Impact of Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Depressive Symptoms.

In psychiatric clinical practice, comorbidity of depression and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is common. Both disorders have a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in general population. However, research on the impact of comorbid AUD on HRQoL among clinically depressed patients is limited.

What is important for the sustained implementation of evidence-based brief psychotherapy interventions in psychiatric care? A quantitative evaluation of a real-world programme.

Purpose: Behavioural activation and motivational interviewing, both evidence-based treatments (EBTs), were implemented in secondary psychiatric care. This longitudinal evaluation of a real-world programme focused on the penetration of EBT adoption and its associations with therapist-related and perceived intervention-related variables. The implementation plan was also compared to sub-processes of Normalization Process Theory.

Status of inflammation and alcohol use in a 6-month follow-up study of patients with major depressive disorder.

Introduction: The studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption, the status of inflammation, and depression have produced conflicting results. In this study, we followed patients with major depressive disorders by monitoring biomarkers of inflammation together with biomarkers of heavy alcohol use.

Method: The levels of IL-6 (interleukin-6), IL-8 (interleukin-8), hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein), YKL-40 (also known as Chitinase-3-like protein 1 or CHI3L1), and biomarkers of alcohol consumption and liver status (GT, CDT, ALT, alkaline phosphatase) were measured at baseline and after 6 months of psychiatric treatment from 242 patients suffering from current major depressive disorder (MDD) with (n = 99) or without (n = 143) alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Behavioral activation versus treatment as usual in naturalistic sample of psychiatric patients with depressive symptoms: a benchmark controlled trial.

Background: More systematic use of evidence-based brief therapies is needed in the treatment of depression within psychiatric care. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of behavioral activation therapy (BA) for patients with depressive symptoms in a routine clinical setting of secondary psychiatric care.

Methods: The BA-treated intervention group (n = 242) comprised patients with depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score ≥ 17 at baseline).

Temperament and character profiles associated with depression and treatment response in patients with or without comorbid substance abuse.

There is limited knowledge on the relationship between temperament and character profiles and substance abuse comorbidity in depressed patients. We recruited 127 depressed patients without alcohol use problems (non-AUP) and 89 depressed patients with alcohol use problems (AUP). We assessed all patients using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-R) at baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment.

Outcome of patients with dual diagnosis in secondary psychiatric care.

Background: Dual diagnosis (DD) is a common co-morbidity of mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD) and patients with DD are prone to complications. Better knowledge on the outcome, mortality and management of patients with DD in usual secondary psychiatric care would help to inform improved treatment strategies in the future.

Aims: To explore the functional outcome and mortality of patients with DD receiving psychiatric treatment.

Early assessment of implementing evidence-based brief therapy interventions among secondary service psychiatric therapists.

This implementation study was part of the Ostrobothnia Depression Study, in Finland, which covered implementation of motivational interviewing (MI) and behavioral activation (BA) within regional public psychiatric secondary care. It aimed to evaluate the mid-term progress of implementation and related factors. Altogether, 80 therapists had been educated through the implementation program by the point of the mid-term evaluation.

[Assessment of an addiction psychiatric patient within primary health care].

Assessment of addiction psychiatric patients during the hectic work at a community health center is a challenging task. A more precise survey of the substance abuse and mental problem can be started by using various screening questionnaires. In devising the treatment plan, focus will initially be on the main problem, and upon prolonged cooperation a more precise survey of the drug and mental problem will be carried out.

[Pharmacological therapy in emergency psychiatry].

Pharmacological therapy is often inevitable in psychiatric emergency situations, but does not suffice alone. The onset or exacerbation of a psychiatric illness and acute life crisis may require immediate initiation of psychotropic medication. Evidence-based knowledge of the application of psychotropic medication in emergency call situations is very scarce, because randomization, blinding and placebo control of drug treatments in these situations are ethically very problematic.

Microstructural properties of bone in rat vertebra after long-term clodronate treatment.

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are known to increase bone mineral density, but it is not known how this increase manifests at low hierarchic levels of the bone structure. The present study aimed to clarify the effects of the long-term use of clodronate on the microstructure and chemical composition of bone. The second lumbar vertebral body (L2) in growing rats, subjected to 32 weeks' treatment with clodronate at either a therapeutic dose of 2 mg/kg, or a high dose of 10 mg/kg, or physiological saline (control group), was studied by scanning electron microscopy for morphology, by backscattered electron image (BSE) for density, and by energy dispersive spectrometry for material analysis.