Anxiety and depression in patients with the abdominal pelvic pain syndrome

The authors matched gynecologic patients with the abdominal pelvic pain syndrome (N = 41) with other gynecologic patients. They administered to both groups self-rating scales of anxiety, depression, anger-hostility, and somatization of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and of the Symptom Questionnaire, a questionnaire about disruptions in early home life, and a questionnaire of recent stressful events. Patients with pain rated themselves on the average significantly more anxious, depressed, and hostile, and had more somatic symptoms than other patients; 56% of the patients with pain rated themselves within the normal ranges on all scales. There were no significant differences between the two groups in reports of disruptions of early home life and recent losses. The findings are consistent with the view that patients with the abdominal pelvic pain syndrome are psychologically a heterogeneous group; in many patients, depression and anxiety may be consequences of persistent pain.     

The relationship between anxiety and depression in children: rating scales and clinical variables

The present study examined the relationship between anxiety and depression in children in the context of proposed adult models. The results support the qualitative distinction between anxious and depressed patient groups on subsets of rating scale measures and clinical variables. In contrast to anxious children who were younger, (day patients) had been ill for longer than one year, presented with behavioral problems, and were low on observer ratings of depressive symptoms; depressed children were older, (inpatients) had been ill for less than one year, presented with emotional problems and were high on observer ratings of both anxious and depressive symptoms. The finding that the older depressed children were concurrently anxious while the younger anxious children were not concurrently depressed is discussed from the viewpoint of a hypothesized temporal sequence between anxiety and depression. The implication of this and other related findings are discussed in regard to their importance for differential diagnosis and prognosis.     

Measuring anxiety in depressed patients: A comparison of the Hamilton anxiety rating scale and the DSM-5 Anxious Distress Specifier Interview

DSM-5 included criteria for an anxious distress specifier for major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project we examined whether a measure of the specifier, the DSM-5 Anxious Distress Specifier Interview (DADSI), was as valid as the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) as a measure of the severity of anxiety in depressed patients. Two hundred three psychiatric patients with MDD were interviewed by trained diagnostic raters who administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) supplemented with questions to rate the DADSI, HAMA, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). The patients completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and irritability. Sensitivity to change was examined in 30 patients. The DADSI and HAMA were significantly correlated (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). Both the DADSI and HAMA were more highly correlated with measures of anxiety than with measures of the other symptom domains. The HAMD was significantly more highly correlated with the HAMA than with the DADSI. For each anxiety disorder, patients with the disorder scored significantly higher on both the DADSI and HAMA than did patients with no current anxiety disorder. A large effect size of treatment was found for both measures (DADSI: d = 1.48; HAMA: d = 1.37). Both the DADSI and HAMA were valid measures of anxiety severity in depressed patients, though the HAMA was more highly confounded with measures of depression than the DADSI. The DADSI is briefer than the HAMA, and may be more feasible to use in clinical practice.     

Affective perception of the body in neurotics. Its relation to anxiety, depression, and various types of defense]

This study compares and relates affective bodily perception (ABP), anxiety, depression, and the utilisation of some defense mechanisms in 25 neurotic women (16 depressives, 9 hysterical) and 25 normal women. ABP is evaluated according to satisfaction and anxiety (Body cathexis scale), distorsions (Body distortion questionnaire) and body conscience (Body prominence). Anxiety is measured with Cattell questionnaire, depression through Zung and Hamilton scales, and defense mechanisms by the Firo Form Cope of Schutz. Neurotics have a ABP more negative and are more depressed and anxious than normals; they use more regression while controls tend to use introjection. In comparison with depressives, hysterical women have higher scores in body distortion, mostly in the feeling of boundary loss; they express more masked anxiety and react more often through projection. Among neurotics, those who have a very disturbed ABP are more anxious, more depressed, and more prone to denial, projection, and regression in comparison with the others. In both samples, anxiety and depression have a negative correlation with body satisfaction and a positive one with body distortions and somatic anxiety. In the control group, body satisfaction is inversely related with feeling of dirt. Somatic anxiety is also inversely related to unusual feelings of body and skin obstruction. The intensity of body consciousness is related to using isolation and distortions are negatively related to using denial. In neurotics, denial is in opposition with the intensity of body awareness and is linked to somatic anxiety. The intensity of body awareness is also correlated to various forms of anxiety. Distortions are positively related to regression. The comparison of both samples shows a degradation of ABP in neurotics. The study of correlations clarifies several relations between deficient ABP anxiety, depression and the use of some defense mechanisms.     

Alexithymic features in migraine patients

Abstract. The aims of the present study were 1) to investigate the alexithymic features in migraine patients and, 2) if alexithymia has any relation with the results of other psychological scales that are widely used in clinical practice to describe the psychopathologies, such as depression and anxiety. Demographic and clinical data of 50 cases with migraine without aura and 50 normal volunteers were supplied. All cases completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Migraine patients were significantly more depressive, anxious and alexithymic than the control group; there was no correlation between TAS scores and demographic variables; not depression but anxiety was significantly correlated with alexithymia in the migraine group, whereas none of the scores were found to be related to alexithymia in controls. According to our results, alexithymia is a frequent finding in migraine patients and is associated with anxiety to a considerable extent but not with depression.     

Achieving remission with venlafaxine and fluoxetine in major depression: its relationship to anxiety symptoms

Venlafaxine, a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), produces significantly higher remission rates in depressed patients than do the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In this analysis of pooled data, we explored the relationship between differences in treatment efficacy, early improvement of symptoms, and severity of baseline anxiety in depressed patients treated with either venlafaxine or fluoxetine. A pooled analysis was performed on data from 1,454 outpatients with major depression from five double-blind, randomized studies comparing the 6-week efficacy of venlafaxine (542 patients) with fluoxetine (555 patients). The Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D) total and item scores were analyzed at different treatment times up to 6 weeks. Venlafaxine and fluoxetine both produced statistically significant higher response and remission rates compared with placebo starting from week 2 for response and weeks 3 to 4 for remission. Venlafaxine was statistically significantly superior to fluoxetine from week 3 until week 6 in respect of response rate, and from week 2 until week 6 for remission rate. After 1 week of treatment, greater improvement in individual symptoms was observed in the depressed mood, suicide, and psychic anxiety items of the HAM-D scale for both venlafaxine- and fluoxetine-treated patients compared with placebo. Improvement in psychic anxiety was statistically significantly greater with venlafaxine than with fluoxetine. The presence of baseline psychic anxiety correlated significantly to treatment outcome when analyzing the remission rates. In depressed patients with moderate anxiety (HAM-D psychic anxiety score < or = 2), venlafaxine statistically significantly increased remission rates compared with placebo from week 4 until week 6, while a significant effect of fluoxetine on remission rates was observed starting at week 6. Remission rates in the severely anxious depressed patients (score > 2) were statistically significantly higher with venlafaxine than placebo starting from week 3 until the end of the study period, but no difference could be observed between fluoxetine and placebo. Baseline severity of psychic anxiety had a significant impact on remission rates after treatment of patients diagnosed with depression. Venlafaxine's superior remission rates in the more severely anxious patients and its ability to improve psychic anxiety as early as week 1 compared with fluoxetine suggest that venlafaxine's early efficacy on anxiety symptoms may be the basis for its superior efficacy in depression.     

Anxiety,depression and swallowing disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease

Swallowing disturbances (SDs), anxiety and depression are commonly present in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We hypothesized that there is an association between the presence of SDs and the PD affective state. Sixty-nine PD patients were assessed for the presence of SDs by undergoing cognitive screening with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), completing three inventories: a swallowing disturbance questionnaire (SDQ), the Spielberger manual for the trait anxiety and Beck depression inventories. All patients underwent clinical swallowing evaluations by a speech and language pathologist (SLP). Patients diagnosed with SDs were also assessed by fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) performed by an ENT and SLP. Thirty-eight patients experienced SDs, the other 31 did not. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were matched. Patients with SDs experienced increased anxiety and depression compared to patients without SDs. Comparisons between patients who scored in the two opposite ends of the anxiety and depression ranges demonstrated that the most anxious and depressed patients reported more swallowing difficulties (SDQ scores) compared with the least anxious and depressed ones. In addition, the most anxious patients had significantly increased disease severity and decreased MMSE scores compared with the least anxious patients. Disease severity was also increased in the most depressed patients compared with the least depressed ones. Advanced disease emerged as being associated with high anxiety levels and greater numbers of SDs. The contribution of anxiety or depression to the development or worsening of SDs and their role in treatment strategy warrant further investigation.     

Depression and anxiety inventories, and the dexamethasone suppression test

Twenty-one psychiatric inpatients with prominent depressive symptoms underwent dexamethasone suppression tests and assessment with observer-rated and self-rated anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom inventories. This was done to test the hypothesis that anxiety, more than depression, was related to cortisol nonsuppression seen in psychiatric patients including those diagnosed as having major depressive disorders. Nonsuppressors were significantly more depressed but not more anxious on the symptom inventories. In addition, it was noted retrospectively that the depression symptom inventory scores predicted nonsuppression. Several individual items from the symptom scales which correlated with post-dexamethasone cortisol levels were also identified.     

神经症与抑郁症的躯体化症状及经济损失比较

目的：比较神经症和抑郁症躯体症状的特点及经济损失。方法：对初次就诊的神经症和抑郁症患者,采用自编躯体症状的特点及经济负担调查问卷,调查躯体症状及经济损失状况。结果：二者躯体症状所占的比例差异无显著性,神经症组的病程显著长于抑郁症组,外院就诊次数也多于后组,从其他科至医学心理科就诊的时间间隔长。抑郁症组汉密尔顿焦虑量表（HAMA）精神焦虑因子分、汉密尔顿抑郁量表（HAMD）总分、体质量、认知障碍、日夜变化、阻滞、绝望感因子分均高于神经症组,焦虑／躯体化因子分低于神经症组。躯体症状组HAMA总分及躯体焦虑因子分、HAMD总分、焦虑／躯体化、体质量、睡眠障碍、绝望感因子分均高于无躯体症状组。神经症组的直接经济损失重于抑郁症组。结论：抑郁症、神经症的抑郁、焦虑、躯体症状的表现有各自特点,躯体症状会加重抑郁和焦虑症状,均造成很大的经济负担。     

Hypochondriacal concerns and somatic symptoms in patients with chronic airflow obstruction

In order to explore hypochondriacal concerns in patients with Chronic Airflow Obstruction (CAO) the authors administered the Illness Attitude Scales and the somatization, anxiety, depression and anger-hostility scales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist to 50 patients with CAO and to matched family practice patients. Somatic symptoms were significantly correlated with fears of disease and hypochondriacal concerns in family practice patients, but were unrelated in CAO. Patients with CAO, although more anxious, depressed and with more severe somatic symptoms than family practice patients, had fewer hypochondriacal concerns. In this respect patients with CAO were unlike any other group previously studied.     

Phenomenology of Depression in Epilepsy

Sixty-six patients with epilepsy and depression were studied. Thirty-four had a family history of psychiatric illness; depression was the most common condition. Assessed using standardised rating scales, the severity of the depression was moderate and was endogenous in approximately 40% of patients. Attendant features were high state and trait anxiety and hostility. The EEGs of the patients and a control group were not significantly different. Patients receiving phenobarbital (PB) were more depressed, whereas those taking carbamazepine (CBZ) were both less depressed and less anxious. The phenomenology of the depression was not clearly influenced by epilepsy variables. We suggest that the depression in patients with epilepsy represents the outcome of multiple factors in genetically predisposed individuals.     

Depression and anxiety in cancer patients: evidence for different causes

Fifty-seven cancer patients currently receiving treatment were classified into three groups: (1) those who stated they were depressed/anxious for reasons other than cancer at any time in the past, including the interview day, (2) those who stated they were depressed/anxious solely related to cancer during the past or currently, (3) those who stated they were not depressed/anxious at anytime either in the past or currently, or had only 'normal' symptoms. Patients who were depressed for reasons other than cancer scored higher on self-rated anxiety, depression, and somatization. Patients who were depressed solely due to cancer were not significantly different from those with 'normal' symptoms. The findings suggest the importance of adequate differential diagnosis. The use of anti-depressant treatment with a subset of depressed cancer patients is also suggested.     

伴与不伴焦虑症状的难治性抑郁症临床特征的比较

目的 探讨伴焦虑症状的难治性抑郁症的临床特征.方法 将327例难治性抑郁症患者,按照17项汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD17)焦虑/躯体化因子≥7分,分为焦虑组(229例)和无焦虑组(98例),比较2组患者的人口学特征和临床特征;对伴焦虑症状的危险因素进行Logistic回归分析.结果 焦虑组平均年龄、首发年龄、HAMD17总分、汉密尔顿焦虑量表(HAMA)总分高于无焦虑组[(42.58±11.77)岁vs(36.78±11.84)岁,(34.60±11.66)岁vs(30.04±12.60)岁,(27.83±6.93)分vs(23.39±5.59)分,(21.11±6.61)分vs(13.88±4.68)分],差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).焦虑组和无焦虑组性别(男:女,OR=0.51)、有无强迫症状(OR=3.67)、未成年和成年发病的构成比(OR=0.36)的差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).年龄(OR=1.05)、HAMD17总分(OR=1.17)、有自杀观念(OR=2.70)和强迫症状(OR=4.59)与难治性抑郁症伴焦虑症状相关(P＜0.05).结论 伴焦虑症状的难治性抑郁症患者具有年龄较大、女性倾向较高、首发年龄较晚、成年发病的倾向较高、抑郁程度更严重、更可能伴强迫症状等特点;年龄、抑郁严重程度、自杀观念和强迫症状可能是难治性抑郁症伴焦虑症状的危险因素.     

Taking the measure of anxiety and depression. Validity of the reconstructed Hamilton scales

The ability of the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) to discriminate major depressive disorder (MDD) from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was studied in 120 psychiatric outpatients and cross-validated with another 71 outpatients. Factor and discriminant analyses were used to develop revised anxiety and depression scales that were less positively correlated with each other, showed greater internal consistency, and differentiated MDD and GAD better than the original scales. The recombined scales also displayed higher rates of correctly assigning the samples to these disorders than did the original scales.     

Recognizing the anxious face of depression

"Anxious depression" is used variably both by researchers and clinicians to describe admixtures of anxiety and depressive symptoms. The authors sought to determine the best model for conceptualizing anxious depression by studying a sample of depressed patients referred to a tertiary referral unit. Anxiety and depression were assessed using a comprehensive set of mixed symptoms that were subsequently refined to provide separate anxiety and depressive factors, and patients were trichotomized into groups of low, medium, and high anxiety on the basis of their total anxiety factor scores. Associations between the constructs of anxiety and depression in different depressive subgroups were explored, and the severity of depressive symptoms and other clinical variables across the three anxiety groupings was assessed. Depression variables were not linearly associated in a consistent pattern with anxiety-defined groups, arguing against a simple interdependence model driven by a higher-order variable such as depression severity. By contrast, the state anxiety categories were linked strongly with lifetime anxiety disorder prevalence, with some associations linear and with others evidencing a trend break association. The authors found support for a model of anxious depression, whereby anxiety both predisposes to nonmelancholic depression and contributes to its presentation by shaping its clinical features. Such a model and its definition assist in clarifying the cause of anxious depression and its treatment.     

Psychological characteristics of hypertensive and ulcer patients

Hypertensive and duodenal ulcer patients were compared with physically ill patients at admission and discharge on personality traits and states of anxiety and depression.Both the hypertensive and ulcer patients were less dominant and more anxious than the control group at admission, while depression differentiated only the hypertensive group. The hypertensive patients were more depressed and more anxious than the ulcer patients at admission. At discharge, both experimental groups remained less dominant than the control group and the hypertensives remained more anxious and more depressed than the ulcer and control groups. Low dominance was correlated with high blood pressure and high extrapunitiveness was correlated with E.C.G. abnormality in the hypertensive patients. The results are discussed with respect to the role of aggression and low dominance in these ‘psychosomatic’ disorders.     

Relationship between borderline personality disorder and Axis I diagnosis in severity of depression and anxiety

BACKGROUND: This study tested the hypothesis that subjects with borderline personality disorder irrespective of the presence or absence of an Axis I mood or anxiety disorder would exhibit greater severity of depression and anxiety than subjects with either a personality disorder other than borderline personality disorder or no personality disorder. METHOD: Two hundred eighty-three subjects from an outpatient psychiatry clinic were administered the following assessments: the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) for Axes I and II, the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Subjects were categorized into borderline personality disorder, other personality disorder, and no personality disorder categories and into present versus absent categories on Axis I diagnosis of depression and of anxiety. A 2-factor multiple analysis of variance compared personality disorder status and Axis I diagnosis on severity of depression by observer rating and self-report. The analysis was repeated for anxiety. RESULTS: As hypothesized, significant main effects were found for borderline personality disorder and for both depression and anxiety. Subjects with borderline personality disorder showed greater severity on both depression and anxiety rating scales than did patients with another personality disorder, who showed greater severity than did patients with no personality disorder. Axis I diagnosis was also associated with greater severity on depression or anxiety rating scales. These differences were found for both observer ratings and self-report. An interaction was also found for depression: Subjects with borderline personality disorder but without an Axis I diagnosis of depression rated themselves as more severely depressed on the Beck Depression Inventory than did subjects with another or no personality disorder who also had an Axis I diagnosis of depression. CONCLUSION: Implications from the study are discussed including the need to assess for borderline personality disorder in research studies of depression and anxiety and to integrate treatments for borderline personality disorder into depression and anxiety treatment to maximize clinical outcomes.     

Dyspnea, anxiety, and depression in chronic respiratory impairment.

In order to examine the relationship of dyspnea to anxiety and depression, the authors rated dyspnea using several methods in 50 patients with chronic respiratory impairment. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Symptom Checklist-90 and the Symptom Questionnaire. Results varied with the method of assessing dyspnea. Physician-rated dyspnea was significantly associated with patients' self-ratings of breathlessness as well as with pulmonary function tests, but not with any of the self-rating scales of emotions. Self-rated breathlessness was significantly associated with self-rated depression. In multiple regression analyses, depression was predictive of breathlessness. When the sample was limited to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the results remained the same. The patients were significantly more depressed and anxious than matched family practice patients. In the study of the complex relationship of dyspnea to physical and emotional factors, it is desirable to use more than one measure of dyspnea because the results depend in part on the method of assessment.     

The assessment of depression and anxiety in hospitalized pediatric patients

In order to objectively assess the psychological effects of hospitalization on children, it is necessary for psychiatric consultants to have available to them reliable, valid assessment tools. This study found that three interview rating scales of children's depression and anxiety did not discriminate between depressed and anxious patients hospitalized in a pediatric setting. These constructs may not be distinct from one another in pediatric populations.