Adolescent Psychiatry - Volume 12, Issue 1, 2022

Background: Artificial Intelligence is making a significant transformation in human lives. Its application in the medical and healthcare field has also been observed to make an impact and improve overall outcomes. There has been a quest for similar processes in mental health due to the lack of observable changes in the areas of suicide prevention. In the last five years, there has been an emerging body of empirical research applying the technology of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in mental health. Objective: To review the clinical applicability of the AI/ML-based tools in suicide prevention. Methods: The compelling question of predicting suicidality has been the focus of this research. We performed a broad literature search and then identified 36 articles relevant to meet the objectives of this review. We review the available evidence and provide a brief overview of the advances in this field. Conclusion: In the last five years, there has been more evidence supporting the implementation of these algorithms in clinical practice. Its current clinical utility is limited to using electronic health records and could be highly effective in conjunction with existing tools for suicide prevention. Other potential sources of relevant data include smart devices and social network sites. There are some serious questions about data privacy and ethics which need more attention while developing these new modalities in suicide research.

Background: With new technological advancements, adolescents can obtain devices that give them virtually unlimited access to social media (SM) which may impact adolescent mental health. Objectives: This literature review aims to evaluate the influence of social media use on adolescent anxiety and depression. Methods: A literature search of PubMed from June 2010 through June 2020 was completed for the following MeSH terms: social media, adolescent, anxiety, depression, and mental health. English language articles that discussed adolescents aged 13 to 18 years, anxiety and/or depression and SM were included. Extracted data included the SM platform, impact on anxiety and depression, interventions, temporal and dose-response relationships, and observed versus self-reported usage. Results: The majority of articles positively associated depression (82.6%) and anxiety (78.3%) with SM use. depression corresponded with cyber-bullying (42.1%), negative social perspective (21.0%), diminished self-esteem (15.8%), and sleep disturbance (10.5%). Anxiety corresponded with a negative social perspective (44.4%), diminished self-esteem (33.3%), sleep disturbance (16.7%), and cyber-bullying (16.7%). Many studies suggested the use of interventions to reduce depression (72.7%) and anxiety (72.7%), such as screen time restrictions (n=6) and social support (n=4), but lacked evaluation of their implementation. Conclusion: Current literature suggests a positive association between adolescent SM use with anxiety and depression. Our study highlights the need for further investigation of temporal and dose-response associations between SM use and adolescent mental health, and the potential benefits of SM-driven interventions.

Background: Given the high rates of mental health concerns and communication difficulties for adolescents, a treatment intervention to allow for effective expression may be therapeutic. One of the leading writing practices is Pennebaker’s Expressive Writing (EW) intervention. EW involves individuals writing about their feelings and thoughts regarding negative life experiences. Benefits of EW include a reduction of psychological symptoms and doctor visits, and better adjustment. Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the role of using EW and creative writing as a group intervention for youth admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital (IPH). Methods: The current study evaluated participant engagement in a 3-day EW activity facilitated by nurses and graduate students on the IPH unit under the supervision of the IPH unit nurse manager and course instructor. Participants included 23 youth between 12- and 18-years-old. Results: Of the 23 participants, 49.69% discussed vivid descriptions of illness, 24.5% discussed negative emotions, 20.25% included casual explanation, 5.52% discussed polarized view, and 16.56% discussed their desires, wishes, and goals. The response rate of clinician’s review of the EW content included 58% of clinician’s coding was on the patient’s current state, 24% was on causal explanations, and 18% was on treatment options. Conclusion: The current EW intervention facilitated by nursing staff and graduate students in an IPH was found to be engaged by participants and provide an additional therapeutic resource to participants. EW may foster patient communication with staff about their functioning, mental health concerns, and treatment needs.

Background: Hunger hormones, including ghrelin and leptin, are associated with appetitive behaviors in various psychiatric disorders. Biochemical and hormonal status in disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) in adolescents is largely unexplored. Objectives: The study aimed to assess levels of leptin and ghrelin and find their association with lipid profiles in adolescents with DMDD. Methods: Twenty adolescents with a DSM 5 diagnosis of DMDD with age and gender-matched 19 healthy controls were recruited, followed by clinical assessment. They were assessed for leptin, ghrelin, and lipid profiles, respectively. Results: Adolescents with DMDD were comparable in age, education, family income, domicile status, psychiatric illness in the family, and body mass index (BMI) with matched controls. There was no difference in mean lipid profile and ghrelin in both groups. However, the DMDD group had a statistically significant higher mean level of leptin as compared to the control group (t=1.84, p < 0.05). As measured by the Modified Overt Aggression Scale in DMDD, aggression showed a significant positive correlation with lipid profile measures. Conclusion: Adolescents with DMDD have elevated serum leptin levels. Further research is needed to confirm this finding.

Background: Depression and anxiety are among the most common psychological disorders in adolescents. Studies have suggested a positive correlation between mental health problems and using the internet. Objective: This study aimed to determine the burden of anxiety and major depressive disorder (MDD) and their association with internet use and video gaming in adolescents. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents aged 13 to 18 years referred to the 33-Laleh health center at West Tabriz from March to September 2019. The short form Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-SF) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) scales were used. The data for demographic characteristics and the number of hours of internet use and video gaming per day were collected. The logistic regression test was applied. Results: In this study, 150 adolescents were included with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Anxiety and mild, moderate, and severe depressive disorder were detected in 39 (26%), 16 (10.7%), 20 (13.3%), and 6 (4.0%) cases by screening tools, respectively. The mean age (SD) of participants was 14.8 (1.54) years. The mean duration (SD) of internet use and video gaming per day was 2.10 (±2.6) and 1.15 (± 1.7) hours, respectively. The odds of severe depressive symptoms increased by 42% per hour of video gaming (p=0.003) and 31% per hour of internet use (p=0.016). Conclusions: Considering the significant positive association between depressive symptoms and video gaming and internet use, there is a necessity to call for actions to plan and implement psychological screening and subsequent supporting and treatment policies for those in need.

Background: The issue of whether fictional media can socialize male attitudes toward women remains hotly contested. One recent longitudinal study concluded that exposure to sexualized TV was associated with viewing women as sex objects as well as the objectification of women. However, it was unclear whether these findings were robust. Methods: Original data was obtained. In a preregistered regression design, the association between sexualized television and music videos was longitudinally examined with male sexual dominance, viewing women as sex objects and objectification, controlling for T1 outcome scores and other control variables. The sample included 487 adolescent males from Belgium. Results: No longitudinal association was found between sexualized media variables and any of the outcome variables with proper controls in place. Conclusions: Longitudinal analyses do not support long-term associations between sexualized media and adolescent male objectification of women.