Cognitive and Behavioral Skills Exercises Completed by Patients with Major Depression During Smartphone Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: A strong and growing body of evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), either face-to-face, in person, or as self-help via the Internet, for depression. However, CBT is a complex intervention consisting of several putatively effective components, and how each component may or may not contribute to the overall effectiveness of CBT is poorly understood.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate how the users of smartphone CBT use and benefit from various components of the program.

[Practice of Behavioral Activation in Cognitive-behavioral Therapy].

An approach focusing on behavioral activation (BA) was adopted in the cognitive therapy of A. T. Beck, and it came to be considered that BA can play an important role in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression.

Neurocognitive impairments and quality of life in unemployed patients with remitted major depressive disorder.

Quality of life (QOL) has been reported to be impaired in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), even after remission according to symptom rating scales. Although a relationship between QOL and neurocognitive dysfunction has been reported during depressive episodes, little is known about this relationship in remitted MDD patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between QOL and neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with remitted MDD while controlling for confounding factors.

Differences between bipolar and unipolar depression on Rorschach testing.

Background: The bipolar-unipolar distinction in patients with a major depressive episode is the most important issue related to the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders, but remains unresolved. This study was undertaken to compare bipolar and unipolar depression on Rorschach testing using the Comprehensive System with reference to healthy Japanese controls.

Methods: Patients with bipolar or unipolar depression who had undergone the Rorschach test for routine clinical purposes were followed up naturalistically for a long period.

Severity of generalized social anxiety disorder correlates with low executive functioning.

To evaluate neurocognitive functions of patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) without comorbidity using neuropsychological assessments and to investigate the relation between neurocognitive functions and clinical severity of SAD, this study assessed 30 SAD patients (10 female, 20 male) without comorbidity and 30 healthy subjects matched on gender, education level, and age. The neuropsychological assessment consisted of the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), the continuous performance test, the trail-making test, the word fluency test, and the auditory verbal learning test. On the WCST, patients showed lower performance than healthy controls did.

Impaired integrity of the brain parenchyma in non-geriatric patients with major depressive disorder revealed by diffusion tensor imaging.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is considered to be able to non-invasively quantify white matter integrity. This study aimed to use DTI to evaluate white matter integrity in non-geriatric patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who were free of antidepressant medication. DTI was performed on 19 non-geriatric patients with MDD, free of antidepressant medication, and 19 age-matched healthy subjects.

Social Anxiety/Taijin-Kyofu Scale (SATS): development and psychometric evaluation of a new instrument.

Background: Taijin-kyofu (TK), especially the 'convinced' subtype of TK (c-TK; also known as the 'offensive' subtype of TK), is described as a Japanese culture-bound syndrome similar to social anxiety disorder (SAD). Recently, in Western countries, the symptoms of c-TK have been investigated in patients with SAD. We developed the Social Anxiety/Taijin-Kyofu Scale (SATS), a 12-item structured clinician-rated instrument designed to rate the severity of TK symptoms, and examined its reliability and validity.

A case of anorexia nervosa with Marchiafava-Bignami Disease that responded to high-dose intravenous corticosteroid administration.

We report the first known case of anorexia nervosa (AN) with Marchiafava-Bignami Disease (MBD) that responded to high-dose intravenous corticosteroid administration. A 16-year-old Japanese female with AN was diagnosed with MBD after rapid weight loss. During the acute stage, she suffered from a sudden onset of coma.

A case of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder alleviated by milnacipran.

Concerning medical treatments for adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), case reports have gradually been accumulating on the efficacy of psychostimulants such as methylphenidate and amphetamine and selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors such as atomoxetine. However, patients intolerant to psychostimulants currently have a very limited range of treatments available to them. Here, we report a case of an adult AD/HD patient whose inattention and hyperactivity were remarkably alleviated by milnacipran, a serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor.

Assessment of depressive symptoms in Japanese school children and adolescents using the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents in the general Japanese population using a depression self-rating scale and determine whether this prevalence varies according to age, gender, or region.

Method: The Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale for children (DSRS) was used to examine the extent to which depressive tendencies were present among 2,453 elementary and middle-school children (6 to 15 years old) in two cities in Japan.

Results: The mean DSRS score was high at 8.