The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Jan 2007
Have education and publicity about depression made a difference? Comparison of prevalence, service use and excess costs in South Australia: 1998 and 2004.
To identify changes in depression, its management and associated excess costs, between 1998 and 2004 in South Australia. ⋯ There has been no significant improvement in the prevalence of depression and its associated morbidity and financial burden in the South Australian community between 1998 and 2004, despite a number of professional and community education programmes. It is possible that without these efforts and the increased treatment reported on in this survey, there may have been an increase in the prevalence of depression and an even greater financial burden. However, it is also possible that community services for the provision of treatment for depression have not been able to implement research strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Oct 2006
Mental-physical comorbidity in Te Rau Hinengaro: the New Zealand Mental Health Survey.
To estimate the prevalence of chronic physical conditions, and the risk factors for those conditions, among those with 12 month mental disorder; to estimate the prevalence of 12 month mental disorder among those with chronic physical conditions. ⋯ This paper provides evidence of substantial comorbidity between mental disorders and chronic physical conditions in New Zealand. This should be borne in mind by clinicians working in both mental health and medical services.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Oct 2006
Suicidal behaviour in Te Rau Hinengaro: the New Zealand Mental Health Survey.
To describe prevalence and correlates of suicidal behaviour in the New Zealand population aged 16 years and over. ⋯ Risks of making a suicide plan or attempt were associated with mental disorder and sociodemographic disadvantage. Most people with suicidal behaviours had not seen a health professional for mental health problems during the time that they were suicidal.
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Sep 2006
ReviewStress, the hippocampus and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: implications for the development of psychotic disorders.
The experience of stress is commonly implicated in models of the onset of psychotic disorders. However, prospective studies investigating associations between biological markers of stress and the emergence of psychotic disorders are limited and inconclusive. One biological system proposed as the link between the psychological experience of stress and the development of psychosis is the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. This paper summarizes and discusses evidence supporting a role for HPA-axis dysfunction in the early phase of schizophrenia and related disorders. ⋯ The current literature provides some evidence that the onset of psychotic disorders may be associated with a higher rate of stress and changes to the hippocampus. It is suggested that future research should investigate whether a relationship exists between psychological stress, HPA-axis functioning and the hippocampus in the onset of these disorders. Longitudinal assessment of these factors in young people at 'ultra' high risk of psychosis and first-episode psychosis cohorts may enhance understanding of the possible interaction between them in the early phases of illness.