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Biomedical subjects

V Kovess

Publications and source records attributed to V Kovess.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Symptom distress and frequency of life events.

A study of the frequency of life events was conducted in a group of subjects selected from the general population over a period of 9 months. Four assessments were made, using an events questionnaire and the Psychiatric Symptom Index (PSI), at 3-monthly intervals. The results show a significant relationship (maintained over time) between PSI score and the number of upsetting events, but no significant relationship between PSI score and non-upsetting events. These observations are interpreted as follows: the higher frequency of upsetting life events is secondary to the previous psychological pattern of subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Risk factors associated with suicide attempt in young French people.

Demographic data, personal and familial characteristics, as well as DSM-III-R-based psychiatric diagnoses were collected in 369 adolescents and young adults aged between 15 and 29 years, referred to an Emergency Department for psychological problems. In total, 60% of them were suicide attempters. Separations before the age of 12 years and depression in the family emerged as the main features distinguishing the suicidal group from the psychiatric control group. Fifty per cent of suicide attempters were repeaters. Fostering during childhood, suicide attempts and depression in the family were found to be risk factors for repeated self-attempts. These results support the view that significant levels of dysfunction, together with increased psychiatric morbidity, especially suicidal behaviour, characterize the families of young self-attempters.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1996

[The epidemiology of depression].

Epidemiological methods allow give a clear picture of the distribution of depressions throughout the healthcare system. Thanks to studies of the population, using these methods it is now possible for example to describe the typical profile of those who do not request care, and the proportion of depressed subjects treated by general practitioners and psychiatrists either in private practice or during periods of hospitalization for various causes. To illustrate the above points, the author sets out below some French surveys concerning depressive disorders in the general community and in various branches of the healthcare system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Epidemiological study of patients and suicidal patients admitted to a psychiatric emergency department of a general hospital].

The present study involves a review of all patients who visited the Emergency Psychiatric Service during the period from December, 6, 1993 to June, 5, 1994. A questionnaire was proposed to 1073 subjects (57.2% females; 42.8% males; mean age = 36.6). Demographic data, familial and personal characteristics, previous contacts with professional health services, and diagnosis (DSM III R criteria) were collected. 52% of them were self-attempters, younger than the general population and more frequently females (61.5%). The parasuicides were more frequent in their families and in their personal past history. The previous contacts with health services (hospitalizations, consultations) were more frequent among patients who were admitted for psychological and/or psychiatric problems. 54% of self-attempters were repeating suicidal patients. There were more depressive disorders, parasuicides and drug/alcohol abuse in their families. A logistic regression analysis (stepwise) revealed the role of these factors in the repetition of parasuicides. This study supports the significance of a better knowledge of the potential significant factors for parasuicide. Preventive measures are necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Has the sectorization of psychiatric services in France really been effective?

This paper describes the implementation of the French sectorization policy during the last 20 years, and how effectively it has delivered care to patients suffering from severe mental health disorders. This change in policy has resulted in a dramatic and progressive decline in full-time hospitalization and an increase in outpatient care, without, however, any marked increase in the readmissions rate. The resources and services provided by a representative section are described, followed by an account of a plan for closing psychiatric beds in a specific area of the centre of France. The full implementation of the policy has some distance to go, but the graded way in which it was carried out seems generally to have protected patients from adverse consequences. However, there has been little formal evaluation, and more is required before the policy can be deemed to have been successful.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Lifetime prevalence of major depression and dysthymia: results of a community survey in Sardinia.

Epidemiological data about depressive disorders emerging from European and North American community surveys are not easily comparable due to several methodological differences. Only in recent years have studies performed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) supplied comparable data. They support the evidence of higher prevalence rates of major depression (DSM-IIIR criteria) in European than in US and Canadian community studies carried out in the 1980s. Moreover, a new nationwide USA survey, using CIDI, confirmed a higher frequency of depressive disorders compared to ECA results. This report is part of a survey ('Health in Sardinia') which involved five urban districts of Cagliari, three rural areas and the same mining district involved in a previous community study. The present data concern four of the five urban districts and one rural area. Subjects were clinically interviewed with the CIDI Simplified, in the Italian version. Diagnoses were made according to DSM-IIIR criteria. Our study seems to confirm the general trend toward higher prevalence rates of major depression (lifetime prevalence 13.3) shown in earlier community studies.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1994

Spouse similarity for psychological distress and well-being: a population study.

While spouse similarity for psychiatric morbidity has been the object of numerous studies, most of these focused on clinical samples and, consequently, the interpretation of their results is limited by the existence of a selection bias. In this study, conducted on a sample of 845 general population couples, significant spouse similarity was observed for psychological distress and well-being, characterized by a marked symmetry in the relation between spouses' scores. The sex differences observed in many earlier studies would appear essentially to be artefactual. Spouse similarity was also found to be significant in the subpopulation of couples married less than two years, which pointed to assortative mating for psychological distress and well-being. While many studies have found educational dissimilarity and age difference between spouses to be associated with certain health variables, such as high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, these variables do not have a significant influence on individual levels of psychological distress and well-being. Spouse similarity for socio-demographic characteristics does not play a significant role in explaining spouse similarity for mental health. Consequently, assortative mating for psychological distress and well-being would appear to be primarily due to personal preference.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

A comparison of mail and telephone interview strategies for mental health surveys.

The high cost of mental health surveys of the general population has sparked interest in less costly research methods. Two low-cost mental health survey strategies (mail and telephone) were compared in terms of cost, response rate and quality of data obtained. A total of 1,074 persons agreed to participate in the study as a sample, one-half by telephone and the other half by mail. They completed the Diagnostic Interview Schedule Self-Administered, a questionnaire designed to be self-administered, which was used to assess specific mental disorders and to evaluate risk factors. In addition, 239 respondents who were selected according to the presence or absence of specific diagnoses were reinterviewed face-to-face using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule as an external criterion. The telephone method yielded a better response rate (15% higher) and better control over answers (for example, less missing data). The mail strategy was less expensive and appeared to yield data of slightly better quality, particularly for respondents suffering from anxiety disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Suicidal thoughts among adolescents: an intercultural approach.

Two epidemiological surveys of suicidal ideation were conducted among adolescents, aged 15-18, in France and the Canadian province of Quebec. The results suggest that, in both countries, suicidal ideation was linked to drug use (especially tobacco, illicit drugs, and psychotropic medicine), nonspecific somatic complaints (especially tiredness, sleep difficulties, depression, and feeling tense), a lack of self-esteem (pessimism, instability, boredom), and dissatisfaction with family relationships. There was no relationship between suicidal ideation and sports activities in either country. The implications for prevention are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Why discrepancies exist between structured diagnostic interviews and clinicians' diagnoses.

The authors employed empirical methods to study the causes of discrepancies between clinicians' and epidemiologists' diagnoses of "cases" from the general population within the homogeneous DSM-III/DIS system. Four interviewers conducted 139 interviews using the DIS, while psychiatrists completed a DSM-III checklist, after which they could then ask any questions they wanted. All kappas exceeded 0.58. Meetings were subsequently organized with all participating psychiatrists in order to point out reasons for discrepancies between DIS diagnoses and clinical judgement. The authors came to the following conclusions: (1) DSM-III ambiguities led to discrepancies, especially when reference periods were not specified. (2) Discrepancies arose when cases were difficult: symptoms pertaining to different diagnoses or multiple diagnoses and the fact that clinicians could use volunteered comments, while interviewers were obliged to keep strictly to the schedule, contributed to discrepancies. (3) Other approaches, such as CIDI for anxiety and DISSA for depression, could improve DIS performances.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1991

Substance misuse among native and rural high school students in Quebec.

A questionnaire exploring the smoking habits, past and current use of alcoholic beverages, cannabis, and other illicit drugs was distributed among Francophone and Native high school students in a rural area of Quebec. The lifetime prevalence figures indicated that use of illicit drugs was significantly higher among Native students. This held true particularly for stimulants and inhalants (p less than .001). Figures for the 1-year prevalence indicated that use of stimulants in Native students remained still significantly higher (p less than .01). However, consumption of alcoholic beverages was more important in Francophone students (p less than .05). A gender difference was observed in Native students, females reporting an earlier involvement with most substances under study. This tendency decreased with age. The implications of this study for the prevention of alcohol and substance abuse among rural and Native youths are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The DISSA: an abridged self-administered version of the DIS. Approach by episode.

The Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) program is a major step in psychiatric epidemiology because it uses a structured interview: the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). This gives psychiatric diagnoses in different diagnostic systems and can be administered by lay interviewers. However many surveys on health-related topics cannot give the time needed to administer the DIS and train the personnel to use such a complex schedule as the DIS. The DISSA is a self-administered abridged form of the DIS and represents an effort to produce a short and simple instrument for three types of diagnoses: major depressive disorder, all anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, phobias, panic) and alcohol disorders. In this paper we describe the DISSA and give preliminary evidence about its efficiency. This will be done by comparing DISSA results with clinicians judgments, the DIS and a checklist derived from HSC. The DISSA functions in a manner similar to its parent instrument but achieves this in a shorter and less costly mode. Actually the approach by episode used for assessing depression seems to work better than the DIS. Comparisons with the checklist show a clear superiority of the DISSA for depression, alcohol and anxiety disorders but not for generalized anxiety.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Psychiatric epidemiology in Quebec: an overview.

This paper reviews the development of psychiatric epidemiology in Quebec from 1960 to the present. The research in this area is divided into three periods: 1960 to 1980, 1980 to 1985, and 1985 onward. Child psychiatric epidemiology is addressed separately. The authors conclude that psychiatric epidemiology has been an active area of research in Quebec and will likely be even more so in the future given the increasing interest in the field.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Borderline traits among community alcoholics and problem-drinkers: rural-urban differences.

This study analyzed the borderline traits of a sample of community alcoholics drawn from a rural and a metropolitan area of the province of Quebec. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule and other questions from the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines were administered. About one-third of the sample of alcoholics showed a high number of borderline traits, a proportion similar to that found in institutionalized samples elsewhere. The borderline alcoholics tended to be younger and they all came from the urban area. This result suggests that alcoholics are probably better tolerated in rural areas and are less likely to adopt a pathological behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Are depression perceived by the public and depression described by DSM-III the same?].

The public usage of the word depression does not correspond to the descriptions of depression proposed by classifications such as the DSM-III. Data from the pilot survey of Santé-Québec covering 3,291 persons distributed in two areas, one rural (D.S.C. of Rimouski) and other urban (D.S.C. of Verdun), allow to compare the use of the term depression between an informant reporting on a family member when this expression is included in a list of chronic illnesses, and an informant reporting on a self-administered questionnaire, symptoms similar to the diagnostics of depression and dysthymia of the DSM-III. Result show a low degree of correspondance between the term of depression as used by lay persons and as applied by medicine (14%); the small overlap mainly concerns the serious cases. Depression in its lay usage is refering less often to the psychic manifestations of the medical depression, i.e. lack of positive experiences, hopelessness, boredom, but it is often applied to persons who are not able any more to achieve social roles. The usage of the lay label varies according to sex and rural-urban origin. It applies more often to urban women under 40, even though these women are not showing the DSM-III signs of depression. On the other hand, rural men are almost never associated with this label even though a certain proportion meet the DSM-III criteria for depression. The discussion offers explanations for the different use of the label in urban and rural areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Urban-rural comparisons of depressive disorders in French Canada.

A field survey in French Canada confirmed the familiar finding that rural residents have lower rates of depression than metropolitan residents and showed that this difference remains even after allowing for sex, age, marital status, education, employment, and internal migration. However, no support was obtained for the hypothesis that the metropolitan sample was feeling less communally supported than the rural sample, and the rates in a small county center proved to be lower than in the rural area, not higher as would be predicted on the assumption that its life is urban. Finally, the rural-metropolitan differences proved to be concentrated in two minorities, the unemployed men and the unpartnered women, rather than spread widely. It is suggested for these reasons that the traditional urban-rural dichotomy may now be inappropriate for sociopsychiatric research.

Adolescent↗