scholarly journals Does coronavirus pose a challenge to the diagnoses of anxiety and depression? A view from psychiatry

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Drummond

Some authors have suggested that the emergence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the subsequent pandemic has meant that the constructs of pathological anxiety and depression are meaningless owing to widespread anxiety and depressive symptoms. This paper examines what is required to make a diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder and how this may differ from fleeting symptomatology in response to specific situations or stimuli. All people experience the emotions of both anxiety and depression, but far fewer have a persistent anxiety or depressive syndrome which interferes with their quality of life and functioning. The pandemic and its issues are then discussed, and existing studies examining the reactions of people living through the pandemic are presented. Finally, the paper examines possible ways to cope at times of increased stress and how we can try to protect ourselves from long-term mental health sequelae of chronic stress.

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Magalhães Vitorino ◽  
Gerson Hiroshi Yoshinari Júnior ◽  
Gabriela Gonzaga ◽  
Isabela Faria Dias ◽  
João Pedro Lambert Pereira ◽  
...  

Background Although mental distress and quality of life (QoL) impairments because of the pandemic have increased worldwide, the way that each community has been affected has varied. Aims This study evaluated the impact of social distancing imposed by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on Brazilians’ mental health and QoL. Method In this cross-sectional community-based online survey, data from 1156 community-dwelling adults were gathered between 11 May and 3 June 2020. We examined independent correlates of depression, anxiety and QoL, including sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, optimism/pessimism and spiritual/religious coping. Dependent variables were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire for depressive symptoms, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale for anxiety symptoms, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF for QoL. Correlates of depressive and anxiety disorder were estimated using logistic regression. Results There were high levels of depressive symptoms (41.9%) and anxiety symptoms (29.0%) in participants. Negative spiritual/religious coping was positively correlated with depressive disorder (odds ratio (OR) = 2.14 95% CI 1.63–2.80; P < 0.001) and with anxiety disorder (OR = 2.46 95% CI 1.90–3.18; P < 0.001), and associated with worse social and environmental QoL (P < 0.001). Healthcare professionals were less likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.55–0.93; P < 0.001). Participants with friend/family with COVID-19 scored lower on psychological and environmental QoL (P < 0.05). Participants with a longer duration of social isolation were less likely to experience anxiety disorder (OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–0.99; P = 0.004). Conclusions We found high levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and low levels of QoL in Brazil, which has become a pandemic epicentre. Several characteristics were associated with negative mental health symptoms in this study. This information may contribute to local health policies in dealing with the mental health consequences of COVID-19.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244730
Author(s):  
Marianne Opaas ◽  
Tore Wentzel-Larsen ◽  
Sverre Varvin

Refugee patients with severe traumatic experiences may need mental health treatment, but treatment results vary, and there is scarcity of studies demonstrating refugees’ long-term health and well-being after treatment. In a 10-year naturalistic and longitudinal study, 54 multi-origin traumatized adult refugee patients, with a background of war and persecution, and with a mean stay in Norway of 10.5 years, were recruited as they entered psychological treatment in mental health specialist services. The participants were interviewed face-to-face with multiple methods at admittance, and at varying points in time during and after psychotherapy. The aim was to study the participants’ trajectories of symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, four aspects of quality of life, and two aspects of exile life functioning. Linear mixed effects analyses included all symptoms and quality of life measures obtained at different times and intervals for the participants. Changes in exile life functioning was investigated by exact McNemar tests. Participants responded to the quantitative assessments up to eight times. Length of therapy varied, with a mean of 61.3 sessions (SD = 74.5). The participants improved significantly in symptoms, quality of life, and exile life functioning. Improvement in symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression yielded small effect sizes (r = .05 to .13), while improvement in quality of psychological and physical health yielded medium effect sizes (r = .38 and .32). Thus, long-time improvement after psychological therapy in these severely traumatized and mostly chronified refugee patients, was more notable in quality of life and exile life functioning than in symptom reduction. The results imply that major symptom reduction may not be attainable, and may not be the most important indication of long-term improvement among refugees with long-standing trauma-related suffering. Other indications of beneficial effects should be applied as well.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Hua Sim ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm ◽  
Katherine A. Lawrence ◽  
Marie B.H. Yap

Background Involving parents in the prevention of mental health problems in children is prudent given their fundamental role in supporting their child’s development. However, few measures encapsulate the range of risk and protective factors for child anxiety and depression that parents can potentially modify. The Parenting to Reduce Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (PaRCADS) was developed as a criterion-referenced measure to assess parenting against a set of evidence-based parenting guidelines for the prevention of child anxiety and depressive disorders. Methods In Study 1, 355 parents of children 8–11 years old across Australia completed the PaRCADS and measures of parenting, general family functioning, child anxiety and depressive symptoms, and parent and child health-related quality of life. Their children completed measures of parenting, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life. In Study 2, six subject-experts independently evaluated the PaRCADS items for item-objective congruence and item-relevance. Item analysis was conducted by examining item-total point-biserial correlation, difficulty index, B-index, and expert-rated content validity indices. Reliability (or dependability) was assessed by agreement coefficients for single administration. Construct validity was examined by correlational analyses with other measures. Results Four items were removed to yield a 79-item, 10-subscale PaRCADS. Reliability estimates for the subscale and total score range from .74 to .94. Convergent validity was indicated by moderate to strong correlations with other parenting and family functioning measures, and discriminant validity was supported by small to moderate correlations with a measure of parents’ health-related quality of life. Higher scores on the PaRCADS were associated with fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms and better health-related quality of life in the child. PaRCADS total score was associated with parental age, parent reported child’s history of mental health diagnosis and child’s current mental health problem. Discussion Results showed that the PaRCADS demonstrates adequate psychometric properties that provide initial support for its use as a measure of parenting risk and protective factors for child anxiety and depression. The scale may be used for intervention and evaluative purposes in preventive programs and research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Pieh ◽  
Sanja Budimir ◽  
Elke Humer ◽  
Thomas Probst

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has repeatedly been reported to impair mental health. This longitudinal study evaluated mental health at the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (t1) and 6 months later (t2) in Austria. Indicators of mental health were depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (ISI), perceived stress (PSS-10), as well as quality of life (WHO-QOL BREF) and well-being (WHO-5). In total, N = 437 individuals participated in both surveys (52.9% women). The number of participants with clinically relevant depressive, anxiety, or insomnia symptoms did not differ statistically significantly between t1 and t2 (p ≥ 0.48). The prevalence of moderate or severe (clinically relevant) (1) depressive symptoms changed from 18.3% to 19.7% (p = 0.48), (2) anxiety symptoms from 16.5 to 15.6% (p = 0.67), and insomnia from 14.6 to 15.6% (p = 0.69) from t1 to t2. Bonferroni-corrected t-tests showed that the stress level (PSS-10) decreased, and well-being (WHO-5) increased. However, effect sizes do not seem to be clinically relevant (Cohen‘s d &lt; 0.2). Results suggest that detrimental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic persisted several months after its outbreak and the end of the lockdown measures, respectively. Regarding well-being and stress, there is a slight trend toward improvement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeng-Rong Luo ◽  
Dong-Shan Liao ◽  
Liang-Wan Chen

Abstract Background To compare postoperative sexual dysfunction (SD) and quality of life (QOL) in Type A Aortic Dissection (AAD) Patients of Different Ages. Methods From January 2018 to December 2019, 204 AAD postoperative survivors in Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University were selected and were divided into young group (less than 50 years old) and elderly group (more than 50 years old). We evaluated SD according to the male International Erectile Dysfunction Index (IIEF-5) and female sexual function index (FSFI). The Short Form 12 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12) and Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) were used to investigate the QOL, Quick Inventory Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to investigate depressive symptoms. Results One hundred seventy-five patients completed all the questionnaire (85.8%). The total SD prevalence rate was 38.9% (68 cases), with 27.4% of the young (20 cases) and 47.1% of the elderly (48 cases). The age of non-SD and SD patients was 49.0 ± 11.5 and 56.9 ± 10.8 years, respectively (P = 0.03). Compared with non-SD patients, the total physical health of SD patients was significantly worse (P = 0.04), however, the mental health was not significantly worse (P = 0.77); the depressive symptoms did not expressed a significant difference between the SD and non-SD groups (QIDS-SR P = 0.15, BDI-II P = 0.06). Total physical health scores in the young SD group did not show significant better than elderly SD group (P = 0.24), however, total mental health scores showed significantly worse (P = 0.04), depressive symptoms scores were significantly higher (QIDS-SR P = 0.03, BDI-II P = 0.04). Conclusion The postoperative AAD SD prevalence of elderly is higher than that of young, and the total physical health of SD patients is poorer than those without SD patients. The young SD patients did not show a significant higher physical health scores than the elderly SD patients, instead, the young SD patients were more psychologically affected than the elderly SD patients, whose mental health was worse, and depression symptoms were more obvious, suggesting that the factors affecting the QOL of postoperative SD patients are related to physical factors, but the young postoperative SD patients mainly affected by psychological factors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 530-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique R. M. Moulaert ◽  
Caroline M. van Heugten ◽  
Ton P. M. Gorgels ◽  
Derick T. Wade ◽  
Jeanine A. Verbunt

Background. A cardiac arrest can lead to hypoxic brain injury, which can affect all levels of functioning. Objective. To investigate 1-year outcome and the pattern of recovery after surviving a cardiac arrest. Methods. This was a multicenter, prospective longitudinal cohort study with 1 year of follow-up (measurements 2 weeks, 3 months, 1 year). On function level, physical/cardiac function (New York Heart Association Classification), cognition (Cognitive Log [Cog-log], Cognitive Failures Questionnaire), emotional functioning (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Impact of Event Scale), and fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale) were assessed. In addition, level of activities (Frenchay Activities Index, FAI), participation (Community Integration Questionnaire [CIQ] and return to work), and quality of life (EuroQol 5D, EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale, SF-36, Quality of Life after Brain Injury) were measured. Results. In this cohort, 141 cardiac arrest survivors were included. At 1 year, 14 (13%) survivors scored below cutoff on the Cog-log. Both anxiety and depression were present in 16 (15%) survivors, 29 (28%) experienced posttraumatic stress symptoms and 55 (52%), severe fatigue. Scores on the FAI and the CIQ were, on average, respectively 96% and 92% of the prearrest scores. Of those previously working, 41 (72%) had returned to work. Most recovery of cognitive function and quality of life occurred within the first 3 months, with further improvement on some domains of quality of life up to 12 months. Conclusions. Overall, long-term outcome in terms of activities, participation, and quality of life after cardiac arrest is reassuring. Nevertheless, fatigue is common; problems with cognition and emotions occur; and return to work can be at risk.


10.2196/10278 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. e10278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones ◽  
Olga Santesteban-Echarri ◽  
Ingrid Pryor ◽  
Patrick McGorry ◽  
Mario Alvarez-Jimenez

Background Web-based mindfulness interventions are increasingly delivered through the internet to treat mental health conditions. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of web-based mindfulness interventions in clinical mental health populations. Secondary aims were to explore the impact of study variables on the effectiveness of web-based mindfulness interventions. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the effects of web-based mindfulness interventions on clinical populations. Results The search strategy yielded 12 eligible studies. Web-based mindfulness interventions were effective in reducing depression in the total clinical sample (n=656 g=−0.609, P=.004) and in the anxiety disorder subgroup (n=313, g=−0.651, P<.001), but not in the depression disorder subgroup (n=251, P=.18). Similarly, web-based mindfulness interventions significantly reduced anxiety in the total clinical sample (n=756, g=−0.433, P=.004) and the anxiety disorder subgroup (n=413, g=−0.719, P<.001), but not in the depression disorder group (n=251, g=−0.213, P=.28). Finally, web-based mindfulness interventions improved quality of life and functioning in the total sample (n=591, g=0.362, P=.02) in the anxiety disorder subgroup (n=370, g=0.550, P=.02) and mindfulness skills in the total clinical sample (n=251, g=0.724, P<.001). Conclusions Results support the effectiveness of web-based mindfulness interventions in reducing depression and anxiety and in enhancing quality of life and mindfulness skills, particularly in those with clinical anxiety. Results should be interpreted with caution given the high heterogeneity of web-based mindfulness interventions and the low number of studies included.


2020 ◽  
Vol 102-B (7) ◽  
pp. 845-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham S. Goh ◽  
Ming Han Lincoln Liow ◽  
You Wei Adriel Tay ◽  
Jerry Yongqiang Chen ◽  
Sheng Xu ◽  
...  

Aims While patients with psychological distress have poorer short-term outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), their longer-term function is unknown. We aimed to 1) assess the influence of preoperative mental health status on long-term functional outcomes, quality of life, and patient satisfaction; and 2) analyze the change in mental health after TKA, in a cohort of patients with no history of mental health disorder, with a minimum of ten years’ follow-up. Methods Prospectively collected data of 122 patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA in 2006 were reviewed. Patients were assessed pre- and postoperatively at two and ten years using the Knee Society Knee Score (KSKS) and Function Score (KSFS); Oxford Knee Score (OKS); and the Mental (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) which were derived from the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36). Patients were stratified into those with psychological distress (MCS < 50, n = 51) and those without (MCS ≥ 50, n = 71). Multiple regression was used to control for age, sex, BMI, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and baseline scores. The rate of expectation fulfilment and satisfaction was compared between patients with low and high MCS. Results There was no difference in the mean KSKS, KSFS, OKS, and SF-36 PCS at two years or ten years after TKA. Equal proportions of patients in each group attained the minimal clinically important difference for each score. Psychologically distressed patients had a comparable rate of satisfaction (91.8% (47/51) vs 97.1% (69/71); p = 0.193) and fulfilment of expectations (89.8% vs 97.1%; p = 0.094). The proportion of distressed patients declined from 41.8% preoperatively to 29.8% at final follow-up (p = 0.021), and their mean SF-36 MCS improved by 10.4 points (p < 0.001). Conclusion Patients with poor mental health undergoing TKA may experience long-term improvements in function and quality of life that are comparable to those experienced by their non-distressed counterparts. These patients also achieved a similar rate of satisfaction and expectation fulfilment. Undergoing TKA was associated with improvements in mental health in distressed patients, although this effect may be due to residual confounding. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(7):845–851.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floor Bennebroek Evertsz’ ◽  
Mirjam A.G. Sprangers ◽  
Laura M. de Vries ◽  
Robbert Sanderman ◽  
Pieter C.F. Stokkers ◽  
...  

AbstractBackground:According to cognitive behavioural theory, cognitive factors (i.e. underlying general dysfunctional beliefs and (situation) specific illness beliefs) are theorized to lead to outcomes like anxiety and depression. In clinical practice, general dysfunctional beliefs are generally not tackled directly in short-term-therapy.Aims:The goal of the present study was to investigate the associations of general versus specific illness beliefs on anxiety and depressive symptoms and psychiatric disorders among a subgroup of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with poor mental quality of life (QoL).Method:This study concerns cross-sectional data, collected at baseline from a randomized clinical trial. One hundred and eighteen patients, recruited at four Dutch hospitals, with poor QoL (score ≤23 on the mental health subscale of the Short-Form 36-item Health-Survey; SF-36) were included. General dysfunctional beliefs were measured by the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), specific illness beliefs by the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R), anxiety and depressive symptoms by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and psychiatric disorders by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-I Disorders (SCID-I).Results:Univariate analyses showed associations between the level of anxiety and/or depression and general dysfunctional beliefs and four specific illness beliefs (consequences, personal control, emotional representations and treatment control). Among patients with IBD with psychiatric disorders, only the DAS was significantly associated with anxiety and depression (DAS added to IPQ-R and IPQ-R added to DAS).Conclusions:Psychological interventions may have to target general dysfunctional beliefs of patients with IBD with co-morbid psychiatric disorders to be effective. These patients with IBD are especially in need of psychological treatment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document