Relationship between pregestational overweight and obesity and symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) has been documented in developed countries. In middle and low-income countries the studies are scarce and the pattern of findings is more mixed. Our objective is to assess the effect of pregestational overweight and obesity on development symptoms of PPD in a nationwide Brazilian study.

The study included 23,894 puerperal women, from 2011 to 2012. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was applied from 6 to 18 months postpartum, with ≥13 points as the cutoff. Classification of pregestational nutritional status followed the method recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Confounding variables were identified using directed acyclic graph (DAG), and propensity score estimated the effect of nutritional status on PPD symptoms.

Prevalence of PPD was 26.3%. Women with excess weight represented nearly 32% of the sample. In the crude analysis, women with pregestational obesity showed 23% higher odds of developing symptoms of PPD when compared to those with normal weight (OR=1.23 CI 95% 1.04-1.45). There was a loss of statistical significance after propensity score analysis (OR=1.14 CI 95% 0.91-1.42).

The symptoms of PPD were measured in a single moment, and sensitivity analysis revealed the existence of omitted or non-measured variables potentially modifying these estimates.

Although we did not find a relationship between pregestational nutritional status and depressive symptoms, the results are important because of the problem’s magnitude. Future studies should aim at a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between the variables.

Although we did not find a relationship between pregestational nutritional status and depressive symptoms, the results are important because of the problem’s magnitude. Future studies should aim at a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between the variables.

This study examined the patterns of association between mental disorders and subsequent suicide in a community sample representative of the Canadian household population.

This retrospective cohort study used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey 2002 linked to the Death Database 2000-2011 and the Hospitalization Database 1999/2000-2012/2013) (n=27,000). Mental disorders (past year major depressive episodes (MDE), bipolar disorders (BPD), anxiety disorders (AD), and substance dependence (SD)) and subsequent suicide events (deaths or hospitalizations for suicide attempts) were identified. Competing risk regression models were used to analyze the time-to-event data, adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and educational attainment.

Past year mental disorders were diagnosed in 11.38% of the cohort and 0.41% had suicide events. An increased hazard of suicide events associated with MDE, SD and AD weakened over-time, but this was not observed for BPD. For example, the HR of suicide events for MDE was 6.02 (95% confidence interval (CI)=2.65, 13.68) in the first 4 years, whereas, it was 2.03 (95% CI=0.91, 4.53) after 4 years. Whereas, the HRs of suicide events for BPD were 16.95 (95% CI=6.88, 41.75) and 15.81 (95% CI=5.89, 42.45) before and after 4 years.

Diagnostic data are likely to underestimate the prevalence of suicide events.

The risk of suicide events declined over time for MDE, SA and AD, but remained high for BPD. This may reflect improvement over time in MDE, SA and AD, but indicates that people living with BPD have a persistent elevated hazard of suicide events.

The risk of suicide events declined over time for MDE, SA and AD, but remained high for BPD. This may reflect improvement over time in MDE, SA and AD, but indicates that people living with BPD have a persistent elevated hazard of suicide events.

A chronic low-grade inflammatory state appears to be a relevant mechanism in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. selleck chemicals llc Pro-inflammatory cytokines may influence disease course and individual symptomatology; and biological markers correlating with illness features may be of utility in clinical decision making during euthymia.

51 euthymic outpatients with Bipolar-I-Disorder (BD-I) and 93 healthy controls (HC) were investigated. Comparisons between groups, and correlations with clinical features were performed. Serum concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) were evaluated by ELISA under highly standardized conditions. Clinical features included duration of illness, number of previous suicide attempts and mood episodes (manic, hypomanic, depressive), scores of the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDS-30), the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF).

Ninflammatory component might possibly be involved in the pathophysiology of subsyndromic depression in BD-I, and conceivably of bipolar depression per se.

Light therapy has been successfully used to treat seasonal and non-seasonal depression, but there is limited evidence for its efficacy in subthreshold depression. This study examines the efficacy of light therapy for symptoms of depression and anxiety in non-seasonal subthreshold depression.

College students with non-seasonal subthreshold depression were recruited. The participants were randomly allocated to one of the three conditions high- (LT-5000 lux) and low-intensity (LT-500 lux) light therapy conditions and a waiting-list control condition (WLC). The primary outcome was Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and secondary outcomes were Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and state anxiety inventory (SAI), which were assessed at baseline (Week 0), during the trial (Week 4), and after completion of the light therapy (Week 8).

A total of 142 participants completed the trial. The LT-5000 (effect size [d]=1.56, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.98) and LT-500 conditions (d=0.84, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.26) were significantly superior to the WLC condition. For the LT-5000, LT-500, and WLC conditions by the end of the 8-week trial, a response on the HAMD was achieved by 70.0%, 42.0% and 19.0% of the participants, and remission was achieved by 76.0%, 54.0%, and 19.0%, respectively.

The subjects were not followed up regularly after completion of the trial.

Light therapy, both at high- and low-intensity, was efficacious in the treatment of college students with non-seasonal subthreshold depression. High-intensity light therapy was superior to low-intensity light therapy by the end of an 8-week trial.

Light therapy, both at high- and low-intensity, was efficacious in the treatment of college students with non-seasonal subthreshold depression. High-intensity light therapy was superior to low-intensity light therapy by the end of an 8-week trial.