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Although females run greater risk for affective disorders, the greater vulnerability of women for these disorders varies with the age. The present study evaluates the lifetime incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders by age and gender in a community sample (2363 subjects; 54.6% females), representative of the general population (Sesto Fiorentino Study). Lifetime prevalence of affective disorders resulted higher in females. The age-sex pattern for affective disorders was observed only before menopause., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Accumulating evidence suggests that pregnancy does not protect women from mental illness. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, sociodemographic correlates, and the risks factors for perinatal depression and anxiety. Five hundred ninety women between 28th and the 32nd gestational weeks were recruited and submitted to a sociodemographic, obstetric, and psychological interview. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI-Y) were also administered in antenatal period and 3 months postnatally. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I) was used to diagnose mood and anxiety disorders. Three months after delivery, EPDS was administered by telephone interview. Women with an EPDS score ≥10 were 129 in antenatal period (21.9%) and 78 in postnatal period (13.2%). During pregnancy 121 women (20.5%) were positive for STAI-Y state and 149 women (25.3%) for STAI-Y trait. The most important risk factors for antenatal depression are: foreign nationality, conflictual relationship with family and partner, and lifetime psychiatric disorders. The principal risk factors for postnatal depression are: psychiatric disorders during pregnancy and artificial reproductive techniques. Psychiatric disorders, during and preceding pregnancy, are the strongest risk factors for antenatal state and trait anxiety. Antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms appear to be as common as postnatal symptoms. These results provide clinical direction suggesting that early identification and treatment of perinatal affective disorders is particularly relevant to avoid more serious consequences for mothers and child.

Background: Although lithium carbonate is widely used in the treatment of mood disorders, symptoms suggesting toxic effects on the peripheral nervous system may emerge even in subjects whose serum lithium levels remain within the recommended therapeutic range., Method: Electroneuronographic (ENG) parameters (motor nerve conduction velocity of peroneal and median nerves, sensory nerve conduction velocity of sural and median nerves, amplitude of motor potential of peroneal and median nerves, and amplitude of sensory action potential of the median nerve at the wrist and the sural nerve) were investigated in 2 groups (N = 34) of patients suffering from bipolar affective disorder (DSM-III-R, DSM-IV) undergoing maintenance treatment with lithium carbonate for at least 1 year (mean = 2.06 years) in monotherapy. For 12 patients, ENG results were compared with pretreatment values, whereas in the other 22 cases, only data relevant to posttreatment were available. Fifty-four healthy subjects and 20 patients with recurrent major affective disorder (unipolar and bipolar) never treated with lithium made up the comparison groups., Results: Compared with the 2 comparison groups, patients on chronic lithium treatment showed significant reduction of motor nerve conduction velocity of peroneal and median nerves, sensory nerve conduction velocity of sural and median nerves, amplitude of motor potential of peroneal and median nerves, and amplitude of sensory action potential of the median nerve at the wrist and the sural nerve. The comparison with the assessment made prior to lithium treatment also showed significant changes; after a period of treatment with lithium varying from 2 to 8 years (mean = 5.2 years), significant reductions were found on motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity and on amplitude motor potentials and sensory action potentials., Conclusion: Chronic maintenance treatment with lithium affects the peripheral nerves, even if the impairment rarely is such as to warrant discontinuation of treatment. Monitoring of ENG results could be useful for the early detection of neurotoxicity of lithium.

Current classification systems (ICD-10 and DSM-IV) require a quantitative criterion for differentiating depressive states, suggesting a correlation between the number of symptoms, i.e., the pervasiveness of the syndrome, and the subtype of the illness. All the symptoms (within those contained in the diagnostic lists) are assumed to have comparable value. To investigate the relevance of the number and the type of symptoms reported by 196 patients suffering from depression, we compared the symptoms using independent indicators of severity such as the Clinical Global Index (CGI) and the social functioning subscale of the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). A second comparison using the same indicators was made between qualitatively distinct categories of DSM-IV and ICD-10 (i.e., melancholic v nonmelancholic, somatic v nonsomatic, and psychotic v nonpsychotic). There was evidence that increasing numbers of symptoms actually reflect higher levels of severity, but the categorizations that were mainly based on qualitative criteria (e.g., melancholia, somatic syndrome, etc.) usually attained better discrimination compared with those based on the number of symptoms. Moreover, certain symptoms (usually those indicated as endogenous) were more likely to be associated with greater severity and pervasiveness. Finally, the results clearly showed that different symptoms had different weight in establishing the gradient of severity.

Objective: To estimate the rates and patterns of major depression and bipolar disorder based on cross-national epidemiologic surveys., Design and Setting: Population-based epidemiologic studies using similar methods from 10 countries: the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, France, West Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Taiwan, Korea, and New Zealand., Participants: Approximately 38000 community subjects., Outcome Measures: Rates, demographics, and age at onset of major depression and bipolar disorder. Symptom profiles, comorbidity, and marital status with major depression., Results: The lifetime rates for major depression vary widely across countries, ranging from 1.5 cases per 100 adults in the sample in Taiwan to 19.0 cases per 100 adults in Beirut. The annual rates ranged from 0.8 cases per 100 adults in Taiwan to 5.8 cases per 100 adults in New Zealand. The mean age at onset shows less variation (range, 24.8-34.8 years). In every country, the rates of major depression were higher for women than men. By contrast, the lifetime rates of bipolar disorder are more consistent across countries (0.3/100 in Taiwan to 1.5/100 in New Zealand); the sex ratios are nearly equal; and the age at first onset is earlier (average, 6 years) than the onset of major depression. Insomnia and loss of energy occurred in most persons with major depression at each site. Persons with major depression were also at increased risk for comorbidity with substance abuse and anxiety disorders at all sites. Persons who were separated or divorced had significantly higher rates of major depression than married persons in most of the countries, and the risk was somewhat greater for divorced or separated men than women in most countries., Conclusions: There are striking similarities across countries in patterns of major depression and of bipolar disorder. The differences in rates for major depression across countries suggest that cultural differences or different risk factors affect the expression of the disorder.

An eight-week double-blind, multicentre study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sertraline vs. fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression (DSM-III-R). There were 108 out-patients, from nine Italian centres, entered into the study, of whom 88 were evaluable (48 sertraline, 40 fluoxetine). The final mean daily dose of sertraline was 72 mg and for fluoxetine it was 28 mg. Both treatment groups showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline at one week, and this was maintained until the end of treatment for all of the following measures: Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impressions Scale, Zung Self-Rating Scale for Anxiety and the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. Although there was a numerical advantage for sertraline on several efficacy measures, there was no statistically significant difference found between the treatment groups. The incidence of adverse events was similar for both treatments; 40.4% for sertraline and 39.3% for fluoxetine. However, adverse events were generally rated by patients as of lower severity in the sertraline group. In addition, for the fluoxetine group, there was a higher incidence of agitation, anxiety and insomnia than for sertraline. Sertraline was considered to be better tolerated than fluoxetine overall, since only 9.6% of sertraline-treated patients discontinued treatment due to therapy failure whereas in the fluoxetine-treated group this figure was 19.6%. By contrast, 13.5% of sertraline-treated patients discontinued prematurely because of clinical improvement, compared with 10.7% of fluoxetine-treated patients.

The incidence of traumatic events during the first ten years of life was investigated in two groups of patients suffering from major affective disorder, as well as in mixed psychiatric patients and in healthy subjects. While there were no significant differences between the two groups of affective patients or between the two control groups, the incidence of subjects who underwent such trauma was significantly higher in depressives, compared with controls. These differences are small and are further reduced if events secondary to psychiatric disturbances of family members are excluded.

The ward behavior of 29 inpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and that of six mixed psychiatric patients was studied by means of an observational method derived from ethological techniques. By these means the occurrence of a wide variety of behaviors was monitored. Depressives before treatment differed from the same group after 4 week of treatment on several items: eye contact, exploration of the environment, verbal communication, and all social behaviors increased, whereas crying, nonsocial behaviors, and pathological behaviors decreased. The same behavioral categories distinguished depressed patients in baseline conditions from controls. When depressives were divided into responders and nonresponders on the basis of their Hamilton scores, behavior differences were notable only in the responders. Some behavioral patterns, such as the rate of social behaviors, were related to personality traits, which were assessed by means of the Maudsley Personality Inventory. Finally, some behavioral categories bore some weak, though significant, relationships to the Hamilton Rating Scale. The above results seem to indicate that a behavior pattern specific to depressive psychopathology does exist and closely resembles the one identified by the classical clinical description of depression. Ethological assessment may therefore be a useful tool in psychiatry, as it can evaluate the clinical picture in a different frame of reference from psychiatric interviews.

Intravenous clomipramine and oral clomipramine at a daily dose of 2 mg/kg body weight were compared in a double-blind study of 40 inpatients with primary depressive illness. No significant differences between the two routes of clomipramine administration were found, either in response or in side effects. Steady state was not attained at the 4th week of treatment in 30% of patients. However, combined plasma levels of clomipramine (CI) plus desmethylclomipramine (DMCI) were similar in the two groups at all stages of treatment. The only significant pharmacokinetic difference that was found was in the ratio of DMCI to CI, which was higher among the patients who received the drug orally, but this did not correlate with clinical response. Conversely, Day 28 plasma concentrations of CI, DMCI, and the sum CI + DMCI were significantly related to clinical outcome in the patients treated orally. Among the patients who received the drug intravenously only CI was significantly associated with the percentage reduction of symptoms. By pooling the two groups, CI, DMCI, and their sum all bore relationships to clinical response significant at the 0.01 level.

The plasma levels of clomipramine (CI) and its major metabolite desmethylclomipramine (DMCI) may be related to clinical response during treatment of depression. Not all workers have been able to demonstrate such a relationship. The many factors which may affect clinical response include sample selection, assessment and its quantification and kinetic factors. A further investigation into the relationship between plasma levels and response was, therefore, carried out taking these into account and attempting to control them. Sixty-two patients with depressive illness were included. The plasma levels of CI + DMCI as measured on the 28th day of treatment were correlated against clinical response at the time. Patients with the highest combined plasma levels showed the best response. Patients with intermediate plasma levels showed more modest response, whilst lowest plasma levels tended to be shown by patients who exhibited an inadequate response or who relapsed during subsequent outpatient follow-up. The threshold value for satisfactory antidepressant effect appeared to be a combined CI + DMCI plasma level of 160-200 mg/ml.

Of 101 patients suffering from primary unipolar depression who were followed up for at least 1 year after recovery from the index episode, 51 relapsed into a new depressive episode within the year of recovery. Only those variables related to the period immediately after discharge distinguished nonrelapsers from relapsers; relapsers showed higher levels of residual symptoms, inferior social adaptation, a more pathological mean personality profile, and lower tricyclic plasma levels, despite similar dosage. The data are consistent with the hypothesis of an incomplete recovery from the index episode as a risk factor for relapse within 1 year.

Viqualine dihydrochloride is a new molecule, which possesses strong serotonin reuptake inhibition properties and, at the same time, diazepam-like actions, such as [3H]-diazepam-binding inhibition and antipunishment effect. The drug was administered double-blindly to 10 patients suffering from major depression resistant to previous treatments with tricyclics. The comparison group (10 patients) received placebo. Lorazepam (10 mg/day) was also given to both groups. Viqualine proved to be significantly superior to placebo in the 4th week of treatment on all the three rating scales which were used. Tolerability of viqualine was good both objectively and on subjective grounds.

Six depression rating scales (RS) (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI; Zung Self-Rating Scale, SDS; Visual Analogue Scale, VAS; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HRSD; Wechsler Depression Rating Scale; Bunney and Hamburg Rating Scale, BHRS) were administered to the same 100 depressed patients and compared as regards ease of use, reliability, distribution, and validity. Separate factor analyses carried out on the items of the single scales showed considerably different factorial structures, thus revealing that different concepts of depression are at the basis of the various scales. These differences suggest that comparison of results derived by the use of different scales must be regarded with caution.