Life Events and Primary Affective Disorders

1996 ◽  
Vol 169 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pardoen ◽  
F. Bauwens ◽  
M. Dramaix ◽  
A. Tracy ◽  
C. Genevrois ◽  
...  

BackgroundUnipolar and bipolar patients with a chronic illness pattern were investigated to determine whether they experienced a higher number of life events prior to the onset of recurrent affective episodes.MethodThe study participants consisted of 27 recovered bipolar patients, 24 recovered unipolar patients and 26 healthy control subjects. Life events and psychiatric status were assessed by bimonthly interviews over the period of one year using the Inventory for Recent Life Events and the Research Diagnostic Criteria.ResultsIn both unipolar and bipolar patients, analyses revealed no significant differences in the number of life events experienced, irrespective of whether the patients had presented with a depressive episode of at least minor intensity during the study (all P > 0.1). Specifically, an increase in marital problems was observed in bipolar patients prior to the onset of recurrent hypomanic and manic episodes (P=0.06).ConclusionThe causal association between life events and the onset of depression, shown to be relevant in non-chronically depressed subjects, does not apply in chronic affective disorders. In addition, our results suggest that marital events have an impact on the onset of recurrent hypomanic and manic episodes.

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ries Merikangas ◽  
Duane G. Spiker

SynopsisAssortative mating among 56 married in-patients with primary affective disorders and their spouses was studied by determining the prevalence of psychiatric illness among the spouses by means of direct interviews and standardized diagnostic criteria. A high degree of assortative mating among both male and female patients was observed for total psychiatric illness, broad spectrum affective illness and major depression. A significantly higher prevalence of psychiatric and affective illness was found among the first-degree relatives of the ill spouses when compared with the first-degree relatives of the well spouses. There was a high degree of diagnostic concordance between the patients and spouses for both affective illness and alcoholism, with a higher degree of assortative mating among bipolar patients than among unipolar patients. The finding in this study of an increased prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the first-degree relatives of the ill spouses would support the hypothesis that there is a tendency for individuals with a predisposition to psychiatric illness to marry, rather than the existence of a marital interaction which causes an increased concordance for psychiatric illness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Shiping Cheng ◽  
Debajyoti Chowdhury ◽  
Yong Tan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hypertension (HTN) patients who have phlegm-dampness syndrome (PDS) tend to be obese and have worse outcomes. However, the association of body weight (BW) changes and mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of HTN-PDS are not well elucidated. This study aims to identify the longitudinal observations associated with the circulating markers discriminating BW changes of individuals with HTN-PDS. Methods An integrative approach relying on metabolomics and proteomics was applied to serum samples from HTN-PDS patients in a prospective cohort to identify the plausible mechanistic pathways underpinning HTN-PDS pathophysiology. Study participants were determined to have experienced a weight change if they showed a 5%–15% increase/reduction in BW at the end of the follow-up period. The joint pathway analysis and network analysis were performed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) on the serum samples obtained from the participants over the period. Results The study involved 22 HTN-PDS patients who were overweight initially and were able to lose enough weight and 24 HTN-PDS individuals who developed overweight from normal BMI during a one-year follow-up. Our analysis suggested three types of phosphatidylcholine (PC) were altered. PC (22:2(13Z,16Z)/24:1(15Z)) and LysoPC (16:1(9Z)) were decreased in Queryweight gain samples, whereas the levels of PC (14:0/16:0) were increased in weight loss samples. The metabolomic analysis suggested 24 metabolites associated with HTN-PDS. Of them, 13 were up-regulated and 11 were down-regulated. The two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE) identified 45 phosphorylated proteins got altered in the HTN-PDS patients, wherein 23 were up-regulated and 22 were down-regulated. Integrated proteomic and metabolomics analyse acknowledged biomarkers PC, Complement C3, C4a/C4b, A2M and SERPINF1 as strong predictors for BW changes in HTN-PDS patients. Conclusion The combined serum proteomic and metabolomic profiling reveals a link between BW change and the complement system activity, altered phosphatidylcholine metabolism in HTN-PDS patients. Future studies with larger cohorts are required to strengthen and validate these findings.


1983 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Murphy

SummaryThe paper describes a one year prospective study of 124 elderly depressed patients. Only one third of the group had a good outcome. Poor outcome was associated with severity of initial illness, those with depressive delusions having a particularly poor outcome. Outcome was also influenced by physical health problems and severe life events in the follow-up year. Social class differences in outcome were thought to be due to class differences in the experience of severe life events. There was no evidence that an intimate relationship protected against relapse in the face of continuing life stress.


2021 ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Varun Singh ◽  
Mongjam Meghachandra Singh ◽  
Reeta Devi ◽  
Suneela Garg ◽  
Bratati Banerjee ◽  
...  

Background: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption poses serious health problems and is considered to be a signicant risk factor for oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancers. Estimation of the magnitude of consumption of SLT would be useful in planning for tobacco control activities in the community. Objectives: The study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among adult population and to identify the socioeconomic factors associated with the SLT use among them. Methods: This was a community based cross-sectional study conducted in an urban resettlement colony of North East Delhi among adult population (>18 years age). A pre-tested interview schedule adapted from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India (GATS India) was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPPS version 25. Results: A total of 440 study participants were enrolled for the study. The overall prevalence of SLT use was 24.5% (95 % CI: 20.6 - 28.8), higher in males (28.7%)(OR 1.75) as compared to females (18.7%), more in graduate or above educated (34.6%)(OR 2.02), and among government employees (48.6%)(OR 4.2)(p<0.05). The prevalence of common forms of SLT consumed were: pan masala with tobacco (15%), gutka (12.3%), zarda (10.5%), khaini (9.3%), and gul (5.2%). The most common reason for initiation of SLT use among the users was found to be seeking enjoyment 46(42.6%). Only 35 (37.6%) current SLT users planned to quit SLT in next one year of the survey. Conclusion: Nearly one fourth of the study subjects used SLT and more among males, education level graduate and above, and Government employees. This highlights the need to plan behavior change communication strategies and counsel them for reduction or cessation of SLT use


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David St Clair ◽  
Graeme MacLennan ◽  
Sara A. Beedie ◽  
Eva Nouzová ◽  
Helen Lemmon ◽  
...  

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. van der Does-van den Berg ◽  
J. Hermans ◽  
J. Nagel ◽  
G. van Steenis

Antibody titers to diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and poliomyelitis (types I to III) were measured in previously vaccinated children with acute lymphocytic leukemia in remission after cessation of therapy. The response to revaccination one year after therapy was stopped was also studied. The patients' antibody titers were compared with those of healthy children, matched for age and sex. Two groups of patients were studied: one group (group A, N = 30) was given two drugs (6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate); the other group (group B, N= 19) was given three drugs (6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, and cyclophosphamide) for maintenance treatment. In general, the patients' antibody titers were lower than those of healthy children, but in most patients they were still at levels considered to be protective. No significant differences in antibody levels between the two patient groups were found. A spontaneous rise in antibody titers in the first year after termination of therapy was not observed. After revaccination the rise in antibody titers was correlated with preexisting antibody titers in the same way in patients as in healthy children, and the antibody titers in patients and in healthy control subjects were on roughly the same level.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
R Thapa

Objectives: To study relevant clinico-demographic profile and stressors of dissociative disorders.  Methods: this is a case control study of 39 cases of dissociative disorders and compared with 39 controls using a self designed questionnaire and G. Singh’s Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale (PSLE). Results: The mean age of the cases was 21.23 years. Cases of Dissociative motor disorders had significantly higher age (26.4 yrs) as compared to dissociative convulsion (18.8 yrs) and dissociative stupor (20.6 yrs). (38.5%).Two thirds of the cases had comorbid neuro-psychiatric illness, the commonest one being depression (35.9%). The cases had more stressful life events in the past one year as well as whole life when compared to controls. Family conflict was seen to be the commonest precipitating stress.Conclusions: Dissociative disorder mainly affects young people. Dissociative motor disorder is a distinct subtype with a higher age of onset. Presence of neuro-psychiatric co-morbidity is the rule rather than exception. Psychosocial stressors play an important role in disease production.J Psychiatric Association of Nepal Vol .3, No.2, 2014, pp: 25-30DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpan.v3i2.12386 


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Homayoun Amini ◽  
Vandad Sharifi

Objectives. The aims of this study were (i) to compare Quality of Life (QOL) of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) type I to those with schizophrenia during a one-year period after hospitalization and (ii) to assess the association of different domains of QOL with severity of clinical symptoms and level of functioning in bipolar patients group.Method. A hundred and two participants were consecutively recruited before discharge from an acute hospitalization. To measure QOL as the main outcome variable, the Farsi (Persian) version of the World Health Organization's QOL Instrument Short Version (WHOQOL BREF) was used. Affective symptoms, overall functioning, and severity of mental illness were assessed as well. The assessment procedure was repeated four, eight, and 12 months after discharge.Results. No significant differences were found between patients with BD and schizophrenia on four domains of WHOQOL BREF at the baseline and the four, eight, and 12 month assessments. Within the subjects with bipolar I disorder, the most stable finding was negative association of depression severity with WHOQOL-BREF on the all four domains during repeated assessments.Conclusion. The findings suggest that persistent depressive symptoms might be the primary determinant of impaired QOL in patients with bipolar I disorder.


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