Duration of major depressive episodes in the general population: results from The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

Background: Data on the duration of major depressive episodes (MDE) in the general population are sparse.

Aims: To assess the duration of MDE and its clinical and socio-demographic determinants in a study group drawn from the general population with newly originated episodes of major depression.

Method: The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study is a prospective epidemiological survey in the adult population (n=7076), using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Bipolar disorder in the general population in The Netherlands (prevalence, consequences and care utilisation): results from The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

Background: Little is known about the prevalence of bipolar disorder in the general population, what proportion is receiving care and what factors motivate people to seek help.

Method: Data were derived from The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS), a psychiatric epidemiological study in the general population in The Netherlands. DSM-III-R diagnoses were based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).

High rate of autoimmune thyroiditis in bipolar disorder: lack of association with lithium exposure.

Background: We assessed the prevalence of thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Abs) and thyroid failure in outpatients with bipolar disorder compared with two control groups.

Methods: The TPO-Abs of outpatients with DSM-IV bipolar disorder (n = 226), a population control group (n = 252), and psychiatric inpatients of any diagnosis (n = 3190) were measured. Thyroid failure was defined as a raised thyroid stimulating hormone level, previously diagnosed hypothyroidism, or both.

Correlates of overweight and obesity in 644 patients with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Overweight and obesity are common clinical problems encountered in the treatment of bipolar disorder. We therefore assessed the prevalence and clinical correlates of overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity in 644 bipolar patients.

Method: 644 outpatients with DSM-IV bipolar disorder in the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Treatment Outcomes Network were evaluated with structured diagnostic interviews and clinician- and self-administered questionnaires to determine bipolar disorder diagnoses, demographic and historical illness characteristics, comorbid Axis I diagnoses, medical histories, health habits, and body mass indices (BMMs).