[Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among southern Brazilian adults: cross-sectional population-based study].

To identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms and examine associated factors in a Southern Brazilian adult population, a cross-sectional population-based study was carried out, including 972 subjects, men and women, aged 20 to 69 years, living in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. The sampling strategy relied on the census tracts of the city as primary sampling units and households as the secondary units. The questionnaire included socio-demographic, behavioral and nutritional variables.

Emotional memory in bipolar disorder.

Background: Cognitive impairment has been well documented in bipolar disorder. However, specific aspects of cognition such as emotional memory have not been examined.

Aims: To investigate episodic emotional memory in bipolar disorder, as indicated by performance on an amygdala-related cognitive task.

Mismatch between self-reported quality of life and functional assessment in acute mania: a matter of unawareness of illness?

Background: Studies addressing self-reported quality of life (QoL) in acute mania are scarce and inconsistent. While it has been suggested that there is some disagreement between objective measures and subjective QoL as reported by acutely manic patients, this issue has not been systematically studied. This study aims to investigate the self-reported QoL in manic, depressed, and euthymic BD subjects, as compared to matched healthy controls.

Adaptation and validation of the Portuguese version of the Lithium Knowledge Test (LKT) of bipolar patients treated with lithium: cross-over study.

Objective: Adherence problems are a common feature among bipolar patients. A recent study showed that lithium knowledge was the main difference between adherent and non adherents bipolar patients. The Lithium Knowledge Test (LKT), a brief questionnaire, was developed as a means of identifying aspects of patients' practical and pharmacological knowledge which are important if therapy is to be safe and effective.

Bipolar depression: the importance of being on remission.

Objective: The aim of the present study is to compare quality of life among currently depressed, subsyndromal and remitted patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and to assess whether the level of depression correlates with the scores of quality of life in BD patients.

Method: Sixty bipolar outpatients diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV who met criteria for diagnosis of BD type I, II or not otherwise specified (BD-NOS), and who were not currently on a manic or mixed episode were included. The main variables of interest were quality of life (QOL) assessed using the 26-item World Health Organization QOL instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) and depression assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Clinical impact of late diagnose of bipolar disorder.

Background: This study assessed the impact of number of years undiagnosed (NYU) on current morbidity in patients with bipolar disorder.

Limitations: The sample size used was rather small, which may make difficult the generalization of our findings to larger datasets. The data about age of onset and age when patients received their diagnosis may present a certain degree of recall error.

The efficacy of antidepressants for generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Methods: All randomized controlled trials assessing the use of antidepressants in generalized anxiety disorder up to may 2002 were included. Non randomized trials and those that included patients with both generalized anxiety disorder and another Axis I co-morbidity were excluded.

[Depression in the elderly: are doctors investigating it?].

Objectives: To evaluate whether doctors are investigating depression in the elderly.

Methods: Cross-sectional population-based survey, including individuals aged 60 years or above, resident in the urban area of Pelotas, Brazil. The sample was selected using a multiple-stage protocol based on Brazilian census data.

[Depressive symptoms and associated factors in an elderly population in southern Brazil].

Objective: To determine the frequency of some depressive symptoms in the elderly, to build up a score of depressive symptoms and to evaluate the association between depressive symptoms and demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral variables.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in individuals aged 60 and more living in the urban city area of Pelotas, Brazil. The sample was selected in multiple stages based on the city's census tracts.