The aim of this article is to shed the light on the phenomenology of distorted body image in Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Even though body image disturbance has already been identified as one of the central components of AN (as evident in diagnostic tools criteria such as those of DSM-5 or ICD-10), it does not receive enough clinical attention in the therapeutic process. In this literature review, we will investigate empirical body of evidence addressing the relationship between distorted body image and AN pathology. Furthermore, the authors propose to introduce a Body Image Therapy programme to assist treatment as usual (TAU) in targeting AN psychopathology. Similar treatment programs have been already implemented at facilities in Great Britain and in the USA. In Poland, however, little is known about Body Image Therapy. For the purpose of better understanding of distorted body image in AN, following topics are being discussed: phenomenology and prevalence of distorted body image in AN psychopathology, its role in the aetiology and maintenance of eating disorder symptoms, neurobiological view on body image as well as recommended treatment options.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most frequent mental disorders. Exposure to virtual reality can be a solution complementing standard CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) or can be used as an independent therapeutic tool. The study’s objective was to assess the safety and efficacy of using self-administered virtual reality exposure vs. CBT and CBT with virtual exposure. We assessed the efficacy of the applied intervention with the Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). We compared three groups: CBT (n = 25), CBT + VR (n = 29), and self-administered therapy without aid of a therapist (n = 19). The results indicated that all three groups showed changes on the LSAS. The simple effect analysis showed that there were no differences between experimental conditions at T0 (session 1) and T1 (session 9) and that the only significant difference occurred at T2 (session 14). The pairwise comparisons showed that the participants in the VR condition scored higher on the LSAS score during the measurement at T2 than participants in CBT condition. Our study has several limitations. The presented initial study shows that the methods of CBT for social anxiety used so far are also effective, while the VR tool for self-therapy requires further research.

Weather importantly affects leisure, especially outdoor activities, like birding, which can be recognized as serious leisure. Outdoor attractive and feasible activities throughout the year, also in adverse weather conditions, are extremely sought after by therapists and leisure organizers. Then, we asked 388 Polish birders how their activity was related to weather and then analyzed how experience, age and gender may modify birding behavior. As might be predicted, more advanced birders not only ignored bad weather but also enjoyed observations during storms and other bad weather events. We discuss how teaching birding and making this activity are potentially useable for leisure organizations, and they may recommend birding places as available also during bad weather. Obviously, our study has limits: a correlational character and the results were obtained in the temperate zone of Europe, and the situation in other places in the globe may look much different.

Despite treating depression with antidepressants, their effectiveness is often insufficient. Comparative effectiveness studies and meta-analyses show the effectiveness of antidepressants; however, they do not provide clear indications as to the choice of a specific antidepressant. The rational choice of antidepressants may be based on matching their mechanisms of action to the symptomatic profiles of depression, reflecting the heterogeneity of symptoms in different patients. The authors presented a series of cases of patients diagnosed with depression in whom at least one previous antidepressant treatment was shown to be ineffective before drug targeted symptom cluster-matching treatment (SCMT). The presented pilot study shows for the first time the effectiveness of SCMT in the different clusters of depressive symptoms. All the described patients obtained recovery from depressive symptoms after introducing drug-targeted SCMT. Once validated in clinical trials, SCMT might become an effective and rational method of selecting an antidepressant according to the individual profile of depressive symptoms, the mechanism of their formation, and the mechanism of drug action. Although the study results are preliminary, SCMT can be a way to personalize treatment, increasing the likelihood of improvement even in patients who meet criteria for treatment-resistant depression.

Introduction and objective: Nature and mental health are in an important relationship, especially in the context of stress reduction. In the current times, when more than half of the human population lives in cities, where people are exposed to an excess of stimuli such as noise, light pollution, time pressure, and the fast pace of life, the relaxing potential of nature immersion seems to be an essential protective factor. Forest therapy and nature-based mindfulness are well-researched ecotherapeutic methods, and therapeutic ornithology is also recognised as a very popular and beneficial activity supporting mental wellbeing. However, only a limited number of studies have been carried out to explore the impact of combining these three different ecotherapeutic techniques. Materials and methods: During an ecotherapeutic programme for adults held in the Biebrza River Valley, Poland, in the spring of 2022, the above-mentioned nature-based interventions supporting mental wellbeing were performed. Twelve Polish volunteers participated in a three-day ecotherapeutic programme led by two psychiatrists and ecotherapists. Qualitative interviews were conducted and analysed using the interpretative phenomenological method. Results: The results indicated that forest therapy, nature-based mindfulness, and therapeutic ornithology worked differently, but they also shared many common features and could be an effective combination in coping with different types of stress and anxiety symptoms. They were also found to improve the general wellbeing at different levels and dimensions. Conclusions: The studied combination of ecotherapeutic techniques is worth considering both in personal self-care practice and in designing ecotherapeutic programmes for stress reduction an wellbeing improvement.