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The suicide of a loved one can be a traumatic experience. The objective of this study was to investigate trauma-related experiences of suicide survivors. This is a qualitative study with people who had recently lost a family member or a close one to suicide, conducted at least two months after the event. Forty-one participants agreed to take part in the study and were interviewed. The interviewees' perception was that suicide brought harm, symptoms, and suffering. Traumatic experiences can begin immediately after the event, with many reporting symptoms lasting many months and persistent impact, both personal and to the family. Postvention models after suicide should incorporate such findings, and investigate trauma consistently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the moderating effects of diagnosis and gender on the influence of age on the outcome of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The study included adult inpatients who underwent ECT for acute mental illness and analyzed the relationship between age, diagnosis, gender, and remission. The results showed that age alone was not a significant predictor of remission, but when diagnosis and gender were taken into account, older age predicted a higher likelihood of nonremission. The study suggests that diagnosis and gender may be important factors to consider when examining the relationship between age and ECT outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

In this report, we aim to assess the interaction of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with the evolution of social roles, economic classification, and substance misuse in emerging adults. This is a longitudinal populationbased study (n = 231 at baseline), in which participants were reassessed at a mean of 5 years after baseline. A structured clinical interview was used to diagnose the participants with bipolar disorder and major depression; a control group without mood disorders was included. Men with mood disorders were less likely to be married in the beginning of the study and less likely to work in the follow-up. Women with major depression were less likely to study and more likely to be in a lower economic class at the beginning of the study. In comparison, women with bipolar disorder were less likely to live with their parents and more likely to live with their children in the first wave of the study. Substance misuse was more likely in people with mood disorders, especially in men, and women with bipolar disorder had the highest likelihood in the follow-up. Albeit longitudinal analyses were limited by a possibly insufficient sample size and mediating mechanisms for change, such as stigma, were not explored, the study suggests sex-related specificities regarding the change in social roles and substance use in people with mood disorders. Emerging adults, especially those with mood disorders, are in a period of change and instability and at a greater risk for substance use and abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is commonly indicated for refractory psychiatric disorders. However, little research has compared response across diagnoses. Here, we aimed to evaluate the relative impact of diagnosis and clinical staging as response predictors in a crossdiagnostic sample. Methods: In a retrospective cohort of adult inpatients (n=287) who underwent at least six sessions of ECT, we investigated predictors of complete response (a clinical global impression of 1) to ECT. We use adjusted regression models to estimate the impact of clinical diagnosis and staging on complete response and dominance analysis to assess the relative importance of these predictors. Results: Those for whom a depressive episode was a primary indication for treatment were the most likely to have complete improvement, while those with psychosis were the least likely; clinical stage had a significant influence on outcome in all diagnoses. A diagnosis of psychosis was the strongest predictor of non-response. Conclusions: A diagnosis of psychosis (mainly schizophrenia) was the strongest predictor of nonresponse. We also found that clinical staging can aggregate information on ECT response that is independent of clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: At least 50% of individuals with bipolar disorder have a lifetime anxiety disorder. Individuals with both bipolar disorder and a co-occurring anxiety disorder experience longer illness duration, greater illness severity, and poorer treatment response. The study explored whether comorbid lifetime anxiety in bipolar patients moderates psychotherapy treatment outcome. Method: In the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy for bipolar depression, participants received up to 30 sessions of intensive psychotherapy (family-focused therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy) or collaborative care, a three- session comparison treatment, plus pharmacotherapy. Using the number needed to treat, we computed effect sizes to analyze the relationship between lifetime anxiety disorders and rates of recovery across treatment groups after 1 year. Results: A total of 269 patients (113 women) with a comorbid lifetime anxiety disorder (N=177) or without a comorbid lifetime anxiety disorder (N=92) were included in the analysis. Participants with a lifetime anxiety disorder were more likely to recover with psychotherapy than with collaborative care (66% compared with 49% recovered over 1 year; number needed to treat5.88, small to medium effect). For patients without a lifetime anxiety disorder, there was no difference between rates of recovery in psychotherapy compared with collaborative care (64% compared with 62% recovered; number needed to treat=50, small effect). Participants with one lifetime anxiety disorder were likely to benefit from intensive psychotherapy compared with collaborative care (84% compared with 53% recovered; number needed to treat=3.22, medium to large effect), whereas patients with multiple anxiety disorders exhibited no difference in response to the two treatments (54% compared with 46% recovered; number needed to treat=12.5, small effect). Conclusions: Depressed patients with bipolar disorder and comorbid anxiety may be in particular need of additional psychotherapy for treating acute depression. These results need to be replicated in studies that stratify bipolar patients to treatments based on their anxiety comorbidity status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic toxicity is a relevant dimension of pathophysiology in bipolar disorder, and oxidative damage is one potential link between central and peripheral pathology. Although there is mounting evidence that chronic bipolar disorder is associated with oxidative stress, studies in the early stages of bipolar disorder are scarce, and heavily reliant on clinical in lieu of population studies. The objective of this study was to confirm leading hypotheses about the role of oxidative damage in bipolar disorder. To that end, we nested a case-control study in a population-based study of young adults aged 18–24 yr. After an initial psychopathology screen, all people with a lifetime history of (hypo)mania and matched controls underwent a structured diagnostic interview. This yielded a sample of 231 participants, in whom we measured serum protein carbonyl content (PCC) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). People with bipolar disorder had higher PCC levels than healthy subjects. Those with major depression were not different from control subjects in either PCC or TBARS levels. Both bipolar disorder and major depression were associated with higher PCC levels in the a priori regression model controlling for possible confounders. These findings indicate that protein oxidative damage is present from early stages and can be seen as a sign of early illness activity in mood disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The use of clinical staging models is emerging as a novel and useful paradigm for diagnosing severe mental disorders. The term "neuroprogression" has been used to define the pathological reorganization of the central nervous system along the course of severe mental disorders. In bipolar disorder (BD), neural substrate reactivity is changed by repeated mood episodes, promoting a brain rewiring that leads to an increased vulnerability to life stress. Method: A search in the PubMed database was performed with the following terms: "staging", "neuroprogression", "serum", "plasma", "blood", "neuroimaging", "PET scan", "fMRI", "neurotrophins", "inflammatory markers" and "oxidative stress markers", which were individually crossed with "cognition", "functionality", "response to treatments" and "bipolar disorder". The inclusion criteria comprised original papers in the English language. Abstracts from scientific meetings were not included. Results: We divided the results according to the available evidence of serum biomarkers as potential mediators of neuroprogression, with brain imaging, cognition, functioning and response to treatments considered as consequences. Conclusion: The challenge in BD treatment is translating the knowledge of neuronal plasticity and neurobiology into clinical practice. Neuroprogression and staging can have important clinical implications, given that early and late stages of the disorder appear to present different biological features and therefore may require different treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest declared concerning the publication of this article.

This study is aimed at assessing changes in functioning among young people from the general population with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder over a period of five years. Specifically, we hypothesized that significant illness progression would take place during euthymia over time in bipolar disorder. We conducted a longitudinal study with 231 people, assessed at baseline and again at a five-year follow-up. A structured clinical interview was used to diagnose participants with mood disorders. A control group without mood disorders was also included. Functioning was assessed with the Functioning Assessment Short Test, and linear mixed models were used to analyze the effect of psychopathology on change in functioning. Mood disorders were associated with significant functional impairment, but functioning significantly improved in both groups over the 5-year follow-up period. Depressive episodes, however, were associated with worse functioning at follow-up, independently of depression severity. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, we found a worsening of functioning in a five-year period associated only with depressive episodes. This suggests that interventions focused on the prevention of mood episodes early in the course of illness may be particularly promising to reduce adverse functioning outcomes., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Eliciting a generalized seizure is essential to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but there is still a need to understand how patient and session variables interact to generate a seizure of adequate quality. Here, we investigate factors associated with motor seizure length as a measure of quality in a large database of patients who underwent ECT., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort including data from all adult inpatients who underwent ECT at a university hospital in Brazil from 2009 to 2015. We used linear mixed models to investigate the effects of patient, session, and medication on seizure length., Results: Session information was available for 387 patients, a total of 3544 sessions and 4167 individual stimulations. Multiple stimulations were necessary in 12.4% of sessions. Median seizure length was 30 seconds. Seizure length was directly correlated with stimulus dosage and inversely correlated with the session number, patient age, prescription of anticonvulsants in the day before and β-blockers during the session, and the thiopental dose. Use of benzodiazepines was not associated with a shorter seizure duration, irrespective of dose., Conclusions: We demonstrate here how motor seizure length evolves during a course of ECT. With a large number of sessions, we are able to integrate a host of factors in a prediction model. Seizure quality was influenced by a number of the studied factors, many of which are potentially modifiable and could be assessed before initiating and handled during treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures to report., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to compare the global functioning and cognitive performance in a community sample of young adults with mood disorders versus community controls. This was a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort study with a community sample. Data was collected from February 2012 to June 2014; specifically, at a mean of five years after the first phase, all young adults were invited to participate in a re-evaluation. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - PLUS (MINI-PLUS) was used for the diagnosis of mood disorders. The Functional Assessment Short Test (FAST) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were used to assess the global functioning, and cognitive performance, respectively. Were included 1258 subjects. Functional impairment was greater in subjects with bipolar disorder when compared to community controls, and there were no differences between major depressive disorder and community controls. There were no significant differences in cognitive performance between young adults with mood disorders when compared to community controls. Functional impairment is a marker for bipolar disorder in young adults; however, gross cognitive impairment assessed by a screening test is not, possibly because cognition is impaired in more advanced stages of the disorder., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To assess the functional impairment of young adults with bipolar disorder with substance abuse/dependence comorbidity., Method: Cross-sectional study within a community sample. Bipolar Disorder was assessed by qualified psychologists using The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - PLUS (MINI-PLUS). Substance abuse and dependence was assessed using the "Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test" (ASSIST). Functional impairment was assessed using the Functional Assessment Short Test (FAST)., Results: The sample included 1259 young adults. The prevalence of Bipolar Disorder (BD) without Substance Abuse/Dependence (SAD) comorbidity was 5.9% (n=74), and the prevalence of bipolar disorder with substance abuse/dependence comorbidity was 1.4% (n=17). Both groups showed higher impairment in overall functioning, interpersonal relationship, and leisure time as compared to controls. In addition, BD+SAD showed higher impairment in the cognitive functioning domain of FAST., Limitation: A battery of neuropsychological tests was not performed., Conclusion: Functional impairment is associated with BD, independently of substance abuse or dependence. In addition, BD+SAD present a more severe impairment in the cognitive domain of FAST as compared to controls., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies highlight the presence of systemic toxicity as an integral dimension of bipolar disorder pathophysiology, possibly linking this mood disorder with other medical conditions and comorbidities. This review summarizes recent findings on possible peripheral biomarkers of illness activity, with a focus on neurotrophins, inflammation and oxidative stress. The possible mechanisms underlying the systemic toxicity associated with acute episodes in bipolar disorder are also discussed. Finally, the authors outline novel therapies that emerge from this new research and the assessment of multiple biomarkers as a potential approach to improving management strategies in bipolar disorder.

Purpose of Review: Literature published over the past few years indicates that bipolar disorder has an inflammatory component but does not explicitly define bipolar disorder as an inflammatory or a noninflammatory condition., Recent Findings: Recent studies have shown that bipolar disorder involves microglial activation and alterations in peripheral cytokines and have pointed to the efficacy of adjunctive anti-inflammatory therapies in bipolar depression., Summary: The presence of active microglia and increased proinflammatory cytokines in bipolar disorder suggests an important role of inflammatory components in the pathophysiology of the disease, as well as a possible link between neuroinflammation and peripheral toxicity.

Objectives: The objective of this report is to evaluate functioning in bipolar disorder in a population-based sample of young adults (18 to 24 years old). To this end, people with bipolar disorder were compared with matched participants with only depressive episodes and control subjects without a history of mood episodes., Methods: Case-control study nested in a population-based sample. Caseness was confirmed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. The Functioning Assessment Short Test was used as a measure of general functioning. A multivariate model was elaborated to account for potential confounders., Results: The sample consisted of 231 subjects. Both bipolar disorder (coef=0.60, SE=0.14, p<0.001) and major depression (coef=0.44, SE=0.14, p=0.001) were associated with functioning in the multivariate model. Current depressive symptoms appeared to influence functioning in those with major depression (Z=2.05, p=0.04), but not in those with bipolar disorder (Z=0.78, p=0.43)., Limitation: Neuropsychological testing was not performed and we see it as an important limitation of this study., Conclusion: This population-based study further reinforces the notion that functional impairment is a fundamental characteristic of bipolar illness. It is present from early stages and is not completely explained by mood symptoms., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The use of crack cocaine is a major public health concern in Brazil and internationally. Recent data suggest that childhood trauma is associated with worse outcomes among cocaine users. This study had the objective of evaluating the relationship of childhood trauma with executive functioning and impulsivity in outpatients with crack cocaine use disorders., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 84 consecutive outpatients with a primary crack cocaine use disorder who sought treatment in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Childhood trauma was evaluated with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; executive functioning, with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; and impulsivity, with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale., Results: Childhood trauma was strongly associated with executive dysfunction and impulsivity, even when controlled for possible confounders., Conclusions: Childhood trauma may be associated with executive dysfunction and impulsivity in crack cocaine users. The full impact of trauma needs to be further investigated in longitudinal studies., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Although depressive symptoms have been consistently associated with lower quality of life and increased disability in bipolar disorder, their relation to manic symptoms is not as clear cut. A great overlap between these outcomes complicates the understanding of how they cluster together. We used exploratory factor analysis to clarify the relation between these constructs. We consecutively recruited 320 patients with bipolar disorder, and interviewers rated the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales, the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). The self-rated Sheehan Disability Scale and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaires were also collected. Two distinct and large dimensions emerged. Depression and anxiety, along with the self-rated scales, loaded in the first factor, whereas the YMRS, the GAF, and the CGI loaded in the second. These findings imply that evaluating self- and observer-rated outcomes may make up for a more thorough evaluation because each conveys unique illness information.

Background: Anxiety morbidity in general is frequent and harmful in bipolar disorder. Little is known, however, whether obsessive-compulsive comorbidity entails particular effects. This report aims to evaluate the prevalence and impact of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) comorbidity in a relatively large clinical sample of bipolar disorder, with other lifetime anxiety comorbidities used as a more rigorous control group., Methods: A cross-sectional study in a consecutive clinical sample, with anxiety comorbidity derived from the intake Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, was conducted. Anxiety was assessed with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. The Young Mania Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were used to assess (hypo)manic and depressive symptoms. The domains of the WHOQOL BREF were used to evaluate quality of life., Results: Lifetime prevalence of OCD comorbidity was 12.4%. No cases of OCD were detected during mania. Compared with subjects with no anxiety comorbidity, those with lifetime OCD were more likely to have a history of suicide attempts, rapid cycling, and alcohol dependence. Patients with OCD had a lower score on all domains of the WHOQOL. Compared with those with other lifetime anxiety disorders, those with OCD had more anxiety, which mediated a lower WHOQOL social domain., Conclusions: Bipolar disorder patients with obsessive-compulsive comorbidity have a number of indicators of an overall more severe illness. The presence of more anxiety symptoms and a lower social quality of life may be more specific features of the bipolar-OCD comorbidity., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by frequent recurrence, incomplete recovery, cognitive dysfunction and poor functioning. Impairment lingers in the interepisodic period and mechanisms leading to this dysfunctional state are not fully comprehended. To our knowledge the association of biological rhythm dysfunction with functioning in BD has not been assessed directly. The objective of this study was to measure and quantify the impact of rhythm dysfunction on interepisodic functioning in BD. We also tested the association between executive functioning and sleep and rhythm problems. Eighty-one outpatients with BD and 79 matched control subjects were consecutively recruited. Functional impairment was assessed with the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and biological rhythms with the Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN). A subsample had their executive functioning assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Patients and control subjects were well matched. Functioning and rhythm scores were correlated in patients and control subjects. The BRIAN score was the strongest predictor of functioning in the regression model. Biological rhythms partially mediated the impairment associated with bipolar disorder. The rhythm score was also associated with executive functioning. Biological rhythm dysfunction was a potent predictor of functioning in interepisodic patients with bipolar disorder; it may also mediate much of the disorder-induced disability. These results further the notion that biological rhythms may be interesting targets for diverse interventions aiming to improve functioning and prevent relapse in interepisodic bipolar disorder., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)