Test characteristics of the 15-item geriatric depression scale and Hamilton depression rating scale in Parkinson disease.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

Method: A convenience sample of 148 outpatients with idiopathic PD receiving specialty care completed the GDS-15 and were administered the HDRS and Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID) depression module by a research psychiatrist or trained research assistant. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted for the GDS-15 and HDRS scores with a SCID diagnosis of a depressive disorder as the state variable.

Daily affect in Parkinson disease is responsive to life events and motor symptoms.

Objective: The aims of this study were to examine the daily affective experiences of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and to determine their association with daily events and motor symptoms. Specifically, it was intended to test the hypothesis that PD, even in the absence of depression, is associated with anhedonia.

Method: Nondepressed male subjects with PD (N=24) and a comparison group of healthy elderly males (N=23) completed daily affect rating scales and, for the patients with PD, a supplemental self-assessment questionnaire of PD-related symptoms for 4 consecutive weeks.

Multidisciplinary care of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objectives: Multidisciplinary care of cancer patients in varied settings is well described in the literature, but there is little specifically describing the multidisciplinary care of the patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this article is to describe HCC and the multidisciplinary approach at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center (PVAMC).

Materials And Methods: HCC is one of the most common solid tumors in the world, but it is rare in North America.

Assessing the helping alliance and its impact in the treatment of opiate dependence.

This study assesses the relationship between the patient-counselor helping alliance (HA) and progress in methadone maintenance treatment. Questionnaire measures of HA were administered to 57 patients 1 and 3 months after admission. Three-month HA measures (especially counselors' ratings) predicted reductions in drug use as measured by weekly urinalysis results and 6-month self-report data.