Journal of affective disorders
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To examine the prevalence and changing patterns of PTSD, major depressive episode (MDE), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adult claimants who sustained a non-catastrophic injury in a road traffic crash (RTC) in Queensland, Australia. ⋯ People injured in a RTC are at risk of having complex psychological presentations over time. Interventions to prevent mental disorders, especially PTSD, in the early post-injury period are needed to prevent chronic psychological injury, including consideration of comorbidity and dynamic course.
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Despite experiencing conditions associated with higher risk for depression and psychological distress, the mental health of rural African Americans remains understudied. This brief report examines the association between sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated health, and material hardship, and depressive symptoms and psychological distress among rural African Americans. ⋯ Material hardship and worse self-rated health emerged as risk factors for depression and psychological distress among this population. This suggests the need for systems of care and integrated healthcare models across service providers within rural African American communities to promote adequate screening, intervention, and referrals related to economic, physical, and mental health needs.
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The subgenual cingulate gyrus (Brodmann's Area 25: BA25) is hypermetabolic in depression and has been targeted successfully with deep brain stimulation. Two of the white matter tracts that play a role in treatment response are the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and the cingulum bundle. The UF has three prefrontal stems, the most medial of which extends from BA25 (which deals with mood regulation) and the most lateral of which extends from the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (concerned with executive function). The cingulum bundle has numerous fibers connecting the lobes of the cerebrum, with the longest fibers extending from BA25 to the amygdala. We hypothesize that there is reduced integrity in the UF, specific to the medial prefrontal stems, as well as in the subgenual and amygdaloid fibers of the cingulum bundle. Our secondary hypothesis is that these changes are present from the early stages of depression. ⋯ Depressed patients have reduced white matter integrity in the subgenual and polar stems of the uncinate fasciculi but not the lateral stems, as well as in the subgenual and amygdaloid cingulum fibers. These changes are present from the first-onset of the disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cognitive outcomes of TMS treatment in bipolar depression: Safety data from a randomized controlled trial.
Bipolar depression (BD) is a highly prevalent condition associated with marked cognitive deficits that persist even in the euthymic phase of the illness. Pharmacological treatments for BD might further aggravate cognitive impairment, highlighting the need of developing interventions that present cognitive safety. In this study, we evaluated the cognitive effects of H1-coil (deep) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression. ⋯ The results of this exploratory study provide evidence on the cognitive safety of H1-coil TMS for BD patients. Putative pro-cognitive effects of rTMS in BD were not observed and thus should be further investigated.
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Cannabis is commonly used to alleviate symptoms of negative affect. However, a paucity of research has examined the acute effects of cannabis on negative affect in everyday life. The current study provides a naturalistic account of perceived changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress as a function of dose and concentration of Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). ⋯ Cannabis reduces perceived symptoms of negative affect in the short-term, but continued use may exacerbate baseline symptoms of depression over time.