OBJECTIVE The aim of this 1-year follow-up study was to compare functional outcome as well as clinical differences between patients with first- and multiple-episode bipolar disorder. METHOD Bipolar disorder patients with first (n = 60) and multiple episodes (n = 59) were recruited from two hospitals in Spain. The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) was used to assess functioning. The Ham...

Background: The abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances such as amphetamines and ecstasy has had a growing trend. Tachycardia, increased blood pressure, hallucinations, panic attacks, and psychosis are the negative effects of methamphetamine abuse. The present study aimed to assess psychiatric disorders associated with methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder. Methods: This cross-...

BACKGROUND Most predictor analyses search for single predictors or rely on data from randomized controlled trials. We aimed at detecting a set of clinical baseline variables for prediction of response and remission in 1014 naturalistically treated inpatients with major depressive episode treated for 53.62 ± 47.5 days. METHODS A three-staged procedure was implemented. First, univariate tests w...

The relationship of clinicians' ratings of depression in adolescents to self-rating is important to clinical research. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and the Carroll Self-Rating Scale (CSRS) were compared in a study of 81 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. The correlation of CSRS and HRSD total scores in adolescents with melancholic major depression was 0.46, lower than ...

BACKGROUND Even though patients with depression often show significant alexithymia, the underlying mechanism of their alexithymia remains unclear. Furthermore, few experimental studies have explored their ability to regulate emotions. OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics of alexithymia in patients with depression, and the relationship of depressive symptoms, alexithymia and emotion regula...

There is an increasing evidence that the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) could be involved in the mode of action of antidepressants and, perhaps, of ECT. This study aimed to investigate whether the clinical course of medication-resistant depressed patients following a course of ECT might be associated with changes of plasma BDNF concentrations. Our findings showed that at T0 (baseline)...

PURPOSE The impact of personality disorders on the treatment of and recovery from depression is still a controversial topic. The aim of this paper is to provide more information on what has led to this disagreement. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinician-rated Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores were assessed among 82 depressed outpatients who were receiving a routine treatment combinatio...

In a randomized, parallel design, 19 patients with winter depression were treated with either a week of a white 1.5-hr dawn simulation peaking at 250 lux or a week of a red, 1.5-hr dawn signal peaking at 2 lux. The subjects were told that they would receive either a white or red dawn reaching in intensity that would be dimmer than standard bright light treatment. At the end of both the baseline...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether variable antidepressant response may be influenced by an interaction between the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and antidepressant concentration. METHODS Elderly subjects with depression treated with paroxetine (n = 110) were genotyped and assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). A mixed-effect analysis of repeated...