Editor's Note
VOLUME 43, NO. 2 • June 2026
Fei Sun, IPA Bulletin Editor-in-Chief
This issue of the IPA Bulletin was originally scheduled for June, but due to editorial and production delays, it is reaching you in July. I sincerely apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
In the early July, I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 IPA International Congress in Leiden, the Netherlands. It was wonderful to reconnect with longtime colleagues, meet many new IPA members from around the world, and hear how much they enjoy reading and contributing to the IPA Bulletin. Several authors in this issue also presented their work at the Congress, reminding me once again that our Bulletin serves as an important platform for sharing emerging ideas, practical experiences, and global perspectives throughout the year, not only during our biennial meetings. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to share suggestions, discuss future submissions, or simply introduce yourselves. Those conversations continue to inspire our editorial team.
In this issue, we are pleased to present six contributions—four in Research and Practice and two in Around the World.
The Research and Practice section spans communication disorders, metabolic therapeutics, neuropsychiatry, and suicide research. From the United States, Dr. Ruth Crutchfield and colleagues provide an evidence-based review of dysarthria treatment, highlighting interventions that improve speech intelligibility, vocal intensity, and quality of life for older adults with neurological disorders.
From Italy, Dr. Laura Valzolgher explores the emerging role of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies in dementia-related hyperphagia, particularly in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. While current evidence remains preliminary, the article offers an insightful discussion of an exciting and rapidly evolving area at the intersection of metabolic medicine and brain health.
From Lebanon, Drs. Salim Ballouz and Rita Khoury review the clinical characteristics and diagnostic challenges of late-onset psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Their work reminds clinicians that functional neurological disorders in later life often present differently than in younger adults and require heightened clinical awareness to reduce diagnostic delay and inappropriate treatment.
Lastly, we have a submission from Dr. Izekenova of Kazakhstan, who shares her experience of attending the IPA Congress for the first time.
Finally, from Brazil, one of our new board directors Dr. Juliano Flávio Rubatino Rodrigues and colleagues examine the intriguing inverse relationship between Alzheimer's disease and suicidal behavior. Their article presents a thought-provoking perspective on how neurodegeneration, cognition, and emotional suffering may interact, while raising important questions for future psychogeriatric research.
In the Around the World section, we begin in Northern Thailand, where Dr. Sirivipa Jekpoo and colleagues describe the unique clinical characteristics of young-onset dementia. Their regional experience highlights the growing burden of vascular dementia, the importance of cardiometabolic risk factor management, and the ongoing need for timely diagnosis in resource-limited settings.
From Spain, Dr. Javier Vicente-Alba shares the Psychogeriatric Unit's experience implementing mindfulness-based interventions for older adults. Combining current evidence with practical clinical adaptations, the article demonstrates how mindfulness can become a valuable complementary approach to promoting emotional well-being, resilience, and cognitive health in later life.
Collectively, the contributions in this issue reflect the remarkable diversity of contemporary psychogeriatrics, from speech rehabilitation and metabolic therapeutics to functional neurological disorders, suicide prevention, dementia care, and mindfulness. As always, I extend my sincere appreciation to our authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and readers for your continued support of the IPA Bulletin.
I warmly invite you to share your research, clinical innovations, and perspectives with our international community. For those who attended the 2026 IPA congress in early July, please feel free to share your thoughts and reflections of workshops or presentations you attended or any new connections you made. I look forward to seeing many of you again at future IPA meetings and through the pages of the IPA Bulletin.
Wishing you a wonderful and productive summer.
Fei Sun, PhD, MSW, FGSA
Editor-in-Chief, IPA Bulletin
sunfei@msu.edu
