Showing papers on "Depression (differential diagnoses) published in 1988"

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Working Case Definition

Abstract: The chronic Epstein-Barr virus syndrome is a poorly defined symptom complex characterized primarily by chronic or recurrent debilitating fatigue and various combinations of other symptoms, including sore throat, lymph node pain and tenderness, headache, myalgia, and arthralgias. Although the syndrome has received recent attention, and has been diagnosed in many patients, the chronic Epstein-Barr virus syndrome has not been defined consistently. Despite the name of the syndrome, both the diagnostic value of Epstein-Barr virus serologic tests and the proposed causal relationship between Epstein-Barr virus infection and patients who have been diagnosed with the chronic Epstein-Barr virus syndrome remain doubtful. We propose a new name for the chronic Epstein-Barr virus syndrome--the chronic fatigue syndrome--that more accurately describes this symptom complex as a syndrome of unknown cause characterized primarily by chronic fatigue. We also present a working definition for the chronic fatigue syndrome designed to improve the comparability and reproducibility of clinical research and epidemiologic studies, and to provide a rational basis for evaluating patients who have chronic fatigue of undetermined cause.

Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract: • Fatigue is a frequent symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) that can interfere with a patient's daily functioning. The cause of MS fatigue, its clinical characteristics, and its relationship to other symptoms remain poorly understood. Structured interviews were conducted with 32 patients with MS and 33 normal healthy adults. Fatigue proved to be both more frequent and more severe among the patients with MS. Multiple sclerosis fatigue was unrelated to either depression or global impairment. Multiple sclerosis fatigue appears to be a distinct clinical entity, often disabling, that can be distinguished from normal fatigue, affective disturbance, and neurologic impairment.

The Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Patients With Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

Abstract: A survey evaluated the lifetime and current prevalence of mental disorders in 501 patients seeking assistance with alcohol and other drug problems at an addiction research and treatment facility. Information was gathered using the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) and computer diagnoses were generated according to DSM-III criteria. Four fifths (78%) of the sample had a DIS lifetime psychiatric disorder in addition to substance use, and two thirds (65%) had a current DIS mental disorder. Excluding the unreliably diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder, the most common lifetime disorders were antisocial personality disorder, phobias, psychosexual dysfunctions, major depression, and dysthymia. Patients who abused both alcohol and other drugs were the most psychiatrically impaired. Patients with DIS psychiatric disorders had more severe alcohol and other drug problems. Barbiturate/sedative/hypnotic, amphetamine, and alcohol abusers were the most likely to have a DIS mental disorder.

Chronic fatigue in primary care. Prevalence, patient characteristics, and outcome.

Abstract: Although fatigue is one of the most common complaints in ambulatory care, research has been minimal Of the 1159 consecutive patients surveyed in two adult primary-care clinics, 276 (24%) indicated that fatigue was a major problem Fatigue was more prevalent in women than in men (28% vs 19%) Extensive clinical, laboratory, psychometric, and functional data were gathered for 102 fatigued patients and 26 controls Laboratory testing was not useful in detecting unsuspected medical conditions or in determining the cause of fatigue Depression or somatic anxiety or both were suggested by screening psychometric instruments in 82 fatigued patients (80%) compared with three controls (12%) Global dysfunction was marked, as reported by patients on the Sickness Impact Profile The mean score on the Sickness Impact Profile of 113 for fatigued patients is similar to that reported for patients with major medical illnesses After one year of follow-up, only 29 fatigued patients (28%) had improved The high prevalence, persistence, and functional consequences of fatigue mandate a search for effective therapy ( JAMA 1988;260:929-934)

Physical disability and depression: a longitudinal analysis.

Abstract: Based on a large and representative sample of physically disabled persons resident in the community, this paper considers the association between disability and risk for depression and examines the relevance of stress process variables in accounting for variations in depression. Using two waves of data spaced four years apart, we demonstrate that the disabled are at dramatically elevated risk for depressive symptoms and that this high level of depression characterizes both men and women of all ages. Longitudinal analyses show eventful stress, chronic strain, mastery, and social support to be significant determinants of depression in this population. Only the effects of mastery and social support, however, are clearly observable within all age groups.

The Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in a Primary Care Practice

Abstract: • Using a two-stage case identification process, patients from a rural primary care practice were assessed for psychiatric disorders (Research Diagnostic Criteria [RDC] categories) over a 15-month period. The prevalence of all psychiatric disorders was 26.5%; 10.0% were specific RDC depressive disorders, and 5.3% were disorders without depression, usually anxiety related. Another 11.2% of patients were thought to have a disorder with significant depressive symptomatology that could not be classified into a specific depressive disorder category, a finding that suggests restricted usefulness of specialty-based categories for the range of clinical presentations in primary care. The relationship of demographic variables to specific disorders was examined; there were age, sex, and marital status differences in the rates for certain disorders, although these findings need replication using large patient samples. The prevalence findings emphasize the need for research on outcome and treatment response for depression presentations in primary care.

Changes in depression among abstinent alcoholics.

Abstract: The rate and pattern of change in depressive symptoms among male primary alcoholics (no preexisting major psychiatric disorder) were studied throughout inpatient treatment for alcoholism. A sample of 191 alcoholics was interviewed with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale within 48 hours of admission and again at each of the 4 weeks of treatment. Results indicate that 42% of alcoholics have clinically significant levels of depression (Hamilton greater than or equal to 20) at intake but only 6% remain clinically depressed at Week 4. Depressive symptoms of alcoholics abate quickly with the largest reduction in scores at Week 2. Mood related symptoms constitute the largest portion of presenting depression and abate most rapidly. Vegetative symptoms remain the most prevalent type of depressive symptom at discharge. Results suggest that antidepressant medication should not be considered prior to 4 weeks of abstinence.

Chronic pain and depression: toward a cognitive-behavioral mediation model

Abstract: Although considerable attention has recently been devoted to explaining why depression is a frequent concomitant of chronic pain, little empirical work has been conducted to test predictions based on these models. The present study was designed to test a cognitive-behavioral mediation model of pain and depression that proposes perceived reduction in instrumental activities along with a decline in perceptions of control and personal mastery are necessary prerequisites for the development of depressive symptomatology in pain patients. According to this model, in contrast to alternative models, the presence of pain is not sufficient condition for the subsequent development of depression. This model was tested and confirmed through the application of structural modeling with latent variables. Specifically, the direct link between pain and depression was found to be non-significant, however, measures of perceived life interference and self-control were found to be significant intervening variables between pain and depression. These results provide the first empirical demonstration that psychological mediators may be involved in the development of depression secondary to chronic pain. The findings of this study are contrasted with single-factor models that postulate both chronic pain and depression as resulting from a common cause.

The psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract: The authors used a semistructured interview administered to primary family caregivers to assess the prevalence and nature of psychiatric pathology in 175 well-diagnosed community-residing Alzheimer's disease patients. Symptoms that are indicative of depression in the cognitively intact were virtually ubiquitous in this demented population. A variety of psychotic features were also regularly reported. The implications of these findings for the recognition and treatment of reversible psychiatric impairment are discussed.

Depression in Elderly Hospitalized Patients With Medical Illness

Abstract: • Depressive symptoms and disorders were identified by structured psychiatric interview in 130 consecutively admitted male inpatients aged 70 years and over. Major depression was found in 11.5% and other depressive syndromes in 23%. While depressive symptoms and syndromes are common among the medically ill, this study demonstrated the need for careful diagnostic assessment of older patients with depressive symptoms before initiating treatment that may itself convey significant risk. Sociodemographic and health characteristics of older men at higher risk for depression were also identified. Patients more likely to be depressed were over age 75 years, had less formal education, experienced cognitive dysfunction, suffered from more severe medical illness (particularly recent myocardial infarction), and had a history of psychiatric illness. Depressive symptoms were also common among patients with renal or neurologic diseases, those having a family history of psychiatric illness, the unmarried, and the more severely disabled. Given the impact of depression on recovery from medical illness, compliance with medical therapy, and costs of extended hospital stays, detection and treatment of this disorder are imperative. (Arch Intern Med1988;148:1929-1936)

Depression in rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract: Operationalized diagnostic criteria for depression were used to assess 137 (76% male, 24% female) patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Forty-two percent met criteria for some form of depression. Discriminant function analysis revealed a significant relationship between the presence or history of depression and higher levels of pain, but not between current depression and common indicators of RA activity or severity. These results suggest that depression is a frequent disorder among persons with RA. The importance of patient appraisal of disease and assessment of repeated depressive episodes is discussed. Attention to specific interventions for depression in conjunction with the treatment of the RA is suggested.

Predictors of dropout and outcome in cognitive therapy for depression in a private practice setting

Abstract: The efficacy of cognitive therapy was examined for 70 depressed private practice patients. Although these patients had a broader range of psychopathology than patients in controlled outcome studies of cognitive therapy, they had comparably large reductions in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Patients who completed treatment had an average reduction in BDI scores of 65.5%. Initial BDI scores, endogenous symptoms, compliance with homework, and the interaction between homework and initial BDI scores were statistically significant predictors of end-of-treatment BDI scores. The squared correlation between the observed end-of-treatment BDI scores and the estimated expected value was .81. Controlling for other factors, patients who did homework improved three times as much as those who did not. The effect of homework was substantially larger for patients with high initial BDI scores; thus, studies that include only patients with high initial BDI scores may overstate the importance of homework on a general population. In spite of significant improvement, 50% of patients terminated treatment prematurely, premature termination was most likely in patients with personality disorders, high initial BDI scores, and no endogeneous symptoms.

The epidemiology of dysthymia in five communities: rates, risks, comorbidity, and treatment.

Abstract: Data from a survey of five U.S. communities showed that dysthymia affected approximately 3% of the adult population. It was more common in women under age 65, unmarried persons, and young persons with low income and was associated with greater use of general health and psychiatric services and psychotropic drugs. Dysthymia had a high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression; only about 25%-30% of cases occur over a lifetime in the absence of other psychiatric disorders. The findings suggest that although the onset and highest risk periods of major depression and bipolar disorder are in young adulthood, a residual state of dysthymia occurs in middle and old age.

A longitudinal study of the psychosocial impact of stroke on primary support persons.

Abstract: We investigated longitudinally the effects of a stroke on the social support systems and well-being of the patient's primary support person, both acutely and as the condition stabilized. Individuals who had suffered a first stroke and a primary support person participated in two waves of data collection, carried out in 6-month intervals beginning 7 weeks after the stroke. Our data show that the prevalence of depressive symptoms is from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 times higher than rates found among representative samples of middle-aged and elderly populations. Mean level of depression did not change over time, although level of optimism declined significantly. Multiple regression analyses showed that levels of depression and perceived burden in support persons are highly related to aspects of the stroke such as its severity, and that demographic variables such as age and income play a relatively minor role in attenuating these relations in the acute adjustment phase. However, from 7 to 9 months after the stroke, well-established demographic variables such as health, income, and age were significant predictors of depression. Individuals who were older and who had good health and higher incomes were least depressed.

Self-Rated Depression Scales and Screening for Major Depression in the Older Hospitalized Patient with Medical Illness

Abstract: Until now, no self-rated depression scale had been validated as a screening measure for major depression in the older patient hospitalized with medical illness. The present report establishes the validity of two brief, easily administered depression screening tests, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Brief Carroll Depression Rating Scale (BCDRS), in this population. Structured psychiatric interviews were performed and self-rated depression measures administered to 128 men, aged 70 and over, consecutively admitted to medical and neurological services of a VA hospital. The GDS and BCDRS were both shown to have high sensitivity and specificity for detecting major depression in this setting. Optimal cut-off scores determined by the receiver operating curve characteristics of these tests were 11 for the GDS and 6 for the BCDRS. At a cutoff score of 11, the GDS had a sensitivity of 92%, a specificity of 89%, and a negative predictive value of 99%; lowering the break point to 8 did not increase sensitivity. At a cutoff score of 6, the BCDRS achieved a 100% sensitivity, 93% specificity, and 100% negative predictive value. Whether clinicians decide to implement either of these depression screens in their practice will depend to a large degree on the importance ascribed to the detection of these disorders and on attitudes toward the benefits of treatment.

Depression in Adults With Diabetes: Results of 5-yr Follow-Up Study

Abstract: Little is known about the course of affective illnesses in patients with diabetes or in other physically ill patients. We report a follow-up study of 37 diabetic adults with major depression (according to DSM-III), 28 (76%) of whom were located and reinterviewed 5 yr after the index evaluations. At follow-up, 18 (64%) of the 28 depressed patients had experienced an episode of major depression within the previous 12 mo; 12 of these patients satisfied diagnostic criteria for depression at the time of reevaluation. The 18 patients with recurrent depression had a mean of 4.2 depressive episodes over the 5-yr period. An additional 4 patients met criteria for current dysthymic disorder, bringing the number to 22 (79%) of the total patients ill with affective disorder during the 5-yr follow-up period. In contrast, the likelihood of symptomatic affective disorder was only 10% over the same follow-up period in a comparison group of diabetic subjects without depression at the index evaluation (P less than .001). Occurrence of depressive episodes appeared independent of diabetes complications because both the depressed and comparison groups had similar rates of neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy. These data suggest that the natural course of depression in diabetes is malevolent, possibly more so than depression in the medically well.

Prevalence of major depression, simple phobia, and other psychiatric disorders in patients with long-standing type I diabetes mellitus.

Abstract: • To examine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients with long-standing type I diabetes mellitus, we assessed a series of candidates for pancreas transplantation. Using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, six-month and lifetime prevalences of psychiatric disorders were established for the candidates and their potential donors (first-degree relatives). Excluding tobacco use disorder and psychosexual dysfunction, 38 diabetic subjects (51%) received one or more psychiatric diagnoses. The lifetime prevalence of major depression was comparable for female (11 of 48 [22.9%]) and male (seven of 27 [25.9%]) diabetics; both rates were significantly higher than rates in first-degree relatives and the general population. Among female diabetics, the six-month and lifetime prevalences of simple phobia were increased vs donors and the general population; among male diabetics, the lifetime prevalence of antisocial personality disorder was greater than that in the general population. None of these disorders was found to be related to the duration of diabetes or the presence of various complications. The data suggest that increased rates of psychiatric disorder in type I diabetics have both gender-independent and gender-related components.

Increased mortality rates in late-life depression.

Abstract: Physical illness at referral and subsequent mortality were studied in a group of elderly patients with depression, and compared with age/sex-matched controls. The depressed group was significantly less well at first interview, and had a significantly higher 4-year mortality. When the effect of physical illness was controlled, the depressed patients (particularly the men) still had a significantly higher 4-year mortality, suggesting that the greater mortality in the depressed group was not due to differences in physical health alone.

Prospective study of aetiological factors in burning mouth syndrome.

Abstract: A prospective study of 150 consecutive patients with burning mouth syndrome and with a minimum follow up period of 18 months is reported. Factors related to dentures, to vitamin B complex deficiency, and to psychological abnormalities were found to be important, and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, reduced salivary gland function, haematological deficiencies, candidal infection, parafunctional habits, and allergy might also play a part. Given a protocol for management which takes all these factors into account, some two thirds of patients can be cured or have their symptoms improved.

The Long-Term Outcome of Depressive Illness

Abstract: One hundred and forty-five patients with primary depressive illness admitted to a university hospital between 1966 and 1970 were followed up an average of 15 years later. Adequate data were obtained on 133 (92%) of the 145. During the follow-up period, 7% of the 133 had suicided, 12% had remained incapacitated by illness and only 20% had remained continuously well. Patients for whom the index admission was not their first were especially likely to be readmitted during the follow-up period. Patients with endogenous depression, none of whom developed schizophrenia during the follow-up period, were more likely to need readmission than patients with an index diagnosis of neurotic depression. In all other respects the prognosis for the two types of depression was the same, with considerable morbidity evident in both.

Comparison of mania and depression after brain injury: causal factors

Abstract: Patients who developed secondary mania after brain injury (N = 17) had a significantly greater frequency of injury to right hemisphere areas connected with the limbic system than poststroke patients with major depression (N = 31), who had injury primarily in the left frontal cortex and basal ganglia. For patients without mood disturbance after brain injury (N = 28), the location of the lesion was not significant. Secondary mania patients also had a significantly greater frequency of family history of affective disorder than did the other two groups. These results suggest that an interaction between injury to certain areas of the right hemisphere and genetic factors or other neuropathological conditions produces secondary mania.

Parental loss in childhood: Its effect in adult life.

Abstract: While parental loss in childhood has intrigued psychiatrists for most of this century, it has only recently been the subject of acceptable empiric research. Early psychoanalytic writers were preoccupied with the psychological significance of the traumatic loss itself and noted that depression specifically was the likely outcome. Bowlby,1however, suggested that a range of disorders, including depression, anxiety, and antisocial personality, may be associated with childhood loss; there are now many empiric studies that seem to support this. Bowlby2further defined what he believed to be the toxic element of childhood loss, moving the emphasis toward the disruption of the ongoing attachment to the parent. Later Rutter3,4concluded that separation from a parent and subsequent loss of attachment in itself is not the critical factor. It is increasingly apparent that parental separation or loss in childhood can embrace a range of other adverse experiences, and it may

Association between anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.

Abstract: The relationship between anxiety and depression was examined in a sample of 106 children and adolescents referred to an outpatient anxiety disorder clinic for children. Twenty-eight percent of patients with DSM-III diagnoses of anxiety disorders displayed a concurrent major depression. Children with anxiety disorders plus major depression were found (1) to be older, (2) to demonstrate more severe anxiety symptomatology, and (3) to be diagnosed with different rates of certain anxiety-disorder subtypes, when compared to anxious patients without major depression. Nondepressed anxious children and adolescents did not differ from a psychopathological control group in severity of either anxiety or depression symptoms.

Depression and panic attacks: the significance of overlap as reflected in follow-up and family study data.

Abstract: Ninety-one patients with panic attacks limited historically to depressive episodes had more severe depressive symptoms and were less likely to recover during a 2-year follow-up than 417 depressed patients who did not have panic attacks. Family study data clearly distinguished another 15 patients with panic disorder and secondary depression; interviewed relatives of panic disorder patients were significantly less likely to have primary depression and significantly more likely to have various anxiety disorders. These data support the hierarchical system by which many of the contemporary diagnostic systems separate panic disorder and major depression.

The Long-Term Psychiatric Consequences of Accidental Injury A Longitudinal Study of 107 Adults

Abstract: One hundred and seven accidentally injured adults were studied while in hospital and assessed prospectively twice more in a mean period of 28 months. The patients were studied by means of taped clinical interviews, including the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (which includes the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale), and several self-report measures of distress (Schedule of Recent Life Events, General Health Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale and State Anxiety Inventory) at the three assessments. The total incidence of psychiatric disorders considered to be caused by the accident during the follow-up period was 22.4%. The incidence of non-organic psychiatric disorders caused by the accident was 16.8% at the first follow-up and 9.3% at the final follow-up. Depressive disorders of different severity were most often seen. Only one patient suffered from a post-traumatic stress disorder during the follow-up, and none at the final follow-up (DSM-III). Organic mental disorders were diagnosed in 9.3% of the patients. In 5.6% of the patients this was the only disorder.

The epidemiology of depression in medical care

Abstract: Major depression may be the most common medical or psychiatric disorder seen in primary medical care clinics, occurring in approximately 6 to 10 percent of the clinic populations. Despite this high prevalence rate, patients with depression often go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. The evidence suggests a multifactorial etiology for this problem. Many patients with depression selectively focus on the somatic components of their depressive syndrome and minimize or even deny affective and cognitive symptoms. Depression and medical disorders also often occur concomitantly with depression causing amplification of somatic complaints. Due to the unidimensional focus on the biomedical model many physicians only evaluate and treat the physical illness and do not diagnose the depression. This often leads to aggressive medical testing and treatment that carries the risk of iatrogenic injury (polysurgery, multiple tests and procedures, prescription of opiates and benzodiazepines). Several interventions are suggested to improve the diagnostic acumen of primary care physicians.