Major depression and hormone suppression: response with nortriptiline

BACKGROUND: The relevance of this clinical case report is to emphasize the importance of the use of nortryptiline for major depression after endometriosis treatment. OBJECTIVE: To describe by a case report the relationship between treatment for endometriosis and psychiatric disorders. We will also describe the therapeutic response to nortriptyline. METHODS: Psychiatric interview and periodical clinical psychiatric evaluation for the treatment of a patient in the Outpatient Unit of the Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: An outpatient, fifty-five year-old woman with major depression treated in the Psychiatric Institute of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She was being treated for endometriosis with goserelin for hormone suppression when she started to complain of depressive and anxiety symptoms. The patient did not improve with 20 mg/day of fluoxetine for 8 weeks. She improved after 2 weeks using 25 mg/day of nortryptiline. The improvement persisted during our 16 weeks follow-up. CONCLUSION: Although only sertraline has its efficacy demonstrated for depressive symptoms associated with ovarian suppression, in this case nortriptyline was efficient too. We observed the necessity of more studies about this topic in order to better evaluate other therapeutic options.CONTEXTO: A relevância da descrição deste caso clínico é demonstrar a importância do uso de nortriptilina em um caso de depressão maior pós-tratamento para endometriose. OBJETIVO: Demonstrar as relações entre o tratamento para endometriose e os transtornos psiquiátricos e o resultado terapêutico que obtivemos com o uso da nortriptilina. MÉTODOS: Entrevista psiquiátrica e avaliação clínica psiquiátrica periódica de uma paciente em tratamento no ambulatório do Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. RESULTADOS: Mulher de 25 anos que, após início de supressão hormonal com goserelina para o tratamento da endometriose, passou a apresentar sintomatologia depressiva e ansiosa proeminente. Sem melhora com o uso de 20 mg/dia de fluoxetina por 8 semanas, foram prescritos 25 mg/dia de nortriptilina com boa resposta clínica em 2 semanas, mantendo a melhora depois de 16 semanas. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar de apenas a sertralina ter sua eficácia demonstrada na melhora dos sintomas depressivos associados à supressão ovariana, neste caso a nortriptilina demonstrou-se eficaz. Observamos a necessidade de estudos crescentes na área a fim de avaliar outras opções terapêuticas

Acute pain perception in panic disorder patients

O presente trabalho investigou experimentalmente os limiares nociceptivos e a percepção subjetiva de dor no transtorno de pânico (TP). Trinta e sete pacientes com TP foram voluntariamente submetidos a um Teste Pressor ao Frio (TPF), em que uma de suas mãos era mergulhada em um banho termostatizado de água fria (7ºC) por um período máximo de três minutos. A latência de retirada da mão da água foi utilizada como um índice de dor aguda, enquanto a experiência subjetiva de dor foi avaliada por meio do Questionário McGill de Dor e de uma escala visual analógica. Os resultados indicaram latências similares de retirada da mão em comparação a 37 sujeitos-controle sadios, mas uma experiência subjetiva de dor significantemente maior nos pacientes com TP. Esse padrão de resultados não apenas confirma a utilidade do teste de pressor ao frio para a indução e estudo experimental da dor aguda em laboratório, mas também sugere uma importante associação entre dor e ansiedade.The present study experimentally investigated the nociceptive threshold and the subjective pain perception in panic disorder (PD). Thirty seven PD patients were voluntarily submitted to a cold pressor test (CPT) in which one of their hands was dipped into a thermostatized cold water bath (7ºC) for a maximum period of three minutes. Acute pain experience was assessed by measuring the hand retrieval latency, whereas the subjective pain experience was evaluated through McGill Pain Questionnaire and a pain visual analog scale. As compared to 37 healthy control-subjects, results indicated similar hand retrieval latencies but a significantly higher subjective pain experience in PD patients. Such pattern of results not only indicates the usefulness of the cold pressor test to induce and experimentally study pain in laboratory settings, but also suggests an important anxiety-pain association

Functional coupling of sensorimotor and associative areas during a catching ball task: a qEEG coherence study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Catching an object is a complex movement that involves not only programming but also effective motor coordination. Such behavior is related to the activation and recruitment of cortical regions that participates in the sensorimotor integration process. This study aimed to elucidate the cortical mechanisms involved in anticipatory actions when performing a task of catching an object in free fall.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) was recorded using a 20-channel EEG system in 20 healthy right-handed participants performed the catching ball task. We used the EEG coherence analysis to investigate subdivisions of alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) bands, which are related to cognitive processing and sensory-motor integration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Notwithstanding, we found the main effects for the factor block; for alpha-1, coherence decreased from the first to sixth block, and the opposite effect occurred for alpha-2 and beta-2, with coherence increasing along the blocks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was concluded that to perform successfully our task, which involved anticipatory processes (i.e. feedback mechanisms), subjects exhibited a great involvement of sensory-motor and associative areas, possibly due to organization of information to process visuospatial parameters and further catch the falling object.</p

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS): long form and short form

Introduction: Driving anger has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years because it may induce individuals to drive aggressively or adopt risk behaviors. The Driving Anger Scale (DAS) was designed to evaluate the propensity of drivers to become angry or aggressive while driving. This study describes the cross-cultural adaptation of a Brazilian version of the short form and the long form of the DAS.Methods: Translation and adaptation were made in four steps: two translations and two back-translations carried out by independent evaluators; the development of a brief version by four bilingual experts in mental health and driving behaviors; a subsequent experimental application; and, finally, an investigation of operational equivalence.Results: Final Brazilian versions of the short form and of the long form of the DAS were made and are presented. Conclusions: This important instrument, which assesses driving anger and aggressive behaviors, is now available to evaluate the driving behaviors of the Brazilian population, which facilitates research in this field

Lower trait frontal theta activity in mindfulness meditators

Acute and long-term effects of mindfulness meditation on theta-band activity are not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate frontal theta differences between long- and short-term mindfulness practitioners before, during, and after mindfulness meditation. Twenty participants were recruited, of which 10 were experienced Buddhist meditators. Despite an acute increase in the theta activity during meditation in both the groups, the meditators showed lower trait frontal theta activity. Therefore, we suggested that this finding is a neural correlate of the expert practitioners’ ability to limit the processing of unnecessary information (e.g., discursive thought) and increase the awareness of the essential content of the present experience. In conclusion, acute changes in the theta band throughout meditation did not appear to be a specific correlate of mindfulness but were rather related to the concentration properties of the meditation. Notwithstanding, lower frontal theta activity appeared to be a trait of mindfulness practices

Risk factors for suicide in multiple sclerosis: a case-control study

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluated the prevalence and the suicide risk in a Brazilian sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to identify potential factors associated with the risk of suicide. A study was performed with outpatient with MS. The risk of suicide and the presence of psychiatric disorders were assessed by version 5.0 of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The sample of patients at risk for suicide was matched by sex and age to a control group of patients with MS. Results Eight point three percent of the patients had a past history of attempted suicide, and 8.3% had a current suicide risk, totaling 16.6%. The results of this study suggest that the risk factors associated with suicide in this population are depression, marital status single, widowed or divorced, and lower education level

Percepção de dor aguda em pacientes com transtorno de pânico Acute pain perception in panic disorder patients

O presente trabalho investigou experimentalmente os limiares nociceptivos e a percepção subjetiva de dor no transtorno de pânico (TP). Trinta e sete pacientes com TP foram voluntariamente submetidos a um Teste Pressor ao Frio (TPF), em que uma de suas mãos era mergulhada em um banho termostatizado de água fria (7ºC) por um período máximo de três minutos. A latência de retirada da mão da água foi utilizada como um índice de dor aguda, enquanto a experiência subjetiva de dor foi avaliada por meio do Questionário McGill de Dor e de uma escala visual analógica. Os resultados indicaram latências similares de retirada da mão em comparação a 37 sujeitos-controle sadios, mas uma experiência subjetiva de dor significantemente maior nos pacientes com TP. Esse padrão de resultados não apenas confirma a utilidade do teste de pressor ao frio para a indução e estudo experimental da dor aguda em laboratório, mas também sugere uma importante associação entre dor e ansiedade.The present study experimentally investigated the nociceptive threshold and the subjective pain perception in panic disorder (PD). Thirty seven PD patients were voluntarily submitted to a cold pressor test (CPT) in which one of their hands was dipped into a thermostatized cold water bath (7ºC) for a maximum period of three minutes. Acute pain experience was assessed by measuring the hand retrieval latency, whereas the subjective pain experience was evaluated through McGill Pain Questionnaire and a pain visual analog scale. As compared to 37 healthy control-subjects, results indicated similar hand retrieval latencies but a significantly higher subjective pain experience in PD patients. Such pattern of results not only indicates the usefulness of the cold pressor test to induce and experimentally study pain in laboratory settings, but also suggests an important anxiety-pain association