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Background: This study aims to verify the accuracy of item 10 on the energy level of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) in an item screening according to Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) results, providing a measure of hyper-energy. Methods: Regression techniques were employed in a dataset comprising 4093 records of respondents to test both linear and nonlinear relationships between predictor and outcome variables (energy level and symptoms considered in the MDQ). We examined the relationship of energy level with cases identified using MDQ with a cut-off of 7. Results: Levels of energy, as rated on item 10 of the SF-12, were related to the MDQ score with sensitivity = 0.72 and specificity = 0.70. In linear regression, the associations were stronger with MDQ items on excessive energy or activity, showing a medium effect size and an explained variance of 10% or higher. A greater association was observed for items on excessive energy and activity, as expected, as well as for items concerning self-confidence, sociability, and talkativeness. Conclusions: This result may have implications for the research on risk factors and the pathogenesis of the dysregulation of mood, energy, and social rhythms syndrome (DYMERS), a syndrome that is hypothesized to occur in stressful conditions like those shown under the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is difficult to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health as many community surveys have limited quality, rely on screening tests to measure mental health conditions and distress, and often use convenience samples. Moreover, robust surveys come mainly from high-income countries., Aim: To measure the prevalence of depressive disorders with onset during the pandemic in a community of a Lower-Middle-income country (LMIC)-Tunisia., Methods: Clinical semi-structured face-to-face interviews were carried out during the pandemic (September-December 2021) by medical doctors among a representative sample of the general population in the governorate of La Manouba, Tunisia. Psychiatric diagnoses were established according to DSM-IV., Results: The prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) started or recurred after the pandemic was 5.66%. The factors associated with MDD were loss of job and considerably diminished income due to the pandemic (OR = 2.1, 95% CI [1.5, 2.9]) and the perception of having the family's financial situation below the Tunisian average (OR = 2.3, 95% CI [1.7, 3.2]). Female sex, marital status as separated/divorced, and having a COVID-19 infection were associated with MDD only in the overall sample and urban areas, but not in rural areas. Age and having loved ones who passed away due to COVID-19 were not associated with MDD., Conclusion: In Tunisia, the pandemic seems to have increased the risk of depression in people experiencing a precarious financial situation, also due to the pre-existing economic crisis. Specific local level factors, such as not establishing a rigid lockdown for an extended period, may have protected young people and allowed for better mourning in families suffering the loss of a loved one.