Exploring the association between depression and shenjing shuairuo in a population representative epidemiological study of Chinese adults in Guangzhou, China.

Traditional mental illness concepts remain prevalent in China. Shenjing shuairuo (i.e., neurasthenia), a depressive-like syndrome less favored in Western psychiatric nosology, has a long tradition of acceptance among Chinese lay people. The concept may be more easily accepted in China due to the culturally informed view of the importance of harmony between mind and body and is consistent with Traditional Chinese Medicine. The goals of this study were to estimate the prevalence of shenjing shuairuo, the overlap between shenjing shuairuo and depression, and whether these two disorders share correlates. Data was obtained from 751 Chinese adults using stratified random sampling. Spatial epidemiological methods were utilized with face-to-face interviews conducted in Guangzhou, China. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the neurasthenia criteria from ICD-10 measured depression and shenjing shuairuo. The prevalence of depression and shenjing shuairuo were 5.3% and 15.4%, respectively. Participants with depression were nearly six times more likely to have shenjing shuairuo. Women were more likely than men to have comorbid depression and shenjing shuairuo. Poorer health was reported across disorders. Those with shenjing shuairuo were more likely to report medical diagnoses. Longer sleep latency was reported for those with shenjing shuairuo and those with depression reported fewer hours of sleep and lower sleep quality. Those with depression alone reported the poorest sleep. Significant diagnostic overlap and few distinct correlates were observed. Nevertheless, the difference in prevalence and acceptance among non-professionals suggests that shenjing shuairuo is a useful category of distress among Chinese adults in Southern China.

Cocaína: una revisión de la adicción y el tratamiento / Cocaine: A review of addiction and treatment

La cocaína es la droga responsable de más muertes en España. A pesar de una disminución del consumo en los últimos años, la prevalencia continúa siendo alta y es común hallarla en la práctica clínica. Si unimos a ello la peligrosidad del tóxico por su alta capacidad adictiva, las frecuentes y graves complicaciones que acarrea y la dificultad para su abandono, tenemos motivos de sobra para plantear una revisión tanto de su origen como de su estado actual, su abordaje clínico, y los retos para un futuro (AU)

Cocaine is the drug responsible for more deaths in Spain. Despite a decrease in consumption in recent years, the prevalence remains high and is common to find it in clinical practice. If you join it the danger of toxic because it´s addictive high capacity, frequent and serious complications involved and the difficulty of abandonment, we have every reason to propose a revision of both its origin and its present, its clinical approach, and challenges for the future (AU)

[Treatment of asthenic disorders with tanakan]. / Lechenie tanakanom astenicheskikh rasstroistv.

AIM: To evaluate efficacy and safety of tanakan in different asthenic disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tanakan in a dose 240 mg/day was used in 60 patients with various asthenic disorders arising in neurasthenia and late after craniocerebral trauma. The response was assessed by the scale of general clinical impression, side effects and by changes in psychic and somatic status. RESULTS: The response was achieved in 90% of the patients. 78% had significant improvement regardless nosological entity of asthenia. CONCLUSION: Tanakan is safe and effective in therapy of asthenic disorders. Moreover, with tanakan asthenia can be treated without polypragmasia.