Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition prevents stress induced amygdala activation and anxiety-like behavior

Stress is a major risk factor for the development and exacerbation of mood and anxiety disorders, and recent studies have suggested inflammatory contributions to the pathogenesis of depression. Interestingly, pharmacological inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has shown promise in the treatment of affective disorders in small scale clinical studies; however, the mechanisms by which COX-2 inhibition affects behavioral domains relevant to affective disorders are not well understood. Here, we examined the effects of pharmacological inhibition of COX-2 with the highly selective inhibitor Lumiracoxib (LMX) on anxiety-like behavior and in vivo basolateral amygdala (BLA) neural activity in response to acute restraint stress exposure. In male mice, pretreatment with LMX prevented the increase in BLA calcium transients induced by restraint stress and prevented anxiogenic behavior seen after restraint stress exposure. Specifically, acute injection of LMX 5 mg kg⁻¹ reduced anxiety-like behavior in the light–dark box (LD) and elevated-zero maze (EZM). In addition, in vivo fiber photometry studies showed that acute stress increased calcium transients and the predicted action potential frequency of BLA neurons, which was also normalized by acute LMX pretreatment. These findings indicate pharmacological inhibition of COX-2 can prevent acute stress-induced increase in BLA cellular activity and anxiety-like behavior and provides insights into the neural mechanisms by which COX-2 inhibition could affect anxiety domain symptoms in patients with affective disorders.     

Do religious patients need religious psychotherapists? A naturalistic treatment matching study among orthodox Jews

Religion is professed by the majority of the general population, but a minority of mental health practitioners. We evaluated whether religious patients benefited more from treatment with religious psychotherapists in a naturalistic study among adult Orthodox Jewish (n = 117) and control patients (n = 91) receiving psychotherapy from Orthodox Jewish (n = 15) and other (n = 7) psychotherapists at a New York based outpatient clinic. Groups did not differ with respect to diagnoses (χ²(200) = 7.5, p = .76), likelihood of having an Orthodox Jewish therapist (χ²(200) = .06, p = .81), or number of therapy sessions (t(206) = .73, p = .47). Multilevel regression modeling revealed that Orthodox patients reported lower initial anxiety (t(198) = 3.71, p < .001, d = .54) and depression (t(198) = 3.71, p < .001, d = .54, d = .50), but were equivalent to controls at termination (Anxiety t(189) = .36, p = .72; Depression t(182) = 1.00, p = .32). Interactions between patient and therapist religious affiliations were not significant. These results suggest that religious (and non-religious) patients may benefit equally from treatment delivered by religious and non-religious therapists.     

Incremental validity of coronaphobia: Coronavirus anxiety explains depression,generalized anxiety,and death anxiety

The adverse psychological effects of COVID-19 have increased globally. Moreover, the psychological toll may be worsening for this health crisis due to the growing numbers of mass deaths and unemployment levels. Coronaphobia, a relatively new pandemic-related construct, has been shown to be strongly related to functional impairment and psychological distress. However, the extent to which coronaphobia is uniquely accountable for the psychological distress experienced during the COVID-19 crisis has not been systematically investigated. The current study examined this question of incremental validity using online data from 453 adult MTurk workers in the U.S. The results of a series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that coronaphobia explained additional variance in depression, generalized anxiety, and death anxiety, above sociodemographics, COVID-19 factors, and the vulnerability factors of neuroticism, health anxiety, and reassurance-seeking behaviors. These findings suggest that health professionals should be aware of coronaphobia as this expression of pandemic-related stress has reliably demonstrated incremental validity in accounting for major indicators of psychological distress.     

Facing new fears during the COVID-19 pandemic: The State of America’s mental health

ObjectiveCOVID-19 is rearranging our society with fear and worry about the novel coronavirus impacting the mental health of Americans. The current study examines the intersection of COVID-19 fear, worries and perceived threat with social vulnerabilities and mental health consequences, namely anxiety and depressive symptomatology.MethodsUsing an online platform, a national sample (n = 10, 368) of U.S. adults was surveyed during the week of March 23, 2020. The sample was post-strata weighted to ensure adequate representation of the U.S. population based on population estimates for gender, race/ethnicity, income, age, and geography.ResultsFear and worry are not distributed equally across the country; rather they are concentrated in places where the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is found. Additionally, data highlight significant differences in the subjective perception of distress across groups with varying social vulnerabilities. Women, Hispanics, Asians, families with children under 18, and foreign-born respondents reported higher levels of subjective fear and worry compared to their counterparts. Finally, even after controlling for social vulnerability, subjective assessments of distress were positive, and significantly related to anxiety and depressive symptomatology; prior mental health research from China and Europe confirm what others have begun to document in the United States.ConclusionsThis preliminary work provides practitioners with a glimpse of what lies ahead, which individuals and communities may be the most vulnerable, and what types of strategic interventions might help to address a wide range of mental health consequences for Americans in the months and years ahead.     

Internalized psychopathology dimensions in middle childhood: Cross-sectional and temporal associations

BackgroundAnxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms often onset during middle childhood and are major causes of disability in young individuals. A better understanding of how these symptoms are linked and unfold over time is important to develop valid etiological models and effective prevention and treatment.MethodsIn the present study, 950 community children (8–14 years) reported on a broad range of internalised symptoms at three time points over the course of a year. First, factor analysis was used to examine the overarching dimensions of these symptoms. Second, network analysis was used to examine unique cross-sectional associations among these empirically supported symptom dimensions. Last, longitudinal structural equation models (SEMs) were used to examine temporal associations among the symptom dimensions.ResultsSix broad symptom dimensions fitted the self-report data well at all time points. These dimensions were conceptualized as depression, general anxiety, situational fears, compulsivity, intrusive thoughts, and somatic anxiety. Network analysis showed that these dimensions formed a highly interconnected network with general anxiety and somatic anxiety being most central (i.e., most strongly associated with other dimensions) at all time points. Longitudinal SEMs supported the central role played by general anxiety in the temporal associations among these dimensions.ConclusionsOverarching expressions of internalized psychopathology are highly interconnected in middle childhood with possible central roles played by general and somatic anxiety. Interventions aimed at a general proneness for anxiety may be warranted in preventing and treating internalizing symptoms in middle childhood.