Arch Gen Psychiat
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Heart rate variability in acute coronary syndrome patients with major depression: influence of sertraline and mood improvement.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) increases the risk of mortality. Decreased heart rate variability (HRV), also a predictor of mortality, is reduced in patients with MDD after ACS, and has been suggested to be a mediator of MDD mortality after ACS. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may reduce mortality post-ACS, little is known about their effects on HRV. ⋯ Heart rate variability recovery is impaired in depressed patients after ACS. Previously reported differences in baseline HRV between patients with and without depression after ACS grew larger in the 16 weeks following a coronary event. Both sertraline treatment and symptomatic recovery from depression were associated with increased HRV compared with placebo-treated and nonrecovered post-ACS control groups, respectively, but this results primarily from decreased HRV in the comparison groups.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Bilateral deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus to treat tardive dyskinesia.
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common and potentially disabling disorder induced by use of antipsychotic drugs for which medical treatment often gives disappointing results. ⋯ Although these results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients with a longer follow-up, bilateral globus pallidus deep brain stimulation seems to offer a much-needed new treatment option for disabling TD.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with venlafaxine extended release: a 6-month randomized controlled trial.
No large-scale posttraumatic stress disorder drug trials have been conducted to evaluate treatment effects beyond 12 weeks outside of those with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. ⋯ In this study, venlafaxine ER was effective and well tolerated in short-term and continuation treatment of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Depression is associated with clinical events and premature mortality among patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD). Typically, however, studies in this area focus only on baseline symptom severity and lack any data concerning symptom duration or symptom history. ⋯ Among women with suspected myocardial ischemia, a combination of depressive symptom severity and treatment history was a strong predictor of an elevated CAD risk profile and increased risk of cardiac events compared with those without depression or with only 1 of the 2 measured depression markers. These findings reinforce the importance of assessing mental health factors in women at elevated CAD risk. Focusing only on baseline depression symptom severity may provide an incomplete picture of CAD risk.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A national study of violent behavior in persons with schizophrenia.
Violent behavior is uncommon, yet problematic, among schizophrenia patients. The complex effects of clinical, interpersonal, and social-environmental risk factors for violence in this population are poorly understood. ⋯ Particular clusters of symptoms may increase or decrease violence risk in schizophrenia patients. Violence risk assessment and management in community-based treatment should focus on combinations of clinical and nonclinical risk factors.