Antioxidant defense system and family environment in adolescents with family history of psychosis.

Background: Our objective was to determine antioxidant defence activity in healthy controls (HC) and healthy unaffected second-degree relatives of patients with early onset psychosis (HC-FHP), and to assess its relationship with familiar environment measured using the Family Environment Scale (FES).

Methods: We included 82 HC and 14 HC-FHP aged between 9 and 17 years. Total antioxidant status, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities and glutathione levels were determined in blood samples.

Manic and depressive symptoms and insight in first episode psychosis.

Insight impairment is common early in the course of psychosis. Most studies have focused on the relationship between insight and depression, although manic symptoms are also frequent in psychoses. The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between insight dimensions and manic and depressive symptoms in first-episode psychosis.

Validity and reliability of the Hamilton depression rating scale (5 items) for manic and mixed bipolar disorders.

Depressive symptoms during mania have prognostic value in bipolar disorder. For depressive symptoms, it has been proposed that shorter scales should be cost-effective and practical. To determine the usefulness of 5-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-5) in manic and mixed bipolar disorder, we used a four-week follow-up prospective, observational study.