Relapse during a 6-month continuation treatment with fluvoxamine in an Italian population: the role of clinical, psychosocial and genetic variables.

The efficacy of SSRIs in relapse prevention in major depression has been extensively demonstrated. Considering published data, the relapse rate during a psychopharmacological continuation treatment ranges from 10% to 30%. Since the reasons of depressive relapses could be heterogeneous, we have tested the effect of clinical, psychosocial and genetic variables in sustained remission from an index depressive episode during continuation treatment with fluvoxamine over a 6-month follow-up period.

Dark therapy for mania: a pilot study.

Background: Recent findings suggest that extended bed rest and darkness could stabilize mood swings in rapid cycling bipolar patients.

Method: We exposed 16 bipolar inpatients affected by a manic episode to a regimen of 14 h of enforced darkness from 6 p.m.

Pharmacogenetics of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor response: a 6-month follow-up.

Background: We previously reported the association between some genetic factors and short-term antidepressant outcome. In the present paper we investigated the same gene variants in a prospective 6-months naturalistic follow-up.

Methods: The sample included 185 inpatients affected by recurrent major depression consecutively admitted to the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit of San Raffaele Hospital from 1998 to 2003 and prospectively followed for 6 months after their recovery.

Migraine headache and mood disorders: a descriptive study in an outpatient psychiatric population.

Background: Information is sparse concerning migraine distribution in mood disorder subjects based mainly on psychiatric disorder.

Methods: In a sample of 283 normothymic mood disorder outpatients on maintenance treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or lithium, we investigated migraine distribution and clinical variables possibly related to comorbidity risk between mood disorder and migraine.

Results: Some 26.

Further evidence of a combined effect of SERTPR and TPH on SSRIs response in mood disorders.

We reported an independent association of the short variant of the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (SERTPR) and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) genes with antidepressant response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The aim of the present study was to confirm the effect of the SERTPR and TPH gene variants on the SSRIs antidepressant activity in a new sample of major and bipolar depressives. Two hundred and twenty one inpatients (major depressives = 128, bipolar disorder = 93) were treated with SSRIs (fluvoxamine or paroxetine) for 6 weeks; the severity of depressive symptoms was weekly assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD).