Participation in opioid substitution treatment reduces the rate of criminal convictions: evidence from a community study.

Objective: Positive outcomes associated with opioid substitution treatment include reduced illicit opioid use and lower risk of HIV and other blood-borne infections. The effect on the reduction of criminal activity remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the impact of treatment on criminal activity using conviction register data.

Influence of personality on objective and subjective social support among patients with major depressive disorder: a prospective study.

Personality and social support (SS) influence risk for depression and modify its outcome through multiple pathways. The impact of personality dimensions neuroticism and extraversion on SS among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has been little studied. In the Vantaa Depression Study, we assessed neuroticism and extraversion with the Eysenck Personality Inventory, objective SS with the Interview Measure of Social Relationships, and subjective SS with the Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised at baseline, at 6 and 18 months among 193 major depressive disorder patients diagnosed according to the fourth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS-IV).

The influence of major depressive disorder on objective and subjective social support: a prospective study.

The impact of persistent depression on social support (SS) is not well known. In the Vantaa Depression Study (VDS), 193 patients with DSM-IV MDD were interviewed at baseline, at 6 and 18 months. Objective SS was measured with the Interview Measure of Social Relationships (IMSR), and subjective SS with the Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised (PSSS-R); the influence of time spent in major depressive episodes (MDEs) on SS at 18 months was investigated.

A comparison of aripiprazole, methylphenidate, and placebo for amphetamine dependence.

Objective: Problems related to illegal amphetamine use have become a major public health issue in many developed countries. To date, evidence on the effectiveness of psychosocial treatments has remained modest, and no pharmacotherapy has proven effective for amphetamine dependence.

Method: Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for intravenous amphetamine dependence (N=53) were randomly assigned to receive aripiprazole (15 mg/day), slow-release methylphenidate (54 mg/day), or placebo for 20 weeks.

Determinants of functional disability and social adjustment in major depressive disorder: a prospective study.

We examined prospectively factors influencing social and occupational disability and social adjustment among patients with major depressive disorder. The Vantaa Depression Study comprises a cohort of psychiatric inpatients and outpatients with major depressive disorder in the city of Vantaa, Finland. We prospectively interviewed 193 of 269 (72%) patients both 6 and 18 months after baseline.

The influence of adversity and perceived social support on the outcome of major depressive disorder in subjects with different levels of depressive symptoms.

Background: Adverse life events and social support may influence the outcome of major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized that outcome would depend on the level of depressive symptoms present at the outset, with those in partial remission being particularly vulnerable.

Method: In the Vantaa Depression Study (VDS), patients with DSM-IV MDD were interviewed at baseline, and at 6 and 18 months.

Functional and work disability in major depressive disorder.

We examined factors related to social and occupational disability, social adjustment, and work disability among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), the dominant mental disorder causing functional and work disability. The Vantaa Depression Study comprises a cohort of 269 psychiatric inpatients and outpatients with MDD in the city of Vantaa, Finland. Axis I and II diagnoses were assessed via semistructured WHO Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry Version 2.

Co-morbidity and stability of melancholic features in DSM-IV major depressive disorder.

Background: The descriptive validity of the melancholic features specifier of the DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) is uncertain. Little is known about its relationship to psychiatric co-morbidity, stability across episodes, or strength in predicting course of illness.

Method: The Vantaa Depression Study (VDS) is a prospective, naturalistic cohort study of 269 patients with a new episode of DSM-IV MDD who were interviewed with SCAN and SCID-II between 1 February 1997 and 31 May 1998, and again at 6 and 18 months.

Continuity is the main challenge in treating major depressive disorder in psychiatric care.

Objective: Several evidence-based treatment guidelines for major depressive disorder (MDD) have been published. However, little is known about how recommendations for treatment are adhered to by patients in current usual psychiatric practice.

Method: The Vantaa Depression Study is a prospective, naturalistic cohort study of 269 psychiatric patients with a new episode of DSM-IV MDD who were interviewed with the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders between February 1, 1997, and May 31, 1998, and again at 6 and 18 months.

Severity and comorbidity predict episode duration and recurrence of DSM-IV major depressive disorder.

Background: Information on the naturalistic outcome of major depressive disorder (MDD) is important in developing rational clinical practices. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of MDD in a modern secondary-level psychiatric setting and the influence of comorbidity plus psychosocial factors on the outcome of MDD.

Method: The Vantaa Depression Study is a prospective, naturalistic cohort study of 269 secondary-level care psychiatric outpatients and inpatients diagnosed with a new episode of DSM-IV MDD.

Current comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among DSM-IV major depressive disorder patients in psychiatric care in the Vantaa Depression Study.

Background: While numerous studies have documented the high comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) with individual mental disorders, no published study has reported overall current comorbidity with all Axis I and II disorders among psychiatric patients with MDD, nor systematically investigated variations in current comorbidity by sociodemographic factors, inpatient versus outpatient status, and number of lifetime depressive episodes.

Method: Psychiatric outpatients and inpatients in Vantaa, Finland, were prospectively screened for an episode of DSM-IV MDD, and 269 patients with a new episode of MDD were enrolled in the Vantaa Depression MDD Cohort Study. Axis I and II comorbidity was assessed via semistructured Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry, version 2.