Introduction Schizophrenia (SCH) and bipolar affective disorder (BP) are complex disorders that overlapping both in their clinical symptoms and certain familiar characteristics. They share some common characteristcs but there are also key differences. The frequency of overlapping symptoms between these diseases could give us more information about the current validity of the diagnosis based on existing diagnostic criteria. Similarities within and between these two disorders in the future, can possibly redefine greater reliability of diagnosis. Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of overlapping symptoms between BP and SCH. Methods The sample included 159 patients diagnosed with SCH and 61 with BP who were followed over a two year period. The research was conducted at the UCCS Psychiatric Clinic. Assessment of clinical symptoms and diagnosis were performed using a structured clinical interview (SCID I), a list of operationalized criteria (OPSCRIT), a scale for the assessment of positive and negative symptoms (PANSS), a scale for the assessment of manic symptoms (YMRS). Results The overall PANSS score was significantly higher in patients with SCH compared to patients with BP, but on the general psychopatology there are no significant differences betwen SCH and BP. Symptoms of mania are significantly more pronounced in patients with BP compared to those with SCH. Conclusions Our results of overlapping of individual symptoms between SCH and BP can speak infavor of the theory of disease continuum. And can also help us in understanding symptoms and guide us to develop optimal treatment strategies. Disclosure No significant relationships.

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Aims Social isolation in people living with schizophrenia is associated with poor quality of life and increased symptom severity. Volunteer befriending interventions are a potential strategy for addressing social isolation, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the experiences of volunteer befriending and tested its effectiveness for improving the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods Between March 2018 and July 2020, we conducted a parallel-group, randomised controlled trial in adults with schizophrenia and poor quality of life at an outpatient clinic in Sarajevo. Patients were randomised to either the intervention, in which they were matched with a volunteer befriender with whom they met fortnightly over the 6-month intervention period, or treatment as usual. The primary outcome was quality of life measured on the Manchester Short Assessment and secondary outcomes were psychiatric symptoms and objective social outcomes. Outcome measurement was conducted by blinded researchers at 6- and 12-months. Results In total, 65 patients were randomised into the intervention (n = 33) and control arms (n = 32) and 55 (85%) completed follow-up assessments at 6 months. Patients in the intervention showed a significantly more favourable quality of life at 6 months (primary outcome; mean difference: 0.7, 95% CI [0.3–1.1], p = 0.003) and 12 months (mean difference: 1.7, 95% CI [1.1–2.3], p < 0.001). They also had significantly lower symptom levels at both follow-ups, and a significantly more favourable objective social situation after 12 months. Participants reported largely positive experiences. Conclusion The exploratory trial conducted at one site found sustained improvements in quality of life and reductions in psychiatric symptoms. This suggests that volunteer befriending may be a feasible and effective treatment for patients with schizophrenia in resource-limited contexts, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the XX century, especially after WWII, a great number of ethnic Macedonians have migrated to Australia and the US, while recently, after the 1991 dissolution of Yugoslavia, the direction of the migration influx has changed its course mainly towards Europe. While the first diaspora community was motivated by economic reasons drawing rural and urban citizens alike in pursuit of better life, the second wave of migration was led by political circumstances pushing mostly young educated people who failed to envisage decent life in the homeland. Hence there is a reason to believe that the two communities have different views and feelings of their homeland that underpin their construction of it. To identify the types of ‘Macedonia’ constructed by these two communities of migrants, and trace similarities and differences, this study will analyze on-line discourses on Macedonia produced by the members of the two diasporas. In so doing, we will be particularly interested in the meanings, attitudes, feelings and images the two communities ascribe to the homeland through the on-line interaction on their FB pages.

The past few decades have been marked by an increasing discussion on the role of dialogue in anthropology, especially following the anthropological turn of the 80s, when the discipline was looked upon as one “writing a culture” rather than understanding it from the insider’s perspective, while the ethnographer was thought of as the epistemic dictator, incapable of establishing a dialogical relation with his subjects of inquiry. The power relationship was indeed one of the most prominent problems in creating an equal, dialogical setting between the anthropologist and the other culture. This paper aims at revisiting feminist anthropology tracing the elements which constituted it, its original inspiration, and main motifs of action mostly gathered around the strong male bias of the discipline. This bias was predominantly manifested in the monological, androcentric understanding and exploration of cultures. In tracing these aspects, and acknowledging the more egalitarian status of this discipline since its early days versus other social sciences (Margaret Mead, Ruth Benedict were among the most prominent women anthropologists), the paper will look at early women anthropologists works some of which were excluded from the canon. It will also point to the existence of strong male bias in ethnography and the discipline as a whole, thus triggering the emergence of feminist anthropology with its capacity for reflexivity and accountability in ethnographic work.

Abstract In the last two decades, the region of Southeast Europe, Republic of Macedonian included, has been marked by a politics based on the pronounced primacy of the issue of national identity over other socio-political questions. National identity as an issue per se entails material, cultural and academic processes aiming at the construction and fixing of an idea and a sense of a collective. Ample evidence in terms of material culture (the architectural project Skopje 2014) and recorded public discourse supports the claim that the question of national identity determines the course of politics, nationally and internationally. The main focus of this chapter is to examine the different discourses regarding national identity, and the multicultural and cultural policies, formulated against the backdrop of the conditions set by the EU. Through a discursive analysis of some of the speeches and texts of Macedonian and Albanian political officials, this chapter will trace the various (re)constructions of national identity vis-a-vis Europe and Macedonia’s aspirations for European Union (EU) accession. Additionally, Macedonia’s complicated interethnic relations are analysed through the country’s struggle with the name dispute with Greece and, through what is seen as a lack of loyalty from the Albanian political parties and citizens, which push for the change of the name for a faster EU accession. This further complicates the picture of the Macedonian EU integration and creates a triangulation of discourses: one stemming from the EU requirements, and two more, stemming from the two major ethnic groups and political parties in Macedonia, namely the Macedonian and the Albanian.