Vol LVII, No 3 (2025)

The article examines achievements and prospects of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in psychiatry. Primary attention is given to its role in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction of mental disorders. Artificial intelligence demonstrates high efficacy in analyzing speech patterns, neuroimaging data, and predicting treatment response, opening new prospects for personalized medicine in psychiatry. However, implementing AI in clinical practice faces challenges including the need for standardized training data, algorithm transparency requirements, and patient privacy and data protection concerns. A significant limitation of AI in psychiatry remains its inability to demonstrate empathy, which reduces the effectiveness of these technologies in therapeutic processes. In the future, AI may become a key physician support tool by automating diagnostic processes, patient monitoring, and medication selection. Successful AI integration into clinical practice requires addressing existing technological and ethical limitations, improving digital literacy among specialists, and developing regulatory frameworks for medical AI applications.

The origins of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) trace back to antiquity — as early as the 1st century AD, Roman doctors used electric rays applied to patients’ heads to induce seizures and alleviate symptoms of migraine and depression. For many centuries, convulsive seizures were believed to beneficially affect patients mental states. ECT was first implemented in 1938 by Italian scientist Professor Ugo Cerletti and his assistant Lucio Bini, yet this biological treatment method remains relevant in clinical practice today and is used in managing various mental disorders. This article examines the advantages of ultra-brief pulses during ECT compared to short-pulse methodology. Short-pulse currents used in ECT devices can induce cognitive impairments in patients. Therefore, in recent years, ultra-brief pulse ECT has been introduced as an alternative approach. This review is based on a comprehensive analysis of contemporary scientific literature, including peer-reviewed articles from international (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science) and Russian (eLibrary, CyberLeninka) databases. The analysis demonstrates that ultra-brief pulse ECT reduces the frequency of cognitive impairments in patients and shows better tolerability, justifying further investigation of the efficacy and safety of ultra-brief pulse ECT in psychiatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms shape the clinical basis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) but can also occur in individuals without psychopathology and in patients with schizophrenia. Studies demonstrate an association between obsessive-compulsive symptoms and magical thinking. We hypothesize that predictive style may mediate the relationship between magical thinking and obsessive-compulsive symptoms: magical thinking combined with negative predictions exacerbates anxiety about the future, leading to avoidance through compulsive behavior.

AIM: To examine the specific features of the associations between obsessive-compulsive symptoms, magical thinking, and predictive style in patients with schizophrenia, OCD, and healthy participants.

METHODS: The study included 181 respondents divided into four groups: 50 healthy individuals without obsessive-compulsive symptoms (median, 32 years); 39 healthy individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (median, 34 years); 52 patients with schizophrenia (median, 36 years) from the V.M. Bekhterev Republican Clinical Psychiatric Hospital (Kazan, Russia); and 40 patients with OCD (median, 27 years) from the Insight Clinic Rehabilitation Center (Kazan, Russia). Magical thinking was assessed using the Tobacyk’s Paranormal Belief Scale (adapted by Grigoriev, 2015), OCD symptoms were identified via the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI; adapted by Karpov, 2022), and predictive style was evaluated using the Predictive Style Questionnaire (developed by Granitsa). Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi 2.3.28 software.

RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia scored statistically significantly higher on the Tobacyk’s Paranormal Belief Scale (Welch = 12.61; p < 0.001) and its subscales, except for the Superstition subscale. The severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms correlated with the Paranormal Belief Scale scores (Superstitions: r = 0.231, p = 0.004; Witchcraft: r = 0.335, p = 0.037; Spiritualism: r = 0.426, p = 0.038) and the Predictive Style Questionnaire scores (with excessive forecasting: r = 0.571, p < 0.001; pessimism: r = 0.351, p < 0.001). Excessive forecasting correlated with the Paranormal Belief Scale scores in healthy individuals without obsessive-compulsive symptoms (r = 0.407, p = 0.003) and in patients with schizophrenia (r = 0.491, p < 0.001). Pessimism correlated with the Superstition subscale scores. Regression analysis confirmed that the subscales of the Paranormal Belief Scale are statistically significant predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptom severity, whereas excessive forecasting and pessimism act as mediators, amplifying the influence of magical thinking. This model explained 14%–60% of the variance in respondents’ answers to the MOCI questionnaire, depending on the sample.

CONCLUSION: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit stronger belief in the paranormal compared to patients with OCD and healthy respondents. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are associated with magical thinking and predictive style. Excessive forecasting and pessimism show positive correlations with paranormal beliefs. Predictive style mediates the relationship between magical thinking and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) are the most widespread natural focal neuroinfections in the Russian Federation. Significant temporal and territorial fluctuations in disease incidence rates and clinical manifestations necessitate periodic analysis of regional clinical and epidemiological patterns to assess the effectiveness of therapeutic and preventive measures. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of clinical and epidemiological data on tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease cases in the Republic of Bashkortostan at the current stage.

AIM: To evaluate long-term clinical and epidemiological trends of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease in the Republic of Bashkortostan for optimizing medical and preventive care in the region.

METHODS: A retrospective observational study included all patients diagnosed with tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease registered in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Clinical and epidemiological data from 1421 cases (782 tick-borne encephalitis and 639 Lyme disease) recorded between 2000–2023 were analyzed. The study examined clinical manifestations of focal tick-borne encephalitis and nervous system involvement in Lyme disease (neuroborreliosis).

RESULTS: In the 21st century, the majority of tick-borne encephalitis cases have been observed in the Southern Urals climatic-geographical area of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The average annual incidence rate of tick-borne encephalitis was 0.9 ± 0.5 cases per 100,000 population, while that of Lyme borreliosis was 0.8 ± 0.4 per 100,000 population. Focal tick-borne encephalitis was reported in 6.0% ± 5.1% of patients in the Republic of Bashkortostan during the 2000s. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in tick-borne encephalitis most frequently revealed focal changes in subcortical structures and thalami. Neuroborreliosis was identified in 5.5% of patients among 200 analyzed cases of acute Lyme borreliosis.

CONCLUSION: The Republic of Bashkortostan represents a region with moderate epidemic risk for tick-borne encephalitis and low epidemic risk for Lyme borreliosis. The clinical presentation of focal tick-borne encephalitis encompasses the full spectrum of neurological syndromes, including the most severe fatal cases. Neuroborreliosis is characterized predominantly by peripheral nervous system involvement symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Organic psychiatric disorders are one of the major medical and social issues in psychiatry. Studying the characteristics of patients with such disorders can help identify risk factors for poor prognosis and develop effective preventive strategies.

AIM: To study the characteristics of hospitalized working-age patients with organic psychiatric disorders to create a personalized database as a core source of information for subsequent scientific research and the development of recommendations on improving psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention strategies.

METHODS: As part of the study at the psychiatric hospital, a comprehensive retrospective analysis of inpatient treatment cases was conducted for patients of working age (men aged 18–59 years, women aged 18–54 years) hospitalized with diagnoses of organic psychiatric disorders from 2000 to 2019 in the Republic of Tatarstan. During the analysis, methods of descriptive statistics (calculation of intensive and extensive indicators), analysis of time series, and Student's t-test were used.

RESULTS: The total number of hospitalizations was 31,625, ranging from 1101 to 2194. The mean value was 1151.25 ± 77.40 hospitalizations per year. There is a significant male predominance among hospitalized individuals. In the age structure of all hospitalized patients, those aged 40–49 predominate, followed by the 50–59 age group. The diagnoses from F06 (53,8%) and F07 (45,4%) sections of the ICD-10 were the most common. Among the diagnoses, psychiatric disorders coded F06 and F07 in the ICD-10 prevailed, accounting for 53.8% and 45.4%, respectively. Personality disorders due to known physiological condition (F07.08) were the most common cause for hospitalization. The diagnoses included in the F06 section are more commonly seen in women (59.90 ± 0.49 in females and 51 ± 0.34 in males per 100 hospitalized individuals, respectively), while those in the F07 section are most common in men (48.2 ± 0.34 per 100 males and 39.6 ± 0.45 per 100 females); p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION: The characteristics of hospitalized patients of working age with organic psychiatric disorders were evaluated in this study. The analysis of a large sample revealed key trends and characteristics, which will serve as a source of information for further studies, as well as for the development of the target treatment, prophylaxis, and rehabilitation programs.

BACKGROUND: The issue of common factors in psychotherapy remains debatable, while their study is important for improving the effectiveness of psychological care. Feedback scales serve as one of the tools for researching changes in a client’s condition during psychological assistance and assessing the client’s perception of communication with a specialist.

AIM: To identify the effectiveness of feedback scales (the Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale) for monitoring client work effectiveness.

METHODS: Modified versions of the Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale were used, adapted based on personality relations theory, as translated by Bogomolov, Dmitrievsky, and Pavlovsky. The Outcome Rating Scale was additionally modified by the authors of this article. The Outcome Rating Scale was administered at the beginning of each session, while the Session Rating Scale was used during the final 5–10 minutes of each session. Solution-focused brief therapy served as the primary therapeutic method, with Myasishchev’s personality relations theory forming the conceptual basis for shaping certain therapeutic hypotheses.

RESULTS: The analysis units included data from 151 sessions conducted with 34 clients (28 women and 6 men) aged 18 to 55. The sessions were conducted by a specialist with higher psychological education (one of the article’s co-authors). Normative values were obtained for the first and subsequent sessions using the modified Outcome Rating Scale; however, establishing normative values for the Session Rating Scale proved impossible due to extreme unevenness of score distribution. Both scales demonstrated good internal consistency. Data revealed significant changes from the first to last session in clients’ self-assessment of personal well-being, family/intimate relationship quality, general well-being, therapist-client relationship perception, and overall session evaluation.

CONCLUSION: The Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale are reliable tools for monitoring changes in client status and therapeutic relationship quality, and can be used to assess the effectiveness of psychological care.