Annals of General Psychiatry最新文献

{"title":"Dynamics of depressive states among university students in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time series analysis.","authors":"N Shiraishi, M Sakata, R Toyomoto, K Yoshida, Y Luo, Y Nakagami, A Tajika, T Watanabe, E Sahker, T Uwatoko, T Shimamoto, T Iwami, T A Furukawa","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00468-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00468-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was reported to have increased depression among university students which was associated with impairments in their campus lives. This study examined changes in depressive states among Japanese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A secondary data analysis from a factorial randomized controlled trial involving smartphone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy was performed. Six cohorts (N = 1626) underwent an 8-week intervention during the spring or autumn of 2019-2021, with a 9-month follow-up. We evaluated participants' depressive states weekly using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) during the intervention, with monthly evaluations thereafter. The follow-up periods included Japan's four states of emergency (SOEs) to control COVID-19. Hypothesizing that SOEs caused a sudden worsening of depressive states, Study 1 compared the cohorts' PHQ-9 scores, and Study 2 employed time series analysis with a mixed-effects model to estimate identified changes in PHQ-9 scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Although no changes in depressive states were observed in relation to the SOEs, Study 1 identified sudden increases in PHQ-9 scores at the 28-week evaluation point, which corresponded to the beginning of the new academic year for the three autumn cohorts. In contrast, the three spring cohorts did not exhibit similar changes. Study 2 showed that, for all three autumn cohorts (n = 522), the 0.60-point change was significant (95% CI 0.42-0.78; p < .001) at 28 weeks; that is, when their timeline was interrupted.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While the results do not indicate any notable impact of the SOEs, they highlight the influence of the new academic year on university students' mental health during COVID-19. Trial registration UMIN, CTR-000031307. Registered on February 14, 2018.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"38"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10563354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41181857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safety and effectiveness of oral medium to high dose blonanserin in patients with schizophrenia: subgroup analysis from a prospective, multicenter, post-marketing surveillance study in mainland China.","authors":"Yuan Yang, Hongmin Ge, Xijin Wang, Xuejun Liu, Keqing Li, Gang Wang, Xiaodong Yang, Huaili Deng, Meijuan Sun, Ruiling Zhang, Jindong Chen, Duanfang Cai, Hong Sang, Xianglai Liu, Guilai Zhan, Guijun Zhao, Haiyun Li, Zhiyuan Xun","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00467-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00467-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Blonanserin (BNS) had been undergoing post-market surveillance (PMS) since September 2018. Using the surveillance data, we did this analysis to assess the safety and effectiveness of different doses of BNS to explore a sufficient dose range of BNS in Chinese patients with schizophrenia (SZ).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A 12-week, prospective, observational, single-arm, multicenter, open-label PMS was conducted. In this analysis, we divided the patients from PMS into low, medium to high, and high dose groups based on the dose of BNS they received, with medium to high dose group being the focus. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores at week 2 or 4, 6 or 8, and 12 were calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of BNS in improving psychiatric symptoms. The safety of BNS was reported as the incidence of adverse drug reactions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>364 patients were included in the medium to high dose group, of which 321 completed the surveillance, with a dropout rate of 11.8%. The mean daily dose was 15.1 ± 1.92 mg. The BPRS total score was 50.1 ± 11.95 at baseline and decreased to 26.6 ± 7.43 at 12 weeks (P < 0.001). When compared with other groups, the median to high dose group achieved significantly more reduction in BPRS score at week 12 (P = 0.004 versus low dose and P = 0.033 versus higher dose). Extrapyramidal symptoms [EPS (46.4%)] were the most common adverse reactions in the medium to high group. The average weight gain during the surveillance was 0.5 ± 2.56 kg and prolactin elevation occurred in 2.2% patients. Most adverse reactions were mild.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>BNS at medium to high doses (mean 15.1 mg/d) significantly improved symptoms of SZ and was well-tolerated. Most ADRs were mild, and the likelihood of causing metabolic side effects and prolactin elevations was low. Medium to high dose of BNS is a more potent treatment choice for SZ.</p><p><strong>Trial registration number: </strong>ChiCTR2100048734. Date of registration: 2021/07/15 (retrospectively registered).</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"37"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10557194/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41101390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of postpartum depression.","authors":"Sheng Zhang, Baili Lu, Gang Wang","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00469-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00469-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common complication of pregnancy in women, and its pathogenesis mainly involves disturbances of the neuroendocrine regulation, immune system, neurotransmitters, hormone secretion, and the gut microbiome. Gut microbes play essential physiological and pathological roles in the gut-brain axis' pathways which are involved in various central nervous system (CNS) and psychiatric disorders, including PPD. Numerous studies have identified the fundamental role of the gut-brain axis in the pathogenesis and treatment of PPD patients and also correlates with other pathogenic mechanisms of PPD. Disturbances in gut microbes are associated with the disruption of multiple signaling pathways and systems that ultimately lead to PPD development. This review aimed to elucidate the potential connections between gut microbes and the established PPD network, and this might serve as a guide for the development of new efficient diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic strategies in the management of PPD.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"36"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10523734/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41109218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The capacity to consent to treatment is altered in suicidal patients.","authors":"Emilie Olié, Thomas Catanzaro, Manon Malestroit, Julio A Guija, Lucas Giner, Philippe Courtet","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00459-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00459-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Many patients with depression refuse treatment. Moreover, suicide attempters often display low perceived need of treatment and impaired decision-making. These observations raise questions about the capacity to treatment consent in depressed suicide attempters (SA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In patients with current depressive episode (N = 33 SAs and N = 27 non-SAs), consent capacity was evaluated with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T), insight with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale, and depression severity with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The median BDI score in the whole sample (N = 60) was 21 [10;36], and was higher in SAs than non-SAs (27 [11;36] vs. 15 [10:33], p < 0.001). Consent capacity was impaired in 30% (appreciation), 53% (reasoning) and 60% (understanding) of all patients. MacCAT-T sub-scores were lower in SAs than non-SAs (understanding: 4.4 [2.35;5.8] vs. 5.3 [3.13;6]); appreciation: 3 [1;4] vs. 4 [2;4]); reasoning (4 [1;7] vs. 7 [3;8]), and ability to express a choice: 1 [0;2] vs. 2 [0;2]; all p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, suicide attempt history and depression severity (but not insight) were negatively associated with MacCAT-T sub-scores.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>More research is needed on the capacity to consent to treatment of patients with depression, particularly suicidal individuals, to make informed choices about their treatment. Trial registration The Montpellier University Hospital Institutional Review Board approved the study (No. 202100714).</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"35"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10492405/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10212325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of acceptance and commitment therapy for depressive disorders: a meta-analysis.","authors":"Bing Zhao, Qian Wang, Liping Wang, Jie Chen, Tongtong Yin, Jingxuan Zhang, Xiaojing Cheng, Ruihua Hou","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00462-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00462-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To systematically evaluate the effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on depressive disorders.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The electronic databases of Web of Science Core Collection, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo, CNKI, Wanfang and Weipu were used to select relevant publications. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were undertaken following PRISMA guidelines for preferred reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analysis. RevMan5.4 was used for meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>11 studies with a total of 962 patients were included. Random-effects model analysis showed that ACT could effectively reduce the level of depressive symptoms in patients with depressive disorders (SMD = - 1.05, 95% CI: - 1.43-- 0.66, P < 0.00001), improve psychological flexibility (MD = 4.84, 95% CI: 2.70-6.97, P < 0.00001), and have good maintenance effect (SMD = - 0.70, 95% CI: - 1.15-- 0.25, P = 0.002). All differences were statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ACT not only improves depressive symptoms and psychological flexibility, but also has a good maintenance effect, and it is particularly effective in Chinese patients. Large randomized controlled trials are needed to validate the findings from this meta-analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10486021/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10252462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of trazodone in treatment of major depressive disorder: an update.","authors":"Andrea Fagiolini, Ana González-Pinto, Kamilla Woznica Miskowiak, Pedro Morgado, Allan H Young, Eduard Vieta","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00465-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00465-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common mood disorder and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Trazodone, a triazolopyridine serotonin receptor antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI) antidepressant approved for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults, has established efficacy that is comparable to other available antidepressants, and is effective for a range of depression symptoms, including insomnia, which is one of the most common and bothersome symptoms of depression. Also, trazodone's pharmacodynamic properties allow it to avoid the side effects of insomnia, anxiety and sexual dysfunction often associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. In this narrative review, we have summarized recent clinical trials and real-world data on trazodone, including the recently introduced once-daily formulation, which has single dose pharmacokinetic properties that maintain effective blood trazodone levels for 24 h, while avoiding concentration peaks associated with side effects. This, combined with a low incidence of weight gain, and sexual dysfunction, may improve adherence to treatment. The most common adverse effects of trazodone are somnolence, headache, dizziness and xerostomia. It has minimal anticholinergic activity but may be associated infrequently with orthostatic hypotension (especially in patients with cardiovascular disease or older adults), QT interval prolongation, cardiac arrhythmias, and rare episodes of priapism. The low liability for activating side effects, the efficacy on symptoms such as insomnia and psychomotor agitation and the rapid onset of action make it useful for many depressed patients, both in monotherapy at nominal dosages of 150-300 mg/day, and in combination with other antidepressants at lower dosages.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10474647/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10216774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extrapyramidal adverse events and anticholinergics use after the long-term treatment of patients with schizophrenia with the new long-acting antipsychotic Risperidone ISM^®: results from matching-adjusted indirect comparisons versus once-monthly formulations of Paliperidone palmitate and Aripiprazole monohydrate in 52-week studies.","authors":"Pedro Sánchez, Cecilio Álamo, Marcos Almendros, Max Schlueter, Anastasios Tasoulas, Javier Martínez","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00464-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00464-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Risperidone ISM^® is a newly developed long-acting injectable (LAI) treatment for schizophrenia in adults. In the absence of head-to-head comparisons with other similar antipsychotics, the objective of this study was to generate indirect evidence of some aspects of the safety and tolerability of Risperidone ISM compared to other LAI antipsychotics for treatment of patients with schizophrenia in the maintenance treatment setting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A literature review was conducted systematically to identify maintenance treatment studies reporting safety and tolerability outcomes for LAI antipsychotic therapies. Following an assessment of between-trial heterogeneity, a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) was performed to account for between-trial imbalances in patient characteristics and to generate comparative evidence for safety and tolerability endpoints.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis showed that incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) was found to be numerically, but not statistically significantly, lower in patients receiving Risperidone ISM than in those receiving Paliperidone palmitate (PP) (OR [95% CI] 0.63 [0.29, 1.38], p = 0.253) and statistically significantly lower than with Aripiprazole monohydrate once-monthly (AOM) (OR [95% CI] 0.25 [0.12, 0.53], p < 0.001). Use of anticholinergic agents for the alleviation of EPS was also shown to be significantly lower in Risperidone ISM patients than in those receiving PP (OR [95% CI] 0.29 [0.10, 0.83], p = 0.021) or AOM (OR [95% CI] 0.01 [0.003, 0.06], p < 0.001), suggesting a superior tolerability profile for clinically relevant EPS. Results from the sensitivity analyses comparing stabilized and stable patients receiving Risperidone ISM to those receiving AOM yielded similarly favorable conclusions in line with the base case analyses.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This MAIC is consistent with the safety and tolerability results obtained during the PRISMA-3 clinical trial in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia and suggests a favorable safety and tolerability profile in terms of EPS incidence and anticholinergic agent use, relative to other antipsychotic therapies used for treatment of patients with schizophrenia in the maintenance setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"33"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10474682/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10216780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of mental disorders among middle school students in Shaoxing, China.","authors":"Shuangyi Pei, Xiaoting Wu, Weijiang Ye, Linqi Fang, Haoqiang Zhang, Fanghua Zhou, Xiaofei Du, Xinyi Cao, Shengnan Ma, Yuanchu Li, Shuwen Xi, Pingping Xu","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00463-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00463-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In China, adolescents account for about a quarter of those treated for mental disorders each year, and adolescent mental health issues have become a social hotspot. Although several epidemiological surveys of mental disorders have been conducted in China, no study has yet focused on the prevalence of mental disorders among adolescents in a certain region of Zhejiang.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the first stage, 8219 middle school students aged 12-18 years in a city of Zhejiang Province (Shaoxing) were screened with the mental health screening checklist. In the second stage, participants who screened positive were tested with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Then, the prevalence of mental disorders were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall prevalence in this population was 12.4%, with prevalence rates exceeding 20% in both the 17- and 18-year-old age groups. The most common mental disorders were obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (9.1%) and major depressive disorder (MDD) (8.9%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Mental disorders are common among middle school students, and girls are at higher risk than boys. As the most prevalent mental disorders, OCD and MDD should receive timely attention, especially for upper grade students.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10463987/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10474881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autism and intention attribution test: a non-verbal evaluation with comic strips.","authors":"Ilenia Le Donne, Margherita Attanasio, Antony Bologna, Roberto Vagnetti, Francesco Masedu, Marco Valenti, Monica Mazza","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00461-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00461-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mentalization being two words often associated in the literature, the assessment of this ability in individuals with ASD in the clinical setting is still limited. Indeed, there are no standardized Theory of Mind (ToM) tests that are adaptable to different cognitive profiles, such as individuals with language poverty, and intellectual or memory impairments. This study proposes a non-verbal test (Intentions Attribution-Comic Strip Test; IA-CST) to evaluate the ability to infer the intentions of others, a basic component of ToM, in the clinical setting.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>In Study 1, the test was administered to 261 healthy individuals and we performed structural validation using Exploratory Graph Analysis. In Study 2, the final version of the test was administered to 32 individuals with ASD to assess the known group validity of the measure by comparing their scores with a sample of IQ-matched controls. Moreover, we performed logistic regression and ROC curve to preliminarily assess the diagnostic performance of the IA-CST.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The IA-CST resulted in a 3-dimension measure with good structural stability. Group comparison indicated that the ASD group shows significantly lower performance in intention attribution but not in inferring causal consequences. The test demonstrated known group validity and that, preliminarily, it is suitable for implementation within the clinical practice.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results support the IA-CST as a valid non-verbal task for evaluating intentions attribution in the clinical setting. Difficulties in ToM are early and relevant in ASD, so assessing these aspects is valuable for structuring individualized and evidence-based interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10422844/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9995264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics and economic burden of patients with somatoform disorders in Chinese general hospitals: a multicenter cross-sectional study.","authors":"Xiangyun Yang, Jia Luo, Pengchong Wang, Yue He, Cong Wang, Lijuan Yang, Jing Sun, Zhanjiang Li","doi":"10.1186/s12991-023-00457-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12991-023-00457-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In China, patients with somatoform disorders (SFD) often seek medical treatment repeatedly in outpatient clinics of general hospitals, which increases unreasonable medical expenses. It is imperative to provide early screening to these patients and specialized treatment to reduce the unnecessary cost. This study aimed to screen patients with SFD in general hospitals using a new Chinese questionnaire and explore the characteristics and economic burden of these patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients (n = 1497) from the outpatient department of neurology, cardiology and gastroenterology of three large general hospitals were included. Participants were screened using a newly developed questionnaire, the Self-screening Questionnaire for Somatic Symptoms (SQSS), to identify the patients with SFD (total SQSS score ≥ 29 points). We compared the demographics and clinical information of patients with and without SFD. Logistic regression was used to explore potential factors related to medical expenses, visits to doctors and sick leave days taken.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The frequency of detection of patients with SFD was 17.03%. There were significant differences in employment, doctor visits, symptom duration, medical expenses, sick leave days, PHQ-15 scores, and PHQ-9 scores between patients with SFD and without SFD. General nonspecific somatic symptoms were frequently present in patients with SFD. Several potential factors were associated with higher medical expenses, repeated doctor visits, and sick leave days taken in the regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings indicate that patients with SFD are common in general hospitals, and their direct and indirect economic burden is higher than that of non-SFD patients, which indicates that more screening effort should be made to this group to early identify their problems. Certain characteristics were identified among patients with SFD and several factors were associated with negative consequences of SFD, all of which might be prevented by developing a preventive intervention program to reduce the economic burden of the patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":7942,"journal":{"name":"Annals of General Psychiatry","volume":"22 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2023-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10423408/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9988895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}