The health locus of control has been extensively analyzed in diff erent patient populations
suff ering from chronic somatic illnesses due to its infl uence on adherence to long-term therapies.
Despite of the fact that adherence is one of the most important factors which needs to be taken
into consideration in the oupatient care of psychiatric patients, there is a scarcity of studies
regarding HLOC in this population. In this review we provide an overview of study results
regarding HLOC in somatic and psychiatric patients. Based on these results we conclude that
in the case of patients suff ering from chronic illnesses, a higher internal HLOC is associated with
less severe depressive symptoms and better adherence and quality of life. Nevertheless, the
results of the follow-up studies indicate that change of HLOC (from internal to external) can be
adaptive when the outcome is not favourable or the treatment is not eff ective. The continuous
evaluation of HLOC of psychiatric patients in treatment may provide necessary information for
the planning of interventions to help this process. Taking into consideration that the patients’
perception of control is often impaired due to the nature of psychiatric illnesses we propose
evaluation of psychobiological factors infl uencing health locus of control in order to facilitate
the planning of these interventions.
Keywords: health locus of control; HLOC; MHLOC; adherence; chronic psychiatric disorder

Nowadays the role of nutrition is increasingly appreciated in the development of the various
mental disorders as well as in employing effi cacious therapies. Realizing this development and
following international professional examples we have established the Hungarian Psychiatric
Association’s Nutritional Science Section in 2018. Our present paper reports on the connection
between mental disorders and nutrition, reviewing the relevant literature from two directions.
On the one hand, insuffi cient consumption of essential micronutrients, trace elements, (pro)
vitamins cause defi ciencies leading to disrupted production and function of essential enzymes
and neurotransmitters and consequentially to emergence of psychopathological symptoms
as well as impeding the development of eff ect of adequately administered psychopharmacons
and the effi ciency and success of pharmacotherapy. On the other hand, our paper also reviews
potentially dangerous pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions of nutraceuticals
and dietary supplements used for health prevention purposes in parallel to pharmacotherapies
which may infl uence or decrease eff ectiveness of medications.
Keywords: nutrition, menthal disorders, defi ciencies

In our review we describe the development of savant syndrome as a concept, its historical
antecedents, most important characteristics and spectrum of savantism, and the frequency
and features of the most common savant abilities. We present the relationship between
autism and savant syndrome, the eff ect of genetic and familial factors, and the characteristics
of savant memory functions and intelligence. We provide an overview of the most important
theories explaining savantism and the future direction of research.
Keywords: savant-syndrome, spectrum-approach, autism, savant-abilities, memory functions,
intelligence

In the treatment of anorexia nervosa the dominant role of psychotherapies is proposed,
while pharmacotherapy has a limited effi cacy. Because of the broad comorbidity spectrum
of the disorder, other psychiatric disorders are often present. Among them depression is
frequent, so one of the selective theories of eating disorders stresses the importance of the
relationship with depression. In everyday practice we frequently encounter anorexic patients
whose depressive symptoms are mild or moderate, and these are often regarded as usual
accompanying phenomena of anorexia. The three case reports described in the present study
support that it is worth to consider the application of antidepressants in such situations. In
all three cases antidepressants were initiated following ineffi cacy of psychotherapy, and they
produced a dramatic eff ectiveness not only in depressive symptoms, but also in the whole
anorexic syndrome. In the complex therapy of anorexia nervosa antidepressants may yield a
very good therapeutic eff ect in cases with comorbid, even subthreshold depression.
Keywords: anorexia nervosa, depression, pharmacotherapy, complex therapy