Isolated delusional syndrome in Parkinson's Disease

Psychotic features in patients with Parkinson’s Disease usually present as visual hallucinations against a background of cognitive deterioration and dopaminomimetic therapy. Isolated delusions are rare. We report here 4 patients with Parkinson’s Disease who developed a delusional syndrome resembling schizophreniform psychosis in the absence of changes in alertness, visual hallucinations or dementia. We suggest that this syndrome may be more common than previously recognized, and that it may be related to the use of dopaminergic medications and environmental triggers on a background of a susceptible individual. This syndrome suggests interesting parallels with the pathophysiology of amphetamine-induced psychosis and schizophrenia. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Neuroticism, social network, stressful life events:Association with mood disorders, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a community sample of women

According to the stress-diathesis hypothesis, depression and suicidal behavior may be precipitated by psychosocial stressors in vulnerable individuals. However, risk factors for mental health are often gender-specific. In the present study, we evaluated common risk factors for female depression in association with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a community sample of women. The sample was composed by 415 women evaluated for mood disorders (MDs), depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation by structured interviews and the Beck depression inventory II (BDI II). All women also filled in the Eysenck personality questionnaire to evaluate neuroticism and were interviewed for social contact frequency and stressful life events (SLEs). In the whole sample, 19% of the women satisfied criteria for MD and suicidal ideation was reported by 12% of the women. Though stressful life events, especially personal and interpersonal problems, and poor social network were associated with all the outcome variables (mood disorder, depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation), neuroticism survived to all multivariate analyses. Social network, together with neuroticism, also showed strong association with depressive severity, independently from current depressive state. Though we were unable to compare women and men, data obtained from the present study suggest that in women neurotic traits are strongly related to depression and suicidal ideation, and potentially mediate reporting of stressful life events and impaired social network. Independently from a current diagnosis of depression, impaired social network increases depressive symptoms in the women

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN GREECE

Background: This study was the first national survey ever conducted in Greece aiming to monitor the level of stigma Greeks hold against people with schizophrenia (PWS). Aim: To investigate sources, degree of knowledge and attitudes towards PWS in Greece. Method: A cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted by face-to-face household interviews (n = 1,199, aged 15 years and over). Results: Television was the main source of information (65.9%). Negative portrayals of PWS were recalled by 60.5%. Only 27.7% attributed schizophrenia to a combination of psychosocial, genetic and environmental factors. Respondents believed that PWS are dangerous (74.6%), have split personalities (81.3%) and cannot work (83.2%). Regarding attitudes, a negative relationship between closeness and social distance was observed. Most respondents (92.1%) would not marry someone with schizophrenia, half (50.5%) would be disturbed by working with PWS and one third (32.9%) would feel afraid to start a conversation. Urban residence and higher education were generally associated with better knowledge and more positive attitudes towards PWS. Conclusions: Knowledge about schizophrenia in Greece is poor. The Greek public has stigmatizing attitudes towards PWS. Educational interventions should especially target rural and semi-urban residents of a lower educational level. The role of television can be crucial