Journal of affective disorders
-
Comparative Study
Perceived stigma among individuals with common mental disorders.
Severe mental disorders are associated with social distance from the general population, but there is lack of data on the stigma reported by individuals with common mental disorders. ⋯ Individuals with mental disorders are more likely to report stigma if they have lower education, are married, or are unemployed. Perceived stigma is associated with considerably decrease in quality of life and role functioning. Health professionals and society at large must be aware of these findings, which suggest that fighting stigma should be a public health priority.
-
Comparative Study
Use of lithium in the adult populations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Lithium is an important drug in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Earlier epidemiological studies of lithium use have depended on sales statistics, clinical surveys or population surveys. The national prescription databases in Denmark, Norway and Sweden may help provide more reliable information on the epidemiology of lithium use. ⋯ This study is the first attempt to use prescription databases in all three Scandinavian countries to describe in detail the epidemiology of a drug's use. The analysis revealed subtle differences in the clinical use of lithium that cannot be explained by differences in the epidemiology of bipolar disorder.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Low frequency (1-Hz), right prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) compared with venlafaxine ER in the treatment of resistant depression: a double-blind, single-centre, randomized study.
Previous studies have shown effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression. This double-blind study compared efficacy of l Hz rTMS over the right prefrontal dorsolateral cortex with venlafaxine ER in the treatment of resistant depression. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that, at least in the acute treatment, the right sided rTMS produces clinically relevant reduction of depressive symptomatology in patients with resistant depression comparable to venlafaxine ER. Larger sample sizes are required to confirm these results.
-
Suicidal ideation indicates risk for suicidal acts. How different definitions and measures for suicidal ideation influence its prevalence, correlates and predictive validity among bipolar disorder (BD) patients is unknown. ⋯ Who is classified as having suicidal ideation depends strongly on the definition and means of measurement among BD patients. Different measures for ideation have the potential to cause inconsistency when correlates of suicidal ideation are investigated. For clinically predicting suicide attempts during the next few months, an SSI score >or=8 may best combine sensitivity and specificity.
-
Previous studies investigating the impact of alcohol ingestion on the emergence of posttraumatic psychological symptoms have generated contradictory findings. ⋯ Given the potential impact of alcohol use on traumatic injury and post-injury recovery, we advocate active screening and early intervention strategies that focus on moderate alcohol usage.