Introduction: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, and Portugal reported its initial cases. In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 on Portuguese individuals aged over 60 years old.Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 8: COVID-19 Survey). We selected a sample of 1080 noninstitutional Portuguese individuals aged ≥ 60 years.Results: The study sample consisted of 605 (56%) women and 475 (44%) men, with a mean age of 70 ± 9.1 years. In total, 80% of the participants experienced higher levels of anxiety, 73% felt more depressed and 30% experienced additional sleep problems comparedto the period before the pandemic. Interestingly, there were no statistically significant differences between the sexes or the two selected age groups (60 - 74 and over 75 years old) regarding the incidence of these changes. Only 23%, of those that were interviewed maintained their walking routines. In addition, only 8% of the participants continued visiting family members as frequently as before. While 8% of the participants were refused some form of medical treatment, 56% claimed that they experienced healthcare delays. However,only 15% of the participants reported that their health status worsened during the pandemic.Discussion: The pandemic has had a significant impact on Portuguese individuals aged ≥ 60 years; which is in agreement with the findings of previous international studies. It changed the participants’ routines and increased their anxiety and depression levels. Despite the deterioration of healthcare services, most participants did not experience worsening of their health status.Conclusion: In conclusion, a COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the elderly population, particularly regarding their mental health.

Background: The therapeutic options for neurobehavioral disorders are still limited, and in many cases, they lack a satisfactory balance between efficacy and side effects. Objective: This work aims to review current evidence regarding the potential contribution of psychedelics and hallucinogens to the discovery of new drugs for treating different psychiatric disorders. Discussion: Ayahuasca/N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin have evidence supporting their use in depression, and psilocybin and ayahuasca have also shown good results in treatment-resistant depression. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted with anxious patients, there were symptomatic improvements with psilocybin and LSD. Psilocybin diminished Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores in a small obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) sample. The evidence is less robust regarding substance use disorders, but it suggests a possible role for LSD and psilocybin in alcohol use disorders and for psilocybin in tobacco addiction. In a clinical setting, these substances seem to be safe and well-tolerated. Their mechanisms of action are not fully elucidated, but there seems to be a preponderant role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) 2A agonism, as well as connectivity changes within the default mode network (DMN) and amygdala and some other molecular modifications. Conclusion: The studies underlying the conclusions have small samples and are heterogeneous in their methods. However, the results suggest that the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens could be considered in some disorders. More studies are needed to reinforce their evidence as potential new drugs.

: Present time nosology has its roots in Kraepelin’s demarcation of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, accumulating evidence has shed light on several commonalities between the two disorders, and some authors have advocated for the consideration of a disease continuum. Here, we review previous genetic, biological and pharmacological findings that provide the basis for this conceptualization. There is a cross-disease heritability, and they share single-nucleotide polymorphisms in some common genes. EEG and imaging patterns have a number of similarities, namely reduced white matter integrity and abnormal connectivity. Dopamine, serotonin, GABA and glutamate systems have dysfunctional features, some of which are identical among the disorders. Finally, cellular calcium regulation and mitochondrial function are, also, impaired in the two.

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Introduction Anhedonia is a symptom usually, and probably simplistically, defined as the inability to experience pleasure. It is considered one of the core symptoms of depression and a negative symptom of schizophrenia. Objectives We intend to explore whether previous studies found common or dissimilar experiences of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia. Methods We performed a review of the published literature on the subject using PubMed. We conducted a search using ‘anhedonia’, ‘schizophrenia’, and ‘depression’ as keywords. Results There is different and diverging evidence on the matter. Historical reports associated schizophrenia with trait anhedonia, and depression with state anhedonia. More recently, some authors correlated appetitive anhedonia (lack of interest/desire) with schizophrenia, and consummatory anhedonia (lack of pleasure/enjoyment) with depression, but this was not corroborated by other studies. However, in line with it, there are findings of a normal physiological response to pleasurable stimuli among schizophrenics. Some authors propose that, in schizophrenia, this symptom might not represent an inability to feel pleasure but rather a deficient expression of its experience, as a part of blunted affect. Reward models highlight a deficit in reward learning in depression, but disorganization of reward processing and a focus on irrelevant clues in schizophrenia, which prevent patients from pursuing a pleasurable experience. Conclusions There are still limited studies comparing the experience of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia. There seem to be significant differences between the two, but further studies are needed. In particular, this could be important in screening schizophrenic patients for depression. Disclosure No significant relationships.