Social Phobia symptoms across the adult lifespan

Background: This study investigated symptom patterns that might distinguish between individuals with and without a diagnosis of Social Phobia (SP) across the adult lifespan

An evolutionary perspective on the co-occurrence of social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) commonly co-occurs with, and often precedes, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). In this paper, we address the relationship between SAD and AUD by considering how natural selection left socially anxious individuals vulnerable to alcohol use, and by addressing the underlying mechanisms. We review research suggesting that social anxiety has evolved for the regulation of behaviors involved in reducing the likelihood or consequences of threats to social status. The management of potential threats to social standing is important considering that these threats can result in reduced cooperation or ostracism – and therefore to reduced access to coalitional partners, resources or mates. Alcohol exerts effects upon evolutionarily conserved emotion circuits, and can down-regulate or block anxiety (or may be expected to do so). As such, the ingestion of alcohol can artificially signal the absence or successful management of social threats. In turn, alcohol use may be reinforced in socially anxious people because of this reduction in subjective malaise, and because it facilitates social behaviors – particularly in individuals for whom the persistent avoidance of social situations poses its own threat (i.e., difficulty finding mates). Although the frequent co-occurrence of SAD and AUD is associated with poorer treatment outcomes than either condition alone, a richer understanding of the biological and psychosocial drives underlying susceptibility to alcohol use among socially anxious individuals may improve the efficacy of therapeutic interventions aimed at preventing or treating this comorbidity

The association of Social Anxiety Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder and reproduction: Results from four nationally representative samples of adults in the USA.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are highly prevalent and frequently co-occur. The results of population studies suggest that SAD tends to precede AUD, and the results of laboratory studies suggest that alcohol use facilitates social behaviors in socially anxious individuals. Therefore, we posited that, in a modern context, a tendency to consume alcohol may be positively selected for among socially anxious individuals by its effect on the likelihood of finding a partner and reproducing. We tested the hypothesis that a higher proportion of individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of SAD and AUD reproduce (i.e., have at least one child) relative to individuals with SAD absent AUD in an individual participant meta-analysis based on over 65,000 adults derived from four nationally representative cross-sectional samples. We then cross-validated these findings against the results of a 10-year follow up of one of these surveys. Lifetime history of SAD was not associated with reproduction whereas lifetime history of AUD was positively associated with reproduction. There was no statistically detectable difference in the proportion of individuals with a lifetime history of SAD with or without AUD who reproduced. There was considerable heterogeneity in all of the analyses involving SAD, suggesting that there are likely to be other pertinent variables relating to SAD and reproduction that should be delineated

A reassessment of the relationship between depression and all-cause mortality in 3,604,005 participants from 293 studies

The objective of this study is to explain inconsistencies in the relationship between depression and all-cause mortality by performing a reassessment of the included studies of previous systematic reviews. We assessed study-level methodological variables with a focus on sample size and follow-up period, measurement and classification of depression, and model adjustment. We included the constituent studies of fifteen systematic reviews on depression and mortality, yielding 488 articles after the removal of duplicates. 333 studies were extracted, 40 of which used data that overlapped with other included studies. We included 313 estimates from 293 articles in the meta-analysis with a total sample of 3,604,005 participants and over 417,901 deaths. We identified a pronounced publication bias favoring large, positive associations in imprecise studies. Several factors moderated the relationship between depression and mortality. Most importantly, the 16 estimates adjusting for at least one comorbid mental condition (Pooled Effect: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.98-1.18), and the fraction of 8 of those estimates also adjusting for health variables (e.g., smoking, alcohol use, or physical inactivity; Pooled Effect: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.87-1.21), reported considerably smaller associations than the 204 unadjusted estimates (Pooled Effect: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.28-1.36). The sizable relationship of depression and mortality reported in previous systematic reviews is largely based on low-quality studies; controlling for important covariates attenuates the association considerably. Higher quality studies are needed based on large community samples, extensive follow-up, adjustment for health behaviors and mental disorders, and time-to-event outcomes based on survival analysis methodology

Blood-injection-injury phobia in older adults

Background: This study aims to (i) estimate the prevalence of blood-injection-injury phobia (BIIP) diagnosed as present at any time during the life prior to the interview, with or without another Specific Phobia diagnosed as present during the 12 months prior to the interview, (ii) characterize types and frequencies of co-occurring fears, (iii) evaluate the association with chronic medical conditions and lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, and (iv) explore medical service use associations in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Methods: A sample of 8,205 older adults, aged 65 years or older, was derived from Wave 1 of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Results: The weighted lifetime prevalence of BIIP with and without 12-month Specific Phobia was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4-0.8) and 4.2% (95% CI: 3.7-4.8), respectively, and these two groups ranked similarly in terms of sociodemographic, health, and psychiatric characteristics. BIIP most frequently co-occurred with other lifetime fears, and was positively associated with hypertension and lifetime history of anxiety and personality disorders after controlling for sociodemographic and psychiatric confounders. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that lifetime BIIP may bear mental and physical health significance in older adults. © 2016 International Psychogeriatric Association

Remarques sur l'alchimie du verbe

Affective forecasting refers to the capacity to predict future feelings. Humans have been found to exhibit systematic affective forecasting biases that involve overestimation of the intensity and duration of future feelings. Although recent research has elucidated the proximate mechanisms underlying our ability to predict future feelings, explanations concerning the potential adaptive significance of these biases have attracted little attention. Here we consider the function of affective forecasts as signals of biological value, drivers of goal pursuit, and tools for eliciting collaboration. Although affective forecasting biases can have significant costs, for instance in terms of one's pursuit of happiness, they may ultimately serve adaptive functions

A reassessment of the relationship between depression and all-cause mortality in 3,604,005 participants from 293 studies

The objective of this study is to explain inconsistencies in the relationship between depression and all-cause mortality by performing a reassessment of the included studies of previous systematic reviews. We assessed study-level methodological variables with a focus on sample size and follow-up period, measurement and classification of depression, and model adjustment. We included the constituent studies of fifteen systematic reviews on depression and mortality, yielding 488 articles after the removal of duplicates. 333 studies were extracted, 40 of which used data that overlapped with other included studies. We included 313 estimates from 293 articles in the meta-analysis with a total sample of 3,604,005 participants and over 417,901 deaths. We identified a pronounced publication bias favoring large, positive associations in imprecise studies. Several factors moderated the relationship between depression and mortality. Most importantly, the 16 estimates adjusting for at least one comorbid mental condition (Pooled Effect: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.98-1.18), and the fraction of 8 of those estimates also adjusting for health variables (e.g., smoking, alcohol use, or physical inactivity; Pooled Effect: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.87-1.21), reported considerably smaller associations than the 204 unadjusted estimates (Pooled Effect: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.28-1.36). The sizable relationship of depression and mortality reported in previous systematic reviews is largely based on low-quality studies; controlling for important covariates attenuates the association considerably. Higher quality studies are needed based on large community samples, extensive follow-up, adjustment for health behaviors and mental disorders, and time-to-event outcomes based on survival analysis methodology

The Pepsi paradox : A review

The Pepsi Paradox refers to the observation that Pepsi is preferred to Coke in blind taste tests, despite Coke being regarded as the more successful brand. We begin by describing the origins of the Pepsi Paradox. We then outline a neural hypothesis for why it occurs. Next, we carefully assess the published behavioural studies related to the Pepsi Paradox, and on people's ability to distinguish colas by taste. We conclude that the existing research has failed to provide sufficient evidence for the existence of the Pepsi Paradox. In fact, there does not even seem to be a consistent taste preference for either beverage in the reviewed studies