Epidemiology of depression with psychotic experiences and its association with chronic physical conditions in 47 low- and middle-income countries

BackgroundThe co-existence of depression and psychotic experiences (PEs) is associated with more pronounced adverse health outcomes compared to depression alone. However, data on its prevalence and correlates are lacking in the general adult population, and there is no published data on its association with chronic physical conditions.MethodCross-sectional, community-based data from 201 337 adults aged ⩾18 years from 47 low- and middle-income countries from the World Health Survey were analyzed. The presence of past 12-month PE and DSM-IV depression was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Information on six chronic medical conditions (chronic back pain, edentulism, arthritis, angina, asthma, diabetes) were obtained by self-report. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed.ResultsThe crude overall prevalence of co-morbid depression/PEs was 2.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3–2.7%], with the age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ranging from 0.1% (Sri Lanka, Vietnam) to 9.03% (Brazil). Younger age, urban setting, current smoking, alcohol consumption, and anxiety were significant correlates of co-existing depression/PEs. Co-occurring depression/PEs was associated with significantly higher odds for arthritis, angina, and diabetes beyond that of depression alone after adjusting for sociodemographics, anxiety, and country, with odds ratios (depression/PEs v. depression only) being: arthritis 1.30 (95% CI 1.07–1.59, p = 0.0086); angina 1.40 (95% CI 1.18–1.67, p = 0.0002); diabetes 1.65 (95% CI 1.21–2.26, p = 0.0017).ConclusionsThe prevalence of co-existing depression/PEs was non-negligible in most countries. Our study suggests that when depression/PE or a chronic condition (e.g. arthritis, angina, diabetes) is detected, screening for the other may be important to improve clinical outcomes.</jats:sec

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs

Review of factors resulting in systemic biases in the screening, assessment, and treatment of individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis in the United States

BACKGROUND: Since its inception, research in the clinical high-risk (CHR) phase of psychosis has included identifying and exploring the impact of relevant socio-demographic factors. Employing a narrative review approach and highlighting work from the United States, sociocultural and contextual factors potentially affecting the screening, assessment, and service utilization of youth at CHR were reviewed from the current literature. RESULTS: Existing literature suggests that contextual factors impact the predictive performance of widely used psychosis-risk screening tools and may introduce systemic bias and challenges to differential diagnosis in clinical assessment. Factors reviewed include racialized identity, discrimination, neighborhood context, trauma, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and age. Furthermore, racialized identity and traumatic experiences appear related to symptom severity and service utilization among this population. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, a growing body of research from the United States and beyond suggests that considering context in psychosis-risk assessment can provide a more accurate appraisal of the nature of risk for psychosis, render more accurate results improving the field\u27s prediction of conversion to psychosis, and enhance our understanding of psychosis-risk trajectories. More work is needed in the U.S. and across the globe to uncover how structural racism and systemic biases impact screening, assessment, treatment, and clinical and functional outcomes for those at CHR

Lifetime self-reported arthritis is associated with elevated levels of mental health burden: A multi-national cross sectional study across 46 low- and middle-income countries

Population-based studies investigating the relationship of arthritis with mental health outcomes are lacking, particularly among low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the relationship between arthritis and mental health (depression spectrum, psychosis spectrum, anxiety, sleep disturbances and stress) across community-dwelling adults aged ≥18 years across 46 countries from the World Health Survey. Symptoms of psychosis and depression were established using questions from the Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Severity of anxiety, sleep problems, and stress sensitivity over the preceding 30 days were self-reported. Self-report lifetime history of arthritis was collected, including presence or absence of symptoms suggestive of arthritis: pain, stiffness or swelling of joints over the preceding 12-months. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken. Overall, 245,706 individuals were included. Having arthritis increased the odds of subclinical psychosis (OR = 1.85; 95%CI = 1.72–1.99) and psychosis (OR = 2.48; 95%CI = 2.05–3.01). People with arthritis were at increased odds of subsyndromal depression (OR = 1.92; 95%CI = 1.64–2.26), a brief depressive episode (OR = 2.14; 95%CI = 1.88–2.43) or depressive episode (OR = 2.43; 95%CI = 2.21–2.67). Arthritis was also associated with increased odds for anxiety (OR = 1.75; 95%CI = 1.63–1.88), sleep problems (OR = 2.23; 95%CI = 2.05–2.43) and perceived stress (OR = 1.43; 95%CI = 1.33–1.53). Results were similar for middle-income and low-income countries. Integrated interventions addressing arthritis and mental health comorbidities are warranted to tackle this considerable burden

Interest Randomness in Annuities Certain

In the present contribution, a model is presented which can be used when interest rates are random for annuities certain. Expressions for the probability generating function, as well as for the corresponding density functions are obtained for the present value of future payment streams. The paper presents the first application of a series of applications of some ideas explained in a former paper entitled 'A stochastic approach to insurance cycles' by Goovaerts et al. (1992)

Depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress among informal caregivers in 58 low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A cross-sectional analysis of community-based surveys

Caregiving has been associated with adverse health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of multi-country, population-based studies on mental health outcomes of caregivers especially from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Thus, we assessed the association of caregiving with depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress in 10 high-, 27 middle-, and 21 low-income countries. Cross-sectional community-based data of the World Health Survey including 258,793 adults aged ≥18 years were analyzed. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the association of past 12-month caregiving with past 12-month DSM-IV depression, and past 30-day perceived stress [range 0 (low)-100 (high)] and severe/extreme sleep problems. Nearly 20% of the individuals were engaged in caregiving with particularly high rates observed in high-income countries (HICs) (e.g., Finland 43.3%). Across the entire sample, after adjustment for potential confounders, caregivers had a significantly higher likelihood of having depression (OR = 1.54; 95%CI = 1.37–1.73), sleep problems (OR = 1.37; 95%CI = 1.25–1.50), while their mean perceived stress score was 3.15 (95%CI = 2.46–3.84) points higher. These associations tended to be stronger in HICs. A greater number of caregiving activities was associated with a greater likelihood of depression, sleep problems, and perceived stress regardless of country income levels. In conclusion, caregiving has a negative impact on mental health worldwide with possibly greater effects in HICs. Given the growing contribution of caregivers in long-term care, interventions and policies to alleviate the mental health burden of caregivers are urgently needed to maintain sustainable and effective care practices. © 2017 Elsevier Lt