Serum biomarkers, lifetime substance use and conversion to bipolar disorder.

Introduction: The diagnostic conversion of major depressive disorder (MDD) to bipolar disorder (BD) is a topic that is currently the subject of several studies. However, there are few studies that clarify the interaction between conversion, substance use and biomarkers.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate serum biomarker levels and lifetime substance use as predictors for diagnostic conversion from major depressive disorder to bipolar disorder in an outpatient sample of adults.

Predicting functional impairment in euthymic patients with mood disorder: A 5-year follow-up.

Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder are psychiatric disorders associated with psychosocial impairment. Despite clinical improvement, functional complaints usually remain, mainly impairing occupational and cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to use machine learning techniques to predict functional impairment in patients with mood disorders.

Ego-defense mechanisms and brief psychotherapies for the management of major depressive disorder in adults: A longitudinal and quasi-experimental study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of psychotherapies on ego defense mechanisms and the reduction of depressive symptoms in a 12-month follow-up period.

Methods: This longitudinal and quasi-experimental study nested within a randomized clinical trial included a clinical sample of adults (18-60 years) diagnosed with major depressive disorder using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Two models of psychotherapy were used: Supportive Expressive Dynamic Psychotherapy (SEDP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Biological rhythms disruption mediates the association between mother's diagnosis of bipolar disorder and offspring's emotional/behavioral problems.

Objective: The current study assesses whether the association between diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in mothers and emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) in their offspring is mediated by a disruption in the offspring's biological rhythms.

Methods: A probabilistic sample of 492 public school children (ages 7-8, 48 % female) were assessed for biological rhythms disruption and EBP using the Biological Rhythms Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry for Kids and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Mothers' mental health (BD = 64) was evaluated using a standardized clinical interview.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure for the Brazilian context.

Introduction: The Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM) was developed to measure individual differences in social comparison orientation and has been widely used in research and various different settings.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to adapt the online version of the INCOM and to evaluate its psychometric parameters when applied to a Brazilian population of university students.

Methods: The procedures were divided into two steps: step 1 - cross-cultural adaptation and analysis of content validity, and step 2 - assessment of psychometric characteristics.

Childhood trauma, inflammatory biomarkers and the presence of a current depressive episode: Is there a relationship in subjects from a population study?

This study aims to compare the serum cytokine levels between controls, individuals with a current depressive episode (CDE) with childhood trauma and individuals with CDE without childhood trauma. This is a cross-sectional with paired sample nested in a population-based study. For the purposes of the current study, subjects who had psychotic symptoms, generalized anxiety disorder, and who refused to perform blood collection were excluded.

Predictors of illicit substance abuse/dependence during young adulthood: A machine learning approach.

Prior studies have found an especially high prevalence of illicit substance use among adolescents and young adults in Brazil. The current study aimed to employ machine learning techniques to identify predictors of illicit substance abuse/dependence among a large community sample of young adults followed for 5 years. This prospective, population-based cohort study included a sample of young adults between the ages of 18-24 years from Pelotas, Brazil at baseline (T1).

Socioeconomic and substance use changes in emerging adults and their relationship with mood disorders in a population-based cohort.

In this report, we aim to assess the interaction of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with the evolution of social roles, economic classification, and substance misuse in emerging adults. This is a longitudinal population-based study ( = 231 at baseline), in which participants were reassessed at a mean of 5 years after baseline. A structured clinical interview was used to diagnose the participants with bipolar disorder and major depression; a control group without mood disorders was included.

Theoretical procedures of the cross-cultural adaptation process of the Child Mania Rating Scale - Parent Version (CMRS-P) for the Brazilian context.

Objectives: To describe the theoretical procedures employed in the process of cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) for Brazil of the Child Mania Rating Scale - Parent Version (CMRS-P).

Methods: Seven steps were carried out: (1) translations and synthesis; (2) Committee of Judges-I; (3) grammatical review; (4) Committee of Judges-II; (5) semantic analysis (pre-test); (6) back-translation; and (7) discussion with the authors of the original instrument. Participants were two professional translators, 14 experts, a grammar proofreader, and 21 parents/guardians, representatives of the target population.

Interaction between COMT Val Met polymorphism and childhood trauma predicts risk for depression in men.

Depression is a disabling illness with complex etiology. While the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, in particular the functional Val Met polymorphism, has been related to depression, the mechanisms underlying this gene-disease association are not completely understood. Therefore, we explore the association of COMT Val Met polymorphism with depression as well as its interaction with childhood trauma in 1136 young adults from a population-based study carried out in the city of Pelotas, Brazil.

Investigating biological rhythms disruptions across the menstrual cycle in women with comorbid bipolar disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

We investigated whether women diagnosed with comorbid bipolar disorder (BD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) experience higher disruptions in biological rhythms in two independent study samples. The first study has a population-based sample of 727 women, including 104 women with PMDD only, 43 women with BD only, 24 women with comorbid PMDD and BD, and 556 women without BD or PMDD (controls). Biological rhythm disruptions were cross-sectionally evaluated using the Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN).

BDNF Levels According to Variations in the CACNA1C Gene: Sex-Based Disparity.

The CACNA1C gene encodes the pore-forming alpha-1c subunit of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. The calcium influx through these channels regulates the transcription of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Polymorphisms in this gene have been consistently associated with psychiatric disorders, and alterations in BDNF levels are a possible biological mechanism to explain such associations.

Antenatal depression: Efficacy of a pre-post therapy study and repercussions in motor development of children during the first 18 months postpartum. Study: "Pregnancy care, healthy baby".

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of brief psychotherapeutic interventions of cognitive behavioral therapy to treat antenatal depression and verify the association between interventions and motor development of infants at 3 and 18 months of age.

Methods: Pre-post-intervention study nested a randomized clinical trial, both of which are extracts from a population-based cohort study of a southern Brazilian city. The major depressive episode was measured through Mini Plus, the severity of depressive symptoms by BDI-II and motor development using Bayley-III and AIMS.

Dropout in brief psychotherapy for major depressive disorder: Randomized clinical trial.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the factors associated with the dropout from brief psychotherapy for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated at a mental health outpatient clinic. This is a randomized clinical trial with two models of psychotherapy: cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and supportive expressive dynamic psychotherapy (SEDP). MDD and anxiety disorders were evaluated through the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus.

Early illness progression in mood disorders: A population-based longitudinal study.

This study is aimed at assessing changes in functioning among young people from the general population with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder over a period of five years. Specifically, we hypothesized that significant illness progression would take place during euthymia over time in bipolar disorder. We conducted a longitudinal study with 231 people, assessed at baseline and again at a five-year follow-up.

Evidence of validity of the revised Helping Alliance Questionnaire based on the internal structure in a Brazilian clinical sample.

The revised Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAq-II) is among the most used instruments that measure therapeutic alliance. Despite its use in research, this instrument is not validated for the Brazilian population. The aim of this study was to explore the evidence of validity of the HAq-II based on the internal structure in a sample of Brazilian psychiatric patients.

Risk factors for new-onset bipolar disorder in a community cohort: A five-year follow up study.

The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors for new-onset Bipolar Disorder (BD) in a community sample of young adults. This is a prospective cohort study including a population-based sample of young adults aged between 18-24 years. The baseline took place from 2007 to 2009, and 1560 subjects were included.

Brief cognitive behavioral therapy in pregnant women at risk of postpartum depression: Pre-post therapy study in a city in southern Brazil.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects a high number of women, often the first manifestation of a mood disorder that will occur later in life, bringing serious consequences for the patient and her offspring. Depression today is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a preventive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for PPD.

Cognitive complaints in individuals recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: To assess the differences in subjective cognitive dysfunction between major depressive disorder (MDD) and recently diagnosed Bipolar Disorder (BD) across euthymia and mood episodes.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study corresponding to the second wave of a longitudinal study. The first wave consisted of subjects aged between 18 and 60 diagnosed with MDD.