Why take social anxiety disorder seriously?

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is a disabling psychiatric condition, characterized by a fear of negative evaluation by others. Epidemiological studies have shown a high prevalence of the condition in the general population; the disorder is more common in women than in men. Social anxiety disorder has a typical onset during adolescence and a chronic course; remission rarely occurs without therapeutic intervention.

Normative data and factor structure of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in the French version.

We explored the psychometric features of the French Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a 602-subject community sample (263 men and 339 women), representative of the French population. The factor structures of the temperament and character dimensions, explored separately, were in agreement with the hypothesized constructs, except for the scales Novelty Seeking NS1 (exploratory excitability), Persistence, and Self-Directedness SD4 (self-acceptance). The internal consistency of the main dimensions was good (Cronbach alpha coefficients between 0.

Cognitive aspects of social phobia: a review of theories and experimental research.

Cognitive theories of social phobia have largely been inspired by the information-processing models of anxiety. They propose that cognitive biases can, at least partially, explain the etiology and maintenance of this disorder. A specific bias, conceived as a tendency to preferentially process socially-threatening information, has been proposed.

Social phobia in the community: relationship between diagnostic threshold and prevalence.

This paper investigates the prevalence of symptoms and various diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV social phobia in a French national representative population of 12,873 subjects, aged 15 or more. Respondents filled out a mailed questionnaire based on the social phobia section of the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) in the year 1996. Response rate was 80.

Similarities and differences between incestuous and nonincestuous rape in a French follow-up study.

Clinicians are familiar with the life and psychological difficulties of incest victims, but their observations often are refuted as being retrospective and unsystematic. We aimed to ascertain similarities and differences between incestuous rape and nonincestuous rape. One hundred and two victims consulting a French forensic center were interviewed in a systematic follow-up study over 6 months using structured interview schedules.

Patterns of neuroleptic drug prescription: a national cross-sectional survey of a random sample of French psychiatrists.

Aims: To describe the psychiatric indications of neuroleptics (especially the relative share of schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders) and the usage patterns of these drugs (dose, duration, coprescriptions).

Methods: A one-day national cross-sectional survey in a random sample of 723 French psychiatrists was carried out in 1996. Each psychiatrist was asked to complete a standardized questionnaire for the first three patients seen the day of the survey to whom at least one neuroleptic was prescribed (initiated or renewed).

[Pharmacotherapy in personality disorders: methodological issues and results].

The pharmacotherapy of personality disorders is less developed than are psychological treatments in this area, but they are a logical prolongation of psychobiological models of personality and temperament, and respond to the need of many clinicians in front of difficult patients. The assessment of drugs effects in personality disorders includes some important conceptual and methodological issues. Categorical or dimensional instruments evaluating baseline personality and under-treatment changes are now available.

Anxiolytic and hypnotic use in 376 psychiatric inpatients. GERMED Neuropsychotropics Group.

This objectives of this study were three-fold: retrospectively evaluate anxiolytic/hypnotic consumption by psychiatric inpatients, identify the risk factors of prolonged intakes, and prospectively measure the impact of hospitalisation on the use of those drugs. Three hundred and seventy-six patients hospitalised in 11 psychiatric departments in the Paris region were studied using a structured interview for the anxiolytic/hypnotic treatments, DSM-III-R criteria, GHQ-12, HAD, Spiegel's questionnaire, COVI's anxiety scale and the CGI. Eighty-five per cent of the patients had taken one anxiolytic/hypnotic or more in the 3 months preceding hospitalisation.

Identification of depressed patient types in the community and their treatment needs: findings from the DEPRES II (Depression Research in European Society II) survey. DEPRES Steering Committee.

DEPRES II (Depression Research in European Society II), the first in-depth, pan-European survey of depression in the community, provided an opportunity to identify depressed patient types and their treatment needs. Cluster analysis applied to data generated from DEPRES II interviews revealed six depressed patient types with clearly differentiated profiles. The patient type with moderately impaired depression has episodic depression and minimal disability.

DEPRES II (Depression Research in European Society II): a patient survey of the symptoms, disability and current management of depression in the community. DEPRES Steering Committee.

The first pan-European survey of depression in the community (DEPRES I) demonstrated that 17% of the general population suffer from depression (major depression, minor depression, or depressive symptoms). This article describes findings from a second phase of DEPRES (DEPRES II), in which detailed interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire (78 questions) were conducted with 1884 DEPRES I participants who had suffered from depression and who consulted a healthcare professional about their symptoms during the previous 6 months. The mean time from onset of depression was 45 months, and the most commonly experienced symptoms during the latest period were low mood (76%), tiredness (73%) and sleep problems (63%).

Anxiety and depressive disorders in fathers and mothers of anxious school-refusing children.

Objective: To examine anxiety and depressive disorders in the mothers and fathers of children with anxious school refusal and to test for the existence of differences in familial aggregation between children suffering from school refusal related to separation anxiety disorder and those suffering from phobic disorder-based school refusal.

Method: Using a blind standardized diagnostic evaluation (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime version, modified for the study of anxiety disorders; Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies; and Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children), the authors compared parental lifetime psychiatric illness for the 2 groups of anxious school refusers.

Results: Relationships between specific anxiety disorders in children and their parents revealed increased prevalence of simple phobia and simple and/or social phobia among the fathers and mothers of phobic school refusers, and increased prevalence of panic disorder and panic disorder and/or agoraphobia among the fathers and mothers of school refusers with separation anxiety disorder.

[Anxiolytics and hypnotics use by psychiatric inpatients' children: preliminary study].

Psychotropic drugs are widely used in adulthood in France, and few studies have yet been made concerning children. Literature studies have shown an important consumption on their part, increasing with age and especially for girls. Certain family factors which may prove to determine such use have been pointed out like family habits of toxique use, maternal depression, mother's occupation and family troubles.

Anxiolytic and hypnotic use by general hospital inpatients. The impact of psychopathology and general medical conditions.

This study explored the relative impact of general medical conditions and psychopathology on the current and lifetime use of anxiolytic and/or hypnotic drugs by general hospital inpatients. One hundred and five consecutive patients, admitted to an internal medicine department, were assessed by a structured interview about current and lifetime use of anxiolytic and/or hypnotic drugs, and with somatic and psychopathology scales. Eighty percent of patients reported using anxiolytics and/or hypnotics at least once in a lifetime, 62.

Anxiety but not depression is associated with elevated blood pressure in a community group of French elderly.

Objective: This study examined whether anxiety and depression were independently associated with elevated blood pressure in elderly persons.

Method: The study group consisted of 1389 subjects aged 59 to 71 years recruited from the electoral rolls of the city of Nantes (France). Subjects completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) and the Spielberger Inventory scales to assess depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, respectively.

Social phobia and alcoholism: a complex relationship.

The relationship between social phobia and alcoholism is complex. Alcohol problems typically develop secondary to social phobia, with patients reporting that they find alcohol helpful in coping with the symptoms of anxiety. However, excessive alcohol consumption may actually precipitate anxiety symptoms, and thus a vicious circle of anxiety and alcoholism is established.

The dopamine D2 receptor gene TaqI A polymorphism is not associated with Novelty Seeking, Harm Avoidance and Reward Dependence in healthy subjects.

Allele A1 of the TaqI A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the dopamine D2 receptor gene has been found to be associated with substance abuse and alcoholism. The personality trait of Novelty Seeking (NS) is also associated with substance abuse and dependence. We hypothesised, on the basis of involvement of dopaminergic mechanisms in substance abuse, that the presence of allele A1 of the dopamine D2 receptor gene may represent a genetic predisposition for the NS personality trait.

Epidemiology of depression in the elderly.

Epidemiologic results of studies of depression in the elderly are reviewed in this paper. There are discrepancies from one study to another as regards prevalence rates in the community. In fact, different methods of assessment as well as different periods frame may explain these variations.

Predictive factors of chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in rape victims.

This study aimed to investigate the psychological disorders following rape as well as the course of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and to determine clinical factors predictive of chronic PTSD. Seventy-three rape victims were observed in a systematic follow-up study over 1 year following rape using structured interview schedules. The frequency of PTSD was massive.

Screening for psychologically traumatized rape victims.

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the General Health Questionnaire, a simple psychological screening instrument, could be useful to non-specialists in screening for psychologically traumatized rape victims.

Study Design: 285 rape victims (mean age 22.5, men 8%) attending consecutively a Consultation for Victims of Psychological Trauma at the University Hospital in Tours, France, were assessed through the Structured Interview for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (SI-PTSD), and the French 28-item version of the self-rated General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28).

Validation of a computerized version of the temperament and character inventory (TCI) in psychiatric inpatients.

We wrote a Basic program for Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers in order to administer the 226 questions of the French Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) automatically, and to obtain a personality profile instantaneously. Validity was assessed by comparing the results of 32 psychiatric inpatients who used this program and the paper-and-pencil form of the TCI over an interval of 4.8 days on average.

What happens to depressed men? Application of the Stirling County criteria.

In a recent issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, results from the Stirling County Study showed that the prevalence and incidence rates of depression were similar in men and women when "gender-fair" criteria were used and help-seeking was not required. We attempted to replicate these findings by applying the criteria for depression from the Stirling County Study to two national and six international epidemiologic surveys conducted in the 1980s and 1990s. Depression was defined as dysphoric mood and disturbances of sleep, appetite, and energy, with at least a mild degree of impairment.

The cross-national epidemiology of panic disorder.

Background: Epidemiological data on panic disorder from community studies from 10 countries around the world are presented to determine the consistency of findings across diverse cultures.

Method: Data from independently conducted community surveys from 10 countries (the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, France, West Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Taiwan, Korea, and New Zealand), using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and DSM-III criteria and including over 40,000 subjects, were analyzed with appropriate standardization for age and sex differences among subjects from different countries.

Results: The lifetime prevalence rates for panic disorder ranged from 1.