Adaptation of a motivational interviewing intervention to improve antidepressant adherence among Latinos.

Poor antidepressant adherence is a significant issue in depression treatment that adversely affects treatment outcomes. Although being a common problem, it tends to be more common among Latinos. To address this problem, the current study adapted a Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention to improve adherence among Latinos with depression.

A qualitative analysis of the perception of stigma among Latinos receiving antidepressants.

Objective: This study sought to describe the role of stigma in antidepressant adherence among Latinos.

Methods: The study utilized data generated from six focus groups of Latino outpatients receiving antidepressants (N=30). By using a grounded theory approach, qualitative analysis focused specifically on the role of stigma in antidepressant treatment, as well as salient Latino values.

Are ataques de nervios in Puerto Rican children associated with psychiatric disorder?

Objective: To provide the first empirical analysis of a cultural syndrome in children by examining the prevalence and psychiatric correlates of ataques de nervios in an epidemiological study of the mental health of children in Puerto Rico.

Method: Probability samples of caretakers of children 4-17 years old in the community (N = 1,892; response rate: 90%) and in clinical services (N = 761; response rate 72%) were administered structured interviews to assess the presence and correlates of ataques de nervios.

Results: Nine percent of children in the community sample and 26% of children in the clinical sample had a reported history of an ataque de nervios.

Comparative phenomenology of ataques de nervios, panic attacks, and panic disorder.

This article examines a clinical sample of 66 Dominican and Puerto Rican subjects who reported ataques de nervios and also psychiatric disorder, and disentangles the phenomenological experiences of ataque de nervios, panic attacks, and panic disorder. In-depth cultural interviews assessed the symptomatic phenomenology of ataque episodes from the local perspective as well as in terms of key panic features, such as recurrence, rapid peaking of symptoms, and lack of provocation. Independent diagnostic assessments of panic attacks and disorder were also used to establish the phenomenological overlap between ataque and panic.