Long-term effects of the treatment of depressive female inpatients in a naturalistic study: is early improvement a valid predictor of outcome?

Objectives. To examine the predictive value of early improvement for short- and long-term outcome in the treatment of depressive female inpatients and to explore the influence of comorbid disorders (CD). Methods.

Night eating syndrome in young adults: delineation from other eating disorders and clinical significance.

The Night Eating Syndrome (NES) is a recently described disordered eating style whose status in current diagnostic systems needs to be further clarified. The aim of this study was to increase knowledge about the clinical features of NES in a sample of 1514 young adults aged 18-26 years from the general population who participated in an anonymous Internet survey. We first examined characteristics of NES and tried to delineate it from healthy controls as well as from other eating disorders in terms of socio-demography, eating disorder pathology and general psychopathology.

[Psychotherapy for depression].

Based on empirical evidence, psychotherapeutic treatment of depression is recommended if the following methods are applied: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), and Psychoanalytic/Short-term Psychodynamic Therapy. The empirical evidence for the efficacy of CBT and IPT is established, whereas data supporting the efficacy of psychoanalytical/psychodynamic techniques is not as well documented. In addition, considering the cost-benefit aspects of treatment, CBT and IPT are highly recommendable.

Acceptance of structured diagnostic interviews for mental disorders in clinical practice and research settings.

The objective of this study was to investigate the acceptance of structured diagnostic interviews in clinical practice, as well as research, settings. Using the Diagnostisches Interview bei Psychischen Störungen (the modified and extended German version of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV), 10 certified interviewers conducted 183 structured interviews in different inpatient, outpatient, and research settings in Switzerland and Germany. After each interview, patients and interviewers filled out a questionnaire asking for their evaluation of the interview.