"Addressing the core trait of bipolar disorder": A concept analysis of mood-stabilizing drugs.

Objective: The term "mood stabilizer" is controversial in the literature and criticized for being imprecise and overly inclusive, having its retirement suggested to avoid misuse. Nevertheless, it continues to be employed as it may still carry important meaning.

Methods: We employed document analysis for reviewing relevant definitions of mood stabilizer employed in the literature.

Adjunctive tianeptine treatment for bipolar disorder: A 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, maintenance trial.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of tianeptine as an adjunctive maintenance treatment for bipolar depression.

Methods: This is a multicenter double-blind randomized placebo-controlled maintenance trial of adjunctive tianeptine 37.5 mg/day.

Metabolic syndrome and psychiatric disorders: a population-based study.

Objective: To identify the association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and psychiatric disorders in young adults in southern Brazil.

Methods: This population based cross-sectional study involved a total of 1,023 young adults between the ages of 21 and 32 years. Current episodes of psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - Plus version.

Mediator effects of parameters of inflammation and neurogenesis from a N-acetyl cysteine clinical-trial for bipolar depression.

Objective: This study aimed to explore effects of adjunctive treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on markers of inflammation and neurogenesis in bipolar depression.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a placebo-controlled randomised trial. Serum samples were collected at baseline, week 8, and week 32 of the open-label and maintenance phases of the clinical trial to determine changes in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following adjunctive NAC treatment, and to explore mediation and moderator effects of the listed markers.

Peripheral insulin-like growth factor 1 in bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a recurrent and highly incapacitating illness, related to inflammation and changes in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The objective of this study was to evaluate serum levels of IGF-1 in bipolar disorder patients and its relation to inflammation. We included 31 patients with bipolar disorder and 33 healthy controls.

"Why throw away something useful?": Attitudes and opinions of people treated for bipolar disorder and their relatives on organ and tissue donation.

In regard to mental illness, brain donation is essential for the biological investigation of central pathology. Nevertheless, little is known about the thoughts of people with mental disorders on tissue donation for research. Here, our objective was to understand the attitudes and opinions of people treated for bipolar disorder and their relatives regarding donation in general, and particularly donation for research.

Do Sleep Disturbances Predict or Moderate the Response to Psychotherapy in Bipolar Disorder?

This study examined whether sleep disturbance predicted or moderated responses to psychotherapy in participants who participated in STEP-BD, a national, multisite study that examined the effectiveness of different treatment combinations for bipolar disorder. Participants received either a brief psychosocial intervention called collaborative care (CC; n = 130) or intensive psychotherapy (IP; n = 163), with study-based pharmacotherapy. Participants (N = 243) were defined as current (past week) short sleepers (<6 hours/night), normal sleepers (6.

Biological rhythms, metabolic syndrome and current depressive episode in a community sample.

The purpose of this study was to assess the disruption in biological rhythms and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in individuals with depressive episode. This was a cross-sectional, population-based study with a representative sample of 905 young adults. Current depressive episode were confirmed by a psychologist using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)-Plus.

Cognition and functioning in bipolar depression.

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are associated with worse outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). However, scarce data are available regarding neurocognitive profiles across different areas of functioning among BD patients with moderate and severe depression. Our objective was to assess cognition and global functioning in a group of patients with bipolar depression.

Antioxidant treatments for schizophrenia.

Background: There is accumulating evidence that progressive changes in brain structure and function take place as schizophrenia unfolds. Among many possible candidates, oxidative stress may be one of the mediators of neuroprogression, grey matter loss and subsequent cognitive and functional impairment. Antioxidants are exogenous or endogenous molecules that mitigate any form of oxidative stress or its consequences.

Countertransference and therapeutic alliance in the early stage of adult psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to assess the relationship between countertransference (CT) and therapeutic alliance (TA) during the early stages of psychodynamic psychotherapy. A secondary objective is to assess associations between CT and variables related to therapist and patient and between CT and other patient variables investigated, which were defense mechanisms, symptomology and functionality.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 30 patients treated by 17 different therapists at the psychotherapy clinics of two psychiatry centers.

Inflammatory markers in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.

Background: Studies investigating inflammatory markers in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have yielded mixed results. The aim of our study was to compare concentrations of inflammatory markers in patients with PTSD compared with healthy controls.

Methods: We did a meta-analysis and meta-regression of studies comparing inflammatory markers between patients with PTSD and healthy controls by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO for articles published between Jan 1, 1960, and April 7, 2015.

Association of interleukin-10 levels with age of onset and duration of illness in patients with major depressive disorder.

Objective: To investigate peripheral levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) and evaluate the relationship between IL-10, age of disease onset, and duration of illness.

Methods: Case-control study nested in a population-based cohort of 231 individuals (age 18-24 years) living in Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Participants were screened for psychopathology using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I).

Functioning in bipolar disorder with substance abuse/dependence in a community sample of young adults.

Aim: To assess the functional impairment of young adults with bipolar disorder with substance abuse/dependence comorbidity.

Method: Cross-sectional study within a community sample. Bipolar Disorder was assessed by qualified psychologists using The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview - PLUS (MINI-PLUS).

Biological rhythms in bipolar and depressive disorders: A community study with drug-naïve young adults.

Aim: To assess biological rhythm disruptions among drug-naïve young adults with bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and community controls.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study nested in a population-based study. BD and MDD were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.

Memory and brain-derived neurotrophic factor after subchronic or chronic amphetamine treatment in an animal model of mania.

Progression of bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with cognitive impairment and changes in neuroplasticity, including a decrease in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, no study could examine BDNF levels directly in different brain regions after repeated mood episodes to date. The proposed animal model was designed to mimic several manic episodes and evaluate whether the performance in memory tasks and BDNF levels in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala would change after repeated amphetamine (AMPH) exposure.

Quality of life, social functioning, family structure, and treatment history associated with crack cocaine use in youth from the general population.

Objective: To assess the relationship between crack cocaine use and dimensions of quality of life and social functioning in young adults.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study involving 1,560 participants in Pelotas, Brazil. Crack cocaine use and abuse were investigated using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) inventory.

[Stressful life events and mood disorders: a community sample].

Mood disorders are a consequence of the interaction between environmental and biological factors. The objective of this study was to identify associations between stressful life events (LEs) and mood disorders in a community sample of young people in southern Brazil. It is a cross-sectional population-based study on young people between 18 and 24 years of age.

Pop, heavy metal and the blues: secondary analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POP), heavy metals and depressive symptoms in the NHANES National Epidemiological Survey.

Objectives: Persistent environmental pollutants, including heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have a ubiquitous presence. Many of these pollutants affect neurobiological processes, either accidentally or by design. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between assayed measures of POPs and heavy metals and depressive symptoms.

Clinical staging in bipolar disorder: focus on cognition and functioning.

Objective: Clinical staging has increasingly been considered suitable for psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder. A staging model of bipolar disorder could help clinicians understand the mechanisms underlying the course of the illness and guide prognosis and therapy. This study aimed to investigate differences in functional status and cognitive functioning in patients in different clinical stages of bipolar disorder.

Violent and sexual behaviors and lifetime use of crack cocaine: a population-based study in Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of lifetime use of crack cocaine and to assess associations with violent and sexual behaviors in young adults selected from the general population of Pelotas, Southern Brazil.

Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 1,560 participants aged 18-24 years. The use of alcohol and other substances, including crack cocaine, was assessed using the alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test.