Depressive symptoms, major depressive episodes and cognitive test performance—What is the role of physical activity?

2012 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaisla Joutsenniemi ◽  
Annamari Tuulio-Henriksson ◽  
Marko Elovainio ◽  
Tommi Härkänen ◽  
Päivi Sainio ◽  
...  
2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pim Cuijpers ◽  
Sander L. Koole ◽  
Annemiek van Dijke ◽  
Miquel Roca ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
...  

BackgroundThere is controversy about whether psychotherapies are effective in the treatment of subclinical depression, defined by clinically relevant depressive symptoms in the absence of a major depressive disorder.AimsTo examine whether psychotherapies are effective in reducing depressive symptoms, reduce the risk of developing major depressive disorder and have comparable effects to psychological treatment of major depression.MethodWe conducted a meta-analysis of 18 studies comparing a psychological treatment of subclinical depression with a control group.ResultsThe target groups, therapies and characteristics of the included studies differed considerably from each other, and the quality of many studies was not optimal. Psychotherapies did have a small to moderate effect on depressive symptoms against care as usual at the post-test assessment (g = 0.35, 95% CI 0.23–0.47; NNT = 5, 95% CI 4–8) and significantly reduced the incidence of major depressive episodes at 6 months (RR = 0.61) and possibly at 12 months (RR = 0.74). The effects were significantly smaller than those of psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and could be accounted for by non-specific effects of treatment.ConclusionsPsychotherapy may be effective in the treatment of subclinical depression and reduce the incidence of major depression, but more high-quality research is needed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Owens ◽  
Jim Stevenson ◽  
Julie A. Hadwin ◽  
Roger Norgate

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e016091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guojun Wang ◽  
Mi Hu ◽  
Shui-yuan Xiao ◽  
Liang Zhou

ObjectiveTo compare loneliness, depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes between empty-nest and not-empty-nest older adults in rural areas of Liuyang city, Hunan, China.MethodsA cross-sectional multi-stage random cluster survey was conducted from November 2011 to April 2012 in Liuyang, China. A total of 839 rural older residents aged 60 or above completed the survey (response rate 97.6%). In line with the definition of empty nest, 25 participants who had no children were excluded from the study, while the remaining 814 elderly adults with at least one child were included for analysis. Loneliness and depressive symptoms in rural elderly parents were assessed using the short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Major depressive episodes were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I).ResultsSignificant differences were found between empty-nest and not-empty-nest older adults regarding loneliness (16.19±3.90 vs. 12.87±3.02, Cohen’s d=0.97), depressive symptoms (8.50±6.26 vs. 6.92±5.19, Cohen’s d=0.28) and the prevalence of major depressive episodes (10.1% vs. 4.6%) (all p<0.05). After controlling for demographic characteristics and physical disease, the differences in loneliness, depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes remained significant. Path analysis showed that loneliness mediated the relationship between empty-nest syndrome and depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes.ConclusionLoneliness and depression are more severe among empty-nest than not-empty-nest rural elderly adults. Loneliness was a mediating variable between empty-nest syndrome and depression.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 856-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.L. Barnes ◽  
T.T. Lewis ◽  
C.T. Begeny ◽  
L. Yu ◽  
D.A. Bennett ◽  
...  

AbstractExisting evidence suggests that psychosocial stress is associated with cognitive impairment in older adults. Perceived discrimination is a persistent stressor in African Americans that has been associated with several adverse mental and physical health outcomes. To our knowledge, the association of discrimination with cognition in older African Americans has not been examined. In a cohort of 407 older African Americans without dementia (mean age = 72.9; SD = 6.4), we found that a higher level of perceived discrimination was related to poorer cognitive test performance, particularly episodic memory (estimate = −0.03; SE = .013; p < .05) and perceptual speed tests (estimate = −0.04; SE = .015; p < .05). The associations were unchanged after adjusting for demographics and vascular risk factors, but were attenuated after adjustment for depressive symptoms (Episodic memory estimate = −0.02; SE = 0.01; Perceptual speed estimate = −0.03; SE = 0.02; both p's = .06). The association between discrimination and several cognitive domains was modified by level of neuroticism. The results suggest that perceived discrimination may be associated with poorer cognitive function, but does not appear to be independent of depressive symptoms. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–10)


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Setiawan ◽  
Alan A. Wilson ◽  
Romina Mizrahi ◽  
Pablo M. Rusjan ◽  
Laura Miler ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle LeMoult ◽  
Katharina Kircanski ◽  
Gautam Prasad ◽  
Ian H. Gotlib

Most individuals who develop major depressive disorder (MDD) will experience a recurrent depressive episode; we know little, however, about cognitive mechanisms that increase the likelihood of recurrence. In the current study we examined whether negatively biased self-referential processing, negative life events, baseline depressive symptoms, and psychotropic medication use predicted the onset of a subsequent depressive episode in a longitudinal study of women with a history of recurrent MDD. Higher levels of depressive symptoms at baseline predicted experiencing a greater number of negative life events, which, in turn, tended to predict recurrence of depression. It is important that after accounting for other associations, negatively biased self-referential processing contributed unique variance to the likelihood of experiencing a depressive episode over the next 3 years. Thus, negatively biased self-referential processing appears to be a significant risk factor for the recurrence of depressive episodes and may be an important target for interventions aimed at preventing future episodes.


1986 ◽  
Vol 148 (5) ◽  
pp. 554-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Drake ◽  
Paul G. Cotton

Hospital records for 104 schizophrenic patients, 15 of whom subsequently committed suicide, were rated blindly for individual depressive symptoms comprising DSM III major depressive episode, and for hopelessness. Our results indicate that a large proportion of schizophrenic patients experienced major depressive episodes, and that these can be reliably identified. Presuicidal schizophrenics also experienced depressed mood, but only a minority developed the full syndrome; they typically exhibited the psychological, but not somatic symptoms. The relationship between depression and suicide disappears when hopelessness is taken into account.


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