Exercise of young thoroughbred horses increases impact strength of the third metacarpal bone

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms, to determine the rate of depressive disorder, to explore possible reasons for the development of depressive symptoms and to examine the effects of depression in a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. METHOD: HIV-positive patients attending an outpatient treatment facility were assessed by the research psychologist and completed a number of questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); the Life Event Inventory (LEI); the Core Bereavement Item (CBI-17) questionnaire; and the Psychosocial Adjustment to illness Scale (PAIS). Patients scoring > or = 14 on the BDI were seen by the psychiatrist for further assessment, and where appropriate, diagnoses were made according to DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-two patients participated in the study; 95 scored > or = 14 on the BDI and one-third of these were found to have a depressive disorder. Factors significantly predictive of a BDI score > or = 14 were: an LEI score > 77; a diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); being on sickness benefits or a pension; no current relationship; and a past history of depression. Few differences were demonstrated between those with a depressive disorder and those with a BDI score > or = 14 but no diagnosis of depressive disorder. Both groups had high mean PAIS scores indicating significant illness effects in multiple areas of function. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are common among patients with HIV infection. Few factors differentiate between patients with a depressive disorder and those whose depressive symptoms do not meet diagnostic criteria. Substantial disability is present in both groups.     

Bupropion slow-release response in depression: diagnosis and biochemistry

BACKGROUND: Bupropion has been previously shown to be particularly beneficial in bipolar and atypical depression. Previous research has supported a possible association of response to plasma levels and to changes in plasma homovanillic acid (HVA). These findings were here extended to bupropion slow-release (SR), a formulation with slower release kinetics. METHODS: Forty-one patients with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R) completed 8 weeks of a fixed dose of 300 mg/day in two doses/day. Clinical outcome measures were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Biological parameters included plasma HVA and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl-glycol (MHPG), as well as a final measurement of plasma bupropion and its metabolites. RESULTS: Response to bupropion SR differed among the three groups: results for change in HDRS and in BDI were greater in the bipolar and atypical than in the "typical" depressed patients. Mean change in HDRS was, respectively, of 15.6, 17.1, and 7.6 (F = 5.57, p < .01); mean change in the BDI, 21.1, 16.9, and 7.3 (F = 3.32, p < .05). Threobupropion levels correlated with HDRS scores (r = .47, p = .02, n = 23); plasma HVA and MHPG increased significantly (t = 2.31, p = .03; t = 2.15, p = .04, n = 17). Bipolar depressed patients' improvement in HDRS was related to increases in MHPG (r = .87, p = .01) and in HVA (r = .70, p = .08). CONCLUSIONS: This fixed-dose study indicates that there may be specific benefits for bupropion SR in atypical and bipolar depression, and that these benefits may be related also to plasma levels and biochemical changes in catecholamines. Due to the small sample size, replication is of key importance.     

Comparison of the validities of the Beck, Zung, and MMPI Depression scales.

Compared the validities of 3 widely used self-report depression measures: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the MMPI Depression scale, and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SRDS). Each inventory was administered to 101 inpatient psychiatric ward patients and to 99 chemical dependency ward patients. All of the Ss were male and less than 60 yrs of age. The 3 scales were correlated with clinicians' global ratings of depression, with scores on 5 DSM-III-based factor-analytic depression scales, and with an overall depression score based on the DSM-III criteria. In general, the SRDS produced better validity coefficients than the BDI, which in turn yielded higher correlations with these criteria than did the MMPI Depression Scale. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining scale discriminability in the BDI and CES-D as a function of depressive severity.

Scale discriminability is the ability of a measure to discriminate among individuals ordered along some continuum, such as depressive severity. We used a nonparametric item-response model to examine scale discriminability in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in both college and depressed outpatient samples. In the college sample, the CES-D was more discriminating than the BDI, but a standard CES-D cutoff score of 16 overestimated the likely prevalence of depression (45%). The CES-D may be more effective than the BDI in detecting differences in depressive severity in college students but may be less specific. In the depressed outpatient sample, the CES-D was again more discriminating than the BDI. The superior scale discriminability of the CES-D offers one explanation for its poorer specificity in college samples. Endorsing many items that discriminate at low levels of depressive severity can result in scores that exceed a cutoff criterion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized controlled trial of a preventive intervention for perinatal depression in high-risk Latinas.

Objective: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a cognitive–behavioral (CBT) intervention to prevent perinatal depression in high-risk Latinas. Method: A sample of 217 participants, predominantly low-income Central American immigrants who met demographic and depression risk criteria, were randomized into usual care (UC; n = 105) or an 8-week CBT group intervention during pregnancy and 3 individual booster sessions during postpartum (n = 112). Participants completed measures assessing depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at baseline; Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition [BDI–II]) and major depressive episodes (Mood Screener) at 5 time points throughout the perinatal period. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses indicated that intervention participants had significantly lower depressive symptoms and fewer cases of moderate depression (BDI–II ≥ 20) at Time 2 than UC participants. These effects were stronger for women who fully participated in the intervention (≥4 classes). The cumulative incidence of major depressive episodes was not significantly different between the intervention (7.8%) and UC (9.6%) groups. Conclusions: A CBT intervention for low-income, high-risk Latinas reduced depressive symptoms during pregnancy but not during the postpartum period. Low levels of depressive symptoms and lower than expected rates of clinical depression in both groups may partially be due to methodological issues. As perinatal depression is a significant public health problem, more work is needed to prevent perinatal depression in low-income, ethnically diverse women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive reactions and unemployment.

Investigated correlates of situation-specific depressive affect associated with unemployment and correlates of more general depressive symptoms assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for 116 15–32 yr old unemployed Ss. Consistent with a frustrated work-motivation pattern, depressive affect was associated with concern about being unemployed and with stronger endorsement of external causes of unemployment. Consistent with a self-blame view of depression, BDI scores were related to stronger endorsement of internal causes for unemployment, to low self-esteem, and to feelings of helplessness. Stronger endorsement of internal causes was found among those Ss with a longer history of unemployment. Multiple regression analyses showed, however, that the attributional variables accounted for a relatively low proportion of the variance in the depression measures. Results question the adequacy of attributional accounts of depression. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in mapping genes for eating disorders

The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a representative sample of elderly subjects aged 85 years and over. The study was carried out as a population-based interview study in the City of Vantaa in Finland. The Zung Depression Status Inventory (DSI) was used to evaluate various depressive symptoms in this study population. The DSI scores range from 20 to 80; the higher the score, the more severe the disturbance. In subjects interviewed (n = 467, 362 women, 105 men), the prevalence estimates of depression with cutoff scores used in earlier studies (40 and 48) were very low: 5.2% and 1.1%. Also, the mean DSI score (SD) was very low, 27.9 (6.4). The scores tended to decrease with age, although the differences were not statistically significant. The DSI means were 28.0 (6.1) for women and 27.3 (7.2) for men (p = .0349). Women had a greater risk of being classified as depressed on the DSI (odds ratio: 1.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-2.57, p = .049). Feelings of emptiness, personal devaluation, and depressive mood were the most common depressive symptoms. In conclusion, the present population-based study shows that subjective experience of depression is very rare in Finnish people aged 85+. Our results suggest that optimistic mood might give some protection against death.     

Predictors of the first onset of a major depressive episode and changes in depressive symptoms across adolescence: Stress and negative cognitions.

This 6-year longitudinal study examined stressors (e.g., interpersonal, achievement), negative cognitions (self-worth, attributions), and their interactions in the prediction of (a) the first onset of a major depressive episode (MDE), and (b) changes in depressive symptoms in adolescents who varied in risk for depression. The sample included 240 adolescents who were first evaluated in Grade 6 (M = 11.86 years old; SD = 0.57; 54.2% female) and then again annually through Grade 12. Stressful life events and depressive diagnoses were assessed with interviews; negative cognitions and depressive symptoms were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Discrete time hazard modeling revealed a significant interaction between interpersonal stressors and negative cognitions, indicating that first onset of an MDE was predicted by high negative cognitions in the context of low interpersonal stress, and by high levels of interpersonal stressors at both high and low levels of negative cognitions. Analyses of achievement stressors indicated significant main effects of stress, negative cognitions, and risk in the prediction of an MDE, but no interactions. With regard to the prediction of depressive symptoms, multilevel modeling revealed a significant interaction between interpersonal stressors and negative cognitions such that among adolescents with more negative cognitions, higher levels of interpersonal stress predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms, whereas at low levels of negative cognitions, the relation between interpersonal stressors and depression was not significant. Risk (i.e., maternal depression history) and sex did not further moderate these interactions. Implications for intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement of depression and neuropsychological impairment in HIV-1 infection.

Depression and neuropsychological (NP) impairment were examined in 30 HIV-1 seropositive symptomatic, 15 seropositive asymptomatic, and 14 seronegative control participants. Items on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were separated into somatic and affective components to examine effects of illness on depression. Twenty-two NP tests tapped motor and psychomotor function, cognitive flexibility, and memory. The symptomatic seropositive group had the highest mean depression scores. However, these group differences were seen with the somatic component, not the affective. No significant correlations were obtained between NP tests and the affective component. Although 3 of 11 psychomotor measures were modestly correlated with the BDI total and somatic component, depression was generally unrelated to NP performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal cognitions and associations with depressive symptoms in 8-year-old twins.

Less is known about depression in children than in adults. This study integrates fields by combining cognitive and interpersonal research investigating childhood depression symptoms through the use of a genetic framework. Three research questions are addressed. First, what are the associations among interpersonal cognitions, anxiety, and depression? Second, what are the relative magnitudes of genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal cognitions? Third, to what extent do genetic and environmental influences explain associations between interpersonal cognitions and depression? Three hundred pairs of 8-year-old twins reported on symptoms of depression and anxiety by completing the Children's Depression Inventory and the Screen for Childhood Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders. The authors examined interpersonal cognitions with the Children's Expectation of Social Behaviors and the Perceptions of Peers and Self Questionnaires. Interpersonal cognitions were more strongly correlated with depression (mean r = .35) than with anxiety (mean r = .13). Genetic influence on interpersonal cognitions was small (M = 3%), and associations between interpersonal cognitions and depression were mainly explained by environmental influences. These latter findings may result from interpersonal cognitions in young children, reflecting life experiences as opposed to trait-like cognitive biases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lamotrigine in rapid-cycling bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the antidepressant and mood-stabilizing effects of lamotrigine, a novel anticonvulsant, in a group of rapid-cycling bipolar patients. Most were already nonresponders or poor partial responders to other conventional mood-stabilizing agents. METHODS: This open, naturalistic, and prospective study was conducted with five rapid-cycling bipolar patients (DSM-IV). Each received lamotrigine titrated to a minimum dose of 150 mg/day as monotherapy or in combination with other psychotropic agents. Patients were assessed with the Global Assessment Scale (GAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) for evidence of cycling mood. RESULTS: Lamotrigine was used at a mean +/- SD dose of 185.0 +/- 33.5 mg/day for 225.8 +/- 28.0 days. Random regression modeling of data showed significant dose- and time-dependent improvements in depressive symptoms and social function of patients taking lamotrigine (Dose: z = 2.17, p < .03 for BDI, z = 4.44, p < .001 for GAS; Time: z = -3.79, p < .001 for BDI, z = 2.16, p < .03 for GAS). Further random regression modeling analysis of change over time in symptoms prior to lamotrigine compared with symptoms during lamotrigine treatment showed a significant treatment by time effect for GAS (z = 2.40, p < .016) and a trend for BDI scores (z = -1.79, p < .073). No significant time or dosage effect or time by treatment effect was observed for YMRS. Finally, t statistics showed a significant reduction in mean BDI scores following treatment with lamotrigine (t = -5.26, p < .006). Lamotrigine was well tolerated by all patients; only one patient experienced several side effects, which were probably due to interaction between several psychotropic medications. CONCLUSION: Lamotrigine augmentation therapy and monotherapy appeared to have mood-stabilizing and antidepressant efficacy in the treatment of five rapid-cycling bipolar patients. The effect persisted for an average of 7.5 months.     

Self-disgust mediates the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions and depressive symptomatology.

Disgust has been linked to several psychopathologies, although a role in depression has been questioned. However, it has recently been proposed that rather than general disgust sensitivity, disgust directed toward the self (self-disgust) may influence the development of depression, providing a causal link between dysfunctional cognitions and depressive symptomatology. This possibility was examined by developing a scale to measure self-disgust (the Self-Disgust Scale; SDS) and then using mediator analysis to determine if self-disgust was able to explain the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions (measured with the use of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale) and depressive symptomatology (measured with the use of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale). The developed SDS was found to exhibit a high level of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Principal-components analysis revealed two factors to underlie responses to SDS items: the 'Disgusting self,' concerned with enduring, context independent aspects of the self, and 'Disgusting ways,' concerned with behavior. Self-disgust was found to mediate the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions and depressive symptomatology, demonstrating for the first time that self-disgust plays a role in depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of the Beck Depression Inventory with psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents.

Investigated whether the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring depressive symptomatology in 78 12–16 yr old psychiatrically disturbed adolescents. Test–retest, item-total, and coefficient alpha estimates of reliability were found to be statistically acceptable. BDI scores discriminated between patients with a hospital diagnosis of major depressive disorder and a diagnostically heterogeneous group of patients with nonaffective conditions. Results suggest that the BDI can be used profitably in clinical and treatment studies of depressive phenomena in early adolescence. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective ratings and startle modulation in people with nonclinical depression.

This study tested predictions based on the emotion context insensitivity (ECI) hypothesis of Rottenberg, Gross, and Gotlib (2005) that a nonclinical sample of people with depressive symptoms would show reduced responses to both positive and negative stimuli relative to people without depression and would show an enhanced response to novelty. Seventy individuals completed diagnostic questionnaires, made ratings of 21 affectively valenced pictures, and then viewed the same 21 pictures and 21 novel pictures while startle blink responses were recorded from electromyographic activity of the orbicularis oculi. People with scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) indicative of depression demonstrated a lack of affective startle modulation compared to the nondepression group. For all participants, the startle response was larger for novel pictures than for previously viewed pictures, but scores on the BDI were not related to response to novelty. Taken together, the results suggest that nonclinical depression is associated with a lack of affective modulation of startle, as has been shown for clinical depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The measurement of pessimism: The Hopelessness Scale.

Administered a scale designed to quantify hopelessness to 294 hospitalized suicide attempters, 23 general medical outpatients, 62 additional hospitalized suicide attempters, and 59 depressed psychiatric patients. The scale had a Kuder-Richardson-20 internal consistency coefficient of .93 and correlated well with the Stuart Future Test (SFT) and the pessimism item of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; .60 and .63, respectively). The scale was also sensitive to changes in the patient's state of depression over time, as evidenced by a correlation of .49 with change scores on the SFT and .49 with the change scores on the BDI. Findings also indicate that depressed patients have an unrealistically negative attitude toward the future and that seriousness of suicidal intent is more highly correlated with negative expectancies than with depression. A principal-components factor analysis revealed 3 factors which tapped affective, motivational, and cognitive aspects of hopelessness. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive correlates of teacher stress and depressive symptoms: Implications for attributional models of depression.

Conducted a test of the reformulated learned helplessness (attributional) model of depression (L. Y. Abramson et al, see record 1979-00305-001). Ss were 75 urban high school teachers who were experiencing high levels of teaching-related stress. Ss were administered Bruno's Teacher Stress Inventory, the Center for Epidemiological Studies—Depression scale, and a specially developed attribution and cognition questionnaire. Results indicate that the teachers experienced a high degree of stress-related depressive symptomatology. The depressive behavior was significantly related to cognitions regarding the consequences of the stressful circumstances, but contrary to the reformulation of learned helplessness, depression was not related to causal attributions regarding these situations. Results suggest the need both for refinements in cognitive theories of depression to distinguish between enduring mood states and transient depressive symptoms arising universally in certain situations, and for the study of depression-related cognitions in naturalistic settings. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classifying college students as depressed or nondepressed using the Beck Depression Inventory: An empirical analysis.

In Study 1, the classification of 150 college students as nondepressed or mildly or moderately depressed was compared using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores obtained on 2 occasions, either on the same day or 1 wk later. Whereas the overall test–retest reliability coefficients were acceptable, particularly when both administrations occurred on the same day, the consistency of classification of Ss into the mild and moderate levels of depression was poor. In an attempt to determine the factors contributing to the poor classification consistency, a 2nd study with 207 Ss compared the effect of exposure to the BDI on subsequent BDI responses. Ss who completed the BDI on 2 occasions showed significantly lower BDI scores compared to Ss exposed to an alternate depression inventory (the Self-Rating Depression Scale [SRDS]) or no prior questionnaire. In addition, a large percentage of Ss classified as moderately depressed following the initial BDI administration failed to be classified within the moderate categories on retesting the same day. Ss tested using the SRDS maintained the same depression classification when retested on the BDI. Item analyses failed to reveal significantly different amounts of change among individual BDI items. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive change and the therapeutic alliance: The role of technical and nontechnical factors in cognitive therapy.

Tests whether there are reciprocal interactions between the technical and nontechnical aspects of cognitive therapy (CT). 47 outpatients (mean age 36.8 yrs) with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder were treated with a 20-week, manualized CT intervention. Measures included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, and the Working Alliance Inventory. Results indicate that pretreatment depressogenic cognitions impact on the ability to form an early therapeutic alliance, whereas pretreatment depression severity is unrelated to alliance formation. Second, the degree to which patients were in agreement with the goals and tasks of therapy was predictive of subsequent change in depressogenic cognitions. Third, the 2-way interaction between the therapeutic bond and cognitive-change scores was found to predict depression outcomes: patients who reported a better therapeutic bond and who experienced greater reduction in their depressogenic cognitions, experienced the most favorable clinical outcomes. Certain aspects of the therapeutic alliance (i.e., goals and tasks) may facilitate the implementation of the technical factors of CT, while other aspects of the alliance (i.e., bond) act in concert with technical factors to produce direct effects on depressed symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of competence inventory for college men and evaluation of relationships between competence and depression.

Hypothesized that deficits in interpersonal and problem-solving skills are significantly related to nonclinical depression. A behavioral role-playing measure of competence in male college students was developed via a procedure introduced by M. R. Goldfried and T. J. D'Zurilla (1969). This new measure, the Problem Inventory for College Students (PICS), was administered to 92 undergraduate males to assess the relationships between competence and depression. Depression was assessed in 2 ways: The current presence or absence of a nonclinical state of depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the tendency toward experiencing frequent nonclinical depressions was measured by self-report. Ss who were currently depressed according to their BDI scores had significantly lower competence scores on the PICS than nondepressed Ss. Ss who reported experiencing frequent depressions did not earn significantly different competence scores on the PICS than Ss who reported seldom experiencing depressions. Results partially support the hypothesized relationship between competence and depression. The association between the PICS and the BDI indicates that incompetence is a concomitant of depression, if not a precursor. Results are a 1st step toward establishing the construct validity of the PICS as a competence measure for college males. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The latent symptom structure of the Beck Depression Inventory–II in outpatients with major depression.

The Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI–II) is a self-report instrument frequently used in clinical and research settings to assess depression severity. Although investigators have examined the factor structure of the BDI–II, a clear consensus on the best fitting model has not yet emerged, resulting in different recommendations regarding how to best score and interpret BDI–II results. In the current investigation, confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate previously identified models of the latent symptom structure of depression as assessed by the BDI–II. In contrast to previous investigations, we utilized a reliably diagnosed, homogenous clinical sample, composed only of patients with major depressive disorder (N = 425)—the population for whom this measure of depression severity was originally designed. Two 3-factor models provided a good fit to the data and were further evaluated by means of factor associations with an external, interviewer-rated measure of depression severity. The results contribute to a growing body of evidence for the Ward (2006) model, including a General (G) depression factor, a Somatic (S) factor, and a Cognitive (C) factor. The results also support the use of the BDI–II total scale score. Research settings may wish to model minor factors to remove variance extraneous to depression where possible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)