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Objective. Binge eating disorder is a serious, prevalent eating disorder that is associated with overweight. Zonisamide is an antiepileptic drug that can promote weight loss. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of zonisamide as augmentation to individual cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of binge eating disorder patients. Design: controlled open study. Participants: Twenty four threshold and subthreshold binge eating disorder patients were enrolled in the cognitive behavioral therapy treatment group, and 28 patients in the cognitive behavioral therapy plus zonisamide group. Measurements: At the beginning (T0), at the end (T1) of treatment, and one year after the end of treatment (T2), body mass index was measured and Eating Disorder Examination- Questionnaire, Binge Eating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered. Results. At T1 the cognitive behavioral therapy plus zonisamide group showed a higher mean reduction of body mass index, Eating Disorder Examination- Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Binge Eating Scale scores. At T2, the cognitive behavior therapy group regained weight, while the cognitive behavioral therapy plus zonisamide group reduced their body mass and showed a higher reduction in binge eating frequency and Binge Eating Scale, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Restraint, and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory scores. Conclusion. The zonisamide augmentation to individual cognitive behavior therapy can improve the treatment of binge eating disorder patients, reducing body weight and the number of binge eating episodes. These results are maintained one year after the end of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim of the Work: The aim of the current study was to explore under-considered psychosocial needs for lymphoma cancer group. A model of the role of psychosocial factors and Stressful Life Events was operationalized., Method: We used Discriminant Analysis to test predictive power of the model. 103 oncological patients (gender: 42.7 % vs 49.3 % of females 55.2 ±15.6 vs 53.7±14.9) were matched with 140healthy control groups in the study. The following instruments were utilized to conduct the study: the Florence Psychiatric Interview, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Beck Depression Inventory I, and Sense of Mastery., Results: The model satisfied the assumption criteria and were significant (Ʌ= .665, χ2= 105.83, p< .001)., Conclusion: Stressful events, depression and anxiety were adequate markers of the psychological status of lymphoma patients. Our results point out the relevance of taking into account psychosocial factors in hematology.

Objective: Current nosology redefined agoraphobia as an autonomous diagnosis distinct from panic disorder. We investigated the lifetime prevalence of agoraphobia, its association with other mental disorders, and its impact on the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL)., Methods: Community survey in 2,338 randomly selected adult subjects. Participants were interviewed with the Advanced Neuropsychiatric Tools and Assessment Schedule (ANTAS), administered by clinicians. The diagnoses were based on the ICD-10 criteria. The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) was used to quantify HR-QoL., Results: In the sample, 35 subjects met the criteria for agoraphobia (1.5%), with greater prevalence among women (2.0%) than men (0.9%): odds ratio (OR) 2.23; 95% CI: 1.0-5-2. Agoraphobia was more often seen among those with (n=26; 1.1%) than without (n=9; 0.4%) panic disorder: OR=8.3; 2.9-24.4. Co-morbidity with other mental disorders was substantial. The mean score of SF-12 in people with agoraphobia was 35.2±7.8, with similar levels of HR-QoL in people with (35.3±7.9) or without (34.8±7.3) panic disorder: ANOVA: F(1;33)=0.0; p=1.00., Conclusion: One out of seventy people may suffer from agoraphobia in their lifetime. The attributable burden in terms of HR-QoL is substantial and comparable to the one observed for chronic mental disorders such as major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background and Aim of the Work: Psychosocial needs in cancer patients seem to be underestimated and undertreated. The present research was designed to explore under-considered psychosocial needs (e.g., stressful life events, perceived social support, sense of mastery and depressive/anxious symptoms) of a female cancer group. The aim of the study was to test an assessment psycho-oncological model for female cancer patients. An assessment model of psychosocial needs and Stressful Life Events was operationalized and tests its predictive power., Methods: We used Discriminant Analysis to test predictive power of the model and of the single variables included in it. 236 oncological patients (mean age 55.50 ± 13.09) were matched with 232 healthy control groups in the study. The following instruments were chosen: the Florence Psychiatric Interview, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Beck Depression Inventory I, and Sense of Mastery., Results: The model satisfied the assumption criteria and was significant (Ʌ= .680, X2 = 109.73, p< .001)., Conclusions: Stressful events, depression and anxiety were adequate markers of the assessment psycho-oncological model proposed for female cancer patients. The present study provides contributions in a clinical perspective: the results support the relevance of considering an assessment psychosocial model to use in female oncology for an accurate estimation of the women's needs. Women affected by female cancer with an history of Stressful Early and Recent life events and high level of anxiety and depression could positively benefit from a psychotherapy treatment.

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most reported diagnoses in psychiatry, but there is some discrepancy between the cases identified in community studies and those identified in tertiary care. This study set out to evaluate whether the use of clinicians as interviewers may provide estimates in a community survey close to those observed in primary or specialized care., Methods: This is a community survey on a randomly selected sample of 2338 adult subjects. The Advanced Neuropsychiatric Tools and Assessment Schedule (ANTAS) was administered by clinicians, providing lifetime diagnosis based on the DSM-IV-TR. Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) was measured with the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12)., Results: Overall, 55 (2.3%) subjects met the criteria for GAD, with greater prevalence in women (3.6%) than in men (0.9%): OR = 4.02; 95%CI: 1.96-8.26. Up to 40% of those with GAD had at least another diagnosis of mood, anxiety, or eating disorders. The mean score of SF-12 in people with GAD was 32.33 ± 6.8, with a higher attributable burden than in other conditions except for major depressive disorder., Conclusions: We found a relatively lower lifetime prevalence of GAD than in community surveys based on lay interviewers and a structured interview. The identified cases of GAD showed a strong impact on the quality of life regardless of co-morbidity and high risk in women, suggesting a profile similar to the one identified from studies in primary and specialized care.

Background: The impact of the comorbidity between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Bipolar Disorder Spectrum (BDS) remains to be clarified. The objective of this study was to examine the lifetime prevalence of OCD, the strength of the association of OCD with comorbid BDS and the role of comorbidity of OCD with BDS in the impairment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in an Italian community survey. Methods: The study is a community survey. The sample ( N = 2,267; women: 55.3%) was randomly selected after stratification by sex and four age groups from the municipal records of the adult population of one urban, one suburban, and at least one rural area in six Italian regions. Physicians using a semi-structured interview (Advanced Tools and Neuropsychiatric Assessment Schedule, ANTAS-SCID) made Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th revision (DSM-IV) diagnoses of OCD, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar Disorder (BD). HR-QoL was measured by the Health Survey Short Form (SF-12). Lifetime Hypomania and subthreshold hypomania were screened by the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). BDS was defined as the sum of people shown to be positive for hypomania by the MDQ-with or without a mood disorder diagnosis-plus people with a BD-DSMIV diagnosis even if negative for hypomania at the MDQ. Results: Overall, 44 subjects were diagnosed with OCD, 6 with MDD and 1 with BD. The lifetime prevalence of OCD was 1.8% in men ( n = 18) and 2.0% in women ( n = 26). MDD with lifetime subthreshold hypomania (i.e., people screened positive at the MDQ, even without diagnosed mania or hypomania at the interview) was associated with OCD (OR = 18.15, CI 95% 2.45-103.67); MDD without subthreshold hypomania (and screened negative at the MDQ) was not (OR = 2.33, CI 95% 0.69-7.01). People with BDS were strongly associated with OCD (OR = 10.5, CI 95% 4.90-12.16,). People with OCD and BDS showed significantly poorer HR-QoL than people with OCD without BDS ( F = 9.492; P < 0.003). Discussion: The study found a strong association between BDS and OCD. BDS comorbid with OCD was associated with more severe impairment of HR-QoL than OCD without comorbid BDS. Identification of symptoms of hypomania, including subthreshold symptoms, may therefore be important in people with OCD as they might predict a course with poorer HR-QoL., (Copyright © 2020 Carta, Fineberg, Moro, Preti, Romano, Balestrieri, Caraci, Dell'Osso, Disciascio, Drago, Hardoy, Roncone, Minerba, Faravelli and Angst.)

Introduction: The aim of the study was to measure the lifetime prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among women of an Italian community sample, the comorbidity of PTSD with mood and anxiety disorders and the burden attributable to PTSD in worsening the Quality of Life (QoL)., Methods: Community survey on a sample of 1961 adult women randomly selected. Tools: psychiatric clinical interview ANTAS partially derived from the SCID-DSM-IV, administered by psychologists or medical doctors; Short Form Health Survey (SF-12); Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)., Results: Lifetime prevalence of PTSD in women was 1.3%, (1.4% in<45 years aged, 1.3% in >44 years aged; p=0.8). In order of risk of comorbidity, PTSD was associated with: Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (MDQ+), Panic Disorders (PD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). People with PTSD showed an SF-12 mean score lower than women of the same sample without PTSD (standardized by gender and age), with a mean difference (attributable burden) of 3.9±0.9 similarly to MDD and Eating Disorders and higher than PD. Among the analyzed nonpsychiatric diseases, Multiple Sclerosis and Carotid Atherosclerosis showed a higher burden in impairing QoL than PTSD; Wilson's Disease showed a similar burden and Celiac Disease was found less impairing on QoL than PTSD., Conclusion: The attributable burden in worsening women' perceived QoL due to a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD was found comparable to those caused by MDD, Eating Disorders or by neurological condition such as Wilson's Disease. The comorbidity of PTSD with Bipolar Spectrum Disorders was remarkable, even further studies are needed to clarify the direction of causality.

Introduction: The study aimed to see if a community survey conducted by clinical interviewers with semi-structured psychiatric interviews shows lifetime prevalence rates of Specific Phobia (SP) similar to those found by surveys carried out by lay interviewers and if the high level of impairment found in SP may be confirmed., Methods: This is a community survey on an Italian nationwide sample randomly selected from registers of municipalities. Tools: semi-structured ANTAS psychiatric interview derived from the SCID-DSM-IV, carried out by clinicians (psychologists or physicians); Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) as a measure of Quality of Life (QoL). Analyses: means of the χ 2 test odds ratios were adopted to test several associations regarding SP prevalence. One-way ANOVA was used to compare different groups on attributable burden due to SP and/or other disorders in worsening QoL., Results: The lifetime prevalence of SP was 2.3%. No difference was found by age class. Females showed more than twice the frequency of males ( p <0.0001). The disorders showing the closest association with SP were: social phobia (OR=17.53); general anxiety disorder (OR=11.57); anorexia (OR=11.13) and agoraphobia (OR=10.03), but also obsessive compulsive disorders (OR=8.8), eating disorders (OR=7.2), panic disorder (OR=5.9), post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=5.8), and major depressive disorder (OR=4.8) presented an association that achieved statistical significance. The QoL of people with SP and at least one disorder of anxiety, mood or eating in comorbidity, measured as a score at SF12, was worse than controls without SP ( p <0.001) but that of people with SP without co-morbidity was not ( p = 0.809)., Conclusion: An epidemiological study conducted by clinical interviewers through semi-structured interviews appears to re-dimension the impact of SP, at least from the public health perspective. Future prospective studies will better clarify the role of SP in the context of anxiety disorders.

Objectives: To examine depression and suicidal behaviour and associated factors in a sample of medical students in Portugal., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study design of 456 native Portuguese medical students from the 4 th and 5 th year at the University of Lisbon. Participants answered a self-report survey including questions on demographic and clinical variables. Statistical analyses were conducted using the chi-square test, with a Monte Carlo simulation when appropriate., Results: Depression among medical students was 6.1% (n=28) and suicidal behaviour 3.9% (n=18). Higher depression scores were noted in female medical students (χ 2 =4.870,df=2,p=0.027), students who lived alone (χ 2 =8.491,df=3,p=0.037), those with poor physical health (χ 2 =48.269,df=2,p<0.001), with poor economic status (χ 2 =8.579,df=2,p=0.014), students with a psychiatric diagnosis (χ 2 =44.846,df=1,p=0.009), students with a family history of psychiatric disorders (χ 2 =5.284,df=1,p=0.022) and students with high levels of anxiety (χ 2 =104.8, df=3, p<0.001).  Depression scores were also higher in students with suicidal ideation (χ 2 =85.0,df=1,p<0.001), suicidal plan (χ 2 =47.9,df=1,p<0.001) and suicidal attempt (χ 2 =19.2,df=1,p<0.001). Suicidal behaviour was higher in medical students who lived alone (χ 2 =16.936,df=3,p=0.001), who had poor physical health (χ 2 =18,929,df=2,p=0.001), poor economic status (χ 2 =9.181,df=2,p=0.01), who are/were in psychopharmacology treatment (χ 2 =30.108,df =1,p<0.001), and who had high alcohol use (χ 2 =7.547,df=2,p=0.023), severe depression (χ 2 =88.875,df=3,p<0.001) and high anxiety levels (χ 2 =50.343,df=3,p<0.001). The results also revealed that there were no differences between students in the 4 th and 5 th years of medical school regarding rate of depression and suicidal behaviour., Conclusions: Since depression and suicidal behaviour are mental health problems affecting a significant proportion of medical students, medical schools should implement programs that promote mental health wellness, physical health and economic status between other factors.

Integrated multi-element psychosocial interventions have been suggested to improve the outcomes of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, but they have been studied primarily in experimental settings and in nonepidemiologically representative samples. Thus, we performed a cluster-randomized controlled trial, comparing an integrated multi-element psychosocial intervention, comprising cognitive behavioral therapy, family intervention, and case management, with treatment as usual (TAU) for FEP patients in 117 community mental health centers (CMHCs) in a large area of northern Italy (10 million inhabitants). The randomized units (clusters) were the CMHCs, and the units of observation the patients (and, when available, their family members). The primary hypotheses were that add-on multicomponent intervention: (1) results in greater improvements in symptoms, as assessed with positive and negative syndrome scale and (2) reduces in-hospital stay, based on days of hospitalization over the 9-month follow-up. Four hundred and forty-four FEP patients received the intervention or TAU and were assessed at baseline and 9 months. Based on the retention rates of patients (and families) in the experimental arm, multi-element psychosocial interventions can be implemented in routine mental health services. Regarding primary outcomes, patients in the experimental arm showed greater reductions in overall symptom severity, while no difference could be found for days of hospitalization. Among the secondary outcomes, greater improvements were detected in the experimental arm for global functioning, emotional well-being, and subjective burden of delusions. No difference could be found for service disengagement and subjective burden of auditory hallucinations. These findings support feasibility and effectiveness of early interventions for psychosis in generalist mental health services., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.)

Purpose: Weight loss surgery efficacy has been demonstrated for morbid obesity. Different outcomes have been hypothesized, according to specific bariatric surgery interventions and psychological characteristics of obese patients. The present study compared three different surgery procedures, namely laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD), in terms of weight loss efficacy and psychological outcomes., Methods: Eighty-three subjects seeking bariatric surgery have been evaluated before and 12 months after surgery intervention, by means of a clinical interview and different self-reported questionnaires, including Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Emotional Eating Scale, Binge Eating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Symptom Checklist and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory., Results: BPD group (26 subjects) showed the greatest weight loss, followed by RYGB (30 subjects), and LAGB group (27 subjects). All the treatments were associated with a significant improvement of anxiety, depression, and general psychopathology, and a similar pattern of reduction of binge eating symptomatology. BPD group reported a greater reduction of eating disorder psychopathology, compared to the other groups. Pre-treatment emotional eating severity was found to be a significant outcome modifier for the three treatment interventions., Conclusions: These results suggest that all the three types of bariatric surgery significantly improved psychopathology and eating disordered behaviors. They also support the importance of a pre-treatment careful psychological assessment in order to supervise the post-surgical outcome.

Purpose: To compare the psychopathological characteristics of obese patients seeking bariatric surgery with those seeking a medical approach., Methods: A total of 394 consecutive outpatients seeking bariatric surgery were compared with 683 outpatients seeking a medical treatment. All patients were referred to the same institution., Results: Obesity surgery patients reported higher body mass index (BMI), objective/subjective binging and more severe general psychopathology, while obesity medical patients showed more eating and body shape concerns. Depression was associated with higher BMI among obesity surgery clinic patients, whereas eating-specific psychopathology was associated with higher BMI and objective binge-eating frequency among obesity medical clinic patients., Conclusions: Patients seeking bariatric surgery showed different psychopathological features compared with those seeking a non-surgical approach. This suggests the importance for clinicians to consider that patients could seek bariatric surgery on the basis of the severity of the psychological distress associated with their morbid obesity, rather than criteria only based on clinical indication.

Introduction. Cerebral blood flow has been well studied in patients with panic disorder, but only few studies analyzed the mechanisms underlying the onset of a panic attack. The aim of the present study was to monitor the cerebral hemodynamics modifications during a panic attack. Materials and Methods. 10 panic disorder patients with recent onset, fully drug naïve, were compared to 13 patients with panic disorder with a previous history of treatment and to 14 controls. A continuous bilateral monitoring of mean flow velocities in right and left middle cerebral arteries was performed by transcranial Doppler. Clomipramine was chosen as challenge. Results. Eight out of 10 patients drug naïve and 6 control subjects out of 13 had a full blown panic attack during the test, whereas none of the patients with a history of treatment panicked. The occurrence of a panic attack was accompanied by a rapid decrease of flow velocities in both right and left middle cerebral arteries. Discussion. The bilateral acute decrease of mean flow velocity during a panic attack suggests the vasoconstriction of the microcirculation of deep brain structures perfused by middle cerebral arteries and involved in the so-called "fear circuitry," thus suggesting that cerebral homeostatic dysfunctions seem to have a key role in the onset of a panic attack.

Purpose: Body mass index has been often reported in the normal range in bulimic patients and the literature considering the association between bulimia nervosa (BN) and overweight is scant. The aim of the present study was to compare two groups of normal and overweight BN patients, carefully assessed for several clinical and psychopathological features., Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, a consecutive series of 124 female BN patients was divided into two groups according to their BMI: normal-weight group (with BMI ≤25; N = 91) and overweight group (with BMI >25; N = 33). The two clinical groups were evaluated and compared, to detect similarities and differences in terms of psychopathological and clinical features. Patients were assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, the Emotional Eating Scale, the Body Uneasiness Test and the Symptom Checklist 90., Results: A relevant percentage of BN clinical patients were overweight. Normal-weight and overweight subjects did not differ in terms of eating disorder-specific psychopathology, with the exception of body uneasiness, which was higher in BN overweight patients. Among normal-weight patients, a significant correlation between emotional eating and binge eating frequency was observed, while this correlation was absent in BN overweight patients., Conclusions: Our results stress the relevance of being overweight in a significant percentage of bulimic subjects and suggest that clinicians should be aware of the relevance of being overweight in these patients.

Aim: Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is used as an option in patients with diabetes failing to multiple daily injections (MDI). Psychological factors may play a relevant role in the failure to attain therapeutic goals in patients on MDI. This could lead to an overrepresentation of psychopathology in patients treated with CSII., Methods: A consecutive series of 100 patients with type 1 diabetes was studied, collecting main clinical parameters and assessing psychopathology with the self-reported questionnaire Symptom Checklist 90-revised. Patients on CSII were then compared with those on MDI., Results: Of the 100 enrolled patients, 44 and 56 were on CSII and MDI, respectively. Among men, those on CSII were younger than those on MDI; conversely, no difference in age was observed in women. Women on CSII showed higher scores on most Symptom Checklist 90 subscales than those on MDI, whereas no differences were observed in men., Conclusion: Women with type 1 diabetes treated with CSII display higher levels of psychopathology than those on MDI. This is probably the consequence of the fact that patients selected for CSII are those failing to MDI. Higher levels of psychopathology could represent a limit for the attainment and maintenance of therapeutic goals with CSII.

Purpose: Eating disorders (EDs) are an important cause of physical morbidity and psychosocial impairment, and eating disordered patients have a worse quality of life than peers. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new self-report instrument, the Eating Disorders Well Being Questionnaire (EDwell), a measure of eating disorders-related quality of life, which takes into consideration not only the intensity, but also the subjective relevance of physical and psychosocial distress., Methods: The questionnaire was administered to 120 eating disordered patients and 60 healthy controls. Patients underwent a psychopathological and clinical evaluation. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and psychopathological correlates were evaluated. All patients were also administered the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE12.0D) and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF36). A factor analysis was performed to verify the distribution of items into subscales., Results: EDwell showed good test-retest reliability and internal consistency. EDwell scores significantly correlated with EDE12.0D total and subscale scores. A significant correlation was also found between several EDwell and SF36 scores. Factor analysis identified three factors: Perfectionism/Control, Loneliness/Avoidance, Social Functioning., Conclusions: The EDwell questionnaire is a feasible and reliable measure of the specific impact of Eating Disorders psychopathology on quality of life.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common of all mental disorders and their pathogenesis is a major topic in psychiatry, both for prevention and treatment. Early stressful life events and alterations of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis function seem to have a significant role in the onset of anxiety. Existing data appear to support the mediating effect of the HPA axis between childhood traumata and posttraumatic stress disorder. Findings on the HPA axis activity at baseline and after stimuli in panic disordered patients are inconclusive, even if stressful life events may have a triggering function in the development of this disorder. Data on the relationship between stress, HPA axis functioning and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are scarce and discordant, but an increased activity of the HPA axis is reported in OCD patients. Moreover, normal basal cortisol levels and hyper-responsiveness of the adrenal cortex during a psychosocial stressor are observed in social phobics. Finally, abnormal HPA axis activity has also been observed in generalized anxiety disordered patients. While several hypothesis have attempted to explain these findings over time, currently the most widely accepted theory is that early stressful life events may provoke alterations of the stress response and thus of the HPA axis, that can endure during adulthood, predisposing individuals to develop psychopathology. All theories are reviewed and the authors conclude that childhood life events and HPA abnormalities may be specifically and transnosographically related to all anxiety disorders, as well as, more broadly, to all psychiatric disorders.

Background: The purpose of this population-based study is to examine the association between subjective quality of life and rural/urban residence in six Italian regions, including age and gender into the analysis., Study Design: community survey., Study Population: Samples stratified according to sex and age, drawn from municipal records., Sample Size: 4999 people 18 years and older, from seven communities within six regions of Italy., Tools: Ad-hoc form to assess basic demographic data; SF-12. Interviewers were trained psychologists or medical doctors., Results: 3398 subjects were interviewed (68% of recruited sample). The mean score of SF-12 in the overall sample was 38.4±6.1, SF-12 was higher in men than in in women (38.4±6.1 vs 37.5±5.9 F=99.18, df 1, 3396, 3397, p<0.0001); SF-12 score decreased from the youngest to the oldest age group, with significant differences between all ages groups; men showed higher scores in all age groups. The urban/rural difference of mean scores of SF-12 did not achieve statistical significance in women. Young men with urban residence had higher SF-12 scores than their counterparts with rural residence. Maen aged 65 years and older with rural residence showed, by contrast, higher scores than men from the same age group with urban residence., Conclusions: Men show a higher subjective quality of life than women. Subjective quality of life decreases with age in both genders.Men are more sensitive to urban/rural residence than women.Young men live better in cities, elderly men better in rural areas.

The present article focused on the problem of validity, reliability and specificity of psychiatric diagnoses.The authors moved by the concept of syndrome, defined by Sydenham in the 18th century as a constellation of several interrelated symptoms, showing a stable, characteristic structure and a peculiar prognosis, in order to analyse the peculiarity of the current psychiatric nosology. In our opinion, the current nosographic system based on DSM-IV criteria, prevents psychiatry from benefiting of the significant technological progress that has led the rest of medical sciences to important clinical achievements in the last 20 years. The case of Generalized Anxiety Disorder was taken as an example of a disease characterized by unstable diagnostic criteria, high rate of comorbidity and uncertain boundaries. An analysis of the data from the Sesto Fiorentino study was performed to investigate the presence of common mood and anxiety symptoms across the most represented DSM IV diagnoses, in order to evaluate the specificity of these symptoms.The results supported the hypothesis of a low specificity of these symptoms, suggesting the need for psychiatry to find new and more specific markers and instruments.

Background: To determine the use of antidepressants (ADs) in people with sub-threshold depression (SD); the lifetime prevalence of mania and hypomania in SD and the link between ADs use, bipolarity and anxiety disorders in SD., Study Design: community survey., Study Population: samples randomly drawn, after stratification from the adult population of municipal records., Sample Size: 4999 people from seven areas within six Italian regions. Tools: Questionnaire on psychotropic drug consumption, prescription; Structured Clinical Interview NP for DSM-IV modified (ANTAS); Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D); Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ); Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). SD definition: HAM-D > 10 without lifetime diagnosis of Depressive Episode (DE)., Results: SD point prevalence is 5.0%. The lifetime prevalence of mania and hypomania episodes in SD is 7.3%. Benzodiazepines (BDZ) consumption in SD is 24.1%, followed by ADs (19.7%). In SD, positive for MDQ and comorbidity with Panic Disorder (PD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) are associated with ADs use, whereas the association between a positive MDQ and ADs use, without a diagnosis of PD or GAD, is not significant. Only in people with DE the well-being (SF-12) is higher among those using first-line antidepressants compared to those not using any medication. In people with SD no significant differences were found in terms of SF-12 score according to drug use., Conclusions: This study suggests caution in prescribing ADs to people with SD. In people with concomitant anxiety disorders and SD, it should be mandatory to perform a well-designed assessment and evaluate the presence of previous manic or hypomanic symptoms prior to prescribing ADs.

Background: The increased use of antidepressant drugs (ADs) improved the response to the needs of care although some community surveys have shown that subjects without lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (anxiety/depression) used ADs., Objectives: To evaluate the appropriateness and amount of prescription of psychotropic drugs in people with lifetime diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) by means of community survey with a semi-structured interview as a diagnostic instrument, administered by clinicians., Study Design: community survey., Study Population: samples randomly drawn, after stratification from the adult population of municipal records., Sample Size: 4.999 people were drawn in 7 centres of 6 Italian regions., Tools: questionnaire on psychotropic drug consumption, prescription, health services utilization; Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV modified (ANTAS); Training: interviewers were trained psychologists or medical doctors., Results: 3.398 subjects were interviewed (68% of the recruited sample). The lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV MDD was 4.3% in males and 11.5% in females; antidepressant drugs were taken by 4.7% of subjects, 2.9% male and 5.9% female. 38% of males and 57% of females with lifetime diagnosis of MDD were taking ADs., Conclusions: Compared with studies using lay interviewers and structured tools the prevalence of the MDD was quite lower; ADs use was higher and tallied well with the data regarding antidepressant sales in Italy; the correspondence between lifetime diagnosis of MDD and ADs use was closer.

Although the prevalence of fully expressed Eating Disorders is rare in young children, childhood eating disturbances are fairly common. Parents can play a facilitating role for the development of overweight and eating problems among their children. The aim of this study is to detect the possible relationships between children's eating attitudes and behaviour and the parents' beliefs about eating habits and body shape of their offspring.This survey was conducted in the area of Arezzo (Italy), on 900 children, aged 7-12, and on their parents/substitute caregivers. The Kids' Eating Disorder Survey questionnaire, and the CIBUS questionnaire were administered. A fully expressed Eating Disorder was diagnosed in two kids only. KEDS total score and weight/dissatisfaction subscale score positively correlated with parents' answers to the following CIBUS' items (How do you consider the body shape of your son/daughter? How much does your son/daughter eats? Have you ever thought of putting your son/daughter on a diet?). Positive correlations between the children BMI, desired BMI and the aforementioned CIBUS' items were found.The prevalence of formal Eating Disorders in children aged 7-12 is low. Children appear to be more preoccupied with their weight than with their body shape. Parents' beliefs about the offspring's body shape and eating habits have a relevant impact on children's eating attitudes and behaviour.

Background: Most of the adult mental disorders have their origins early in life. As the epidemiology of childhood psychiatric disorder in Italy has not been extensively investigated, we have evaluated the prevalence of mental disorders and their association with socio-familiar variables in a representative sample of children aged 6 to 11., Method: The study was conducted on a school- sample of 1028 children, aged 6 to 11, attending 12 primary schools in Florence (Italy). The diagnoses were made according to DSM IV diagnostic criteria, integrated by the description of each symptom, using specially trained teachers as lay-interviewers. Odds ratios with 95% C.I. chi squares and a stepwise binary logistic analysis have been performed., Results: Nine hundred ninety nine children (506 males; 493 females) were studied. Of them, 10.5% received a psychiatric diagnosis, with a higher prevalence in males (66.7% vs.33.3, p<0.01). The most prevalent groups of mental disorders were the behavioural/impulse control (7.2%) and anxiety (6.4%) disorders. Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder was the most represented diagnosis (5.6% of the children). All the other mental disorders were relatively rare, with only separation anxiety and overanxious disorder exceeding 1% prevalence. Male gender, organic disease, having mother divorced, not present or dead, attending school full-time, cohabitation in the family were associated with an increased risk for any childhood mental disorder., Conclusions: About one in ten children aged 6-11 suffers from a mental disorder. Male gender, loss of mother and lower socio-economic status are associated with mental disorders in children. Further long-term prospective studies are needed, in order to clarify the epidemiological and psychopathological relationships between childhood and adult mental disorders.