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Background : Mental disorders are associated with immune dysregulation as measured by serum levels of biological markers of immunity. Adults with mental disorders have also been reported to have attenuated post vaccine immune response. The COVID-19 pandemic has invited the need to determine whether individuals with mental disorders exhibit differential immune response following the administration of vaccines for other infections. Methods : A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and PsycInfo was conducted from inception to May 2021 investigating vaccine response in persons with mental disorders, as measured by biological markers of immunity (i.e., antibodies, cytokines). Results : Thirteen articles were identified which evaluated vaccine efficacy in persons with mental disorders. Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) or schizophrenia revealed attenuated immune response to vaccination, or no statistical difference compared to control subjects. Individuals with anorexia nervosa or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) displayed no attenuated post-vaccination antibody level. Individuals with insomnia displayed lower levels of antibodies after vaccination, whereas individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) displayed no difference in vaccine response compared to control subjects. Limitations : The limitations of this review include the relatively few articles included (n = 13) and small sample sizes (less than thirty subjects) in the majority of articles. Conclusion : Vaccine response in adults with a mental disorder remains inconclusive. Notwithstanding the heterogeneity and relatively small number of studies, available evidence does suggest attenuated immune response across disparate vaccinations. Future research is required to confirm vaccine efficacy in persons with mental disorders, especially regarding immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination.

Background The association between impaired social cognition and bipolar disorder (BD) is well established. However, to our knowledge, there has not been a recent systematic review that characterizes disparate dimensions of social cognition in BD. Herein, this systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to synthesize the literature on core aspects of social cognition (i.e., Theory of Mind, emotion recognition, and social judgment) to identify potential areas of impairment. Methods Online databases (i.e., PubMed, Cochrane Libraries, PsycINFO) and Google Scholar were searched from inception to May 2021. Studies with populations ages ≥16 with DSM‐IV or DSM‐5 defined BD (I or II) either in a euthymic or symptomatic state were included. The risk of bias was measured using the ROBINS‐1 tool, and the quality of the sources was evaluated using GRADE criteria. The results of the studies were quantitatively measured by synthesizing Hedge's g effect sizes through a random effects meta‐analytic approach. Results A total of 29 studies were included in the final review (i.e., 12 studies on the Theory of Mind, 11 on emotion recognition, and 6 on social judgment). Overall, results demonstrated social cognition to be moderately impaired in individuals with BD (d = 0.59). The individual domains ranged in effect size (0.38 < d < 0.70), providing evidence for variation in impairment within social cognition. Discussion Individuals with BD exhibit clinically significant deficits in social cognition during euthymic and symptomatic states. Social cognition impairments in individuals with BD are an important therapeutic target for treatment discovery and development.

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