Big issues of mental health

A day to raise awareness about a problem of high prevalence, surrounded by stigma, myths without scientific basis and the suffering of millions of people. IntraMed offers a selection of articles on the subject.

According to the WHO, the deficit in the treatment of mental disorders and substance abuse is formidable, especially in low-income countries. World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated every year on October 10, aims to increase public awareness of mental health problems.

Millions of people in the world suffer from serious mental illnesses in addition to the difficulty in accessing health systems, the social stigma that weighs on these pathologies and the shameful proliferation of approaches without a scientific basis to assist them. It is to be hoped that the situation will show signs of overcoming and that those in charge of the States will consider it a priority for Santiago.

IntraMed joins World Mental Health Day by offering a collection of up-to-date content based strictly on scientific research.

 Mental health today

1 - "The dogma of mental sickness is a threat to progress"
Even highly intelligent individuals hold dogmatic opinions, albeit uninformed, about mental illness.

2 - Reconsidering the diagnosis in psychiatry
In psychiatry, the value of diagnosis is continuously questioned. There is difficulty in defining the initial stages of incipient mental disorders. With the editorial comment of Dr. Marcelo Cetkovich.

3 - Why do the mentally ill die before the general population? 
Almost 80% of excess deaths in people with mental illness is due to their physical health. The gap in people with alcoholism and other addictions can reach 20 years.

Mental illness and comorbidities

1  - Depression and somatic diseases
Depression is a prevalent, usually chronic, disorder that affects the quality of life and the performance of patients and may favor the appearance of somatic diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, stroke, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.

2  - The relationship between depression and inflammation
The nascent awareness of the interplay between stress, inflammation, and depression can broaden the therapeutic approach.

3  - Depression in patients with acute coronary syndromes
Depression should be considered a risk factor for mortality from any cause, mortality from cardiovascular causes and cardiac events in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes (AHA).

4 - Variables linked to the comorbid relationship between obesity and depression
Some variables linked to the association between depression and obesity were recognized, among which the magnitude of obesity, socioeconomic level, and stigmatization experience stand out.

5 - Treatment of depression in patients with clinical diseases
Patients with depression and clinical diseases have higher morbidity and lower performance than individuals with depression, without comorbidities; in addition, the recovery rates are lower and have more relapses.

6 - Depression in the ICU: often overlooked
Depression is five times more common than is the TSPT after a critical illness and somatic symptoms predominate.

7 - Effects of Citalopram in patients with acute stroke
The objective of the TALOS study will be to determine the efficacy and safety of citalopram in patients with acute stroke, in terms of neuroprotection and the prevention of new vascular events.

8 - Antidepressants can be drugs of abuse
Although antidepressants are not specifically included in the available epidemiological studies, they are known to contribute to the morbidity generated by the misuse of psychotropic drugs.

Bipolar disorder

1 - Advantages of Asenapine in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Asenapine is an atypical antipsychotic available in a sublingual formulation approved for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who have manic or mixed episodes.

2 - Factors that increase the risk of suicide in bipolar patients Bipolar
the disorder is a chronic disease characterized by the oscillation of the state of mind, which supposes a significant level of dysfunction for the patients.

3 - Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is one of the most difficult psychiatric diseases. A complete review updates your diagnostic and treatment criteria.

4- Use of antidepressants in patients with bipolar disorder
It is necessary to evaluate the characteristics and circumstances of each patient when administering antidepressants in case of bipolarity.

5 - Asenapine is a useful agent in patients with schizophrenia and bipolarity
Its use is beneficial in schizophrenic and bipolar patients. It is necessary to have clinical studies that allow us to know the clinical usefulness of asenapine in greater depth.

6 - Usefulness of asenapine in type I bipolar depression
Asenapine is an antipsychotic that may be beneficial in cases of depression associated with type I bipolar disorder. Such a benefit would be due to the antagonism of serotonergic and adrenergic receptors generated by the drug.

7- Bipolar and unipolar depressive episodes
The distinction between episodes of depression associated with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder is essential if the availability of effective treatments and the negative consequences of treatment delay are considered.

8- Aripiprazole in bipolar disorder
Aripiprazole is used to improve emotional stability, with anxiolytic, antidepressant and sedative effects, and is effective and well tolerated to treat children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Depression

1 - Depression in the elderly
Depression in the elderly is frequent and carries a greater risk of suicide than in other age groups. There are effective treatments, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and psychotherapy.
2  - Postpartum Depression From mood changes to manic episodes, a pathology that requires the alert of the staff that attends puerperal.
3  - Association between depression and cytokine activity

The inflammation would intervene in the appearance of depression and other neuropsychiatric entities. This is a promising finding that may favor the creation of new therapeutic strategies for patients with depressive disorders.

4  - Efficacy of pregabalin for the treatment of depression with anxiety symptoms
The addition of pregabalin to standard treatment is useful in patients with unipolar depression and important symptoms of anxiety. The anxiolytic effect is similar to that achieved with benzodiazepines.

5  - In the influence of depression and anxiety about the risk of alcohol dependence
Recent depression or anxiety increases the risk of alcohol dependence. Subclinical alcoholism and the stressful events of life, which occurred recently, particularly increase the risk of the appearance of alcohol use disorder.

6 - Vilazodone for the treatment of patients with depression
Vilazodone is a new antidepressant that acts by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and the partial agonism of serotonergic 5HT1A receptors. This action profile results in an adequate level of efficacy and tolerability when administered to patients with major depressive disorder.

7- Major depressive disorder of onset in the advanced age of life
In patients with major depressive disorder of late onset, selective inhibitors of serotonin reuptake represent the first-line pharmacological therapy.

Schizophrenia

1 - Management of psychosis and schizophrenia in adults
Recommendations based on evidence.

2 - Predictive value of the early response to aripiprazole in schizophrenia
As in adults, adolescents with schizophrenia, treated with aripiprazole, have the highest response rate during the first weeks after the start of treatment; The response observed in the third week is the parameter that best predicts the final response.

3 - Alterations of brain connectivity in schizophrenia
Alterations in brain connectivity may play a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

4 - Recognition and treatment of psychosis and schizophrenia in children and adolescents
Recommendations aim to improve the provision and access to psychological interventions, especially family intervention and cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as access to education and work.

5 - Update in secondary psychoses
The classification of psychiatric disorders according to their etiology is more useful than the one based on whether the anomaly is organic or structural, and the diagnosis of underlying medical diseases, toxic or iatrogenic causes of psychosis may represent a challenge for the treating doctor.