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Copyright of Clínica Contemporánea: Revista de Diagnóstico Psicológico, Psicoterapia y Salud is the property of Colegio Oficial de Psicologos de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Kranion is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The convergences between the symptoms of Major Depression Disorder as exposed in DSM-5 and Saint Thomas Aquinas' doctrine on sadness as exposed in Summa Theologica, I-II, qq. 35-39 are analyzed. The Magisterium of the Catholic Church has exhorted for centuries to study of the Aquina's doctrine and to put it in dialogue with the sciences. Thomism is compatible with current psychopathology, provides a comprehensive vision of human being, and contributes to forging a «healthy psychology» based on Christian anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent mental disorder. We aimed to analyze which factors were associated to their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) perception in patients diagnosed of MDD and how they evolved over six months. Methods. We included 432 subjects with MDD (DSM-IVTR) from hospital consultations, mental health centres and primary care centres in Basque Country, Madrid and Canary Islands. Patients were followed for 6 months. Clinical, sociodemographic and therapeutic variables were collected. HRQoL was measured by EQ-5D-5L, expressed as "utilities". Generalized Linear Models were constructed to meet the objectives. Results. Women, older people, disadvantaged social groups and those with higher "physical comorbidity" expressed a worse HRQoL at inclusion. At 6 months, 305 subjects remained in follow-up. The average change in "utilities" was 0.033 (CI95%: 0.008-0.059), and 0.132 (CI95%: 0.093-0.171) in the 109 subjects (35.51%) who expressed improvement in their health status. "Physical comorbidity", the presence of eating disorders, older age, belonging to disadvantaged socioeconomic groups or the need for greater therapeutic effort were negatively associated with HRQoL evolution. Conclusion. MDD is associated with a great impact on HRQoL, which partially reverts when the patients showed good clinical evolution. Older age, comorbidity and disadvantaged socioeconomic group are associated with a worse evolution of HRQOoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Major depressive disorder is a clinical entity characterized by a clinical pattern with a core of emotional symptoms (depressed mood and anhedonia), accompanied by cognitive and somatic alterations that produce a marked functional disturbance, as well as significant discomfort. This article reviews the neurobiology of the disorder, and the therapeutic effects of mirtazapine, an antidepressant that acts simultaneously on the noradrenergic and serotoninergic systems. Due to the mechanism of action, mirtazapine enhances the release of these neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Current meta-analysis show that mirtazapine is one of the most effective treatments in the approach to patients with Major depressive disorder. Additionally, its efficacy and safety have been studied in special populations, including the elderly and patients with comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciencias de la Salud is the property of Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes is the property of Editorial Sanchez y Barcelo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes is the property of Editorial Sanchez y Barcelo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present work makes a review of the literature through which rumination and repetitive negative thoughts are explored as mechanisms for maintaining symptoms in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and / or major depressive disorder (MDD). It is taken as a sample, studies dating between 2010 and 2018 that measure cortical activation patterns related to cognitive control processes, and self-referential processing,5 memory coding while performing tasks, including among their methods, resonance functional magnetic, blood oxygenation levels and comparative in terms of participants; subjects with depression vs. control diagnosis, comparative regarding the application of drug or behavioral treatment (1), studies using neuroticism questionnaires, research-based theorists. It is concluded that the observable phenomenology of both disorders when presented together, integrate harmonic connectivity patterns with the same basic transdiagnotic functions, compatible with potentials that run in parallel by jointly overactivating certain brain areas, whose altered mode of functioning is unveils it as the base substrate on which, it is possible to explain alterations of inhibitory control processes such as executive functions, operational memory and deregulation of the dream architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the incorporation of the major depressive disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) in 1980, and until its update in the DSMIV- TR, the DSM classification system considered it necessary to include the criterion of "bereavement exclusion", with the aim of differentiating normal sadness linked to a loss, from a mental disorder, such as the major depressive disorder. In its latest version (DSM- 5), this exception was removed, giving rise to a controversy that continues to this day. The debate has set those who are in favor of maintaining this exclusion and extending it to other stressors against those who have intended to eradicate it. Our hypothesis is that these positions account for two qualitatively diverse clinical and epistemological matrices, linked to major transformations in health sciences and in psychiatry. We show that this debate involved a profound renewal of the meaning of psychiatric practice, a change in the function of diagnosis and in the way of conceiving the etiology of mental disorders, as well as a reformulation of the patient's suffering status for the medical act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing evidence about the role of nutrients in mental health. An adequate intake of nutrients contributes to better overall health and mental health in particular. Major depression is a severe mental illness with a high prevalence for which effective treatments exist but not in all cases the patient's remission is achieved. Therefore, it is increasingly aimed at optimizing the supply of nutrients necessary for adequate brain functioning as adjunctive therapy to antidepressant treatment in depressive disorders. In this article we review those nutrients that have been related to depression: Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, s-adenosylmethionine, tryptophan, magnesium, zinc and probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Panamerican Journal of Neuropsychology / Cuadernos de Neuropsicología is the property of Cuadernos de Neuropsicologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study is the assessment of the differences in brain activity when patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) listen to two different types of music, with healthy subjects as control, by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Brain activity in musical stimuli with healthy subjects has been investigated extensively, but there are few neurobiologic music studies in mental illness, particularly in MDD. Studies in this area provide a new perspective on interdisciplinary research to explore the neurobiological substrates of MDD. This study involved 20 male subjects: 10 patients (34 ± 7 years), and 10 control subjects (33 ± 7 years). The MDD Patients were selected in the pre-consultation service of the National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFM) of Mexico City, and control subjects were selected among workers of the Institute who responded to the invitation. All participants completed the Hamilton scales for anxiety and depression, Beck inventories for depression and anxiety and, the SCL-90-R. The Mini-Mental State Examination test was also administered to patients for diagnostic purposes. The fMRI was obtained by Philips Achieva 3-Tesla in the INPRF; the analysis was done using SPM2 format MRIcro system. The experimental stimuli were two pieces of music: one by JS Bach validated as quiet and another one by J Prodromidès validated as disturbing. Results show differences between both groups of subjects and between types of music. In all cases, the parahippocampal area, the tail of the caudate nucleus and the auditory temporal cortex were activated. The neurobiological processing of music is affected by MDD. We discuss the clinical and cognitive implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To adapt the CUDOS scale (Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale) into Spanish and to test its psychometrical properties in a sample of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: A two-step cross-sectional, multicenter validation study was conducted (linguistic adaptation into Spanish and psychometric validation). The study evaluated patients attended in Primary Care with a MDD diagnosis within the last 3 months (DSM-IV TR criteria). The following scales were administered: CUDOS, PRIME-MD (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders), HAMD-17 (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), SOFAS (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale), SF-36 (Physical –PCS- and Mental –MCS- Component Summaries), and the CGI-S & PGI-S (Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Illness scales for clinicians and patients, respectively). Feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Spanish version were assessed. Results: In the validation study, 305 MDD patients (69.5% female) with a mean age (standard deviation-SD-) of 51.75(15.53) were included. Mean completion time was 4.47(2.4) minutes. Floor or ceiling effects were found in less than 1% of the case scores. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach´s α= 0.88). Pearson correlation coefficients with CUDOS were: -0.42 (SOFAS), 0.45 (HAMD-17), -0.22 (PCS), -0.65 (MCS); all p<0.001. The CUDOS properly discriminated among clinical severity levels (p<0.03). Conclusions: The adapted Spanish version of the CUDOS shows adequate psychometric properties as an evaluation instrument of major depression from the patient's perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS] is a technique that allows noninvasive electrical stimulation of the cortex with few side effects. An antidepressant effect has been proposed when rTMS is delivered over prefrontal dorsolateral cortex (DLPFC) ⩾5Hz. Quantitative EEG studies have shown increases in alpha and theta power bands as well as frontal interhemispheric asymmetries in most recordings from depressed patients. rTMS over left DLPFC at 5Hz involve a safer and more tolerable procedure, and its neurophysiological correlates has not been explored using EEG source analysis. The aim of this research was to study changes in EEG sources using VARTERA method in a group of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with 5Hz rTMS over left DLPFC as single or combined treatment with escitalopram. Methods 18 patients with DSM-IV MDD diagnosis without treatment for the current episode were included. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: A) rTMS+escitalopram 1 Omg, n=9; B) rTMS+placebo, n=9. Subjects received 15 sessions of rTMS on a daily basis. In order to compare changes in EEG sources two recordings were obtained, prior and after treatment. HDRS, BDI and HARD were used for clinical assessments. Results All patients of group A and eight patients of group B showed response to treatment (considered as a reduction of 50% in HDRS score). An increase in absolute power at 9.37Hz and 10.17Hz in temporal and postcentral gyrus on the left hemisphere was found in group B. Absolute power in those frequencies was decreased in the same regions for group A. In addition, an increased power in beta band frequencies was observed in both hemispheres for group A. Conclusion Increases in alpha band could be the hallmark of the 5Hz rTMS, but it could be reduced by escitalopram. Besides, increases observed in beta band for group A could be related to escitalopram effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To design and validate an instrument to assess the level of knowledge of major depression in general practitioners in Chiclayo. Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional study for instrument validation. The first construct was developed in the year 2010 based on the theoretical framework and was subject to expert judgment. During the year 2011, the questionnaire was subjected again to 12 experts according to the Delphi methodology, yielding a construct of 14 questions: 7 for diagnosis and 7 for treatment. A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the relevance and understandability of the instrument The reliability of the instrument was evaluated with the Kuder-Richardson coefficient and the Cronbach's Alpha. Construct validity was performed by factorial analysis. We used the statistical software SPSS v. 15. Results: We interviewed 34 general practitioners (90%) and 6 students (10%) who had completed the courses of Mental Health: 36 (90%) were male and the mean age was 37.5 ± 15 years. The percentiles 25, 50 and 75 of the total score of the instrument were: 4, 6 and 9, respectively. The Kuder-Richardson coefficient was 0.62, the Cronbach's alpha for each questions was greater than 0.55. The Kaiser Meyer Olkin test and Bartlett's sphericity showed that the instrument was one-dimensional. Conclusions: We obtained a valid, reliable and one-dimensional instrument to determine the level of knowledge of major depression in general practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder is a genetically complex disease involving several minor, or susceptibility, genes whose expression may be modulated by many environmental factors. From the classical early linkage studies to the complete genome-wide association (GWA) study methodologies, it is evident that it is difficult to understand the genetic bases of this mental disorder. Many studies have identified one or more gene regions whose variability confers a small risk for developing depressive disorder, explaining a small percentage of the total genetic component of disease with low predictive value. Although the results to date are inconclusive, new approaches based on gene-environment interactions and biological pathway analysis (based on GWA studies) open new and promising perspectives in the investigation of the genetic and biological basis of major depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2008 National Addiction Survey demonstrated the existence of 39 million alcohol drinkers, of whom 4.2 million are excessive drinkers and 4.8 million are alcohol dependents. No reports of the comorbidity of psychiatric disorders in alcohol consumers in our country exist. Nevertheless, 40% to 50% of alcohol-dependent patients from other countries have some sort of psychiatric disorder, such as major depression. Serotonergic function is a key mediator of mood states, impulsiveness, and addictive behavior, including alcohol consumption. Several studies have noted alterations in the serotonergic system in alcoholics (as demonstrated by an increase in the shooting frequency of raphe nuclei serotonergic neurons, an increase in serotonin levels in the accumbens nuclei, and a loss in serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei) and depressed patients (decreases in the density of serotonin reuptake transporter [5-HTT] and serotonin levels [5-HT]). Clinical studies have documented that excessive alcohol intake reduces 5-HT levels and that this condition potentiates psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, major depression, and alcohol dependence. These data demonstrate an association between alcoholism, psychiatric disorders, and alcohol dependence. By molecular biology techniques, genetic risk factors have been identified and candidate genes, such as 5-HTT, have been selected. This gene is associated with a greater susceptibility to onset of alcoholdependence and major depression. The 5-HTT gene lies in the SLC6A4 locus of 17q11.1-q12 and encodes a 600-amino-acid integral membrane protein. This transporter regulates serotonergic neurotransmission through removal of 5-HT from the synaptic space. Pharmacological research has shown that selective reuptake inhibitors (5-HTT blockers) reduce alcohol intake in alcohol-dependent and major depression patients. Serotonergic system receptors, such as 5-HTT, 5-HT1, and 5-HT2, are expressed in nervous system and immune system cells; thus it is likely that both systems have functional similarities. Due to this property, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) can be used to research neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and alcohol dependence disorders. The aim of this study was to assess 5-HTT expression levels in the PBMCs from alcohol-dependent patients and patients with comorbid alcohol-dependence and major depression disorder. Materials and methods The Outpatient Consultative Service from the Centro de Ayuda a Alcohólicos y Familiares (CAAF) and the Centro de Alcohólicos y Drogadictos «Carrasco» screened 70 patients from February to November 2008. Twenty patients who met the criteria of alcohol dependence, according to the Spanish version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), were accepted. Alcohol dependence was based on the Alcohol Dependence Scale (EDA) that was adapted to the Mexican population. Healthy volunteers (n=12) were selected concurrently from the general population of Mexico City with the start of patient enrollment. A psychiatrist evaluated the mental health of these patients using MINI. Clinical and laboratory trials demonstrated normal standard reference values. Patients were included based on INPRFNC092318.1 research protocol procedures, which were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente. All participants were given a detailed explanation concerning the study objectives and gave their signed informed consent. The patients for this study were men and women, aged 18 years and older who presented a diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Patients were grouped as follows: Group A: diagnosed alcohol dependence (n=12) and Group B: diagnosed alcohol dependence depressed patients (n=12). All patients arrived to the clinical laboratory from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. to undergo a peripheral blood test. Blood was drawn by venous puncture and placed into anticoagulant-coated tubes. The blood was then diluted in an isotonic saline solution (SSI) (1:1, v/v) and transferred to a tube that contained Ficoll-Histopaque solution (1:2, v/v) to form a density gradient. The sample was centrifuged at 1600 rpm for 30 minutes 4°C. The gradient interphase, which contained the mononuclear cells, was collected, SSI cells were washed, and Trizol was added. RNA isolation and RT-PCR RNA extraction from the PBMCs was performed using Trizol, wherein a monophase phenol solution and guanidine isothiocyanate were used to lyse cells and dividing the sample into 2 phases: aqueous and organic. The aqueous phase was separated with chloroform, and RNA was precipitated with isopropanol. Genetic material was washed with alcohol and allowed to dry. RNA was resuspended with RNase- and DNase-free water. The index of purity of the RNA samples ranged between 1.8 and 2.0. RNA samples were treated with DNase 1 (Invitrogen Life Technologies, CA, USA) to eliminate DNA contamination. Total RNA was used for the generation of cDNA and was performed from 1 μg of total RNA in a reaction volume of 20 μL containing 5X Buffer 5 μL Retro-Transcriptase (Promega, WI, USA), 15 mM MgCl2, 1.25 ul 10 mM dNTP mix (Promega, WI, USA), 200 U M-MLV reverse transcriptase (Promega, WI, USA) and 1 μL of 10 mM OligodT (GE, UK). The reaction mixture was incubated for 60 minutes at 42°C in a thermocycler (Thermocycler Gradient, Eppendorf, Germany) and applied a final cycle of 90°C for 5 minutes. The reverse-transcribed product (cDNA) was amplified by PCR in a final reaction volume of 25 μL containing 2 μL of cDNA, 1 mM deoxyribonucleotide dNTP Mix (Promega, WI, USA), 0.75 mM MgCl2, 2.5 mM oligonucleotide GoTaq and 1.25 units DNA polymerase (Promega, WI, USA). PCR was performed for 25 cycles, using a cycling program of 94°C for 1 minute, 60°C for 1 minute and 72°C for 1.30 minutes in a thermocycler for the amplification of 5-HTT and GAPDH. The oligonucleotides used for 5-HTT were: sense 5'-GAACTCCTGGAACAC TGGCAAC-3' and antisense 5'-ATGACAAATCCCGAAACGAAGC-3' (534 base pairs, [bp] product). In the case of GAPDH sequences of oligonucleotides used were: sense 5'-TGGGGAAGGTGAAGGTC GGAGTC-3' and antisense 5'-GACTTCAACAGCGACACCCACTC-3' (874 bp product). The amplicons were separated on an agarose gel and stained with ethidium bromide. The bands were analyzed by computerized densitometry. The optical density values for 5-HTT were calculated as the quotient between the values for 5-HTT and GADPH, expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistic analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk homogeneity test and nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Differences were considered statistically significant when p≤0.05. Results 5-HTT levels were nondetectable (ND) in patient with comorbid alcoholdependence and major depressive disorder. By Shapiro Wilk test, healthy volunteers and alcohol-dependent patients did not differ. Healthy volunteers expressed higher levels of 5-HTT gene (0.5012 ± 0.1349) compared with alcohol-dependent patients (0.3150 ± 0.1836) (p < 0.0036, Mann-Whitney). Discussion Our PCR method allowed us to determine that 5-HTT expression is lower in the two groups of patients compared with healthy volunteers. These results are consistent with studies that have reported that 5-HTT expression declines in lymphocytes from major depression disorder patients compared with healthy volunteers. The lack of detection of 5- HTT in alcohol- dependence depressed patients suggests that this comorbidity leads to alterations in the expression of this 5-HTT. Finally, our work is the first preliminary study that characterizes 5-HTT expression in the Mexican population, comparing alcohol dependence patients and patients with comorbid alcohol-dependence and major depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are several reports about people with major depressive disorder and elevated inflammatory biomarkers levels. Objective: To evaluate the association between depressive symptoms (DS) and serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL6). Methodology: Cross-sectional survey among adult employees of a School of Medicine. Binomial and multiple linear regression were used to correlate CRP and IL6 levels with CES-D test score. Results: A total of 159 people, 55.4% male and aged between 22 and 73 years (mean: 40.8 years). There are association between high IL6 > 3 pg/mL with obesity, and between log CRP levels with to have more than 48 years-old and with inflammatory alterations in oral cavity; there are not association between CES-D test score and CRP or IL6 serum levels. Conclusion: In this population there was no association between serum levels of IL6 and CRP in presence of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatria is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Psiquiatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Depression is the most common mental illness and the primary cause of disability. Currently, major depression is considered a chronic disorder, with very high lifetime recurrence rates. This article reviews the published literature on long-term treatment of depression, with special emphasis on unresolved issues of long-term treatment such as prevention of relapses and recurrences and optimal duration of maintenance treatment. Current recommendations on the treatment of major depression include three phases: the acute phase (4-8 weeks), where the objective is to achieve remission; the continuation phase, to maintain remission; and the maintenance phase, to prevent possible recurrences. Most of the studies reviewed support antidepressive therapy during continuation and/or maintenance phases, in patients who have responded to acute and/or continuation treatment with antidepressants. Current scientific evidence suggests that the effect of treatment persists for at least 2 years of maintenance treatment with antidepressants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antecedents: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric dysfunction that appears with relative frequency in the women with breast cancer diagnosis or which they are in treatment for the same one. Nevertheless, specific data don't exist in Colombia about the prevalence of depression in the patients with cancer who suffer from subjected to modified radical mastectomy without reconstruction. Objective: To determine the prevalence of MDD in resident patients in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga with modified radical mastectomy without reconstruction. Method: It is a descriptive transversal study; it included women older than 18 years. We applied the SCID I. A semi structured interview for MDD based on approaches of the DSM-IV. Results: 80 women were evaluated with ages among the 30-85 years, with a 58.1 year-old average, SD 13.79; the prevalence was of 42.5%, (95%CI 31.68 - 53.30) for MDD. The MDD was lower than in those women who had social support in 41.2% (PR 2.41; 95%CI 1.56-3.73) and was higher than in women who had problems due to the surgery in 88.2% (PR 3.41; 95%CI 1.35- 8.64), we didn't find association with age, the grade of study, the marital status, the socioeconomic level, pain scale, the occupation and the time of the surgery. Conclusion: In this study TDM prevalencia was higher than similar one in general population; TDM was related directly with the problems derived from surgery and inversely with the social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a disease associated to emotional, vegetative and physical symptoms, including for the latter those pain-related symptoms. MDD has a high prevalence rate with a substantial burden of illness, and it expected that by 2020 it will become the second cause of world disability. The diagnosis of MDD is difficult due to the high prevalence of painful physical symptoms, and also due to the fact these symptoms are more evident that the embedded emotional ones. Over 76% of patients with MDD, report painful physical symptoms observed, like headache, abdominal pain, back pain and unspecific-located pain; observing these symptoms can even predict depression severity. In addition, the likelihood of psychiatric disease increases, importantly, with the number of physical symptoms observed; moreover, the remission of physical symptoms predicts the complete remission in MDD. We present an observational, prospective study to examine the clinical profile of Mexican outpatients suffering MDD and determine the relationship between depression severity, painful physical symptoms in quality of life and depression. Methods Adult patients with current episodes of MDD, treated with antidepressants were included. MDD was defined according to the criteria of the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--4th Edition (DSM-IV) or in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Patients should have been free of depression symptoms prior to the current episode for at least 2 months. Duration of current episode should not exceed two years. Treatment-resistant patients and those with other psychiatric diagnosis were excluded. Treatment-resistance was defined as: a) a failure to respond to treatment when two different antidepressants were employed at therapeutic doses for at least four weeks each, b) when the subject was previously treated with IMAO inhibitors, c) when electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) was previously employed. Other exclusion criteria comprise previous or current diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, dementia or mental impairment. Patients were selected in 34 centers in Mexico. Patients were classified according to the presence (SFD+) or absence (SFD-) of painful physical symptoms using the Somatic Symptom Inventory (SSI); SFD+ was defined as scores = 2 for the pain-related items in the SSI (items 2, 3, 9, 14, 19, 27 and 28). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) quantified pain severity (cervical pain, headache, back pain, shoulder pain, interference of pain in daily activities and vigil-time with pain). HAMD17 and CGI-S determined depression severity, while the Quality of Life in Depression Scale (QLDS) quantified subjective well-being. Linear regression models were employed to compare groups for VAS, HAMD17, CGI-S, and QLDS, to fit the confusions or clinical predictors when needed. Proportions between groups were established with Fisher exact test or logistic regression. Significance levels were established at 0.005 due to the observational nature of the study. In the result tables, standard deviation (SD) is reported as a variation around the mean value as Mean ± SD, and 95% confidence intervals are denoted 95% IC. Results A total of 313 patients were enrolled in the study. All of the enrolled patients were Mexican, almost them were women and had at least a previous MDD episode.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the prevalence of clinical depression in patients over the age of 50. Research has shown that clinical depression is more prevalent in those that have been hospitalized with medical conditions than in the general population. 100 patients were evaluated, their sociodemographic information compiled, and were subjected to a structured clinical interview. The results showed that 38% of the patients suffered from some form of depression. Several risk factors included employment history and if the patient was in a relationship.