Gender differences in clinical features of depressed outpatients: preliminary evidence for subtyping of depression?

Background: Gender differences in depression are usually associated with prevalence, severity, and sometimes with specific syndromes or subtypes. However, a lack of differentiation exists between these factors.

Aims: To disentangle depression severity and the specific items endorsed by men and women and thus explore the presence of gender-specific subtypes.

Psychiatric disorders and urbanization in Germany.

Background: Epidemiological studies over the last decade have supplied growing evidence of an association between urbanization and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Our aim was to examine the link between levels of urbanization and 12-month prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders in a nationwide German population study, controlling for other known risk factors such as gender, social class, marital status and the interaction variables of these factors with urbanization.

Methods: The Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) was used to assess the prevalence of mental disorders (DSM-IV) in a representative sample of the German population (N = 4181, age: 18-65).

Is the prevalence of psychiatric disorders associated with urbanization?

Objectives: In many countries, the total rate of psychiatric disorders tends to be higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The relevance of this phenomenon is that it may help in identifying environmental factors that are important in the pathogenesis of mental disorders. Moreover, urban preponderance suggests that the allocation of funds and services should take urbanization levels into account.