ABSTRACT
AIMS: Using data from a population survey in two communities in the region of Sardinia, Italy, we examined the association between illness definition and attribution of personal characteristics to people with alcoholism. METHODS: Quota samples, stratified by gender and age, were drawn from the general population (males: 48%; mean age 48±18; range: 15-90). A fully-structured interview was conducted face-to-face with 404 respondents. The assessment of the public view of 'alcoholics' was measured by their reactions to stimulus words rated on bipolar scales, and defined with adjectives with opposite meanings at each end. RESULTS: 322 participants (80%) rated the 'alcoholic' as 'ill'. The definition of the 'alcoholic' as being ill showed a statistically higher odd of stigma across all the dimensions of personal attributes. CONCLUSIONS: The expectation that people adopting the illness model would tend to blame less those afflicted for their condition and, consequently, stigmatize them less, was not confirmed.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/classification , Alcoholism/epidemiology , Social Stigma , Stereotyping , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alcoholism/psychology , Female , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Random Allocation , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Purpose of the study is to investigate help-seeking preferences of the Sardinian public in case of depression. A telephone survey was conducted among the adult population, using quota sampling (N = 1,200). Respondents were presented with a vignette depicting a person with symptoms of major depressive disorder, followed by a fully structured interview. Psychologists were most frequently selected as source of professional help, followed by psychiatrists and G.P.s. Residents of small towns more frequently recommended mental health professionals than city residents. Public help-seeking preferences reflect the availability of services, beliefs about the appropriate treatment of depression and attitudes towards those providing it.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder, Major/therapy , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Help-Seeking Behavior , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Clergy , Female , General Practitioners , Homeopathy , Humans , Italy , Male , Mental Health Services , Middle Aged , Pharmacists , Psychiatry , Psychology , Social Workers , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus has important roles in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stress-related behaviors during chronic stress. It is unknown, however, whether AVP in the PVN is involved in the modulation of HPA activity after chronic cocaine exposure. Here, we examined the gene expression alterations of AVP in the hypothalamus, and V1b receptor and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary, as well as HPA hormonal changes, in Fischer rats after chronic cocaine and withdrawal, using two different chronic (14-day) 'binge' pattern administration regimens: steady-dose cocaine (SDC, 45 mg/kg/day) and escalating-dose cocaine (EDC, 45 up to 90 mg/kg/day). There was a significant (7-fold) plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) elevation after chronic EDC (but not SDC), coupled with increased V1b and POMC mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary. From acute (1-day) to protracted (14-day) withdrawal from chronic EDC (but not from SDC), we found persistent elevations of both plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels and AVP mRNA levels in the PVN. Selective V1b antagonist SSR149415 (5 mg/kg) attenuated acute withdrawal-induced HPA activation after EDC. To study potential roles of endogenous opioids in modulating the AVP gene, we administered naloxone (1 mg/kg); we found that opioid receptor antagonism increased AVP mRNA levels in cocaine-naive rats, but not in cocaine-withdrawn rats, suggesting less tonic opioid inhibition of PVN AVP neurons after chronic EDC. To assess the effects of cocaine withdrawal on sub-populations of PVN AVP neurons, we utilized AVP-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) promoter transgenic mice and found that acute withdrawal following chronic EDC increased the number of AVP-EGFP neurons in the parvocellular PVN (pPVN). These results suggest that during protracted withdrawal, enhanced pPVN AVP gene expression is associated with persistent elevations of basal HPA activity; a hyposensitivity of PVN AVP gene expression to naloxone is indicative of reduced opioidergic tone. Our studies indicate that the AVP and its V1b receptor system may be a potential therapeutic target for treating anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with cocaine addiction.
