Are short (blue) wavelengths necessary for light treatment of seasonal affective disorder?

Despite widely published speculation regarding a potential potency advantage of short-wavelength (blue-appearing) light for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) treatment, there have been few systematic studies. Those comparing short-wavelength to broad-wavelength (white) light under actual clinical conditions suggest equivalent effectiveness. This multicenter, parallel-group design trial was undertaken to compare the effects of light therapy on SAD using blue (~465 nm) versus blue-free (595-612 nm) LED lights.

Faculty roles: dilemmas for the future of nursing education.

Methods: Literature review and analysis.

Findings: Recent reports emphasized the need for the development of nursing classroom education that is more rigorous and coordinated with clinical experiences. Faculty roles in research universities in nursing have increased the number of clinical and part-time faculties, and have increased the requirements for funded research for tenure-track faculty over the last decade.

Relationships between aggression, depression, and alcohol, tobacco: implications for healthcare providers in student health.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of aggression, depression, and at-risk health behaviors in a random sample of undergraduate college students and to explore the relationship between these variables.

Data Sources: The study survey was sent to 2500 undergraduate students; 428 participated, responding to items from the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey about alcohol, drug and tobacco, violence and aggression, the Beck Depression Inventory II, and items adapted from the Overt Aggression Scale.

Conclusions: Almost one third of the sample reported cigarette smoking, 22% moderate depression, 81% drink alcohol, with 58% drinking more than five drinks at least once in the last month.

Lux vs. wavelength in light treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Objective: Published dosing guidelines for treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) refer to photopic lux, which is not appropriate for short-wavelength light. Short wavelengths are most potent for many non-visual responses to light. If SAD therapy were similarly mediated, standards utilizing lux risk overestimating necessary dose.

Glutamine and glutamate levels in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder: a 4.0-T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of the anterior cingulate cortex.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, at 4.0 T, to explore the glutamine and glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BPD; medicated and unmedicated) and healthy comparison subjects (HCSs). We hypothesized that unmedicated children with BPD would have reduced glutamine and glutamate levels compared with HCSs and medicated children with BPD.

Mild traumatic brain injury in psychiatric inpatients.

The purpose of this study was to compare psychiatric inpatients with and without mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) on the variables of length of stay (LOS), number of psychiatric admissions, and change from admission to discharge on Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). The study sample included 54 psychiatric inpatients, 18 to 65 years old, with a history of MTBI and 52 comparison psychiatric inpatients absent histories of MTBI, matched on age, sex and diagnostic category. LOS was longer for those with MTBI than for those without MTBI.

Staff & client perceptions of unit quality: a pilot study.

This pilot study compared psychiatric health care team members' perceptions of unit quality with discharged clients' perceptions of quality of care received on the unit. The staff members were from four different service units in one acute care psychiatric facility. The study used the Perceptions of Unit Quality (PUQ) scale, a valid and reliable outcome measurement instrument, developed by Cronenwett.

Prevalence of psychopathology in preschool-age children.

Problem: Little is known about psychopathology in preschool-age children.

Methods: A review of representative studies of psychiatric disorders in preschoolers.

Findings: Sample sizes ranged from 104 to 3,860 subjects, ages 1 to 9 years.

Open trial of bupropion SR in adolescent major depression.

Problem: There are few studies of sustained-release bupropion in adolescents with major depression.

Methods: Twenty-one adolescents with DSM-IV major depression were recruited through advertisement and self-referral; 11 began study medication and were rated weekly with an expanded Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (SIGH-SAD), as well as Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I).

Results: Of 11 subjects enrolled, 8 completed an 8-week trial of bupropion SR.

Prescribing patterns of advanced practice nurses: contrasting psychiatric mental health CNS and NP practice.

Advanced practice nurses (APNs) play a key role in delivering health care and increasingly include prescriptive authority in their practices. To date, few systematic studies have investigated APN prescribing patterns. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the prescriptive practice of APNs, assess differences in prescriptive patterns by specialty, and determine barriers to prescriptive practice.

Psychopharmacologic treatment of adolescent depression.

Child and adolescent depression is one of the greatest health concerns in our society today. This article critically reviews the literature on the psychopharmacologic treatment of adolescent depression. Although double-blind studies have failed to show the efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants, more recent evidence has emerged for the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in this population.

Functional deficits in basal ganglia of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shown with functional magnetic resonance imaging relaxometry.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a highly heritable and prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder estimated to affect 6% of school-age children. Its clinical hallmarks are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, which often respond substantially to treatment with methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine. Etiological theories suggest a deficit in corticostriatal circuits, particularly those components modulated by dopamine.

Preliminary evidence for aberrant cortical development in abused children: a quantitative EEG study.

The objectives of this study were to investigate cortical development and hemispheric asymmetry in abused children. Fifteen hospitalized children (mean age 10.7 +/- 2.

Increased nocturnal activity and impaired sleep maintenance in abused children.

Objective: Previous studies have suggested that sleep disturbance may be the "hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder," although several investigations have failed to find evidence for sleep disruption. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intense averse stimulation during early development, in the form of physical and/or sexual abuse, led to disruption of sleep and nocturnal activity.

Method: Nineteen prepubertal children with documented abuse were compared with 15 nonabused normal controls and 10 depressed children.

A controlled trial of light therapy for the treatment of pediatric seasonal affective disorder.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of light therapy for the treatment of pediatric seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Method: 28 children (aged 7 to 17 years) at two geographically distinct sites were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of bright-light treatment. Subjects initially entered a week-long baseline period during which they wore dark glasses for an hour a day.

Circadian rest-activity disturbances in seasonal affective disorder.

Background: Previous studies hypothesized that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was caused by a circadian rhythm abnormality. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether rest-activity rhythms were phase delayed, diminished in amplitude, or more poorly entrained to the 24-hour day.

Method: Twenty healthy adult controls and 25 outpatients meeting Rosenthal-National Institute of Mental Health criteria for SAD and DSM-III-R criteria for major or bipolar depression with seasonal pattern had their levels of activity recorded for 72 hours (weekdays) using wrist-worn actigraphs.

Circadian rest-activity disturbances in children with seasonal affective disorder.

Objective: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects from 1.7% to 5.5% of children.

Recent advances in the pharmacotherapy of major depression.

Major depression and its pharmacotherapy have changed substantially during the last decade. Several new agents have been approved for clinical use, and psychiatric nurses must be aware of the benefits and potential adverse reactions associated with each. Moreover, more than 40 states now grant prescriptive authority to advanced practice nurses, and psychiatric nurses need a thorough and balanced knowledge of these agents to initiate and monitor treatment appropriately.

Relationship between early abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, and activity levels in prepubertal children.

Objective: To examine the relationship between early physical and sexual abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, and activity levels in prepubertal children.

Method: Nineteen unmedicated children with documented abuse (9.4 +/- 2.

Motor activity and severity of depression in hospitalized prepubertal children.

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between activity levels and the severity and nature of depressive symptoms.

Method: Locomotor activity was quantified in 27 consecutively selected hospitalized prepubertal children. Activity was measured in 5-minute epochs over a period of 72 hours using belt-worn monitors.

Objective measurement of hyperactivity and attentional problems in ADHD.

Objective: To precisely describe movement abnormalities in seated children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) while they were engaged in a continuous performance task (CPT).

Method: Diagnoses were made by using structured interviews (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Epidemiologic Version) and DSM-IV criteria. Movement patterns of 18 boys with ADHD (9.