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Irritability is a common symptom in several psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Brief Irritability Test (BITe) and adapt it for Korean patients with psychiatric disorders. A total of 296 patients at the Department of Psychiatry of Hanyang University Guri Hospital completed the BITe, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). We conducted correlation, internal consistency, and factor analyses. First, exploratory factor analysis indicated a single dimensionality of the BITe, and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a reasonable fit for the single-factor model (CFI=.974, TLI=.948, NFI=968, GFI=.963, RMSEA=.123, SRMR=.031). Second, the convergent validity analysis revealed a significant positive correlation with depression, anxiety, and anger, except for anger control, a sub-variable of anger. Finally, the scale had good internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88. The result proved that the K-BITe has good psychometric properties and can be a valuable tool for assessing irritability in Korean psychiatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the association between hopelessness and suicidal ideation is well-established, the specific pathways liking hopelessness and suicidal ideation remain unclear. Objective: This study examined the mediating effect of sleep quality and interpretation bias for ambiguity in the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation in psychiatric patients. A total of 231 psychiatric outpatients and inpatients completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Ambiguous/Unambiguous Situations Diary-Extended Version, and Ultra-Short Suicidal Ideation Scale. Data analysis was conducted using regression analyses and bootstrap sampling. This study showed that hopelessness directly affected suicidal ideation, and that sleep quality and interpretation bias for ambiguity mediated the association between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Moreover, there was a significant double mediating effect of sleep quality and interpretation bias for ambiguity on the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. These findings suggest the need to improve low sleep quality and interpretational bias towards ambiguity to prevent hopelessness from leading to suicidal ideation in patients with mental health disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression may lead to various problems in social function. While it has been known that impairments in social function are associated with deficits in empathy, evidence for impaired empathy in depression is heterogeneous. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of empathy in the relationship between depression and social discomfort among psychiatric patients. A total of 107 psychiatric patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, and the Social Discomfort in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 content scales. Regression analyses and the bootstrap sampling method were used for the data analyses. The results showed that not only depression positively predicted social discomfort, but also empathy significantly mediated the relationship between depression and social discomfort. The findings suggest that low empathy may significantly link depression and social discomfort. Therefore, addressing empathy in depression intervention may help prevent the development of social discomfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: This study aims to reveal the relationship of depression with growth factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in inpatients diagnosed with alcohol dependence, and to identify candidate growth factors as biological markers to indicate the comorbid of alcohol dependence and depression. Methods: This study examined demographic factors in 45 alcohol-dependent patients. The ADS (Korean version of the Alcohol Dependence Scale) and BDI (Korean version of Beck's Depression Inventory) were used. BDNF, NGF, and IGF-1 were measured through ELISA. Results: The average drinking quantity and the ADS score were significantly more severe in alcohol-dependent patients with depression than in those without depression. Linearly comparing BDNF, NGF, and IGF-1 with BDI values, IGF-1 was the growth factor significantly correlated with BDI scores. BDI scores were significantly correlated with ADS scores. IGF-1 was significantly higher in alcohol-dependent patients with depression. Alcohol-dependent patients with depression had greater alcohol use and more severe ADS scores. BDNF and NGF showed no significant difference between alcohol-dependent patients with and without depression, but IGF-1 was significantly higher in those with than in those without depression. Conclusion: IGF-1 was found to be associated with depression in alcohol-dependent patients, suggesting that IGF-1 in alcohol- dependent patients could be an important biomarker to indicate whether alcohol-dependence is accompanied by depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although individuals with high anxiety sensitivity may become easily irritable, there is insufficient information to establish a clear pathway between anxiety sensitivity and irritability. This study investigated the mediating effects of anxiety and sleep quality in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and irritability among psychiatric patients. A total of 105 psychiatric patients completed the questionnaires on anxiety sensitivity (Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3), irritability (Brief Irritability Test), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). The regression analyses and the bootstrap sampling method were conducted for the data analyses. The significant findings of this study were as follows. Firstly, anxiety sensitivity positively predicted irritability. Secondly, anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and irritability but not sleep quality. Lastly, the sequential mediating effect of anxiety and sleep quality was significant in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and irritability. These results suggest that anxiety and sleep quality should be considered in the pathway from anxiety sensitivity to irritability. Therefore, addressing anxiety and sleep quality in anxiety sensitivity intervention may help prevent the development of irritability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]