Subject(s)
International Cooperation , Public Health/trends , Humans , Social Class , World Health OrganizationSubject(s)
Drug Information Services/organization & administration , Global Health , Health Services Research/organization & administration , Mental Disorders/drug therapy , Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use , Academies and Institutes/organization & administration , Humans , International Cooperation , Mental Disorders/prevention & control , World Health OrganizationSubject(s)
Health Status , Health , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , Spain , Vital StatisticsSubject(s)
Public Health/trends , Adult , Environmental Pollution , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Insurance, Health , Japan , Morbidity , Mortality , National Health Programs , Population Dynamics , Pregnancy , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
A total of 370 patients were subjected to a comprehensive international examination (within the frameworks of the WHO) by the double blind method for the efficacy of low (75 mg/day) and high (150 mg/day) doses of antidepressants (maprotiline, amitriptyline, imipramine). In 324 patients, the time course of the psychopathological disorders and side effects was studied with the aid of special scales and maps. The selection of the population and, therefore, the selection of the 7 cooperative WHO centers was based on the necessity of the maximal coverage of possible cultural, economic and ethnic relations in the patients' populations. Analysis of the total appraised ratios obtained in the course of 3 examinations of the patients has shown definite differences in the efficacy of high and low doses of the drugs under study. The data obtained indicate that the therapeutic response was equal whatever the dose (in the developing and Asian countries). In the developed countries, high doses of the drugs were found to be more effective than low ones.
Subject(s)
Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Antidepressive Agents/administration & dosage , Antidepressive Agents/adverse effects , Cultural Characteristics , Depressive Disorder/drug therapy , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Ethnicity , Humans , International Cooperation , Research Design , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Different preventive approaches of mental and neurological disorders are discussed. Special emphasis has been put on the advances of biological research in the elucidation of aetiological and pathogenic mechanisms of major psychoses, such as schizophrenia and affective disorders. Perspectives of genetic and psychopharmacological research are emphasized. Multidisciplinary efforts are needed for the improvement of existing preventive measures.
