Health care resource utilization and characteristics of patients with eosinophilic asthma in secondary health care in Finland.

Background: Eosinophilic airway inflammation is common in asthma patients and appears to be associated with severe exacerbations and loss of asthma control. Objective: To describe the resource utilization and clinical characteristics of patients with eosinophilic asthma. Design: Asthma patients ≥18 years with ≥1 blood eosinophil count in secondary care (South West Finland) during 2003‒2013 were included. Clinical characteristics (age, lung function, body mass index, and comorbidities) and asthma-related resource utilization (hospital admissions, outpatient visits, and emergency room [ER] visits) were retrieved. Resource utilization rates were compared for patients with blood eosinophil ≤ or >300 cells/µL, using adjusted negative binomial regression models. Results: Overall, 4,357 eligible patients were identified (mean age 60 years, females 68%), of which 1,927 (44%) had >300 eosinophil cells/µL blood. Patients with ≤300 and >300 eosinophil counts, exhibited similar clinical characteristics, including advanced age, poor lung function, and overweight. Comorbidities such as pneumonia, sinusitis, and nasal polyps, were more frequent among those with >300 eosinophil cells/µL blood compared with patients with lower counts. Eosinophil counts >300 cells/µL were associated with greater hospital admissions (rate ratio [RR] [95% confidence interval CI]: 1.13 [1.02;1.24]) and outpatient visits (RR [95% CI]: 1.11 [1.03;1.20]) compared with patients with lower eosinophil counts. Rates of ER visits were similar between the patient groups (RR [95% CI]: 0.99 [0.87;1.12]). Conclusions: Hospital admissions and outpatient visits occurred more often for patients with eosinophil counts >300 cells/µL, than for patients with lower eosinophil counts. Routine blood eosinophil screening might be useful to identify patients with an eosinophilic phenotype eligible for more targeted treatments.

High Beck Depression Inventory 21 scores in adolescents without depression are associated with negative self-image and immature defense style.

Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used in assessing adolescents' psychological wellbeing, but occasionally the result diverges from diagnostics. Our aim was to identify factors associated with discrepancies between BDI scores and diagnostic assessment in adolescent psychiatric patients and general population. The study comprised 206 inpatients (13-17 years old) and 203 age and gender matched non-referred adolescents. Study subjects filled self-reports on depression symptoms (BDI-21), alcohol use (AUDIT), defense styles (DSQ-40) and self-image (OSIQ-R), and on background information and adverse life events. Diagnostics was based on K-SADS-PL interview, and/or clinical interview and clinical records when available. We compared subjects who scored in BDI-21 either 0-15 points or 16-63 points firstly among subjects without current unipolar depression (n = 284), secondly among those with unipolar depression (n = 105). High BDI-21 scores in subjects without depression diagnosis (n = 48) were associated with female sex, adverse life events, parents' psychiatric problems, higher comorbidity, higher AUDIT scores, worse self-image and more immature defense styles. Low BDI-21 scores among subjects with depression diagnosis (n = 23) were associated with male sex, more positive self-image and less immature defense style. In conclusion, high BDI-21 scores in the absence of depression may reflect a broad range of challenges in an adolescent's psychological development.

Psychometric properties of the Symptom Checklist-90 in adolescent psychiatric inpatients and age- and gender-matched community youth.

BACKGROUND: The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) is a questionnaire that is widely used to measure subjective psychopathology. In this study we investigated the psychometric properties of the SCL-90 among adolescent inpatients and community youth matched on age and gender. METHODS: The final SCL-90 respondents comprised three subsets: 201 inpatients at admission, of whom 152 also completed the instrument at discharge, and 197 controls. The mean age at baseline was 15.0 years (SD 1.2), and 73 % were female. Differential SCL-90 item functioning between the three subsets was assessed with an iterative algorithm, and the presence of multidimensionality was assessed with a number of methods. Confirmatory factor analyses for ordinal items compared three latent factor models: one dimension, nine correlated dimensions, and a one-plus-nine bifactor model. Sensitivity to change was assessed with the bifactor model's general factor scores at admission and discharge. The accuracy of this factor in detecting the need for treatment used, as a gold standard, psychiatric diagnoses based on clinical records and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL) interview. RESULTS: Item measurement properties were largely invariant across subsets under the unidimensional model, with standardized factor scores at admission being 0.04 higher than at discharge and 0.06 higher than those of controls. Determination of the empirical number of factors was inconclusive, reflecting a strong main factor and some multidimensionality. The unidimensional factor model had very good fit, but the bifactor model offered an overall improvement, though subfactors accounted for little item variance. The SCL-90s ability to identify those with and without a psychiatric disorder was good (AUC = 83 %, Glass's Δ = 1.4, Cohen's d = 1.1, diagnostic odds ratio 12.5). Scores were also fairly sensitive to change between admission and discharge (AUC 72 %, Cohen's d = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: The SCL-90 proved mostly unidimensional and showed sufficient item measurement invariance, and is thus a useful tool for screening overall psychopathology in adolescents. It is also applicable as an outcome measure for adolescent psychiatric patients. SCL-90 revealed significant gender differences in subjective psychopathology among both inpatients and community youth.

Are There Differences in Neurocognition and Social Cognition Among Adolescents with Schizophrenia, a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and Both Disorders?

Schizophrenia (SCH) and pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) belong to different diagnostic categories. There is, however, overlap between these 2 diagnostic groups. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate some aspects of neurocognitions and social cognitions in adolescents with SCH (n = 10, 2 boys and 8 girls; age range = 13.3-17.7 years), a PDD (n = 15, 7 boys and 8 girls; age range = 13.3-18.0 years), or both disorders (n = 8, 5 boys and 3 girls; age range = 13.5-18 years). Eight subtests (Information, Similarities, Arithmetic, Comprehension, Picture Completion, Coding B, Block Design, and Object Assembly) of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Version and 2 subtests (Theory of Mind [ToM] and Affect Recognition) of the NEPSY-II were administered. Adolescents with both disorders and those with a PDD only performed better on visual processing tasks than did adolescents with SCH only. On the other hand, adolescents with both disorders as well as those with SCH only experienced more problems with processing speed than did adolescents with a PDD only. Adolescents with SCH only performed significantly more poorly with verbal ToM tasks compared with those with a PDD only. Adolescents with both disorders performed as well as those with SCH only. All in all, our preliminary findings support the current idea that SCH and PDDs are separate disorders.

Catatonic features in adolescents with schizophrenia with and without a comorbid pervasive developmental disorder.

BACKGROUND: Catatonia has been associated with both schizophrenia and pervasive developmental disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate catatonic features among adolescents suffering from schizophrenia. Further, we compared these features between adolescents with a comorbid pervasive developmental disorder and those without one. Finally, we wanted to compare the profile of catatonia-like features of our schizophrenia patients to that described earlier among persons with autism spectrum disorders. METHODS: The study comprised a consecutive sample of 18 adolescents with schizophrenia (mean age 15.6 years, SD 1.4) and their families. Diagnosis of schizophrenia was assessed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children - Present and Life-Time (K-SADS-PL) for the DSM-IV. The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders version 11 was used to assess catatonic features. RESULTS: All adolescents with schizophrenia had showed some lifetime catatonic features. Approximately 78% of them had already expressed these features before the age of 10. The number of catatonic features before the age of 10 was significantly higher among the adolescents with a comorbid pervasive developmental disorder compared to those without one. The numbers of catatonic features after the age of 10 did not significantly differ between the two groups. Over three-quarters of schizophrenia patients shared four lifetime catatonic features: "lacks facial expression", "odd intonation", "poor eye contact" and "lack of cooperation". CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent schizophrenia patients with a comorbid pervasive developmental disorder show many catatonic features in childhood whereas those without one seem to develop these features first in adolescence. Catatonic features exhibited by adolescents with schizophrenia resemble those described among persons with pervasive developmental disorders without schizophrenia.

The relationship between Asperger's syndrome and schizophrenia in adolescence.

Asperger's syndrome (AS), a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), has nowadays been widely advocated in media. Therefore, psychiatrists treating adolescents frequently meet patients as well as their families reporting of symptoms resembling those of Asperger's syndrome. It is known that symptoms of Asperger's syndrome have some overlap with those of schizophrenia, but less is known about comorbidity between these two syndromes. We describe a sample of 18 adolescents with early onset schizophrenia. Diagnosis of schizophrenia was based on assessment with Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. The diagnostic interview for Social and Communication Disorders version 11 was used to assess autism spectrum disorders. Ten adolescents fulfilled symptom criteria of Asperger's syndrome after the onset of schizophrenia, while only two persons had Asperger's syndrome before the onset of schizophrenia, a prerequisite for diagnosis. 44% of the adolescents fulfilled the diagnosis of some PDD in childhood. Most of them were, however, unrecognized before the onset of schizophrenia. On the other hand, all 18 patients had one or more symptoms of PDDS in adolescence. Adolescents with schizophrenia have often symptoms consistent with AS, although only few of them have fulfilled the diagnostic criteria in their childhood, a prerequisite for the diagnosis of AS. There is a risk for misdiagnosis of adolescents with autistic symptoms if detailed longitudinal anamnesis is not obtained.

[Gender differences in brain development--correlation with the spectrum of psychiatric disturbances]. / Aivojen kehityksen sukupuolierot--korrelaatio psykiatristen häiriöiden kirjoon.

Maturation of brain structure has a different rhythm in girls and boys. From the viewpoint of cognitive processes, the first decade of life is the most important developmental stage after intrauterine life, cognitive functions will essentially develop also during the second decade. Gender differences have been noted already in early adolescence. Behavioral disturbances and substance abuse problems as well as attention-deficit disorders are more common in boys, whereas depression, anxiety and eating disorders are more common in girls. Regarding psychiatric morbidity, onset of puberty and late adolescence are periods of special vulnerability.

Current comorbidity among consecutive adolescent psychiatric outpatients with DSM-IV mood disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To compare selected characteristics (age, sex, age of onset for depression, impairment, severity of depression, somatic comorbidity, and treatment status) of adolescents with currently comorbid and non-comorbid depression. METHOD: A sample of 218 consecutive adolescent (13-19 years) psychiatric outpatients with depressive disorders, and 200 age- and sex-matched school-attending controls were interviewed for DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II diagnoses. RESULTS: Current comorbidity, most commonly with anxiety disorders, was equally frequent (>70%) in outpatients and depressed controls. Younger age (OR 0.20; 95% CI 0.08, 0.51) and male gender (OR 0.02; 95% CI 0.09, 0.55) were associated with concurrent disruptive disorders. Current comorbidity with substance use disorders (SUD) was independent of age (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.51, 2.49) and sex (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.22, 1.17). Personality disorders associated with older age (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.10, 3.86). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, impairment (GAF