Physical symptoms,beliefs about medications,negative mood,and long-term HIV medication adherence

Background: Near-perfect levels of HIV medication adherence are necessary for treatment to be successful. However, many patients continue to report nonadherence to HIV treatment.Purpose: This study examines the relationship between symptoms of HIV and medication adherence and evaluates beliefs about HIV medications and negative mood states as potential mediators of this relationship.Methods: These relationships were tested with structural equation modeling using a 15-month longitudinal design. The ethnically diverse convenience sample included 325 HIV-infected men who have sex with men and women prescribed Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).Results: Results showed that a greater number of symptoms were associated with poorer medication adherence, and this relationship was partially mediated by increases in concerns about HAART. Contrary to expectations, negative mood states were not directly related to medication adherence. In the final model, concerns about HAART and general distrust of medications each predicted poorer HAART adherence. Necessity beliefs about HAART and level of educational attainment each predicted better adherence. The final model accounted for approximately 24% of the variance in HAART adherence.Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that Horne’s (1) necessity-concerns framework can be successfully applied to identify beliefs about medication that are important predictors of adherence to HAART over time. These findings have relevance for developing interventions to improve medication adherence among HIV-infected patients. This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (P01 MH49548 and T32 MH18917).     

Impact of medications,mood state,and electrode placement on ECT outcomes in treatment-refractory psychosis

BackgroundTreatment-refractory psychosis (TRP) is a significant clinical challenge. While clozapine is frequently effective, alternate or augmentation strategies are often necessary. Evidence supports effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but questions remain about optimal treatment parameters and impacts of concomitant pharmacotherapy.Objective/Hypothesis: To analyze the impact of clozapine, anticonvulsant medication, mood state, and ECT electrode placement on outcomes in TRP. We hypothesized that ECT would lead to greater reduction in positive symptoms, particularly in patients receiving clozapine.MethodsRetrospective study in a tertiary TRP program. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used for clinical outcomes, with positive subscore as primary outcome. Clinical and ECT data were analyzed using a linear modelling approach, controlling for relevant covariates.ResultsA total of 309 patients were included. ECT plus clozapine associated with greater improvement in positive, general, and total symptoms than ECT alone. ECT associated with greater improvement in negative symptoms in depressed patients. Bifrontal placement was mostly equivalent to bitemporal, with greater reduction of positive symptoms in patients receiving clozapine, and associated with lower electrical dose in patients on anticonvulsants. Clozapine increased seizure duration, while anticonvulsants decreased it. Anticonvulsant use in ECT patients associated with equivalent to slightly improved symptom reduction.ConclusionsECT's benefit in TRP may be greatest in patients receiving clozapine. ECT can improve negative symptoms in depressed TRP patients. Bifrontal placement is effective in TRP. Clozapine and anticonvulsants have opposite effects on seizure duration, but anticonvulsants may not adversely affect clinical outcomes of ECT for TRP.     

Modulation of antipsychotic-induced extrapyramidal side effects by medications for mood disorders

Antipsychotic drugs are widely used not only for schizophrenia, but also for mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and depression. To evaluate the interactions between antipsychotics and drugs for mood disorders in modulating extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), we examined the effects of antidepressants and mood-stabilizing drugs on haloperidol (HAL)-induced bradykinesia and catalepsy in mice and rats. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), fluoxetine and paroxetine, and the tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) clomipramine, which showed no EPS by themselves, significantly potentiated HAL-induced bradykinesia and catalepsy in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA) mirtazapine failed to augment, but rather attenuated HAL-induced bradykinesia and catalepsy. Mianserin also tended to reduce the EPS induction. In addition, neither treatment with lithium, sodium valproate nor carbamazepine potentiated HAL-induced EPS. Furthermore, treatment of animals with ritanserin (5-HT2A/2C antagonist), ondansetron (5-HT3 antagonist), and SB-258585 (5-HT6 antagonist) significantly antagonized the EPS augmentation by fluoxetine. Intrastriatal injection of ritanserin or SB-258585, but not ondansetron, also attenuated the EPS induction. The present study suggests that NaSSAs are superior to SSRIs or TCAs in combined therapy for mood disorders with antipsychotics in terms of EPS induction. In addition, 5-HT2A/2C, 5-HT3 and 5-HT6 receptors seem to be responsible for the augmentation of antipsychotic-induced EPS by serotonin reuptake inhibitors.     

Antidepressant medications v. cognitive therapy in people with depression with or without personality disorder

BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence about comorbid personality pathology in depression treatments. AIMS: To test the effects of antidepressant drugs and cognitive therapy in people with depression distinguished by the presence or absence of personality disorder. METHOD: Random assignment of 180 out-patients with depression to 16 weeks of antidepressant medication or cognitive therapy. Random assignment of medication responders to continued medication or placebo, and comparison with cognitive therapy responders over a 12-month period. RESULTS: Personality disorder status led to differential response at 16 weeks; 66% v. 44% (antidepressants v. cognitive therapy respectively) for people with personality disorder, and 49% v. 70% (antidepressants v. cognitive therapy respectively) for people without personality disorder. For people with personality disorder, sustained response rates over the 12-month follow-up were nearly identical (38%) in the prior cognitive therapy and continuation-medication treatment arms. People with personality disorder withdrawn from medication evidenced the lowest sustained response rate (6%). Despite the poor response of people with personality disorder to cognitive therapy, nearly all those who did respond sustained their response. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid personality disorder was associated with differential initial response rates and sustained response rates for two well-validated treatments for depression.     

抗抑郁剂联合心境稳定剂治疗双相障碍患者:1年随访

目的:观察抗抑郁剂联合心境稳定剂治疗双相障碍1年的结局,并评价不同疗效对双相抑郁结局的影响。方法:选择符合ICD-10双相障碍诊断标准患者,急性期进行8周抗抑郁剂和心境稳定剂联合治疗,痊愈和有效者进入1年维持治疗期。用24项汉密顿抑郁量表(HAMD)、Bech-Rafaelsen躁狂量表(BRMS)和临床疗效总评量表(CGI)评定疾病严重程度和疗效。结果:76例患者急性期治疗痊愈者53例,有效者23例。随访1年后,共43例(56.57%)维持痊愈,17例症状复发,总复发率22.36%。痊愈组36例(67.92%)仍保持痊愈,有效组7例(30.43%)达痊愈,两组差异有显著性(χ2=9.176,P=0.002)。痊愈组抑郁复发率低于有效组(3.77%vs.17.39%,χ2=4.091,P=0.045),两组转躁率差异无统计学意义(11.32%vs.21.74%;χ2=1.406,P=0.236)。生存分析显示痊愈组平均复发时间显著长于有效组[(10.06±2.14)个月vs.(9.00±3.67)个月;u=9.327,P=0.002]。结论:抗抑郁剂联合心境稳定剂治疗双相障碍抑郁发作患者1年后复发率低,急性期治疗痊愈者优于非痊愈者。     

Symptoms of disordered eating, body shape, and mood concerns in male and female Chinese medical students

Objective

This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes, body shape concerns, and social anxiety and depressive symptoms in male and female medical students in China.

Method

Four hundred eighty-seven students from Central South University (Hunan Province, Changsha City, China) completed the following self-report measures: Eating Attitudes Test-26, Eating Disorders Assessment Questionnaire, Body Shape Questionnaire, Swansea Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and the Self-Rating Depression Scale.

Results

A comparatively lower rate of at-risk eating attitudes (2.5%) and eating disorders (0.90%) were found compared to those reported in other studies. Significantly more female (3.2%) than male (1.2%) students had abnormal eating attitudes with 4 female students meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for bulimia nervosa. Significant relationships were observed between eating attitudes, body shape concern, social anxiety, depression, and body mass index. For females, the most significant correlate of distorted eating attitudes was body shape concern, whereas for male students, social anxiety and concern with muscle size and shape were most strongly correlated with distorted eating attitudes.     

Posttraumatic stress disorder in male military veterans with comorbid overweight and obesity: psychotropic, antihypertensive, and metabolic medications

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an important syndrome among military veterans. Little has been written about comorbid medical conditions of PTSD, particularly overweight and obesity. We focus on psychotropic and non-psychotropic drugs, their interactions, and metabolic issues most relevant to primary care physicians.Method: Data from the recently constituted PTSD program at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va., were retrospectively reviewed to assess the prevalence and severity of comorbid overweight and obesity in male veterans with PTSD. Also, our database allowed us to correlate various drugs used to treat hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia with body mass index (BMI).Results: The mean BMI of 157 veterans with PTSD (DSM-IV criteria) in this sample was in the obese range (30.3 ± 5.6 kg/m2). The number of drugs a given patient was taking for treatment of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia correlated with BMI. Psychotropic drugs associated with weight gain did not explain our findings.Conclusions: Overweight and obesity among our male veterans with PTSD strikingly exceeded national findings. The administration of psychotropic drugs associated with weight gain did not explain these findings. The number of medications used to treat hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia correlated significantly with BMI. Rather than these medications explaining the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in our study population, obesity probably worsened these components of the metabolic syndrome, necessitating more aggressive treatment reflected in the high number of drugs prescribed.     

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation influences mood in healthy male volunteers

The influence of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on mood in healthy people is uncertain, as former studies show divergent results. Previous studies in healthy volunteers focused exclusively on the immediate effect of a single session of rTMS. In contrast the aim of this randomised sham-controlled study was to analyse the influence on mood of a series of 9 High Frequency (HF) rTMS stimulations of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).44 young healthy male volunteers were randomly assigned to receive 9 sessions of active HF-rTMS (n = 22) or sham rTMS (n = 22) over the left DLPFC. Each session in the active group consisted of 15 trains of 25 Hz starting with 100% of motor threshold. Sham stimulation was performed following the same protocol, but using a sham coil. The variables of interest were the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and six Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) which quantified “mood”, “enjoyment” and “energy”. We found a significant reduction of the BDI sum score in the active group (GLM, p < 0.001) whereas no significant changes of the BDI sum score were caused by sham stimulation (GLM, p = 0.109). The BDI single item analyses revealed within and between group differences supporting the modifying effect of rTMS on BDI. According to the employed VAS we did not find significant differences caused by active or sham stimulation in five of six VAS. In the VAS labelled lively/gloomy the active group was found to be more “gloomy” (p = 0.0111) immediately after stimulation. Our data show that a 9-day long series of HF-rTMS of the left DLPFC improves mood, analysed by BDI in healthy young men, whereas no significant long-term changes were found in VAS.     

Nutrients,neurodevelopment, and mood

Human neurodevelopment is the result of genetic and environmental interactions. This paper examines the role of prenatal nutrition relative to psychiatric disorders and explores the relationship among nutrients, mood changes, and mood disorders. Epidemiologic studies have found that adults who were born with a normal, yet low birth weight have an increased susceptibility to diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and stroke in adulthood. Prenatal caloric malnutrition, low birth weight, and prematurity also increase the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia, affective disorders, and schizoid and antisocial personality disorders. Placebo-controlled studies in medicated patients suggest that add-on treatment with omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid, may ameliorate symptoms of major depressive disorder. Additional studies are necessary to confirm any benefits for bipolar disorders.     

Parenting and risk for mood, anxiety and substance use disorders: a study in population-based male twins

Background

Previous studies consistently identified a relationship between parenting behavior and psychopathology. In this study, we extended prior analyses performed in female twins to a large sample of twins from male–male pairs.

Methods

We used interview data on 2,609 adult male twins from a population-based twin registry. We examined the association between three retrospectively reported parenting dimensions (coldness, protectiveness, and authoritarianism) and lifetime history of seven common psychiatric and substance use disorders. Using univariate structural equation modeling, we also examined the influence of the genetic and environmental factors on parenting.

Results

Examined individually, coldness was consistently associated with risk for a broad range of adult psychopathology. Averaged odds of psychiatric disorders associated with parenting were increased between 26 and 36 %. When the three parenting dimensions were examined together, coldness remained significant for major depression, phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. Controlling for other disorders, the associations between the parenting dimensions and psychopathology were non-specific. Twin fitting model demonstrated that modest heritability accounted for parenting, whereas most variance resulted from the non-shared environment.

Conclusions

Based on our current and prior findings, there is broad similarity in the impact of parenting on adult psychopathology between men and women.     

Functional connectivity abnormalities underlying mood disturbances in male abstinent methamphetamine abusers

Anxiety and depression are the most common withdrawal symptoms of methamphetamine (METH) abuse, which further exacerbate relapse of METH abuse. To date, no effective pharmacotherapy exists for METH abuse and its withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, understanding the neuromechanism underlying METH abuse and its withdrawal symptoms is essential for developing clinical strategies and improving patient care. The aims of this study were to investigate brain network abnormalities in METH abusers (MAs) and their associations with affective symptoms. Forty‐eight male abstinent MAs and 48 age‐gender matched healthy controls were recruited and underwent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The severity of patient anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured by Hamilton anxiety and depression rating scales, which decreased across the duration of abstinence. Independent component analysis was used to investigate the brain network functional connectivity (FC) properties. Compared with healthy controls, MAs demonstrated hypo‐intra‐network FC in the cerebellar network and hyper‐intra‐network FC in the posterior salience network. A whole‐brain regression analysis revealed that FC strength of clusters located in the right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) within the ventromedial network (VMN) was associated with affective symptoms in the patients. Importantly, the intra‐network FC strength of the rACC in VMN mediated the association between abstinence duration and the severity level of affective symptoms. Our results demonstrate alterations in brain functional networks underlying METH abuse, and that the FC of rACC within VMN serve as a neural substrate in the association between abstinence length and affective symptom severity in the MAs.     

Changes in mood, craving, and sleep during short-term abstinence reported by male cocaine addicts. A controlled, residential study

We examined changes over 28 days in mood states, craving for cocaine, and sleep during short-term abstinence reported by 12 male, predominantly intravenous-using, cocaine-addicted subjects residing in a research facility. For comparison, we examined 10 nonaddicted control subjects. There were no significant differences between cocaine addicts and controls regarding demographics and selected DSM-III-R diagnoses other than psychoactive substance use disorder and antisocial personality disorder. There were significantly higher scores of psychiatric symptoms reported by cocaine addicts 1 week before admission. Mood-distress and depression scores recorded at admission and during short-term abstinence were significantly greater than those reported by controls. Addicts' mood-distress scores and craving for cocaine were greatest at admission and decreased gradually and steadily during the 28-day study. There were no significant differences between groups regarding reports of sleep other than difficulty falling asleep and clearheadedness on arising. Although there were significant differences in resting heart rate at admission and over time, there were no significant differences in weight gain or blood pressure. Given the absence of a classic "withdrawal" pattern, "short-term abstinence" may be a more appropriate classification of psychological and physical phenomena experienced by cocaine addicts who initiate abstinence in a controlled environment.     

选择性5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂类抗抑郁药对男性精液质量及生育能力的影响

选择性5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂类抗抑郁药(SSRIs)是目前临床中抑郁症和焦虑症的一线治疗药物,处方数据显示育龄男性SSRIs类抗抑郁药的使用率不断上升.然而,人们更多关注女性围生期使用此类药物的安全性,忽视对男性患者精液质量及生育能力的影响;而现有的基础和临床研究证据均提示育龄男性长期使用SSRIs类抗抑郁药对其精液参...     

Tryptophan,mood, and cognitive function

In separate experiments we investigated the duration of the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on mood and cognition. The results showed that ATD's effects consist of lowering of mood only in subjects with a family history of unipolar depression. A specific impairment of memory consolidation was seen in all subjects. In subjects without any vulnerability for mood disorders, performance on so-called 'frontal tasks,' measuring higher attentional functions tended to improve after ATD. The effects of ATD on mood and cognition were manifest as long as biochemical indices of low tryptophan remained low. In conclusion, ATD is a model for impairment of memory, next to being a model of mood disorders in vulnerable subjects. Moreover, ATD could be used as a challenge to demonstrate individual vulnerability of the serotonergic system.     

Ovarian hormones,mood and neurotransmitters

Summary

Rational drug development has come to psychiatry. Both the promise and the challenge that comes with this fact are great. One issue raised is whether to decide rationally to develop drugs with more than one mechanism of action (MOA) to improve efficacy and/or tolerability. As with any issue in science, thinking and planning will only take one so far. After that, the dice must be rolled and the results assessed. Undoubtedly, some drugs with dual or even more MOAs will prove to be desirable and others not. The question is which ones.