Suicide risk in the elderly: data from Brazilian public health care program.

OBJECTIVE: Examine prevalence and level of suicide risk, and its associations with sociodemographic factors and mood disorders. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 530 individuals aged 60 years or more from Family Health Strategy of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Diagnosis was made by psychiatrists using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview plus (MINIplus). RESULTS: Suicide risk was found in 15.7% of the sample. Female gender, elderly with no income or with no paid activity and those who have lost one or more of his sons presented association with suicide risk. Bipolar disorder shows association with suicide risk for those with or without current episode. For unipolar depression only elderly with a current episode shows association with suicide risk. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design limits the examination of causative relationships. The MINIplus questions are not broad enough to assess other important self-destructive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of suicide risk was found. As expected an increased rate of mood disorders were related to the risk of suicide. The loss of sons may partly explain a subtype of late-life risk of suicide or mood disorders especially in the oldest-old. These findings can be a useful to generate other research hypothesis and for health professionals who care older persons. Detecting characteristics linked to suicide, therefore opening up the possibility of preventing tragic outcomes providing a proper treatment.

Symptom dimensional approach and BDNF in unmedicated obsessive-compulsive patients: an exploratory study.

UNLABELLED: IntroductionThe dimensional approach of the obsessive-compulsive symptoms may help to find more homogeneous groups of patients. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may help to identify neurobiological differences between obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions. METHODS: We compared serum BDNF (pg/µg) levels of 25 unmedicated patients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) and 25 controls, using the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventories. RESULTS: There were no sociodemographic differences between the groups. The standard error of mean serum BDNF levels were reduced in unmedicated OCD patients (0.47+0.038) when compared to healthy controls (0.75+0.060) (P<.001). The patients with the presence of sex/religion obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) dimension (P=.002), with chronic course of OCS (P=.022) and the presence of lifetime major depression (P=.016) and social anxiety (P=.030) presented higher levels of BDNF than OCD patients without those features. The severity of aggression (P=.039) and sex/religion (P<.001) OCS dimension presented direct (moderate and strong, respectively) correlation with serum BDNF levels in this sample. Serum BDNF levels were decreased in OCD patients when compared to healthy controls.Discussion/ConclusionSexual and religious content of symptoms and aggression and sex/religion dimensions severity should be better explored, since these specific OCS dimensions could be based on neurocircuits diverse from those of the other OCS dimensions.

Antidepressant behavioral effects of duloxetine and amitriptyline in the rat forced swimming test / Efeitos antidepressivos da duloxetina e da amitriptilina no teste do nado forçado em ratos

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of the antidepressant drugs duloxetine and amitriptyline on depressive behaviors in rats. METHODS: Fifteen male Wistar rats were given systemic injections of duloxetine, amitriptyline or saline prior to a Forced Swimming Test (FST). Immobility and number of stops were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Kruskall-Wallis. RESULTS: Rats given injections of duloxetine displayed fewer stops than the amitriptyline and control group (p< 0.05). The control group and Amitriptyline showed no difference (p=0.8). CONCLUSION: Duloxetine reduced depressive behaviors in the Forced Swimming Test been more effective than amitriptyline.

OBJETIVO: Comparar o efeito antidepressivo da droga cloridrato de duloxetina com a amitriptilina. MÉTODOS: O teste do nado forçado, teste comportamental que avalia a atividade antidepressiva em ratos, foi utilizado em 15 ratos Wistar, machos adultos, divididos em três grupos iguais: duloxetina, amitriptilina e controle. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste One-way ANOVA e Kruskall-Wallis. RESULTADOS: Houve diferença significativa entre o número de paradas (p <0,05) entre os grupos duloxetina e amitriptilina e o grupo controle. Grupo amitriptilina e controle não apresentaram diferença (p=0,8). CONCLUSÃO: A duloxetina reduziu o comportamento depressivo sendo mais efetiva do que a amitriptilina.

Antidepressant behavioral effects of duloxetine and amitriptyline in the rat forced swimming test.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of the antidepressant drugs duloxetine and amitriptyline on depressive behaviors in rats. METHODS: Fifteen male Wistar rats were given systemic injections of duloxetine, amitriptyline or saline prior to a Forced Swimming Test (FST). Immobility and number of stops were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Kruskall-Wallis. RESULTS: Rats given injections of duloxetine displayed fewer stops than the amitriptyline and control group (p< 0.05). The control group and Amitriptyline showed no difference (p=0.8). CONCLUSION: Duloxetine reduced depressive behaviors in the Forced Swimming Test been more effective than amitriptyline.

Antidepressant behavioral effects of duloxetine and fluoxetine in the rat forced swimming test.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of the antidepressant drugs duloxetine and fluoxetine on depressive behaviors in rodents. METHODS: Eighteen male Wistar rats were given systemic injections of duloxetine, fluoxetine, or saline prior to a Forced Swimming Test (FST). Immobility and number of stops were measured. RESULTS: Rats given injections of fluoxetine displayed significantly less immobility (p = 0.02) and fewer stops than the control group (p = 0.003). Duloxetine significantly reduced the number of stops (p = 0.003), but did not effect immobility (p = 0.48). CONCLUSION: Duloxetine and fluoxetine reduced depressive behaviors in the Forced FST. However, our findings suggest that fluoxetine is more effective than duloxetine.

Antidepressant behavioral effects of duloxetine and fluoxetine in the rat forced swimming test

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of the antidepressant drugs duloxetine and fluoxetine on depressive behaviors in rodents. METHODS: Eighteen male Wistar rats were given systemic injections of duloxetine, fluoxetine, or saline prior to a Forced Swimming Test (FST). Immobility and number of stops were measured. RESULTS: Rats given injections of fluoxetine displayed significantly less immobility (p = 0.02) and fewer stops than the control group (p = 0.003). Duloxetine significanlty reduced the number of stops (p = 0.003), but did not effect immobility (p = 0.48). CONCLUSION: Duloxetine and fluoxetine reduced depressive behaviors in the Forced FST. However, our findings suggest that fluoxetine is more effective than duloxetine.

OBJETIVO: Comparar o efeito antidepressivo da droga cloridrato de duloxetina com a fluoxetina. MÉTODOS: O teste do nado forçado, teste comportamental que avalia a atividade antidepressiva em ratos, foi utilizado em 18 ratos Wistar, machos adultos, divididos em três grupos iguais: duloxetina, fluoxetina e controle. RESULTADOS: Os dados do teste do nado forçado foram analisados pelo teste One-way ANOVA, Mann Whitney e Kruskall-Wallis.Houve diferença significativa (p = 0,003) entre o número de paradas dos grupos duloxetina e fluoxetina e o grupo controle. CONCLUSÃO: A duloxetina e a fluoxetina tiveram frequência de paradas similares. A fluoxetina mostrou ser mais efetiva que a duloxetina no teste do nado forçado em ratos.