Journal of affective disorders
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Comparative Study
Economic evaluation of duloxetine versus serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine XR in treating major depressive disorder in Scotland.
Major depressive disorders (MDD) are responsible for substantial direct and indirect health care costs. Despite the availability of numerous treatments, the need for effective pharmacotherapy remains. Duloxetine is a relatively balanced serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) with favourable clinical and tolerability profile. The cost-effectiveness of duloxetine versus established SSRIs, venlafaxine XR and mirtazapine was estimated in the UK. ⋯ Duloxetine represents an important option in the treatment of MDD in the UK that can be recommended on economic grounds. With similar efficacy and different side-effect profile to venlafaxine XR it represents a valuable choice to MDD patients.
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We sought to identify risk factors and trends that might underlie the greatly increased incidence of charcoal-burning suicide in Taiwan and to learn whether the increasing accessibility of a single suicide method can increase overall suicide rates. ⋯ Romanticizing suicide by charcoal burning by the media and cultural influences may have contributed to the increased suicides. Prohibiting sale of charcoal in convenience stores, enforcing media guidelines, and setting up carbon monoxide detectors may help prevent suicide by charcoal burning.
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Comparative Study
Use of lithium in the adult populations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Lithium is an important drug in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Earlier epidemiological studies of lithium use have depended on sales statistics, clinical surveys or population surveys. The national prescription databases in Denmark, Norway and Sweden may help provide more reliable information on the epidemiology of lithium use. ⋯ This study is the first attempt to use prescription databases in all three Scandinavian countries to describe in detail the epidemiology of a drug's use. The analysis revealed subtle differences in the clinical use of lithium that cannot be explained by differences in the epidemiology of bipolar disorder.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Low frequency (1-Hz), right prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) compared with venlafaxine ER in the treatment of resistant depression: a double-blind, single-centre, randomized study.
Previous studies have shown effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of depression. This double-blind study compared efficacy of l Hz rTMS over the right prefrontal dorsolateral cortex with venlafaxine ER in the treatment of resistant depression. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that, at least in the acute treatment, the right sided rTMS produces clinically relevant reduction of depressive symptomatology in patients with resistant depression comparable to venlafaxine ER. Larger sample sizes are required to confirm these results.
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Suicidal ideation indicates risk for suicidal acts. How different definitions and measures for suicidal ideation influence its prevalence, correlates and predictive validity among bipolar disorder (BD) patients is unknown. ⋯ Who is classified as having suicidal ideation depends strongly on the definition and means of measurement among BD patients. Different measures for ideation have the potential to cause inconsistency when correlates of suicidal ideation are investigated. For clinically predicting suicide attempts during the next few months, an SSI score >or=8 may best combine sensitivity and specificity.