Rhythmicity of Mood Symptoms in Individuals at Risk for Psychiatric Disorders.

Despite emerging evidence that disruption in circadian rhythms may contribute to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, there is a significant knowledge gap on the rhythmicity of psychological symptoms. Here, we aimed at investigating the rhythmicity of mood symptoms in individuals at risk for psychiatric disorders. 391 Brazilian and 317 Spanish participants completed the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 for non-psychotic mental disorders; the Mood Rhythm Instrument was used to assess rhythmicity of mood symptoms and the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire to assess sleep patterns. We found that the rhythmicity of specific mood-related symptoms and behaviors, particularly pessimism and motivation to exercise, were associated with being at risk for psychiatric disorders, even after controlling for sleep timing, sleep deficit, and season of data collection. We also found that the peak of some mood symptoms and behaviors were different between individuals at high vs. low risk for psychiatric disorders, with specific differences between countries. These results are consistent with previous research showing that circadian misalignment is associated with higher risk for mental health conditions. These findings also suggest that lifestyle changes preventing circadian misalignment might be useful to reduce the risk of psychiatric disorders, where cultural differences must be taken into account.

The Mood Rhythm Instrument: development and preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the initial steps in the development and validation of a new self-reported instrument designed to assess daily rhythms of mood symptoms, namely, the Mood Rhythm Instrument. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of experts took part in systematic meetings to plan the construction of the instrument. Clarity of items, their relevance to evaluation of mood states, and the consistency of findings in relation to the available evidence on the biological basis of mood disorders were investigated. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated through Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: All of the items proposed in a first version were well rated in terms of clarity. The items more frequently rated as "rhythmic" were related to the somatic symptoms of mood. Their peaks in 24 hours were more frequent in the morning. The items associated with affective symptoms of mood were rated as less rhythmic, and their peak in 24 hours occurred more frequently in the afternoon and evening. Males and females behaved more similarly with respect to somatic than behavioral-affective items. The second version of the Mood Rhythm Instrument had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.73. CONCLUSION: The proposed Mood Rhythm Instrument may be able to detect individual rhythms of cognitive and behavioral measures associated with mood states. Validation in larger samples and against objective measures of rhythms, such as actigraphy, is warranted.

The Mood Rhythm Instrument: development and preliminary report

Objective: To describe the initial steps in the development and validation of a new self-reported instrument designed to assess daily rhythms of mood symptoms, namely, the Mood Rhythm Instrument. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of experts took part in systematic meetings to plan the construction of the instrument. Clarity of items, their relevance to evaluation of mood states, and the consistency of findings in relation to the available evidence on the biological basis of mood disorders were investigated. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated through Cronbach’s alpha. Results: All of the items proposed in a first version were well rated in terms of clarity. The items more frequently rated as “rhythmic” were related to the somatic symptoms of mood. Their peaks in 24 hours were more frequent in the morning. The items associated with affective symptoms of mood were rated as less rhythmic, and their peak in 24 hours occurred more frequently in the afternoon and evening. Males and females behaved more similarly with respect to somatic than behavioral-affective items. The second version of the Mood Rhythm Instrument had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73. Conclusion: The proposed Mood Rhythm Instrument may be able to detect individual rhythms of cognitive and behavioral measures associated with mood states. Validation in larger samples and against objective measures of rhythms, such as actigraphy, is warranted.

Perfil e prática profissional de psiquiatras no Brasil / Professional profile and practice of psychiatrists in Brazil

Com o objetivo de identificar o perfil profissional de psiquiatras do Brasil, foram escolhidos para estudo cinco Estados representativos de cada regiäo do País (Bahia, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Säo Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, além do Distrito Federal). A amostra consistiu de 430 membros da ABP, que responderam a questionário enviado pelo correio. Os dados foram analisados pelo sistema EPI-INFO. Verificou-se que 76,5 por cento dos psiquiatras estudados fazem ou fizeram supervisäo de seu trabalho, 65, 1 por cento participam de grupos de estudo, 51,9 por cento submeteram-se a psicoterapia pessoal, 71,2 por cento foram ou säo pacientes de psicanálise. Quanto à atividade profissional, 30,2 por cento do tempo säo dedicados a instituiçöes públicas, 11,6 por cento a instituiçöes privadas e 48,3 por cento ao consultório particular. Neste, predominam as técnicas psicoterápicas

Perfil e pratica profissional de psiquiatras no Brasil

Com o objetivo de identificar o perfil profissional de psiquiatras do Brasil, foram escolhidos para estudo cinco Estados representativos de cada regiao do Pais (Bahia, Para, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, alem do Distrito Federal). A amostra consistiu de 430 membros da ABP, que responderam a questionario enviado pelo correio. Os dados foram analisados pelo sistema EPI-INFO. Verificou-se que 76,5 por cento dos psiquiatras estudados fazem ou fizeram supervisao de seu trabalho, 65,1 por cento participam de grupos de estudo, 51,9 por cento submeteram-se a psicoterapia pessoal, 71,2 por cento foram ou sao pacientes de psicanalise. Quanto a atividade profissional, 30,2 por cento do tempo sao dedicados a instituicoes publicas, 11,6 por cento a instituicoes privadas e 48,3 por cento ao consultorio particular. Neste, predominam as tecnicas psicoterapicas.