Deep brain stimulation in the treatment of depression.

OBJECTIVE: To present the technique of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and to evaluate the studies conducted on DBS in the treatment of therapy-refractory major depressive disorder (MDD). METHOD: A review of the literature on DBS in the treatment of MDD was conducted. RESULTS: The results of DBS in MDD have been presented in 2 case reports and 3 studies of 47 patients operated upon in 5 different target areas. Positive effects have been presented in all studies and side effects have been minor. DBS in the nucleus accumbens resulted in a mean reduction of Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) of 36% after 1 year and 30% of the 10 patients achieved remission. DBS in the internal capsule/ventral striatum resulted in a reduction of 44% after 1 year, and at the last evaluation after in mean 2 years, 40% of the 15 patients were in remission. The 20 patients with subcallosal cingulated gyrus DBS had a reduction of HDRS of 52% after 1 year, and 35% were within 1 point from remission or in remission. CONCLUSION: DBS is a promising treatment for therapy-refractory MDD. The published experience is, however, limited, and the method is at present an experimental therapy.

[Done is done--and gone is gone. Sex reassignment is presently the best cure for transsexuals]. / Bytt är bytt--kommer aldrig igen. Könsbyte för närvarande bästa hjälp för transsexuella.

Sweden was the first country to legislate on sex reassignment procedures in 1972. Patients with gender dysphoria are in Sweden referred to one of six university clinics specialised in the field; all surgery, however, is centralised to the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm. The aetiological strivings regarding transsexualism have to date been inconclusive; however, several lines of evidence speak in favour of an early biological influence on gender identity. The vast majority of studies addressing outcome have provided convincing evidence for the benefit of sex reassignment surgery in carefully selected cases. The current article summarises the state of the art regarding work-up and treatment of transsexuals.

[Most depressed patients can be treated in primary health care]. / Flertalet deprimerade patienter kan behandlas i primärvården.

About 15% of primary care attenders suffer from depression, yet only a minority are identified and treated. It is of major importance to spread knowledge of the prevalence of depression and tools for recognizing the disorder. Most patients can be successfully treated in a primary care setting. Studies have shown that educational efforts and close cooperation between psychiatrists and general practitioners (GP's) lead to an increase in the proportion of depressed patients that are identified and properly treated. The use of diagnostic self-reports can facilitate this process for the GP. It is crucial to identify and treat the disorder early on, in order to improve prognosis, decrease the risk of complications and reduce costs for society and the health care system. The article reviews recent studies concerning depression in primary care, describes relevant diagnostic tools and discusses treatment strategies, including self-care and St Johns' wort.

Effects of consulting psychiatrist in primary care. 1-year follow-up of diagnosing and treating anxiety and depression.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological screening of anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care and evaluation of how these patients are identified and treated. Follow-up after 1 year of psychiatric consultation/liaison (C/L) and educational activities. SUBJECTS AND DESIGN: In the baseline study 374 unselected and consecutive patients, and in the follow-up study 254 patients (response rate 94.5% and 90.3%, respectively) answered the screening instrument HAD scale (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale). The HAD results were compared to clinical diagnosis and treatment according to the medical records. Differences after 1 year were analysed. RESULTS: At follow-up the prevalence of anxiety had increased from 11.8% to 16.5% (p < 0.05), and of depression from 3.7% to 4.7% (NS) according to HAD. Also, at the follow-up more cases of anxiety disorders were clinically diagnosed--13% vs 8%--as well as an increased number of cases of depressive disorders--7.9% vs 4.0%. The agreement between HAD diagnosis and clinical judgement had increased significantly (p < 0.001) for anxiety disorders from 37% to 70%, and for depression from 20% to 45%. Treatment prevalence had also improved (p < 0.001) at the follow-up for anxiety disorders from 33% to 55% and for depression from 47% to 80%. In total, 4.0% of the baseline and 11.4% of the follow-up population were treated for anxiety and/or depression. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and depressive disorders are prevalent in primary care. However, only a minority of these patients are identified and treated. Psychiatric consultant support seems to be effective in improving GP's diagnostic and therapeutic skills thus enabling these widespread disorders to be identified at an early stage and properly treated.

Prediction of outcome in transsexualism by means of the Defense Mechanism Test and multivariate modeling: a pilot study.

To elaborate the predictive value of the projective method using the Defense Mechanism Test in a 5-yr. follow-up study of 16 transsexuals, all subjects were approved for sex reassignment surgery and had completed the baseline assessments and the 5-yr. follow-up evaluation. Furthermore, we intended to create an outcome model based on the test data for prior patients wherein new consecutive applicants for sex change could be tested to predict the outcome in individual cases. Outcomes after five years showed that 62% of the transsexuals were judged as improved in a variety of areas of psychosocial functioning, 19% were unchanged, and 19% were worsened. Firstly, the analysis of the test data confirmed differences between the improved transsexuals and those who were not. Secondly, sex differences were found, with female-to-male transsexuals having a better outcome and being more homogeneous than their male counterparts. Thirdly, there was good correspondence in prediction of outcome between the model based on the Defense Mechanism Test and a clinical judgment made by a psychiatrist for two new applicants for sex reassignment surgery. It appears the Defense Mechanism Test has a predictive ability for patients with gender-identity disorder.

Response to high doses of citalopram in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder.

We report a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that responded to very high doses of citalopram (160 mg/day) after a poor response to clomipramine 250 mg/day for several years, alone or in combination with buspirone 30 mg/day or flupenthixol 4 mg/day. The patient had previously been submitted for capsulotomy which was declined, probably due to the magical content of her obsessions, which resembled delusions.

Validation of the self-report questionnaire DIP-Q in diagnosing DSM-IV personality disorders: a comparison of three psychiatric samples.

The DSM-IV section of the DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Questionnaire (DIP-Q) was used to screen for personality disorders in 448 subjects from three clinical samples (general and forensic psychiatric patients and candidates for psychotherapy) and a sample of 139 healthy volunteers. Differences between the samples with regard to patterns of personality pathology in relation to concurrent Axis I disorders and sociodemographic variables were analysed. The prevalence of personality disorders according to DIP-Q was 14% among the healthy volunteers, compared to 59% in the general psychiatric sample, 68% in the forensic psychiatric sample and up to 90% among psychotherapy candidates. Moreover, from a dimensional perspective (i.e. the number of fulfilled Axis II criteria), all clinical groups differed significantly from the control group in all specified personality dimensions and clusters. Dimensional DIP-Q cluster scores also discriminated significantly between the three clinical samples. Unexpectedly, the odds ratio for an Axis II disorder was nearly five times higher among psychotherapy applicants than among general psychiatric patients, independent of concomitant Axis I disorders, gender or age. The strongest association between DIP-Q score and Axis I disorders was found for depressive disorders, which more than doubled the odds ratio for a personality disorder diagnosis. This association could result from high true comorbidity, but could also be due to the fact that a concomitant depressive state can increase self-reported personality difficulties. The high prevalence among psychotherapy candidates may to some extent reflect help-seeking exaggeration of problems. These are aspects to consider when using the DIP-Q, which overall appears to discriminate well between different samples.

DSM-IV and ICD-10 personality disorders: a comparison of a self-report questionnaire (DIP-Q) with a structured interview.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosing personality disorders according to structured expert interviews is time-consuming and costly. For epidemiological studies, self-report instruments have several advantages. The DSM-IV and ICD-10 personality questionnaire (DIP-Q) is a selfreport questionnaire constructed to identify personality disorder according to DSM-IV and ICD-10. METHOD: The DIP-Q is validated vs a structured expert interview in a clinical sample of 138 individuals. In addition, prevalence rates yielded by DIP-Q among 136 healthy volunteers are assessed and compared to expected prevalence. RESULTS: For DSM-IV the agreement for any personality disorder as measured by Cohen's Kappa was 0.61 and 0.56 for ICD-10. Overall sensitivity for any personality disorder was for DSM-IV 0.84 and for ICD-10 0.85. However, specificity was lower: 0.77 and 0.70, respectively. When dimensional scores between self-report and interview for each personality disorder were compared, the intraclass correlation for the DSMIV entities was 0.37-0.87 and for the ICD-10 entities 0.33-0.73. Among healthy volunteers the base rate of personality disorders was found to be 14%. CONCLUSION: DIP-Q can be used as a screening instrument for personality disorders according to DSM-IV and ICD-10. Self-report questionnaires such as DIP-Q will probably play an increasingly important role in future epidemiological studies.

[Anxiety and depression as a hidden problem in primary health care. Only one case in four identified]. / Angest och depression dolt problem i primärvården. Endast vart fjärde fall identifieras.

Of 374 unselected primary care patients assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, 11.8 per cent rated themselves as suffering from anxiety, and 3.7 per cent as depressed. Clinically, 8 per cent were diagnosed as cases of anxiety, and 4 per cent as cases of depression, but agreement was very poor between these cases and those elicited with the HAD scale, only 25 per cent of the latter being identified by the primary care physicians. One third of the patients with a clinical diagnosis of anxiety and 47 per cent of those with diagnosed depression were offered appropriate treatment, usually medication with a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and consultation with a medical social worker. The results were consistent with the expected prevalences, thus indicating anxiety and depression to be markedly under-diagnosed and under-treated, and suggest that there is a manifest need of consultation facilities and of further education among primary care physicians.

Transsexualism--general outcome and prognostic factors: a five-year follow-up study of nineteen transsexuals in the process of changing sex.

Nineteen transsexuals, approved for sex reassignement, were followed-up after 5 years. Outcome was evaluated as changes in seven areas of social, psychological, and psychiatric functioning. At baseline the patients were evaluated according to axis I, II, V (DSM-III-R), SCID screen, SASB (Structural Analysis of Social Behavior), and DMT (Defense Mechanism Test). At follow-up all but 1 were treated with contrary sex hormones, 12 had completed sex reassignment surgery, and 3 females were waiting for phalloplasty. One male transsexual regretted the decision to change sex and had quit the process. Two transsexuals had still not had any surgery due to older age or ambivalence. Overall, 68% (n = 13) had improved in at least two areas of functioning. In 3 cases (16%) outcome were judged as unsatisfactory and one of those regarded sex change as a failure. Another 3 patients were mainly unchanged after 5 years. Female transsexuals had a slightly better outcome, especially concerning establishing and maintaining partnerships and improvement in socio-economic status compared to male transsexuals. Baseline factors associated with negative outcome (unchanged or worsened) were presence of a personality disorder and high number of fulfilled axis II criteria. SCID screen assessments had high prognostic power. Negative self-image, according to SASB, predicted a negative outcome, whereas DMT variables were not correlated to outcome.

Axis V--Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Evaluation of a self-report version.

The present study examines a self-report version of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale according to Axis V (GAF self-report). The sample (n = 73) was a psychiatric outpatient population from a catchment area clinic. Patients with psychotic and organic mental disorders were not included. The diagnostic distribution on Axis I was similar to the findings from previous studies. Axis II disorders were identified among 47%, of whom a majority also had a concomitant Axis I disorder. The mean GAF expert score was 66.5 (range: 48-86). High complexity and severity of disorders and a high number of fulfilled Axis II criteria were significantly associated with low GAF scores. Independent expert ratings on GAF were correlated with the GAF self-report overall at r = 0.62, varying from 0.45 to 0.91 between different diagnostic groups. In general, the patients scored themselves lower (mean: -4.4 units) than expert ratings. Patients with depressive symptoms from an adjustment disorder or mood disorder were most prone to underestimation. Women also tended to score themselves lower than experts did. Conclusively, the GAF self-report turned out to be a valid and reliable unidimensional instrument measuring psychological, social and occupational functioning. The GAF is easy to handle, and with a self-report version as a complement, Axis V could be more frequently used in future clinical practice and research.

SCID II interviews and the SCID Screen questionnaire as diagnostic tools for personality disorders in DSM-III-R.

A modified version of the SCID Screen questionnaire covering 103 criteria by means of 124 questions was compared with SCID II interviews in 69 psychiatric patients. The correlation between the number of criteria fulfilled in the SCID II interviews or the questionnaires was 0.84. In the SCID interviews, 54% of the patients had a personality disorder. When the SCID Screen questionnaire was used, 73% had a personality disorder. When the cut-off level for diagnosis was adjusted, the frequency found by means of the SCID screen questionnaire or the interviews was roughly the same, 58% and 54%, respectively. The overall kappa for agreement between the SCID II interviews and questionnaire with adjusted cut-off was 0.78.

Self-image and personality traits in gender identity disorders: an empirical study.

Self-image and personality traits, measured by SASB and SCID screen respectively, were compared between transsexuals, patients diagnosed as Gender Identity Disorders of Adolescence and Adulthood, Non-transsexual Type (GIDAANT), and normal controls. Transsexual and GIDAANT patients differed significantly in both their self-image and personality traits. While both the transsexuals' and controls' self-images were positive with self-love, the GIDAANT patients had a negative self-image. On the SCID screen, the GIDAANT group fulfilled 39.8% of all axis II criteria; transsexuals fulfilled 28.6% versus 17.1% for the control group. Mean GAF scores (axis V) were 62, 70, and 83, respectively. For all patients a more negative self-image was significantly related to lower social functioning according to GAF and to more personality pathology according to SCID screen. The prevalence of additional clinical axis I and II disorders was about twice as high among GIDAANT patients as among transsexuals. Although the two conditions are closely related, we found more differences than similarities in the studied aspects and a clear tendency that the GIDAANT patients had more psychopathology overall. Although the transsexuals also differed significantly in some aspects from the controls, they showed less personality pathology and they had a normal self-image. Negative self-image, high degree of fulfilled axis II criteria, and low GAF scores seem to be corresponding factors and in this study clearly differentiate transsexuals from GIDAANT patients.

Personality traits and disorders among transsexuals.

A group of transsexuals, 9 biological men and 10 women, was assessed according to clinical DSM-III-R diagnosis and a self-report instrument for Axis II diagnoses based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID screen). A control group of 133 individuals was assessed by the same instrument. Combined with a functional criterion according to the Global Assessment of Functioning, the SCID screen showed good agreement with clinical Axis II diagnoses. The overall proportion of Axis II criteria fulfilled, proportion of criteria fulfilled for every single personality disorder and number of personality disorders were calculated from the modified version of the SCID screen. Personality disorders, mainly within cluster B, were identified among 5 of 19 transsexuals, and a majority had multiple personality disorders. Among controls, no personality disorder was identified. Personality traits as measured by the SCID screen revealed significantly more subthreshold pathology among transsexuals than controls in 8 of 12 personality categories. The proportion of overall Axis II criteria fulfilled was 29% among transsexuals versus 17% among controls. Sex differences among transsexuals, the usefulness of the SCID screen and diagnostic problems in DSM-III-R with respect to gender identity disorders are discussed.

Personality disorders in DSM-III-R as categorical or dimensional.

Despite the atheoretical approach of the DSM-III-R, the personality disorders have their roots in specific theoretical schools. Due to clinical tradition, analogies with Axis I and the tradition in psychiatry and medicine, the personality disorders are presented as categories although there is more empirical support for a dimensional approach. This study attempted to determine whether the separate personality disorders meet Kendell's criteria for distinct entities, i.e., bimodality with distinct points of rarity. None of the personality disorders met the criteria for a distinct disease entity. Instead, all of the personality disorders presented as continuous, dimensional personality traits present among healthy subjects and more pronounced in patients with mental disorders.