The association between affective temperaments and depressive symptoms in a population of medical university students, Poland.

Background: Compared to their peers, medical students are more exposed to stress, and many present symptoms of depression, making them a group prone to experiencing mental illnesses.

Objective: This study investigates a potential link between the occurrence of symptoms of depression and the dominating type of affective temperament in young people studying at a medical university.

Methods: One hundred thirty-four medical students were surveyed using two validated questionnaires; the Polish versions of Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A).

Mechanisms of Cognitive Impairment in Depression. May Probiotics Help?

Depression is the major cause of disability globally. Apart from lowered mood and accompanying symptoms, it leads to cognitive impairment that altogether predicts disadvantaged social functioning. Reduced cognitive function in depression appears a bit neglected in the field of clinical and molecular psychiatry, while it is estimated to occur in two-thirds of depressed patients and persist in at least one third of remitted patients.