The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Jan 2010
Review Comparative StudyPrevalence estimates of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder: critical review.
The aim of the present study was to provide a critical review of prevalence estimates of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military personnel and veterans, and of the relevant factors that may account for the variability of estimates within and across cohorts, including methodological and conceptual factors accounting for differences in prevalence rates across nations, conflicts/wars, and studies. MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were examined for literature on combat-related PTSD. The following terms were used independently and in combinations in this search: PTSD, combat, veterans, military, epidemiology, prevalence. ⋯ Prevalence rates are also likely affected by issues related to PTSD course, chronicity, and comorbidity; symptom overlap with other psychiatric disorders; and sociopolitical and cultural factors that may vary over time and by nation. The disorder represents a significant and costly illness to veterans, their families, and society as a whole. Further carefully conceptualized research, however, is needed to advance our understanding of disorder prevalence, as well as associated information on course, phenomenology, protective factors, treatment, and economic costs.
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The aim of the present study was to characterize suicide in the Northern Territory (NT) for the 6 year period 1 January 2001-31 December 2006. ⋯ Suicide is more common in NT than in Australia generally, and more common in NT Indigenous than NT non-Indigenous people. There is evidence of a decline in suicide rates across the board.
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Drug use creates a significant amount of harm in modern societies. From an evolutionary perspective, the pervasive use of drugs and the ongoing risk of drug addiction can be explained in terms of the action of drugs on evolved motivational-emotional systems. ⋯ This evolutionary analysis is extended to account for developmental patterns in problem drug use, and to explain the existence of behavioural addictions, such as problem gambling. The paper concludes by considering some of the clinical and public policy implications of the evolutionary perspective presented.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Sep 2009
Review Comparative StudySexual side-effects of contemporary antidepressants: review.
The aim of the present study was to review the sexual side-effects of contemporary antidepressants in Australia, comparing the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with venlafaxine, reboxetine, mirtazepine, duloxetine, bupropion, desvenlafaxine and agomelatine. Double-blind, randomized comparative studies of these antidepressants that included assessment of sexual dysfunction with validated rating scales in patients with major depressive disorder were identified from the literature using MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsychINFO databases. Bupropion and duloxetine caused significantly less sexual dysfunction than the SSRIs in short-term studies and reboxetine significantly less in both short- and longer term studies. ⋯ There should be direct assessment of sexual function and depression using reliable, validated rating scales before and during treatment. Studies should assess treatment-emergent effects in patients with normal function and resolution of baseline dysfunction over treatment, in both the short and long term. Further research should compare available instruments for measuring sexual function, and include separate analyses of both remitters/non-remitters and male/female subjects.