Psychological medicine
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Psychological medicine · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialBehavioural factors associated with symptom outcomes in a primary care-based depression prevention intervention trial.
A randomized trial of a primary care-based intervention to prevent depression relapse resulted in improved adherence to long-term antidepressant medication and depression outcomes. We evaluated the effects of this intervention on behavioural processes and identified process predictors of improved depressive symptoms. ⋯ A brief intervention designed to target cognitive-behavioural factors and promote adherence to pharmacotherapy in order to prevent depression relapse was highly successful in changing several behaviours related to controlling depression. Improvements in self-efficacy and several self-management behaviours that were targets of the intervention were significantly related to improvements in depression outcome.
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Psychological medicine · Feb 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialComputerized, interactive, multimedia cognitive-behavioural program for anxiety and depression in general practice.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) brings about significant clinical improvement in anxiety and depression, but therapists are in short supply. We report the first phase of a randomized controlled trial of an interactive multimedia program of cognitive-behavioural techniques, Beating the Blues (BtB), in the treatment of patients in general practice with anxiety, depression or mixed anxiety/depression. ⋯ These results demonstrate that computerized interactive multimedia cognitive-behavioural techniques under minimal clinical supervision can bring about improvements in depression and anxiety, as well as in work and social adjustment, with and without pharmacotherapy and in patients with pre-treatment illness of durations greater or less than 6 months. Thus, our results indicate that wider dissemination of cognitive-behavioural techniques is possible for patients suffering from anxiety and/or depression.
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Psychological medicine · Jan 2003
Factors associated with the wish to hasten death: a study of patients with terminal illness.
There is considerable debate regarding the clinical issues surrounding the wish to hasten death (WTHD) in the terminally ill. The clinical factors contributing to the WTHD need further investigation among the terminally ill in order to enhance understanding of the clinical assessment and treatment needs that underlie this problem. A more detailed understanding may assist with the development of appropriate therapeutic interventions. ⋯ Psychological and social factors are related to a WTHD among terminally ill cancer patients. Greater attention needs to be paid to the assessment of psychological and social issues in order to provide appropriate therapeutic interventions for terminally ill patients.
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Psychological medicine · Aug 2002
Comparative StudyBack-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a population-based twin study.
Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown an association between anxiety and depression and pain in the back and neck. The nature of this relationship is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which common genetic and environmental aetiological factors contribute to the covariance between symptoms of anxiety and depression and back-neck pain. ⋯ The results support previous findings of a moderate association between back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and suggest that this association is primarily due to common genetic effects.
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Psychological medicine · May 2002
Suicide preceded by murder: the epidemiology of homicide-suicide in England and Wales 1988-92.
We describe for the first time the epidemiology of homicide-suicide incidents for England and Wales. Previous descriptions have been of incidents in London (1946-62) and Yorkshire and Humberside (1975-1992). ⋯ Homicide-suicide in England and Wales is mostly 'a family matter', men of predominantly lower social class killing their kin, and pre-menopausal mothers their young children, before they kill themselves. A few men kill strangers during a crime and then themselves.