Introduction. The problem of late schizophrenia is one of the most controversial in clinical
psychiatry. The organic factors that accompany the aging process make diagnosis difficult. Based on the consensus statement from an international group of experts in the field, this review discusses the features of schizophrenia in old age with a debut at a young age, late-onset schizophrenia (illness onset after 40 years of age) and very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (onset after 60 years).

Method. The author conducted a study of MEDLINE sources on late schizophrenia.

Results.This review provides data on the prevalence, neuroanatomy, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment of schizophrenia in the elderly.

Conclusion. Late schizophrenia is becoming a serious public health problem worldwide. Particularly relevant are the problems of the course of the disease, medical care and comorbidity in older psychiatric patients (general and illness-related), and treatment concerns related to the use of antipsychotics

Summary. Objective: A comparative study of the personality structure from the perspective the Five-factor personality model (“Big Five”) in mentally healthy and in people with personality disorders depending on the leading radical determined by the clinical method.

Materials and methods: a comparative study of personality structures in the mentally healthy (13 people) and in individuals with personality disorders (47 people) was carried out. To assess the personality structure, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory questionnaire was used. Persons with personality disorders were divided into groups in accordance with the leading radical: 24 — with emotionally unstable; 13 — with a histrionic; 6 — with schizoid; 4 — with paranoid radicals.

Results: There were no differences in the values of the domains of the Five-Factor personality model between a group of individuals with personality disorders and the norm. The features of domain indicators of the Five-factor personality model were revealed in individuals with personality disorder depending on theradical.

Conclusion: The NEO-Five Factor Inventory questionnaire, like most other tools from the perspective of the Five-Factor Model, is not suitable for assessing a person in terms of assigning it to variants of a mental disorder. When comparing the categorical and dimensional approaches to assessing the structure of personality disorders, it was found that the obligate personality traits identified using the categorical approach are fully reflected in the «Big Five» in individuals with a leading schizoid radical. The relations of obligate personal traits with the domains of the Five-factor model of personality in individuals with other (paranoid, histrionic,
and emotionally unstable) radicals are less clear.

The aim is to study the features of brain activity in patients with affective disorders, depending on the response to therapy. Material and methods. The study included 84 patients with affective disorder. All patients received syndrome-induced psychopharmacotherapy, which included antidepressants and normotimic drugs. The severity of affective disorder was assessed using the Hamilton depression scale. The criterion for the effectiveness of therapy (sensitivity) was an improvement in clinical symptoms by 50% or more, estimated using the Hamilton scale. The study was performed in two stages (points): at the first point, patients were examined upon admission to the Department before taking medications (electroencephalogram recording and filling in the Hamilton scale were performed), the second point was performed after a 4-week course of treatment of patients in the hospital (filling in the Hamilton scale). Registration and analysis of bioelectric activity of the brain was carried out using a 16-channel encephalograph. The signals were processed using fast
Fourier transform, and the values of absolute spectral power (mV2) for θ — (4 — 7 Hz), α — (8 — 13 Hz) and β — (14 — 30 Hz) rhythms were analyzed.

Results. Analysis of the spectral power of electroencephalographic rhythms at rest with closed eyes showed statistically significantly higher values of alpha-rhythm in the frontal
(p=0.044) and parietal (0.049) cortex, beta-rhythm in the frontal cortex (p=0.048) and theta-rhythm in the frontal (p=0.0004), Central (p=0.009), parietal (p=0.003) and occipital (p=0.001) cortex in patients who were not sensitive to therapy for compared to respondents.

Conclusion. Our study revealed significant differences in quantitative electroencephalogram parameters between patients with affective disorders, depending on the sensitivity to the therapy. The results show that there are aspects of quantitative electroencephalogram that
are related to the response to pharmacological treatment of affective disorders.

The aim of the study was self-regulation of behavior and other psychological aspects of adaptive-compensatory mechanisms in patients with schizophrenia and myasthenia, in comparison with a group of healthy subjects.

Materials and methods. The study involved 91 people: patients with schizophrenia (N=30); patients with moderate and severe myasthenia gravis (N=31); comparison group — conditionally healthy people (N=30). The participants were examined by experimental psychological methods: «The style of self-regulation of behavior», «Test of life-meaning orientations», «Semantic time differential».

Results. Differences in the general level of self-regulation of behavior and its particular aspects in patients with schizophrenia and healthy were revealed, patients with myasthenia gravis don’t show differences from patients with schizophrenia and the control group. In terms of the general meaningfulness of life, patients with schizophrenia differ from healthy ones, while they don’t differ from those suffering from myasthenia gravis, which don’t have differences with the comparison group. In external internality, chronically ill patients don’t reveal differences, but differ from healthy ones. In the psychological perception of the present, patients with schizophrenia and myasthenia differ from healthy ones in assessing its activity and size. Patients with schizophrenia reveal differences with healthy ones in its emotional coloration and structure, not differing from those suffering from myasthenia gravis, which don’t show differences with the control group. Patients with schizophrenia differ from healthy patients in the sensibility of the future, but don’t differ from patients with myasthenia gravis who don’t reveal differences with healthy individuals.

Conclusions. The targets of psychocorrectional effects are indicated. For patients with schizophrenia — the development of skills for differentiation and impulse control, behavioral flexibility and correlation of results with the original goals. For patients with myasthenia gravis — reliance on available classes in the cognitive and spiritual spheres that compensate for the appearance of physical limitations. Common to both nosologies are measures that increase the meaningfulness of life, highlighting the spheres of influence on the disease, rational acceptance of responsibility for what is happening. The skills to enjoy everyday activities are important.

The aim of the work was to study the severity and structure of self-stigma in relatives of
psychotic patients. The study recruited 34 people who take care for patients with psychotic disorders (F2 and F3 according to ICD-10). Among them: 26-parents of patients (26-mothers), 4-spouses, 3- siblings and 1 child. The socio-demographic data of patients’ relatives were collected, for self-stigma evaluation was used SSI-F (Self-Stigma Family Inventory), which allows assessing the severity and structure of the family self-stigma. As a result, of the study, it was found that the intensity (by sub-scales and general point) of the caregivers did not threshold the mean score 2,5. The majority of respondents (76,5%) were patients’ parents and in 67,7% — were mothers. The differences in structure and overall intensity in different groups (gender, age, family position, employment and presence of other persons for care (children)) were found. Mild positive correlation between subscale social withdrawal (SSI-F) and age was observed. Discussed: general self-stigma vulnerability in groups of mothers and in persons over 50 years of age were higher, than in other relatives’ groups; sensitivity of internal stigma formation in spouses, working persons and relatives taking care with other family members,
including children, had specific features.

Summary. The article presents the results of eating behavior and personality traits study in a group of adolescent girls who consulted a gynecologist in connection with menstrual irregularities.

The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for eating disturbance in adolescent girls with menstrual dysregulation.

Materials and methods: were examined 75 adolescent girls with various disorders of the menstrual cycle (amenorrhea, opsooligomenorrhea, menorrhagia) and 25 girls of the control group. The characteristic features of eating disorders, the degree of dissatisfaction with one’s appearance, the level of self-esteem, various aspects of self-attitude, the severity of perfectionism and the level of anxiety were assessed. The main factors that determine the relationship between eating behavior and personal characteristics were identified using factor analysis. Risk factors for the development of the main symptoms of eating disorders (drive for thinness and bulimia) in adolescent girls were assessed using regression analysis.

Results. It was found that girls with menstrual irregularities are more prone to episodes of overeating and the use of cleansing procedures, they have lower self-esteem and a more negative self-attitude. There were no significant differences in the girls’ assessment of their body image depending on the presence or absence of menstrual irregularities, as well as on the type of disturbances. This assessment in all cases had a tendency to negative perception of varying severity. Factor analysis of indicators of eating disturbances and personality traits in the study groups showed that eating disturbances in girls are closely associated with a negative attitude towards their bodies and with indicators of anxiety. Regression analysis identified indicators affecting drive for thinness and bulimic behavior that differed between groups.

Conclusion. Eating behavior in adolescent girls is mediated through various psychological characteristics, including those associated with the features of the menstrual cycle.

Summary. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an important cofactor, that involved in the synthesis of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, as well as affecting the production of nitric oxide (NO) and regulating the activity of the glutamatergic system. A few foreign studies have shown, that patients with schizophrenia had a markedly reduced level of BH4 compared to the healthy population.

The aim of this work was to study the association of BH4 deficiency with the risk of schizophrenia among Russian patients by comparison with a group of healthy volunteers.

Materials and methods: 50 patients with schizophrenia and 36 healthy volunteers
were randomly selected and underwent a biochemical study of the BH4 level using the method of competitive enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) on a spectrophotometer (Sunrise, Tecan) with a set of CEG421Ge (CloudClone Corp).

Results: it was found that the BH4 level was significantly lower in patients than in the control
group (3684.75 [1283.00; 4815.00] versus 4260.60 [4057.40; 5236.85] pmol / l, respectively, p = 0 , 0016). The proportion of patients with a BH4 level below the lower limit of the interquartile range in healthy volunteers (4057.40 pmol / l) is 30/50 (60%), the proportion of healthy volunteers with a BH4 level below this border is 9/36 (25%), the difference is statistically significant, χ2 = 10.35; p = 0.002; OR = 4.5; 95% CI [1.75; 11.56](CI — confidence interval). The correlation of BH4 level with the duration of the disease, gender, age of the subjects is very weak and not statistically significant.

Conclusion: further interdisciplinary studies are required to identify the causes and molecular mechanisms for the development of BH4 deficiency in schizophrenia and to develop approaches to personalized pharmacological intervention.

The fetal alcohol spectrum of disorders (FASD) combines a number of congenital developmental disorders in children who were exposed to intrauterine alcohol, and is represented by mental, behavioral, intellectual, physical and other disabling disorders that persist throughout life. The aim of the study is to test methodology of actively identifying cases of morpho-anatomical and cognitive impairment that arose as the result of fetal effects of alcohol, and to assess prevalence of such disorders in children of primary school age in one of the administrative centers of the Russian Federation. The study was divided into three phases. The article describes the results of the first stage — screening of primary schoolchildren to identify and assess severity of their lag in physical development arising due to prenatal exposure to ethanol. Physical indicators based on the results of accurate measurement of height, weight and calculation of the body mass index of the child were compared to standard indicators taking into account the age and gender of the children. During screening of 2,763 school students, 77 (2.8%) with physical development retardation were found. Among those: 9 (11.7%) had severe physical development retardation — height and weight were below the 3rd centile of age norm indicators; 16 (20.8%) had moderate physical development retardation — both or one indicators (height and/ or weight) were below the 3rd centile of age norm indicators; 52 (67.5%) had minor violations / physical development retardation — one or both indicators (height and/or weight) were at the 10th centile of age norm indicators. All children who had physical development retardation were referred for further diagnostics, in order to identify dysmorphological and cognitive impairments typical for FASD.

Cognitive dysfunction is one of the basic symptoms of endogenous depression, gaining much of the researchers’ interest lately. It is observed at the initial stage, at the peak intensity of depressive symptoms and even after their reduction, which leads to the persistence of residual depressive state. Cognitive impairment during the depressive episode can be detected by objective methods (clinical and neuropsychological), and their subjective importance is being revealed by standardized questionnaires. Depressed patients show lower results in executive functions, working memory, reaction speed, verbal learning, immediate and delayed recall subtests of neuropsychological batteries. There are few pharmacological agents (mostly antidepressants) with well-proven procognitive activity in depression. Besides, some new pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for treatment of cognitive impairment in depression have appeared lately and are described in literature as promising.