Results of esketamine administration in a Greek population: a case series.

Esketamine is a non-selective, competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the brain. Through NMDA receptor antagonism, esketamine causes a transient increase in glutamate release, leading to increases in neurotrophic signaling and restoration of synaptic function in brain regions involved in mood regulation and emotional behavior. Several randomized clinical trials have shown its effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of depression in some people, despite its short-term side effects that include mainly disorientation, dizziness, nausea, and increased blood pressure. In 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the European Medicines Agency approved the use of esketamine nasal spray in combination with an oral antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression in adults. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this new therapeutic proposal in a case series of five Greek patients with treatment- resistant depression. Intranasal esketamine was administered under medical supervision in combination with an oral antidepressant. Depressive symptoms were evaluated at three time points (baseline, end of treatment, and one-year post-treatment) using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the CGI Clinical Global Impression Scale, and the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression (PDQ-D). Possible side effects were assessed using the Richmond Suppression Agitation Scale (RASS), the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), the CADSS Disruptive States Scale, and a predefined list of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Patients followed an individualized treatment plan for seven to twelve months depending on the achievement of an adequate response. Statistical analysis of the results revealed a significant improvement (p<0.05) on all scales used. All participants maintained their level of improvement at follow-up after twelve months. Adverse effects were found to be mild and tolerable. It is worth noting that significant side effects were reported only by the two patients with comorbid personality disorder. The results, despite limited to a small sample, indicate the positive effect of esketamine on the stable reduction of depressive symptoms among patients with resistant depression, even after the completion of treatment.

Climate change but not unemployment explains the changing suicidality in Thessaloniki Greece (2000-2012).

INTRODUCTION: Recently there was a debate concerning the etiology behind attempts and completed suicides. The aim of the current study was to search for possible correlations between the rates of attempted and completed suicide and climate variables and regional unemployment per year in the county of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, northern Greece, for the years 2000-12. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The regional rates of suicide and attempted suicide as well as regional unemployment were available from previous publications of the authors. The climate variables were calculated from the daily E-OBS gridded dataset which is based on observational data RESULTS: Only the male suicide rates correlate significantly with high mean annual temperature but not with unemployment. The multiple linear regression analysis results suggest that temperature is the only variable that determines male suicides and explains 51% of their variance. Unemployment fails to contribute significantly to the model. There seems to be a seasonal distribution for attempts with mean rates being higher for the period from May to October and the rates clearly correlate with temperature. The highest mean rates were observed during May and August and the lowest during December and February. Multiple linear regression analysis suggests that temperature also determines the female attempts rate although the explained variable is significant but very low (3-5%) CONCLUSION: Climate variables and specifically high temperature correlate both with suicide and attempted suicide rates but with a different way between males and females. The climate effect was stronger than the effect of unemployment.

Rapid cycling in bipolar disorder: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: THE long-term course of bipolar disorder is typified by recurring mood episodes of opposite polarity as well as mixed states. Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder refers to the presence of at least 4 mood episodes in the previous 12 months that meet the criteria for manic, hypomanic, or major depressive episode. The purpose of this study was to synthesize data regarding prevalence, clinical correlates, and familial/genetic aspects related to rapid cycling in bipolar disorder. DATASOURCES: we searched the MEDLINE database through September 7, 2013 for articles regarding rapid cycling in bipolar disorder. Searches were performed using the keywords rapid cycling or rapid-cycling. The search strategy was augmented through the inspection of reference lists of relevant review articles. Eligible articles included original studies in English on rapid-cycling bipolar patients according to the criteria defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. STUDY SELECTION: This study followed the recommendations of the Preferred Items for Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. The initial search returned 2,715 articles; 2,594 were excluded for several reasons (not aligned with objectives, pertaining to bipolar disorder but not focusing on rapid cycling, case reports, and case series). The final review included 119 articles. DATA EXTRACTION: Two investigators (K.N.F. and D.D.) independently reviewed articles for eligibility. Final decisions regarding eligibility were made by consensus following the full-text review. RESULTS: The literature suggests that rapid cycling affects a significant proportion of bipolar patients and is related to a longer course of illness, an earlier age at onset, and more illegal drug and alcohol abuse and increased suicidality. Year prevalence of rapid cycling among all bipolar patients ranges between 5%-33.3%, while lifetime prevalence ranges between 25.8%-43%.The etiology remains unclear, although a causal or triggering role for the use of antidepressants and hypothyroidism is implicated. Rapid cycling seems to represent a transitory phenomenon rather than a stable pattern that characterizes the individual patient and probably is related to a worse outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid cycling is a frequent, although underrecognized, condition in bipolar disorder, and it constitutes a worsening of the primary disorder. There is no good evidence that rapid cycling represents a discrete subtype. Early recognition of this pattern can lead to better treatment strategy and improvement of the long-term course. Conceptualizing rapid cycling according to Research Domain Criteria will be an important advance.

Screening for bipolar depression in family medicine practices: prevalence and clinical correlates.

BACKGROUND: To compare individuals in primary care (PC) who screen positive for bipolar depression to those who screened positive for unipolar depression on mental health care ouctomes, PC service utilization, medical comorbidities, suicidal ideation, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychosocial functioning. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, participants (N=1197) answered self-reported measures of depressive symptoms (Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale), HRQoL (World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-Abbreviated version), medical comorbidity (functional comorbidity index) and functioning (Functional Assessment Short test). Participants were partitioned into 'bipolar' and 'unipolar' depression groups based on a predefined cutoff on the Brazilian mood disorder questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of bipolar depression was in PC was 4.6% (95% CI: 3.4-5.8). Participants with bipolar depression were more likely to endorse suicidal ideation, present with more medical comorbidities, report a worse physical HRQoL and have a higher rate of PC services utilization as compared to participants who screened positive for unipolar depression. Only six (10.9%) participants were recognized by the general practitioner as having a diagnosis of bipolar depression. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design prevents firm causal inferences from being drawn. A positive screen for BD does not substantiate the actual diagnosis. Co-morbid mental disorders were not accessed. CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar depression is common and under-recognized in Brazilian PC services. A positive screen for bipolar depression was associated with worse clinical outcomes and greater PC service utilization.