The research was conducted in two family medicine practices. By using the Beck depression inventary and SCID module for depression among the patients with hypertension and no previous psychiatric history, a group with elevated depression was recognised. Half of them were taking both antihypertensive and antidepressive therapy over the course of 24 weeks while the other half was taking antihypertensive therapy only.

Out of 452 patients with arterial hypertension, 134 (29,64%) have been found with elevated depression. Patients with both arterial hypertension and depression had significantly higher values of sistolic blood pressure (155/138 mmHg, Z=9,77, p<0,001). and significantly higher values of diastolic blood pressure (88/81 mmHg, Z=10,57, p<0,001) comparing to nondepressive patients with hypertension. 73 patients were subjected to antidepressive therapy along with the antihypertensives. The controls were 61 patients which were taking antihypertonics only. After the 24 weeks, the 73 patients had significantly lower values of the sistolic (128/155 mmHg,

Z = 7,42, p<0,001) and diastolic blood pressure (73/90 mmHg, Z= 7,36, p<0,001) comparing to first measurement while that was not the case in the control group.

To study the vulnerable personality style in a Spanish postpartum sample.

A case-control study: 145 PPD women visited at the Psychiatry Perinatal Unit were compared to 203 healthy women from a postpartum population based study. All women were assessed with the VPSQ (Spanish adaptation), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Structured Clinical Interview (DSM-IV) axis I. Personality traits were evaluated after full clinical remission. The study was approved by the Institution board.

Univariated analysis showed that women with PPD obtained higher scores (p<.000) in seven VPSQ personality dimensions: Coping, Nervy, Timidity, Sensitivity, Worrier, Obsessive, and Volatility, as well as the VPSQ total score (p<.000). Personal history of depression (p<.000) was also associated with PPD. In the logistic regression analysis; an increase of one point on the VPSQ total score increased the OR in 1.151 fold (95%CI:1.095-1.210) the association with PPD. Other variables associated were age and personal history of depression. The Hosmer-Lemershow test (p=.706) indicated the goodness-of-fit of the model.

Women with PPD had higher scores in the Vulnerable Personality Style Questionnaire. They were more nervous, timid, sensitive, obsessive, worried, angry and cope poorly than healthy postpartum women.

Literature about suicide behavior often shows equity between suicide attempt and deliberate self harm (DSH). The objective of this study is to differentiate suicide attempt from DSH regarding the frequency, methods used, reasons, and purposes.

Data were collected from 1,551 junior high school students from Mexico City Downtown (2003 and 2006 academic generations). The questionnaire included the CIP (Cédula de Indicadores Parasuicidas: Parasuicide Indicators Schedule), suicide ideation, depression, and others. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous.

DSH overall prevalence was 5.8% male and 20.5% female, including 3.9% and 16.7% of ambivalent suicide attempt, and 0.7% and 6.1% of suicide attempt with death purpose. Most of the boys who attempted suicide used sharp objects. Reasons in both sexes were mostly related to interpersonal area, and the purpose was to stop suffering. The most frequent method used in DSH was sharp objects; reasons for boys were in the emotional area and in the interpersonal for girls. The purpose was continue living.

It is important to distinguish between suicide attempt and DSH to obtain more precise information about the problems and its characteristics. Results show that both of these are a considerable matter among adolescents; tough they have different characteristics, with a considerable suicide risk. Mental health promotion and attention must begin during elementary school in order to prevent more serious distress and illness during adolescence and adult age.

To assess the personality traits in managers in health services and to find out the similarities and differences between pathological gamblers and managers in health services. Subjects: 32 managers in health care services (20 female, 12 male) comprised physicians, economists and pharmacologists.

The psychological test PIE (Profile Index of Emotion) was applied to examine the emotional and personality profile of the subjects.

There are similarities between personality traits of managers and gamblers in a way that they both have the lower self-control, they enter in the risk situations more than average people, they don't make long future plans, they have increased depressiveness and aggressiveness which in combination shows auto destructive behaviour.

Yet, there are also some prominent differences. Gamblers have disturbed impulse control, they are socially inhibited, they have lack of social skills and they are highly anxious as well as impulsive and they lack the trust towards people and managers are highly sociable and trustful.

The question remains whether the personality traits shown are hereditary or developed during the life according the situation.

Prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients recovering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) i.e., myocardial infarction and unstable angina is higher than in general population and both depression and anxiety are associated with poor cardiac outcomes and higher mortality. Despite the prognostic role of post-ACS depression no clinical trials of prevention of depression and anxiety in this population of patients has been undertaken. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of preventive treatment with SSRI (escitalopram) in the first year after ACS.

234 non-depressed patients will be enrolled within 8 weeks after ACS and will be randomly assigned to treatment with escitalopram/placebo (5-20 mg) in 52 weeks. There will be 9 psychiatric and 3 cardiologic assessments during the year of the study. Primary outcome measures are the diagnosis of depression and HDS (Hamilton Depression Scale). Psychiatric measurements: SCAN (Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry), HDS, HAS (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), UKU Side Effect Rating Scale, ESSI (ENRICHD Social Support Instrument), SF-36 (SF-36 Health Survey), SCL-92 (Symptom Check List) and BDI (Beck Depression Inventory). Cardiologic measurements are blood pressure, electrocardiography, echocardiography (left ventricular ejection fraction), heart rate variability and use of medicine.

ACS patients with mental illness often remain untreated with an increased risk of somatic comorbidity and mortality. DECARD study is the first study evaluating the effect of prophylactic treatment of depression in patients with ACS. The study is ongoing and on 15th October 2007 there were 216 patients enrolled.

Depression, especially in nursing homes elderly, is one of the most important mental health disorders. There is many controversy about depression‘s related factors ; so this study was carried out in order to asses depression prevalence and related factors in nursing homes elderly in Kashan – Iran 2007.

In this cross-sectional study, all of people aged ≥60 years old who were resident in Golabchi center of Kashan city (n=52) were selected. The GDS-30 questionnaires were completed through interview using self-reporting method. Depression status was determined in 0-30 scale .The sample were divided two groups. 0-9 and 10-30 scores was spotted as no-depressed and depressed groups respectively. The data analyzed using T-test and exact fisher test.

Prevalence depression was 85/5%. Depression prevalence was more in men, unmarried people, uneducated people, people who were under the treatment insurance, people who had specific income source, people who had visitors at least monthly, ill people, optional inhabitancy, people who had religious beliefs in medium level and less, and they had participated in religious ceremonies in medium level and less; But these differences were not significant. Age, duration of inhabitancy and child number was not also different between two groups.

Prevalence of Depression in nursing homes elderly is numerous. In order to improve old people quality of life must attend to this topic.

To demonstrate through 3 classic case examples that depression can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum experience, eliminating depression by making it unnecessary.

Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient and his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than ever before, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively help the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptom spikes (such as depression) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couples undergo personality transformation.

Of the 1,170 patients treated (all of them showing varying degree of depression) over the last 20 years, 48% of patients reached a level of adjustment beyond their previous maximum level. Among them, 31% reached a level more than twice, 24% reached more than three times, 20% reached more than four times, 16% reached more than five times, and 7.6% reached more than ten times their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily subjective self-rating, far beyond symptom elimination.

Depression may be better understood and treated as the consequence of one's personality which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’. The results of this study over the last 20 years support an alternative approach in treatment of depressive disorder.

Anxiety is a kind of agitation and concern stemming from the feeling of threat or hazard in human soul.

This study was monitored by triangular sequential analysis test.The samples consisted of 110 patients undergoing coronary artery angiography among whom 55 patients were randomly chosen to be allocated in the control group and 55 patients in experimental group.The demographic questionnaire,Spilburge's stat-trait anxiety inventory and digital indicator were used to collecting data.About one hour before angiography, the demographic past of the questionnaire was completed by the participants in both groups.Then sooting and no words music was played for the experimental group for 15 minutes.

The results of this study indicated that after the entrance of 80 patients in the fourth interim analysis in this study(41 in the test group and 39 in the control group), the clinical trial stopped in the interests of the test group(p=0.009 triangular test).the rate of anxiety stat and trait, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate of the test group after music intervention indicated statistically significant difference in contrast to the control group, based on the results the analysis of covariance test. But the difference between the heart rate in these two groups was not statistically significant)p=0.174).

The results obtained indicated the effect of music on coronary artery angiography anxiety.Therefor, it can be concluded that listening to music may be an assisting treatment for anxiety and its resulting physiological signs.

The importance of cholesterol for health, physical and psychological well-being has been recognized for a long time. Changes in serum cholesterol levels may have a direct impact on mental perfomance, mood, behavior, survival and expected lifetime duration.

To examine the association between depression and cholesterol levels and to discuss the possible imlications in clinical practice.

A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify relevant studies and reviews. The results of our own research will be also presented.

Clinical investigations of cholesterolemia in patients with depressive disorders have produced very conflicting results. Recently, low serum cholesterol was proposed as a biological marker for depression, suicide and affective disorders. Depression has increasingly been recognized as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). On the other side, CHD is related to high serum cholesterol levels. It seems that both low and high serum cholesterol may be associated with a higher risk of the premature deaths as well as with depression.

Our current knowledge on the relation between cholesterolemia and depressive disorders is poor and controversial. The lipoprotein profile, rather than total cholesterol levels, seems to be more important.

In patients suffering from depression, neuropsychological deficiencies of attention, memory, psychomotor speed and executive functions are observed.

The aim of this study is to find relationship between selected cognitive functions, and intensity of depression and anxiety as state and trait in depressed patients.

16 Patients meeting the ICD 10 criteria of depressive disorders (F32, F33) were recruited. Patients with mild-to-moderate depression as measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score were included in the study. The battery of cognitive neuropsychological tests used to assess cognitive functions included: trail making test, part A and B, and Stroop test, part RCNb and NCWd. The intensity of anxiety as state and trait was assessed with the use of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The results were analyzed statistically.

In the examined group no statistically significant relation between the results neuropsychological tests (trail making test, part A and B, Stroop test) and the intensity of depression measured with BDI, and the intensity of anxiety as state and trait, measured with STAI was found. Interestingly a statistically significant relation was found between intensity of depression and intensity of anxiety.

It seems interesting that no co-relation between the clinical symptoms and cognitive functions was found. It may be consistent with some of the observations, according to which a pharmacological treatment of depression causes an improvement in cognitive functioning of the patients which is independent of the clinical improvement.

To determine whether subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) that switch/augment therapy have higher health care costs and productivity losses compared to those who stay on therapy.

Data were derived from a national-employment-based medical and pharmacy claims database. Index date was defined based on pre-specified antidepressant prescription claims between 7/1/2002-3/31/2005. Subjects were treatment-naïve 6-months prior to index-date, continuously enrolled, and had at least one outpatient-based medical claim for MDD (ICD-9=296.2x/296.3x) during study period. Study cohorts [switchers/augmenters/maintainers] were defined based on antidepressant prescription refill pattern 12-months post index therapy. Productivity losses were defined as days absent from work for medical visits multiplied by average daily wage. Per-patient-per-year (PPPY) post-index costs were statistically (Type-1 error <0.05) compared multivariately (generalized-linear-model) and productivity losses were compared univariately (Wilcoxon-tests).

Of 7,273 individuals who meet study criteria, 40.3% (n=2,931), 1.5% (n=109), and 58.2% (n=4,233) were classified as switchers, augmenters, and maintainers, respectively. Baseline characteristics were similar across the three cohorts. Average total and depression-related healthcare costs were 1.51-1.92 times (p<.01) and 1.52-1.42 times (p<.001) greater for switchers ($9,288 and $1,388) and augmenters ($9,350 and $1,027) vs. maintainers ($6,151 and $723) after controlling for baseline characteristics. Average total and depression-related productivity losses PPPY were $2,081/$680 for switchers, $2,010/$587 for augmenters and $1,424/$437 for maintainers. These productivity losses were greater for switchers and augmenters compared to maintainers (p<.001).

MDD subjects that change therapy within 12-months of treatment initiation have higher resource costs and productivity losses compared to those who stay on the same therapy.

The purpose of this research was to measure women's changes of sexual activity according to the phases of sexual intercourse and to show the dependency from sex hormones, social factors, also relation with depression, anxiety and menopause symptoms. During menopause women's sexuality and sexual activity changes related with the changes in sex hormones, social and emotional status. Sex hormones are responsible for the female sexual functioning. As a result low sexual desire, the decrease of orgasmic potential and lack of satisfaction during the intercourse occur during menopause. Changes in sex hormones influence mental health, especially emotional sphere. On the other hand, depressed mood, anxiety, sleep disturbances, decrease of energy can cause the dysfunctions of sexual activity. Social factors such as female education, working, usable medications, decreased partner's sexual potency also influence sexual activity of women.

Two groups of women were examined: one with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), another group without HRT. The expression of anxiety and depression symptoms was rated with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, sexual dysfunctions were measured with Female Sexual Function Index, the relationship between the partners valued by Dyadic Adjustment Scale, menopause symptoms valued by Greene Climacteric Scale.

Results of this project will be presented. It is expected that these data will support the efforts of health policy in preventing sexual dysfunctions.

Social environemnt is closely related to Mental health.We examined the role of various social relations and conditions variables in the determination of depression among urban and rural pregnant women in Pakistan.

Both qualitative and qunatitative method was employed. 292 pregant women in urban and 375 pregnant women in rural areas of the province of Sindh Pakistan were included in the study. Social condition variables included socioecnomic status, illness and work related concerns, environmental issues and social problems. Social relations included relations with husband, in-laws, children and parents family. These were given scores when it applied to a situation of the women. Simultaneously, hassles related to pregnancy were also inquired from each women. Concurrently, in a blind set-up, translated and validated Center for Epidemiological Scale for Depression (CES-D) was administered. In multivariate regression linear analysis, scores of social relations and social condition variables were related with the scores of CES-D scores.

Social context vary in urban and rural areas. There is high prevalence of depression among pregnant women in urban (39%) and rural (64%) areas of Pakistan. Social relations are more important in determining depression in urban areas, while social conditions have stronger association with depression in rural areas of Pakistan.

Social environment has major contribution for the development of depression among pregnant women (52% variance in Urban and 40% variance in rural areas). Social environmental variables vary with the social context and its importance varies for the women of urban and rural areas.

Few studies have examined people with comorbid schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder, a subgroup who may differ psychophysiologically and behaviourally from those with either condition alone.

Purpose of this study is investigating the relation between job stress and it's sequels with hardiness as a mediator. In this study, nursing stress and its subscales (death and dying; conflict with physicians, peers, supervisors, patients and their families; workload ;inadequate preparation ;uncertainty concerning treatment and discrimination) were considered as prediction variables and migraine, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety and depression were considered as target variables. The mediate variable in this study was psychologic hardiness.

Research sample included 400 nurses that worked in different hospitals in Ahvaz. These samples were selected with stratified random sampling method.

Data analysis was carried by inferential statistic methods. Pearson correlation factor was used in simple correlation data section, and linear regression was used firstly in mediator theories data and then Sobel statistic formula was used for diagnosis statistical significance of mediator effect on relation between prediction and target variables.

THE relation between nursing stress (independent variable) and its subscales with dependent variables had statistical significance. Differ with death; conflict with physicians;inadequate preparation and discrimination are variables that hardiness still can not eliminate or reduce their statistical significance effect on somatic, psychosomatic and psychologic problems that consequent to stress.

Recent results suggest that the endocrine system can affect as well as modulate ethanol drinking behavior. In mice and humans a correlation has been found between ANP plasma concentration and craving, anxiety as well as the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. To further elucidate the involvement of the natriuretic peptide system in neurobehavioral effects of alcohol, we examined ethanol drinking behavior in mice lacking a functional natriuretic peptide-A (NPR-A) receptor.

NPR-A heterozygote, -knockout and wild-type mice were given a free choice between water and increasing concentrations of ethanol. Once a stable baseline of 16% ethanol consumption was established, access to ethanol was withdrawn for 2 weeks and then reinstated to measure the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE). A forced swim stress was performed thereafter on 3 consecutive days.

Data analysis revealed a higher ethanol preference and voluntary ethanol intake in NPR-A-transgenic mice. Throughout the experiments the ethanol intake was highest in heterozygote animals. Stress-induced drinking led to an immediate increase in ethanol consumption in the homozygote subgroup. Deprivation from alcohol resulted in a classical ADE in wild-type and heterozygote animals. The homozygote mice do not show an increase in alcohol intake during the ADE.

We demonstrated that the NPR-A receptor gene is involved in free choice ethanol consumption, preference and ethanol consumption following stress. Mice lacking a functional NPR-A receptor represent a useful animal model to adress the question of whether a dysfunctonal natriuretic peptide receptor system influences longterm alcohol self-administration and stress induced alcohol drinking.