[Winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) ].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Antidepressive Agents↗
Biomedical subjects
Simo Saarijärvi
Publications and source records attributed to Simo Saarijärvi.
Exploring the relations between depression, somatization, dissociation and alexithymia--overlapping or independent constructs?
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to extend our knowledge of associations among the constructs of alexithymia, depression, somatization and dissociation. SAMPLING AND METHODS: 924 nonclinical subjects answered questions about depression (21-item Beck Depression Inventory), somatization (13-item somatization part of Symptom Check List-90), dissociation (28-item Dissociative Experiences Scale) and alexithymia (20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale). In addition, a 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was administered to detect psychiatric distress among subjects. RESULTS: The results suggested that there was a significant clinical correlation between somatization, dissociation, depression and alexithymia (rho varied from 0.31 to 0.56). The principal component analysis revealed the presence of four components: depression, somatization, dissociation and alexithymia. The use of factor scores diminished the covariance between measures (rho varied from -0.10 to 0.01 between the factor scores). There was almost no correlation between the dissociation factor (rho = 0.06) and alexithymia factor (rho = 0.09) scores and general distress (GHQ-12). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that while somatization, dissociation, depression and alexithymia are distinct constructs, they correlate to a considerable extent. The use of factor analysis and factor scores should be considered to diminish covariance between the above constructs. Comparing results between factored and unfactored results may prove illuminating. As a case in point, the results suggest that the part of dissociation that coincides with other constructs (overlaps) is associated with distress, whereas the distinct part of dissociation (no shared covariance) is not associated with distress. The same applies to the alexithymia construct. Longitudinal studies are needed to show whether there is a trait such as a relatively stable dissociation component and also whether a separate state-dependent dissociation component exists that is associated with coincident distress, somatization and depression.
Adolescent↗
Body dysmorphic disorder of twins with facial illness after successful isotretinoin therapy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Acne Vulgaris↗
Prescription of psychotropic drugs in adolescent psychiatry wards in Finland.
This point-prevalence study was designed to assess adolescent psychiatrists' practices of prescribing psychotropic drugs in hospital settings, and to compare the practices between the years 1991 and 1999. Data on patients' gender, age, diagnosis and psychotropic medication were obtained by means of a questionnaire sent to four hospital units in Finland. The sample represented 49% in 1991 and 29% in 1999 of all adolescent psychiatric inpatient beds in Finland. Of the patients included in the study, 30% (20/66) in 1991 and 68% (53/78) in 1999 were treated with drugs. The increase was biggest in the proportion of depressive patients and in the proportion of depressive patients receiving drugs. The results of this study suggest that the use of medication may have increased in recent years as new antidepressants and atypical neuroleptics have become available. Prescribing practices appeared to be appropriate, on the understanding that drug therapies are adjunct to other interventions.
Adolescent↗
The Finnish version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (DES-II) and psychiatric distress.
The confirmatory factor structure of the Finnish version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale II (DES-II) was exactly the same in the non-clinical population (n=924) as was found in the most recent study in the USA (with the original English version) and as suggested by the authors of the original version. The Finnish version of the DES-II has a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92, and there is a clear positive correlation (from 0.31 to 0.66) between all 28 items and the total score (P<0.001 for all items), indicating good internal consistency and reliability. We also investigated dissociative experiences and psychiatric distress with the DES-II and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The increased proportion of "pathological dissociation" (DES-T) to "non-pathological dissociation" (DES-NP) was directly linked with increased distress. This finding is meaningful for the debate on the utility of the different DES-II scoring systems.
Adolescent↗
Self-image of adolescents with diabetes mellitus type-I and rheumatoid arthritis.
The purpose of this research was to determine possible differences in the self-concept of chronically ill and healthy adolescents. A group of adolescents with diabetes mellitus type-I (DM) and a group with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were chosen for the study, together with a control group without any chronic illness. The groups were matched for gender, age (DM 17.8, RA 17.9, control group 17.6 years) and social class. The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) was used to estimate differences between the groups of 23 DM adolescents, 25 RA adolescents and 26 control group adolescents. The scores are reversed; thus the higher the score, the better the self-image. The results indicate that Body Image, and Vocational and Educational Goals were lower in the groups of chronically ill adolescents than in the control group; however, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups on the OSIQ scales. The self-image of adolescents with DM with good metabolic control and moderate and long-lasting RA is relatively well developed.
Adolescent↗
National prescribing practices of adolescent psychiatrists for psychotropic medications in outpatient care in Finland.
We studied national prescribing practices for psychotropic drugs in adolescent psychiatric outpatient care in Finland in the cross-sectional survey study in 1999. A questionnaire was sent to the adolescent psychiatrists employed in the community outpatient clinics covering all Finland. The response rate was 81% (n=34). On average, the respondents reported that 33% of their outpatients were treated with drugs. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were the drug of choice in the treatment of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Atypical antipsychotics played an important role in the treatment of psychotic adolescents. Adolescent psychopharmacology is an important and developing part of treatment of mentally disordered young people, on the understanding that drug therapies are adjunct to other treatment interventions.
Adolescent↗
Self-image and depressive symptoms among adolescents in a non-clinical sample.
The connection between self-image and depressive symptoms in non-clinical adolescent populations has not been well documented in large samples of teenagers. Our purpose was to investigate the correlation between self-image and depressive symptoms. To assess the adolescent's self-concept, we used the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), and to study their depressive symptoms, we chose the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). The sample consisted of 1054 eighth-grade students (465 boys, 589 girls) from normal comprehensive schools in one town with 200 000 inhabitants. The mean age of both gender groups was 14.5 years and they came from all social classes. The results showed a highly significant correlation between OSIQ scale scores and CDI scores. The more problems the adolescents had with their self-image, the greater the number of depressive symptoms. The correlation between the CDI total score and OSIQ scales scores was higher for girls than for boys except for the Superior Adjustment scale. The difference between sexes in the strengths of the correlations was highly significant (P<0.0001) except in the Sexuality scale. Since both the tests have shown to have predictive value for later psychiatric symptoms, further investigation of high-scoring CDI adolescents', and especially girls', self-image problems is important.
Adolescent↗
Micropsia and dissociative disorders.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adult↗
[Effects of ecstasy on the body].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Brain↗
Health-related quality of life among patients with major depression.
The study compared health-related quality of life in 165 patients with major depression and 165 randomly selected and with age- and gender-matched controls from a population sample. Health-related quality of life was measured with the self-report questionnaire (RAND-36), which consists of eight dimensions. Overall, perceived quality of life was broadly reduced among depressive outpatients, and as compared with the control group, significant impairment was observed for all eight dimensions of health-related quality of life. Accompanying somatic diseases causing disability had no additional impact on the reduction of quality of life in depressive patients. Depression per se impairs an individual's functioning ability in a number of ways. It has a significant effect not only on mental well-being but also on perceived physical functioning and bodily pain, and even on general health perceptions. Major depression seems to explain the broad decline in the quality of life among depressive patients.
Adolescent↗
Self-image of anorexic and bulimic female adolescents.
The purpose of this study was to assess the self-concept using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) in groups of Finnish adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and a normal control group without an eating disorder. A total of 135 adolescent girls aged 16-21 (10 with anorexia nervosa, 10 with bulimia nervosa and 115 normal controls) were investigated using the OSIQ. In comparisons, girls with bulimia nervosa differed significantly from both girls with anorexia nervosa and normal controls with regard to severity on almost all of the OSIQ scales. Girls with anorexia nervosa differed from normal controls only in Emotional Tone and Sexual Attitudes. The findings suggest that anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa should be handled as different groups in assessing self-image with the OSIQ.
Adolescent↗