Journal of affective disorders
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There is increasing use of online pharmacies to purchase prescription drugs. While some online pharmacies are legitimate and safe, there are many unsafe and illegal so-called "rogue" online pharmacies. This study investigated the availability of psychotropic drugs online to consumers in the US, using 5 commonly prescribed drugs for bipolar disorder. ⋯ Psychotropic medications are available online with or without a prescription. The majority of online pharmacy websites were rogue. Physicians should ask about the use of online pharmacies. For those who choose to use online pharmacies, two measures to detect rogue pharmacies are recommended: (1) only purchase drugs from pharmacies that require a prescription, and (2) check all pharmacy verification seals directly on the website of the certifying organization, every time, before purchase.
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Few brief, self-report measures exist that can reliably predict adverse suicidality outcomes in patients with BD. This study utilized the Concise Health Risk Tracking Self-Report (CHRT) to assess suicidality in patients with BD and examined its psychometric performance, clinical correlates, and prospective value in predicting adverse events related to suicidality. ⋯ The CHRT offers a quick and robust self-report tool for assessing suicidal risk and has important implications for future research and clinical practice.
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Dynamic functional-structural connectivity (FC-SC) coupling might reflect the flexibility by which SC relates to functional connectivity (FC). However, during the dynamic acute state change phases of FC, the relationship between FC and SC may be distinctive and embody the abnormality inherent in depression. This study investigated the depression-related inter-network FC-SC coupling within particular dynamic acute state change phases of FC. ⋯ The increased values of significant discriminative vectors of FC-SC coupling in depression suggested that the capacity to process negative emotion might be more directly related to the SC abnormally and be indicative of more stringent and less dynamic brain function in SN-VAN, especially in the acute rising phase of FC. We demonstrated that depressive brain dysfunctions could be better characterized by reduced FC-SC coupling flexibility in this particular phase.
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Differentiating bipolar disorder (BD) from major depressive disorder (MDD) often poses a major clinical challenge, and optimal clinical care can be hindered by misdiagnoses. This study investigated the differences between BD and MDD in resting-state functional network connectivity (FNC) using a data-driven image analysis method. ⋯ Our results suggest that the differences in FNC of the PFC reflect distinct pathophysiological mechanisms in BD and MDD. Such findings ultimately may elucidate the neural pathways in which distinct functional changes can give rise to the clinical differences observed between these syndromes.
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Comparative Study
Psychological distress during pregnancy in Miyagi after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.
To examine psychological distress among pregnant women in Miyagi prefecture which was directly affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and compare other areas of Japan that were less damaged. ⋯ After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the prevalence of pregnant women with psychological distress (K6 ≥ 13) were high in Miyagi prefecture. Especially in the coastal area directly affected by tsunami, it is high with or without negative life events experienced.