PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H Viinamäki

Publications and source records attributed to H Viinamäki.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Low maximal oxygen uptake is associated with elevated depressive symptoms in middle-aged men.

A low level of physical activity has been associated with depression, and increased physical activity has been found to have a positive effect on mood. However, the association between maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2max)) and mood has been poorly studied. In this study VO(2max) (ml/kg per min) was measured in a sample of 1,519 men aged 46-61 years during a cycle ergometer test by using respiratory gas exchange. Men with a history of psychiatric disorder or serious physical illness were excluded. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 18-item Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale (HPL). Those who scored 5 or more in the HPL were considered to have elevated depressive symptoms. The participants were classified into quartiles according to the VO(2max). Those in the lowest quartile had a more than 3-fold (OR: 3.42; 95% CI: 1.65-7.09; p < 0.001) higher risk of having elevated depressive symptoms compared with those in the highest quartile, even after adjusting for several confounders (OR: 3.38; 95% CI: 1.60-7.14; p < 0.001). In conclusion, low VO(2max) is associated with having elevated depressive symptoms in middle-aged men.

Depression↗
PubMed2004

Life dissatisfaction and subsequent work disability in an 11-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are associated with disability, but the long-term effects of low subjective well-being on work ability in general population are not known. In this study we investigated whether self-reported life dissatisfaction predicts work disability. METHOD: A nationwide sample of Finnish twins aged 18-54 years (N = 22,136), unselected for health status responded to a health questionnaire with a four-item life satisfaction scale (range 4-20) covering interest, happiness, easiness and loneliness of life in 1975 and 1981. Cox regression for all subjects and conditional logistic regression for discordant twin pairs were used to compare the risk of subsequent work disability (N = 1200) (Nationwide Disability Register) between the dissatisfied and satisfied. RESULTS: Life dissatisfaction predicted subsequent (1977-87) work disability pension due to psychiatric and non-psychiatric causes among the healthy at baseline, and that due to psychiatric causes among the ill. After controlling for age, marital status, social class and health behaviour, these risks remained significant. Repeatedly reported (1975 and 1981) life dissatisfaction was strongly associated with increased (age-adjusted) risk of subsequent (1982-87) work disability due to psychiatric and also that due to non-psychiatric causes among the healthy. When twin pairs discordant for end-point disability status were analysed, risk differences related to life satisfaction were only slightly decreased, but they did not differ significantly between monozygotic and dizygotic pairs. CONCLUSION: Life dissatisfaction predicts subsequent work disability especially among the healthy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Gender differences in the association of adult hopelessness with adverse childhood experiences.

BACKGROUND: The impact of childhood traumatic events on long-term psychological development has been widely studied. Nevertheless, little research has been carried out on possible associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and hopelessness in adulthood, and whether any gender differences exist. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the association between ACEs (poor relationship between parents, unhappiness of childhood home, hard parenting, physical punishment, domestic violence, alcohol abuse in primary family) and current hopelessness without any mental disorder in a general population sample. METHOD: 1598 adults (43 % were men), aged 25-64 years, completed self-report measures to assess ACEs and hopelessness by means of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (HS). Logistic regression was used to adjust for the effects of sociodemographic factors on the association between the cumulative number of ACEs and hopelessness. RESULTS: Whereas several bivariate associations were found between ACEs and hopelessness, none of them remained significant in multivariate analysis. However, men who reported three or more ACEs were 2.79 times (95 % CI 1.17-6.63) and women 2.19 times (95 % CI 1.04-4.65) more likely to be hopeless compared with those without any ACEs. In women (OR 2.25, 95 % CI 1.01-5.00), but not in men, this relationship remained significant after adjusting for several current covariates. CONCLUSION: Clustering of ACEs may have long-lasting effects by increasing the risk of hopelessness in adulthood, especially in women. Increased awareness of the frequency of ACEs and their subsequent consequences, such as hopelessness, may encourage health care professionals to undertake preventive work in primary and mental health care.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Life events are important in the course of hopelessness-a 2-year follow-up study in a general population.

BACKGROUND: The association between life events and hopelessness in a general population is unknown. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the course of hopelessness and how positive and negative life events are associated with it. METHOD: This was a 2- year follow-up study among general population adults, excluding any with a mental disorder. The impact of 15 occasional life events during the follow-up was assessed and the course of hopelessness measured with the Beck Hopelessness Scale (HS). RESULTS: Four percent of the study subjects with no hopelessness at baseline and 56% of those with hopelessness at baseline reported hopelessness on follow-up. In multiple logistic regression analyses, a notable worsening of the subjective financial situation was revealed as the most important life event, both in becoming hopeless during the follow-up (OR 5.07; 95% CI 2.20-11.7) and in continued hopelessness (OR 7.51, 95% CI 2.19-25.8). Moreover, considerable interpersonal conflicts at work (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.17-9.27) were associated with becoming hopeless. However, a notable positive change in common living conditions (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04-0.74) was found to be a protective factor against becoming hopeless. All these variables remained significant even when adjusted for change in depression scores (BDI). CONCLUSION: Hopelessness may be persistent in a general population. The impact of life events, especially a notable worsening of the subjective financial situation, is important in becoming or remaining hopeless.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Life satisfaction in patients with chest pain subsequently diagnosed as coronary heart disease--connection through depressive symptoms?

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with life dissatisfaction in symptomatic patients (n = 144) with chest pain subsequently diagnosed as coronary heart disease (CHD) by coronary angiography. Life dissatisfaction was assessed with a four-item life satisfaction scale (LS), depression with the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and other psychiatric symptoms with the symptom check list (SCL). DSM-III-R Axis I and Axis II psychiatric diagnoses were performed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview. All assessments took place one day before angiography. Twenty-four per cent of CHD patients were dissatisfied with their lives. Life dissatisfaction was associated with being unmarried. Dissatisfied patients had Axis I mental disorders and Axis II personality disorders more frequently than others. Psychiatric and depressive symptoms according to the SCL and BDI, respectively, were also higher among dissatisfied patients. In multiple logistic regression analyses, mental disorders were related to life dissatisfaction when age, sex, employment status, New York Heart Association class, duration of chest pain symptoms and work load were controlled in the model. Married subjects had a lower probability of being dissatisfied with their lives than other subjects (Odds Ratio, OR: 0.23). When BDI scores were included in the model, the only factor independently associated with life dissatisfaction was the severity of depressive symptoms (OR: 1.81). To conclude, life dissatisfaction is not primarily determined by the severity of CHD but by the existence of depressive symptoms.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Extrastriatal dopamine D 2/3 receptor density and distribution in drug-naive schizophrenic patients.

Several lines of studies have suggested the importance of cortical dopamine (DA) transmission in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The putative alteration of striatal D(2) receptor density in schizophrenia has been studied intensely, although extrastriatal DA activity may be more relevant for behavioral symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore extrastriatal D(2/3) density in drug-naive schizophrenic patients. We studied the extrastriatal D(2/3) receptor binding with a novel high-affinity single-photon emission tomography ligand epidepride in seven drug-naive schizophrenic patients and seven matched controls. The symptoms were rated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia. The findings indicated an extremely low D(2/3) receptor binding among patients in temporal cortex in both hemispheres when compared with controls (effect size 2.0-2.3), and the D(2/3) levels had negative correlations with general psychopathological (r from -0.86 to -0.90) and negative (r from -0.37 to -0.55) schizophrenic symptoms. These results support the previous hypothesis on dysfunction of mesocortical DA function behind the cognitive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

Benzamides↗
PubMed2002

Life dissatisfaction as a predictor of fatal injury in a 20-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of life satisfaction (LS) in fatal injuries with special references to unintentional injuries and whether health status modifies this relationship. METHOD: A sample of adult Finns unselected for health status (n=29 173) responded in 1975 to a LS scale. Nationwide registry for deaths was used. The dissatisfied were compared with the satisfied by Cox regression. RESULTS: During 1976-1995, 469 fatal injuries occurred, of which 235 were unintentional. Dissatisfaction predicted fatal unintentional [hazard ratio (HR)=2.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77-4.51] and intentional injury (HR=3.26; 2.01-5.30). The risk of fatal unintentional injury was 7.8-fold (women) and 4.0-fold (men) increased in the sick and dissatisfied compared with the healthy and satisfied. A repeatedly reported dissatisfaction (1975, 1981) provided a HR of 5.17 (1.48-18.0) for unintentional injury death during 1981-1995. The found effect was partly mediated through health behavior and social situation. CONCLUSION: Life dissatisfaction predicts both unintentional and intentional injury death.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Nightmares as predictors of suicide.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between the frequency of nightmares and the risk of suicide. DESIGN AND SETTING: A prospective follow-up study in a general population of Finland starting in 1972. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 36,211 subjects (17,700 men and 18,511 women) aged 25-64 years at baseline. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS: The study included self-administered questionnaires (mainly questions on socio-economic factors, medical history, health behavior, and psychosocial factors) and health examination at the local primary healthcare center. The frequency of nightmares was estimated. The subjects were followed until Dec. 31, 1995, or death. Information on deaths caused by suicide (n=159) or other self-inflicted injury was obtained from the National Death Register by computerized record linkage using the national personal identification code assigned to every Finnish resident. Using the Cox proportional hazards regression model we controlled for several potential confounding factors. RESULTS: The frequency of nightmares was directly related to the risk of suicide. Among subjects having nightmares occasionally the adjusted relative risk of suicide was 57% higher, and among those reporting frequent nightmares 105% higher compared with subjects reporting no nightmares at all. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report a direct and graded association between the frequency of nightmares and death from suicide in a general population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Mood improvement reduces memory complaints in depressed patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine associations between memory complaints, cognitive performance and mood in 174 adult, clinically depressed, neurologically healthy patients at baseline and during six months of follow-up. METHODS: Subjective memory disturbance was assessed using the Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MCQ). Levels of cognitive function, including memory, were assessed using a battery of neuropsychological tests. Mood and personality traits were assessed using rating scales, including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the 90-item Symptom Check List (SCL-90). RESULTS: At baseline, patients complaining of memory disturbances had higher BDI and HDRS scores than patients not complaining of memory problems. They also did less well in objective memory performances but not in other cognitive functions. Complaints of memory problems decreased during the follow-up. This change was associated with mood improvement and with reductions in other mental symptoms but not with changes in cognitive performance. In logistic regression analysis factors independently associated with MCQ change were age (OR 0.96) and BDI change (OR 1.06). CONCLUSIONS: Subjective memory problems usually decline if depression is alleviated.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Suicidal ideation in the Finnish general population. A 12-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of suicidal ideation has remained a relatively unstudied area. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, prevalence and persistence of and recovery from suicidal ideation in a sample of the Finnish general population. METHODS: Postal questionnaires including the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were mailed to the study subjects (n = 1,593) at baseline and on follow-up after 12 months. The suicidality item of BDI was used to screen suicidal ideation. RESULTS: The 12-month incidence (4.6%) and prevalence of suicidal ideation (14.7%) were higher in men than in women (3.1% and 9.2%, respectively). Sixty-nine per cent of those men and 59% of those women who had suicidal ideation at baseline continued to have suicidal thoughts on follow-up. Suicidal ideation and the severity of depression associated strongly. Over half of the men and women who had persistent suicidal ideation had not visited any health services for help with psychological distress during the 12-month follow-up period. Daily smoking associated with a decreased probability of recovery from suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation is common and persistent at the population level. Seeking professional help for depression with suicidal tendencies is disproportionately low in relation to the high prevalence of suicidal ideation.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Alexithymia in patients with coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with alexithymia in patients (n=153) with coronary heart disease (CHD) verified by coronary angiography. METHOD: Self-rated depression was assessed using 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and other psychiatric symptoms with Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90). Life satisfaction was assessed using a separate scale. The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID I and II) for DSM-III-R was used to identify mental disorders. Assessments took place 1 day before angiography. RESULTS: Twenty-one percent of CHD patients (n=32) were assessed as being alexithymic according to the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Alexithymics were more often blue-collar workers, incapable of working, dissatisfied with life, and depressed than the other CHD patients. Occurrences of mental disorders were not associated with alexithymia. Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors independently associated with alexithymia were currently or previously being a blue-collar worker (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 4.8), self-rated depression (AOR: 3.2), and dissatisfaction with life (AOR: 2.9). CONCLUSION: In CHD patients alexithymia was unrelated to cardiovascular risk factors or exercise capacity but was related to self-rated depression and decreased life satisfaction. Alexithymia is associated with the enhanced psychosocial burden of suffering CHD. This patient group may need more individual support and attention than other CHD patients.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed2001

SPECT and neuropsychological performance in severe depression treated with ECT.

BACKGROUND: In severe depression, studies of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by SPECT have not produced uniform results. The association between changes in SPECT and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has shown somewhat conflicting data. No data are available on benzodiazepine receptor function SPECT studies in ECT. METHODS: Twenty drug-resistant adult inpatients fulfilling the DSM-IIIR criteria for major depression were studied by SPECT (rCBF by relative ECD uptake in all, and benzodiazepine receptor function by iomazenil uptake in five subjects) before and 1 week after clinically successful bitemporal ECT. Clinical and neuropsychological test scores were used as references for the possible changes in SPECT. RESULTS: An increased perfusion after ECT was observed in right temporal and bilateral parietal cortices, whereas no reductions in relative ECD uptake were seen after ECT. Iomazenil-SPECT revealed a highly significant increase in the benzodiazepine receptor uptake in all studied cortical regions except temporal cortices. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically successful ECT was associated with changes in vascular perfusion and GABAergic neurotransmission, providing new evidence for the mechanism of action of ECT and for the neurobiology of severe drug-resistant depression.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Pain as a reason to visit the doctor: a study in Finnish primary health care.

This study aims to demonstrate the prevalence of pain as a reason for seeing a physician in primary care. We also performed an analysis of the localization, duration and frequency of pains, as well as the diagnoses of patients having pain. A total of 28 physicians at 25 health centers in Finland collected the data, comprising 5646 patient visits. Pain was identified as the reason for 2237 (40%) of the visits. The most common localizations were in the lower back, abdomen and head. One-fifth of the pain patients had experienced pain for over six months. Analysis of the diagnoses revealed half of the pains to be musculoskeletal. Patients experienced considerable limitations in various activities of life due to pain. A quarter of the pain patients of active working age received sick leave. Our results confirm that pain is a major primary health care problem, which has an enormous impact on public health.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Self-reported life satisfaction and recovery from depression in a 1-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship of a self-rated four-item life satisfaction scale (LS) to the self-rated 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and to study LS changes during recovery from depression. METHOD: A 1-year prospective study on 188 depressive patients receiving standard psychiatric outpatient treatment; 137 of the patients had major depression. RESULTS: LS correlated strongly with BDI and HAMD. It explained 46.6%) of the variation in BDI at baseline and 66.2% at 12 months. LS improved substantially during recovery. The main recovery occurred during the first 6 months, the change in the LS score explaining 46.5% of the change in the BDI score (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Life satisfaction is strongly affected in depression, but it improves concurrently with recovery from depression. LS scale may prove useful in screening for those whose subjective wellbeing deserves attention and in assessing alleviation from depression.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Psychiatric morbidity and the presence and absence of angiographic coronary disease in patients with chest pain.

OBJECTIVE: To assess psychiatric morbidity in coronary angiogram patients. METHOD: A psychiatric assessment of 200 consecutive chest-pain patients was performed the day before coronary angiography in a double-blind study design. The sample included 132 men (mean age 57.2 years, SD 9.5) and 68 women (mean age 59.8 years, SD 8.9). A Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R was used to obtain psychiatric diagnosis. The 21-item Beck Depression Inventory, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and a four-item Life Satisfaction Scale were used to assess mental symptoms. A coronary angiography with obstruction of a coronary artery by more than 50% was considered to indicate angiographic coronary disease. RESULTS: Mental disorders were found in 28% (95% CI 14-41) of the patients with normal angiographic findings (n=47) and in 24% (95% CI 17 - 30) of the patients with angiographic coronary disease (n=153). Furthermore, no difference was found between these two groups in other rating scales assessing mental symptoms even when adjusted for the New York Heart Association class, duration of chest-pain symptoms or exercise capacity. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric morbidity may not be associated with angiographic findings in patients with chest pain.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A pessimistic attitude towards the future and low psychosocial functioning predict psychiatric diagnosis among treatment-seeking adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study factors associated with psychiatric diagnosis among adolescents (n = 164) seeking psychiatric care for mental symptoms. METHOD: Psychiatric diagnosis was confirmed by a structured diagnostic interview. Psychosocial functioning was assessed with the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory and Offer Self-Image Questionnaire were also used. Background data were gathered. RESULTS: A majority (76%) of the adolescents met DSM-III-R criteria for psychiatric diagnosis. The self-image was more negative and the Beck score was higher among these adolescents than the others. All who had attempted suicide had a psychiatric disorder. Those diagnosed as having a psychiatric disorder consumed alcohol in order to get drunk more often than others. Continual conflicts with parents and smoking were not associated with the existence of a psychiatric disorder. In logistic regression analysis, low psychosocial functioning (OR = 3.9) and an uncertain or pessimistic attitude towards the future (OR = 9.1) proved to be independent risk factors for psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Health service staff should be aware of factors associated with psychiatric disorders in adolescents so that they can identify those at high risk.

Adolescent↗