demonstrated between depression and fascination with death (ρ = 0.399; p <0.001) and depression and psychological pain (ρ = 0.677; p <0.001). As the religious crisis intensified, the following also intensified: depression (ρ = 0.290; p <0.001), psychological pain (ρ = 0.279; p <0.001) and fascination with death (ρ = 0.224; p <0.001). A positive correlation was found between the number of stressful events and depression (ρ = 0.259; p <0.001) and psychological pain (ρ = 0.295; p <0.001). Statistical significance was demonstrated in the analysis of the impact of recent stressors on suicide risk factors. Psychological pain is the strongest predictor of the "S" sample, and the religious crisis is associated with a greater severity of suicide risk factors. Depressiveness correlates with the intensity of mental pain and fascination with death in people with a high level of spiritual transcendence and religiosity. Increased depression and psychological pain are more common in women and in people experiencing recent stressful situations in life.

Introduction and objective. A nationwide survey, carried out in Poland in 2013, showed that 42% of an examined group of doctors reported occupational burnout syndrome (OBS). The phenomenon of OBS among medical personnel shows a relationship with perceived stress scale (PSS) scores. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of OBS in a group of Polish doctors, and the relationship with selected risk factors and personal resources. Materials and method. A cross-sectional study using quantitative methodology was used with the application of a questionnaire method and correlation design. Questionnaires were administered to 318 doctors (42 different specialties) working in medical facilities in Poland. All participants in the study completed two standardized questionnaires: Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and responded to the questions on a proprietary questionnaire. ANOVA variance analysis and analysis of regression was performed. Results. The results of the measurement of four aspects of occupational burnout: psychophysical exhaustion (PE), commitment to relationships with patients (CP), effectiveness in performed work (EW), and existential expectations (EE), were in the medium and high levels range. Every second medical doctor who participated in the research declared a high degree of occupational burnout in each of the aspects of OBS. The high level of PSS scores, the large number of duties per month, the short work experience (years of employment) and the low number of holiday leaves, were the predictors of occupational burnout in the group of doctors taking part in the study. Conclusions. The prevalence of the signs of OBS among Polish doctors is consistent with the results of research in other countries. Failures in the interventions taken to reduce stress seem to co-exist with the severity of signs of burnout.

We cannot conclude that SGAs were associated with better social cognition than FGAs. However, there were small but significant advantages for SGAs in non-social visual processing function, as evaluated with the VOSP.

SummaryBackgroundEffectiveness of antipsychotics in treating emotional and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia still remains controversial. The aim of our study was to assess emotional and cognitive functioning in schizophrenic inpatients currently treated with typical antipsychotics (perphenazine, perazine, fluphenazine, and haloperidol) and in another group of schizophrenic inpatients currently on atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, risperidone, amisulpride, and quetiapine).Material/MethodsOne hundred patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders (39 treated using typical antipsychotics and 61 treated with atypical antipsychotics) under naturalistic treatment conditions, and 50 healthy controls were given the following: Test of Everyday Attention, Facial Emotion Recognition Test, Facial Memory Recognition Test, and “Reading the mind in the eyes” Test.ResultsPatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia revealed the following deficits: facial emotion perception, empathy/theory of mind, visual selective attention/speed, attentional switching, and auditory-verbal working memory. Our results show a significant difference between schizophrenic and healthy controls in all tasks, with schizophrenic patients performing worse than controls. Interestingly, our patients on atypical neuroleptics performed similarly compared to schizophrenic patients treated with conventional neuroleptics on all tasks provided. There were some significant relationships between emotional and cognitive deficits and clinical variables.ConclusionsOur findings remain consistent with other recent studies in which atypical antipsychotics did not show a clear advantage over typical antipsychotics on both emotional and cognitive functioning.

The Val158Met catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) functional polymorphism may influence social cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia. Aspects of social cognition were evaluated with the Facial Expression Recognition Test, the Voice Emotion Recognition Test, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. The Short Recognition Memory Test for Faces was used as a control measure. The Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Schedule for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and Beck Depression Inventory were used to rate of patient symptoms. There were 100 patients with the following genotypes: Val/Val (21), Met/Met (30), and Val/Met (49). The genotype distribution of polymorphism of Val158Met COMT did not differ between the patient and control groups. Schizophrenia carriers of the Val/Val genotype performed worse in social cognitive measures, in comparison with the other groups. No statistically significant correlations were recorded between age at schizophrenia onset and polymorphism of Val158Met COMT. There was an influence of genotype in the control group: the Met homozygotes performing better. Schizophrenia patients homozygous for the Val allele showed significant disadvantages over patients homozygous or heterozygous for the Met allele in social cognitive processes. The COMT genotype may not, however, contribute to the age of onset of schizophrenia.