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      Psychoneuroendocrinology and Clinical Psychology

      research-article
      * , a , , a
      Clinical Psychology in Europe
      PsychOpen
      anxiety, cognition, depression, hormones, mental disorders, mood, psychological therapy

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          Abstract

          Background

          Hormones impact on cognition, emotions, and behaviour. Given that mental disorders are defined by abnormalities in these very same domains, clinical psychologists may benefit from learning more about alterations in endocrine systems, how they can contribute to symptoms commonly experienced by patients, and how such knowledge may be put to use in clinical practice.

          Method

          The aim of the present scientific update was to provide a brief overview of endocrine research relevant to the aetiology, diagnostics, and treatment of mental disorders, including some of the latest studies in this area.

          Results

          Hormones appear to be intrinsic to the development and maintenance of mental disorders. Oxytocin is involved in social cognition and behaviour and as such may be relevant to mental disorders characterised by social deficits (e.g., autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia). Stress and sex steroids exert demonstrable effects on mood and cognition. In patients with depression and anxiety disorders, initial attempts to lower/enhance such hormones have thus been undertaken within conventional therapies in order to improve outcomes. Finally, hunger and satiety hormones may be involved in the vicious circle of dysfunctional eating behaviours and weight loss/gain in anorexia or bulimia nervosa.

          Conclusion

          Three conclusions can be drawn from this review: First, endocrine research should be considered when patients and clinicians are developing multidimensional illness models together. Second, endocrine markers can complement conventional assessments to provide a more comprehensive account of a patient’s current state. Third, endocrine testing may guide treatment choices and inform the development of novel treatments.

          Abstract

          • Hormones are intrinsic to the development and maintenance of mental disorders

          • Endocrine research should be incorporated into multidimensional illness models

          • Endocrine markers can complement conventional diagnostic assessments

          • Endocrine testing may guide treatment choices and inform the development of new treatments

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          Most cited references43

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          Research domain criteria (RDoC): toward a new classification framework for research on mental disorders.

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            Depression and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation: a quantitative summary of four decades of research.

            To summarize quantitatively the literature comparing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function between depressed and nondepressed individuals and to describe the important sources of variability in this literature. These sources include methodological differences between studies, as well as demographic or clinical differences between depressed samples.
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              Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress.

              The presence of social support has been associated with decreased stress responsiveness. Recent animal studies suggest that the neuropeptide oxytocin is implicated both in prosocial behavior and in the central nervous control of neuroendocrine responses to stress. This study was designed to determine the effects of social support and oxytocin on cortisol, mood, and anxiety responses to psychosocial stress in humans. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 37 healthy men were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test. All participants were randomly assigned to receive intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo 50 min before stress, and either social support from their best friend during the preparation period or no social support. Salivary free cortisol levels were suppressed by social support in response to stress. Comparisons of pre- and poststress anxiety levels revealed an anxiolytic effect of oxytocin. More importantly, the combination of oxytocin and social support exhibited the lowest cortisol concentrations as well as increased calmness and decreased anxiety during stress. Oxytocin seems to enhance the buffering effect of social support on stress responsiveness. These results concur with data from animal research suggesting an important role of oxytocin as an underlying biological mechanism for stress-protective effects of positive social interactions.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                CPE
                Clin Psychol Eur
                Clinical Psychology in Europe
                Clin. Psychol. Eur.
                PsychOpen
                2625-3410
                28 June 2019
                2019
                : 1
                : 2
                : 33030
                Affiliations
                [a ]Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland
                [2]Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
                Author notes
                [* ]University of Zurich, Institute of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Binzmuehlestrasse 14 / Box 26, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland. s.fischer@ 123456psychologie.uzh.ch
                Article
                cpe.v1i2.2383
                10.32872/cpe.v1i2.33030
                c6c04032-1cb8-4bdb-99f5-91eda6588b2d
                Copyright @ 2019

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 11 January 2019
                : 01 March 2019
                Categories
                Scientific Update and Overview

                Psychology
                psychological therapy,anxiety,mood,depression,mental disorders,hormones,cognition
                Psychology
                psychological therapy, anxiety, mood, depression, mental disorders, hormones, cognition

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