Journal of affective disorders
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Previous research indicates that physical activity may alter the number of immune cells. We examined whether increasing or decreasing the level of physical activity affects circulating lymphocyte and monocyte counts in patients with somatization syndromes and patients with major depression. ⋯ This study demonstrates a blunted mobilization of monocytes by exercise in both patients with somatization syndromes and patients with major depression. In addition, even one week of exercise reduces somatoform and depressive symptoms.
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Suicide is a major cause of death throughout the world. Approximately 60% of all suicides have a history of depression. Previous studies of structural brain imaging have shown that suicide is often associated with abnormal fronto-limbic networks. However, the mechanism underlying suicide in depression remains poorly understood. ⋯ Suicide attempts in young depressed patients may be related to abnormal gray matter volumes in temporal-parietal-limbic networks. Specifically, small left limbic cingulate gyrus volumes may be a candidate for the prediction of suicide in young depressed patients.
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Comparative Study
Comparing outcomes of adjunctive treatment in depression: aripiprazole versus bupropion.
Adjunctive therapy in depression is often used in patients with an inadequate response to antidepressant therapy. ⋯ Aripiprazole and bupropion were comparable in significantly lowering patients' QIDS SR16 scores and helping over 50% of the patients achieve remission. Differences in line-item QIDS score were also observed.
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Resilience is considered to be a powerful protective factor in buffering the detrimental impact of traumatic stress on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is a striking lack of research concerning the development of a model of resilience, especially one including both risk and protective factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mediators and moderators influencing the relationship between traumatic stress and PTSD using a moderated mediation analysis. ⋯ The current findings provide a comprehensive picture of individuals who should be considered at high risk for the development of PTSD symptoms following traumatic stress and identify the factors that should be targeted by efforts to prevent PTSD.
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A number of studies have underlined a 10-20% prevalence of complicated grief (CG) among caregivers of cancer patients. The study aimed at examining the relationship between pre-loss criteria for CG and post-loss diagnosis of CG and at evaluating the validity and factor structure of a predictive tool, the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG), in order to identify the risk of developing CG in a sample of Italian caregivers. ⋯ The use of short screening tools, like the ICG-PL, may help health care professionals to identify subjects at risk for CG.