Clinical and psychobehavioral features of outpatients with somatic symptom disorder in otorhinolaryngology clinics.

Objective: In the Otorhinolaryngology Department, patients exhibiting somatic symptoms without a medical cause are frequently neglected and left untreated. The aim of this study was to characterize the psychosomatic features of outpatients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) to better identify patients needing treatment.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 883 consecutive patients with medically unexplained symptoms.

The clinical effect of psychosomatic interventions on empty nose syndrome secondary to turbinate-sparing techniques: a prospective self-controlled study.

Background: Individuals affected by empty nose syndrome secondary to turbinate-sparing techniques (ENS-type) experience decreased productivity and lifestyle disruption owing to considerable nasal-associated discomfort. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of psychosomatic intervention on ENS-type.

Methods: A prospective self-controlled study was conducted, and 28 patients suffering from ENS-type who met the diagnostic criteria for somatic symptom disorder (SSD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) received cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) plus antidepressants.

Identifying Modifiable Risk Factors for Relapse in Patients With Schizophrenia in China.

Background: Preventing relapse of schizophrenic patients is really a challenge. The present study sought to provide more explicit evidence and factors of different grades and weights by a series of step-by-step analysis through test, logistic regression analysis and decision-tree model. The results of this study may contribute to controlling relapse of schizophrenic patients.

Clinical characteristics of familial schizophrenia.

Introduction: A family history of psychiatric disorders is one of the strongest risk factors for schizophrenia. The characteristics of patients with a family history of psychiatric disorders have not been systematically evaluated.

Methods: This multicenter study (26 centers, 2425 cases) was performed in a Chinese population to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of schizophrenia patients with a family history of psychotic disorders in comparison with those of patients with sporadic schizophrenia.

The Emerging Role of Police in Facilitating Psychiatric Evaluation Since the 2013 Implementation of the First Chinese Mental Health Law.

In 2013, China's first Mental Health Law (MHL) took effect, with the goal of better protecting patients' rights. Under the law the police, with appropriate training, rather than family members, employers or medical staff sent from a hospital, are the ones who bring persons in behavioral crises to medical facilities for psychiatric assessment for possible involuntary hospitalization. We examined the proportion and distinctive characteristics of persons brought to psychiatric emergency services (PES) by the police since the implementation of MHL.

Online video psychoeducation for electroconvulsive therapy in India: A randomized controlled trial.

Despite its effectiveness, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been widely but diminishingly used in India. The current study evaluated a video psychoeducation on ECT offered to adults in India who screened positive for depression. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either video or brochure psychoeducation.

Negative life events and major depressive disorder among HIV-positive individuals in Guangdong, China: A cross-sectional study.

HIV-positive individuals encounter a number of negative life events (NLEs). This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between NLEs and major depressive disorder (MDD) among HIV-positive individuals in Guangdong, China, about which little is known.HIV-positive individuals were recruited from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control of Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Yangjiang from September 2007 to September 2008.

Prescription practices in the treatment of agitation in newly hospitalized Chinese schizophrenia patients: data from a non-interventional naturalistic study.

Background: Data on the pharmacological management of acute agitation in schizophrenia are scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate the prescription practices in the treatment of agitation in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: We conducted a large, multicenter, observational study in 14 psychiatry hospitals in China.

Prevalence of and factors associated with major depressive disorder among HIV-positive individuals in Guangdong, China.

Background: People living with HIV may suffer from mental disorders. We aimed to explore the prevalence of and factors associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) among HIV-positive individuals in Guangdong, China, about which little is known.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to recruit HIV-positive individuals from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control of Guangzhou, Zhongshan, and Yangjiang from September 2007 to September 2008.

Heart rate variability in patients with major depression disorder during a clinical autonomic test.

Major depression disorder (MDD) patients express dysfunction autonomic nervous system (ANS) and reduced heart rate variability (HRV). However, previous researches mainly focused on examining resting state without considering a series of stimulation tests of ANS between MDD patients and healthy people. For this purpose, 40 healthy people and 40 MDD patients participated and finished 10min clinical autonomic test-Ewing test.

Prevalence and risk factors of agitation in newly hospitalized schizophrenia patients in China: An observational survey.

This multi-center observational study investigated the prevalence of agitation in newly hospitalized schizophrenia patients in China and its potential risk factors. It was performed in 2014 and covered 14 hospitals. Newly hospitalized patients with schizophrenia or suspected schizophrenia who met the diagnostic criteria of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, were recruited.

Efficacy and safety of a novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitor octohydroaminoacridine in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: a Phase II multicenter randomised controlled trial.

Background: inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been a effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Octohydroaminoacridine, a new AChE inhibitor, is a potential treatment for AD.

Method: we conducted a multicenter, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group Phase II clinical trial to investigate the effects of octohydroaminoacridine in patients with mild-to-moderate AD.

Adjunctive antidepressant use in schizophrenia in China: A national survey (2002-2012).

Objective: This study examined the pattern of adjunctive antidepressant use in schizophrenia patients and its demographic and clinical correlates in a nationwide survey in China.

Methods: Fourteen thousand and thirteen patients in 45 Chinese psychiatric hospitals or centers were interviewed (4,486 in 2002, 5,288 in 2006, and 4,239 in 2012). Patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.

The reduction of CSF tumor necrosis factor alpha levels in schizophrenia: no correlations with psychopathology and coincident metabolic characteristics.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess whether tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels are correlated with the behavioral syndrome of schizophrenia and/or metabolic abnormalities.

Methods: Sixty patients with first-onset schizophrenia were recruited. The concentrations of TNF-α in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were determined in 22 schizophrenia patients and ten patients with nonsuppurative appendicitis using a radioimmunoassay.

Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in treating bipolar disorder: An updated meta-analysis with randomized controlled trials.

Aim: The aim of this updated meta-analysis was to further assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods: We carried out a literature search on PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to October 2015. We calculated the pooled relative risk of relapse rate and standard mean difference (SMD) of mean change (data at a follow-up time-point - baseline) of the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Mania Rating Scale scores with their 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

Witchcraft and Biopsychosocial Causes of Mental Illness: Attitudes and Beliefs About Mental Illness Among Health Professionals in Five Countries.

This study examines the intercorrelation of measures reflecting beliefs about and attitudes toward people with mental illness in a sample of health professionals (N = 902) from five countries: Brazil, China, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States, and, more specifically, the association of beliefs in supernatural as contrasted with biopsychosocial causes of mental illness. Factor analysis of a 43-item questionnaire identified four factors favoring a) socializing with people with mental illness; b) normalizing their roles in society; c) belief in supernatural causes of mental illness (e.g.

Anhedonia is associated with blunted reward sensitivity in first-degree relatives of patients with major depression.

Background: Anhedonia is a cardinal feature of major depression and is hypothesized to be driven by low motivation, in particular blunted reward sensitivity. It has been suggested to be a marker that represents a genetic predisposition to this disorder. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this heightened risk in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with major depression.

Generic and disease-specific quality of life and its predictors among Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia.

This study aims to describe generic and disease-specific quality of life (QOL) and its predictors among Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia. A total of 209 subjects participated in this study: 121 men and 88 women. Their ages ranged from 18 to 64, with a mean age of 33.

Clinical features of and risk factors for major depression with history of postpartum episodes in Han Chinese women: A retrospective study.

Background: We sought to investigate the clinical features of and risk factors for recurrent major depression (MD) with history of postpartum episodes (PPD) in Han Chinese women and the differences between first-onset postpartum MD (MD that has its first lifetime depressive episode in the postpartum period) and first-onset non-postpartum MD (MD with history of PPD and has its first lifetime depressive episode in a period other than postpartum).

Methods: Data were derived from the China, Oxford and Virginia Commonwealth University Experimental Research on Genetic Epidemiology (CONVERGE) study (N=6017 cases) and analyzed in two steps. We first examined the clinical features of and risk factors for MD patients with (N=981) or without (N=4410) a history of PPD.

Cross-National Analysis of Beliefs and Attitude Toward Mental Illness Among Medical Professionals From Five Countries.

This quantitative study sought to compare beliefs about the manifestation, causes and treatment of mental illness and attitudes toward people with mental illness among health professionals from five countries: the United States, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and China. A total of 902 health professionals from the five countries were surveyed using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about the causes of mental illness. Chi-square and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare age and gender of the samples.

Gray matter volume abnormalities in depressive patients with and without anxiety disorders.

Comorbidity with anxiety disorder is a relatively common occurrence in major depressive disorder. However, the unique and shared neuroanatomical characteristics of depression and anxiety disorders have not been fully identified. The aim of this study was to identify gray matter abnormalities and their clinical correlates in depressive patients with and without anxiety disorders.

Smoking and major depressive disorder in Chinese women.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors that contribute to smoking in female patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the clinical features in depressed smokers.

Methods: We examined the smoking status and clinical features in 6120 Han Chinese women with MDD (DSM-IV) between 30 and 60 years of age across China. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between clinical features of MDD and smoking status and between risk factors for MDD and smoking status.

Levels of stigma among community mental health staff in Guangzhou, China.

Background: Stigma and discrimination are widely experienced by people with mental illness, even in healthcare settings. The purposes of this study were to assess mental health stigma among community mental health staff in Guangzhou, China and in doing so also to assess the psychometric properties of the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) - Chinese version.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among 214 community mental health staff in Guangzhou from September to November, 2013.

Retrospective assessment of factors associated with readmission in a large psychiatric hospital in Guangzhou, China.

Background: Most psychiatric inpatients in China are involuntarily admitted by their families, resulting in relatively long admissions and relatively low readmission rates. However, this pattern may change after implementation of China's new national mental health law (promulgated in 2013), which restricts involuntary psychiatric admissions to the small proportion of mentally ill individuals who are a danger to self or others.

Aim: Assess the factors associated with readmission rates of psychiatric inpatients in Guangzhou, China.

Subtypes of major depression: latent class analysis in depressed Han Chinese women.

Background: Despite substantial research, uncertainty remains about the clinical and etiological heterogeneity of major depression (MD). Can meaningful and valid subtypes be identified and would they be stable cross-culturally?

Method: Symptoms at their lifetime worst depressive episode were assessed at structured psychiatric interview in 6008 women of Han Chinese descent, age ⩾ 30 years, with recurrent DSM-IV MD. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed in Mplus.