Thesis (DScPT)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 14, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-29).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2005. / Not embargoed. Vita. Bibliography: 152-169.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2010.

Esta dissertação analisa os impactos de fatores socioeconômicos e psicossociais sobre a prevalência da depressão no Brasil através de modelos probit e da decomposição de Oaxaca-Blinder aplicados às bases de dados dos suplementos de saúde da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD Saúde) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013 (PNS 2013). Neste trabalho, foram usados dois critérios básicos de identificação de indivíduos deprimidos: os que referiram ter recebido o diagnóstico de depressão de algum profissional de saúde e os que obtiveram um escore superior a 4 no teste PHQ-9 (cujas perguntas constam na PNS 2013). Foram obtidos resultados estatisticamente significativos, evidenciando a maior probabilidade da depressão entre mulheres e a relação inversa do transtorno com as variáveis renda domiciliar, desemprego, escolaridade e idade. Fatores como doenças físicas, doenças mentais e deficiências demonstraram uma relação direta com a depressão, embora as quantificações de suas magnitudes tenham sido sensíveis à especificação dos modelos. Também mostraram uma relação direta com o transtorno depressivo variáveis associadas a traumas e estresse emocional (como ter perdido um filho, ter sofrido algum tipo de violência, ter um filho com problemas de saúde, etc.). Outras variáveis como raça e região geográfica apresentaram resultados ambivalentes, também sensíveis às diferentes especificações de modelo. Ainda, variáveis referentes ao mercado de trabalho como o tipo de vínculo empregatício e setor de atividade apresentaram resultados inconclusivos. Por fim, outra conclusão importante foi que o critério de identificação dos indivíduos com depressão é determinante nos resultados. / This dissertation analyses the impacts of socioeconomic and psychosocial factors over the prevalence of depression in Brazil through probit models and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition applied to the data in Brazilian National Household Survey Health Supplement (PNAD Saúde) and the National Health Survey (PNS 2013). In this dissertation, two basic criteria were used to identify individuals with depression: those who declared to have received a depression diagnosis from a health professional and those who scored more than 4 in the PHQ-9 depression test (whose questions are included in PNS 2013). Statistically significant results were found, showing a higher probability of depression among women and an inverse relationship between the disorder and household income, unemployment, education and age. Factors such as chronic physical diseases, mental illnesses and deficiencies have showed a direct relationship with depression, although the quantification of such effects had a rather high sensitivity to model specification. Also, variables associated with emotional stress (such as having lost a child, being victim of some sort of violence, having a child with health problems) showed a direct relationship with depressive disorder. Other variables such as race and geographic region showed ambivalent results also very sensitive to different model specifications. Furthermore, labor market variables like type of work contract and activity sector show inconclusive results. Finally, another important finding is that the criteria for identifying individuals with depression were determinant for the results and conclusions.

abstract: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are highly prevalent illnesses that can result in profound impairment. While many patients with these disorders present in primary care, research suggests that physicians under-detect and suboptimally manage MDD and PTSD in their patients. The development of more effective training interventions to aid primary care providers in diagnosing mental health disorders is of the utmost importance. This research focuses on evaluating computer-based training tools (Avatars) for training family physicians to better diagnose MDD and PTSD. Three interventions are compared: a "choice" avatar simulation training program, a "fixed" avatar simulation training program, and a text-based training program for training physicians to improve their diagnostic interviewing skills in detecting and diagnosing MDD and PTSD. Two one-way ANCOVAs were used to analyze the differences between the groups on diagnostic accuracy while controlling for mental health experience. In order to assess specifically how prior mental health experience affected diagnostic accuracy the covariate of prior mental health experience was then used as an independent variable and simple main effects and pairwise comparisons were evaluated. Results indicated that for the MDD case both avatar treatment groups significantly outperformed the text-based treatment in diagnostic accuracy regardless of prior mental health experience. For the PTSD case those receiving the fixed avatar simulation training more accurately diagnosed PTSD than the text-based training group and the choice-avatar training group regardless of prior mental health experience. Confidence ratings indicated that the majority of participants were very confident with their diagnoses for both cases. Discussion focused on the utility of avatar technology in medical education. The findings in this study indicate that avatar technology aided the participants in diagnosing MDD and PTSD better than traditional text-based methods employed to train PCPs to diagnose. Regardless of experience level the fixed avatar group outperformed the other groups for both cases. Avatar technology used in diagnostic training can be user-friendly and cost-effective. It can also have a world-wide reach. Additional educational benefit could be provided by using automated text analysis to provide physicians with feedback based on the extent to which their case diagnostic summaries cover relevant content. In conclusion, avatar technology can offer robust training that could be potentially transferred to real environment performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Counseling Psychology 2012

This essay investigates the relationship between a malfunctioning Default Mode Network (DMN) and the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A deeper understanding of how the DMN affects those brain processes which are implicated in MDD may offer new approaches to reduce the suffering of the very large number of MDD-afflicted patients. The MDD-DMN relationship has been investigated by studying scientific articles within the field of cognitive neuroscience and searching the articles for clues on how a malfunctioning DMN might correlate with the diagnosis of MDD. The essay concludes that there is much experimental evidence in support of there being a strong coupling between a malfunctioning DMN and the diagnosis of MDD.

Há poucos estudos voltados para a heterogeneidade do transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH) em adultos, apesar de ser um transtorno psiquiátrico comum. As freqüentes associações do TDAH com outros problemas psiquiátricos aumentam a sua morbidade. Dentre essas comorbidades, destacase o transtorno depressivo maior (TDM), que além de ser freqüente influencia o impacto e a abordagem terapêutica do TDAH. Foram avaliados 320 adultos em atendimento ambulatorial para TDAH. O diagnóstico seguiu os critérios do DSM-IV. As entrevistas foram realizadas com a versão em português do K-SADS-E para TDAH e transtorno opositor desafiante (TOD), e com o SCID-IV de transtornos do eixo I para as comorbidades psiquiátricas. Os diagnósticos foram confirmados por avaliação clínica. Modelos de regressão foram aplicados para testar a associação entre a ocorrência de TDM e os desfechos clínicos e demográficos avaliados. Os indivíduos com TDAH e TDM apresentaram maior freqüência de diagnóstico de transtornos de ansiedade e experiência de tratamento prévio (tanto psicoterápico quanto farmacológico) quando comparados a indivíduos com TDAH, sem TDM. Por outro lado, apresentaram menos freqüentemente diagnóstico de dependência de drogas e histórico escolar de repetência ou suspensões de classe. Não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos com ou sem TDM quanto à idade do diagnóstico de TDAH. Os achados sugerem uma utilidade do diagnóstico de TDM como um indicador relevante de determinadas características clínicas em adultos com TDAH. A maior procura por tratamento relacionada ao TDM não foi acompanhada de um diagnóstico mais precoce do TDAH, como seria esperado. Se confirmados, esses dados apontam para a necessidade de pesquisas e educação médica voltadas para um reconhecimento mais eficiente e precoce do TDAH em pacientes que buscam atendimento em saúde mental por outras causas. / There are few studies on the heterogeneity of adult ADHD, despite it is a common psychiatric disorder. The frequent comorbidity between ADHD and other psychiatric problems, increases the morbidity of the disorder. Major depressive disorder (MDD) stands out between other ADHD comorbidities, since it is frequent and influences ADHD outcomes and therapeutic approach. Three hundred and twenty adult outpatients were evaluated for ADHD. Diagnosis followed DSM-IV criteria. Interviews to evaluate ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were performed based on the Portuguese-language version of K-SADS-E and Psychiatric comorbidities were evaluated using SCID-IV for axis I disorders. Diagnoses were confirmed by clinical interview. Regression models were applied to test MDD association with clinical and demographic outcomes. Subjects presenting ADHD and MDD had a higher frequency of anxiety diagnosis and prior experience of psychotherapy and/or pharmacological treatment when compared to ADHD subjects free of MDD. On the other hand, they reported less often drug dependence diagnosis, grade repetition and school suspensions. There was no significant difference between groups with or without MDD on the age at ADHD diagnosis. These findings suggest that the MDD diagnosis may be useful as an important indicator of certain clinical characteristics in adults with ADHD. The more frequent search for treatment attributable to MDD diagnosis was not accompanied by an earlier ADHD diagnosis, as expected. If confirmed, the present data point to the need for research and medical education towards an earlier and more efficient ADHD diagnosis in patients who search for mental health care for other reasons.

DEAF1 is a transcription factor linked to suicide and depression and is recurrently mutated in non-syndromic intellectual disorder (ID). In humans with major depressive disorder (MDD), DEAF1 is reported to have altered expression in the prefrontal cortex and the dorsal raphe nucleus of females but not males, and therefore may function in sex-specific depression. Standard (whole body) knockout of Deaf1 has been reported to alter 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptor 1A (Htr1a) levels in the frontal cortex and dorsal raphe nucleus. We hypothesized that mice with targeted deletion of Deaf1 in brain would produce behavior phenotypes analogous to human MDD and ID, and that changes in Deaf1-target gene expression would be associated with behavior changes. To test this hypothesis, we produced a mouse line to allow conditional gene targeting of exons 2-5 (Deaf1-flox). Deaf1-flox mice were bred to congenic status onto a C57BL/6 background, and were then bred to mice transgenic for the Nestin-Cre gene to produce embryonic knockout of Deaf1 in neuronal precursor cells. Adult mice were tested for anxiety behavior using the Elevated Plus Maze and Open Field Exploration tests, and were tested for depression-like behavior using the Porsolt forced swim and sucrose preference tests. Relative to control mice, both male and female mice with homozygous deletion of Deaf1 in brain displayed increased anxiety measured by the anxiety tests, and no differences were measured in tests for depression-like behavior. Rotarod testing showed no deficits in motor skills of male mice. Learning and memory in mice were tested using Morris Water Maze (MWM) and fear conditioning. No change in long-term memory in male mice was observed in MWM, but both male and female mice lacking Deaf1 displayed severe deficits in fear conditioning tests. Eif4g3 and Tmem80 are target genes of Deaf1 and decreased mRNA levels were observed for Eif4g3 and Tmem80 throughout the brain of Deaf1 knockout mice, with no change in Htr1a mRNA levels. Our results demonstrate that conditional knockout of Deaf1 in neuronal precursors produces anxiety behavior and deficits in learning and memory in adult mice, potentially without changes in Htr1a mRNA levels, and that this mouse model may be useful in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying MDD and ID in humans.

Esta dissertação analisa os impactos de fatores socioeconômicos e psicossociais sobre a prevalência da depressão no Brasil através de modelos probit e da decomposição de Oaxaca-Blinder aplicados às bases de dados dos suplementos de saúde da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD Saúde) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013 (PNS 2013). Neste trabalho, foram usados dois critérios básicos de identificação de indivíduos deprimidos: os que referiram ter recebido o diagnóstico de depressão de algum profissional de saúde e os que obtiveram um escore superior a 4 no teste PHQ-9 (cujas perguntas constam na PNS 2013). Foram obtidos resultados estatisticamente significativos, evidenciando a maior probabilidade da depressão entre mulheres e a relação inversa do transtorno com as variáveis renda domiciliar, desemprego, escolaridade e idade. Fatores como doenças físicas, doenças mentais e deficiências demonstraram uma relação direta com a depressão, embora as quantificações de suas magnitudes tenham sido sensíveis à especificação dos modelos. Também mostraram uma relação direta com o transtorno depressivo variáveis associadas a traumas e estresse emocional (como ter perdido um filho, ter sofrido algum tipo de violência, ter um filho com problemas de saúde, etc.). Outras variáveis como raça e região geográfica apresentaram resultados ambivalentes, também sensíveis às diferentes especificações de modelo. Ainda, variáveis referentes ao mercado de trabalho como o tipo de vínculo empregatício e setor de atividade apresentaram resultados inconclusivos. Por fim, outra conclusão importante foi que o critério de identificação dos indivíduos com depressão é determinante nos resultados. / This dissertation analyses the impacts of socioeconomic and psychosocial factors over the prevalence of depression in Brazil through probit models and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition applied to the data in Brazilian National Household Survey Health Supplement (PNAD Saúde) and the National Health Survey (PNS 2013). In this dissertation, two basic criteria were used to identify individuals with depression: those who declared to have received a depression diagnosis from a health professional and those who scored more than 4 in the PHQ-9 depression test (whose questions are included in PNS 2013). Statistically significant results were found, showing a higher probability of depression among women and an inverse relationship between the disorder and household income, unemployment, education and age. Factors such as chronic physical diseases, mental illnesses and deficiencies have showed a direct relationship with depression, although the quantification of such effects had a rather high sensitivity to model specification. Also, variables associated with emotional stress (such as having lost a child, being victim of some sort of violence, having a child with health problems) showed a direct relationship with depressive disorder. Other variables such as race and geographic region showed ambivalent results also very sensitive to different model specifications. Furthermore, labor market variables like type of work contract and activity sector show inconclusive results. Finally, another important finding is that the criteria for identifying individuals with depression were determinant for the results and conclusions.

Há poucos estudos voltados para a heterogeneidade do transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade (TDAH) em adultos, apesar de ser um transtorno psiquiátrico comum. As freqüentes associações do TDAH com outros problemas psiquiátricos aumentam a sua morbidade. Dentre essas comorbidades, destacase o transtorno depressivo maior (TDM), que além de ser freqüente influencia o impacto e a abordagem terapêutica do TDAH. Foram avaliados 320 adultos em atendimento ambulatorial para TDAH. O diagnóstico seguiu os critérios do DSM-IV. As entrevistas foram realizadas com a versão em português do K-SADS-E para TDAH e transtorno opositor desafiante (TOD), e com o SCID-IV de transtornos do eixo I para as comorbidades psiquiátricas. Os diagnósticos foram confirmados por avaliação clínica. Modelos de regressão foram aplicados para testar a associação entre a ocorrência de TDM e os desfechos clínicos e demográficos avaliados. Os indivíduos com TDAH e TDM apresentaram maior freqüência de diagnóstico de transtornos de ansiedade e experiência de tratamento prévio (tanto psicoterápico quanto farmacológico) quando comparados a indivíduos com TDAH, sem TDM. Por outro lado, apresentaram menos freqüentemente diagnóstico de dependência de drogas e histórico escolar de repetência ou suspensões de classe. Não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos com ou sem TDM quanto à idade do diagnóstico de TDAH. Os achados sugerem uma utilidade do diagnóstico de TDM como um indicador relevante de determinadas características clínicas em adultos com TDAH. A maior procura por tratamento relacionada ao TDM não foi acompanhada de um diagnóstico mais precoce do TDAH, como seria esperado. Se confirmados, esses dados apontam para a necessidade de pesquisas e educação médica voltadas para um reconhecimento mais eficiente e precoce do TDAH em pacientes que buscam atendimento em saúde mental por outras causas. / There are few studies on the heterogeneity of adult ADHD, despite it is a common psychiatric disorder. The frequent comorbidity between ADHD and other psychiatric problems, increases the morbidity of the disorder. Major depressive disorder (MDD) stands out between other ADHD comorbidities, since it is frequent and influences ADHD outcomes and therapeutic approach. Three hundred and twenty adult outpatients were evaluated for ADHD. Diagnosis followed DSM-IV criteria. Interviews to evaluate ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were performed based on the Portuguese-language version of K-SADS-E and Psychiatric comorbidities were evaluated using SCID-IV for axis I disorders. Diagnoses were confirmed by clinical interview. Regression models were applied to test MDD association with clinical and demographic outcomes. Subjects presenting ADHD and MDD had a higher frequency of anxiety diagnosis and prior experience of psychotherapy and/or pharmacological treatment when compared to ADHD subjects free of MDD. On the other hand, they reported less often drug dependence diagnosis, grade repetition and school suspensions. There was no significant difference between groups with or without MDD on the age at ADHD diagnosis. These findings suggest that the MDD diagnosis may be useful as an important indicator of certain clinical characteristics in adults with ADHD. The more frequent search for treatment attributable to MDD diagnosis was not accompanied by an earlier ADHD diagnosis, as expected. If confirmed, the present data point to the need for research and medical education towards an earlier and more efficient ADHD diagnosis in patients who search for mental health care for other reasons.