Hostility, Physical Aggression and Trait Anger as Predictors for Suicidal Behavior in Chinese Adolescents: A School-Based Study

Purpose: This study explored the extent to which trait aggression is associated with suicidal behavior in a nationwide school-based sample of adolescents. Methods: A nationwide sample of 14,537 high school students in urban areas of China was recruited. Information concerning suicide ideation, plans, attempts, trait aggression and other risk factors was collected by a self-reported questionnaire. Multivariate regression analyses were employed to predict suicidal behavior. Results: Approximately 18.5 % of students reported suicide ideation, 8.7 % reported suicide plans, and 4.1 % reported attempts during the past one year. Hostility and trait anger had a significant positive association with suicidal ideation. Hostility and physical aggression were positively related to suicide plans. Hostility had a positive correlation with suicide attempts, while trait anger was inversely associated with suicide attempts. Conclusions: This study suggests that hostility, physical aggression and trait anger may be able to be used to predict suicidal behavior among adolescents. Suicide prevention programs should target at attenuating the severity of hostility, anger and physical aggression. But teachers and parents should also give close attention to students with low trait anger

Decreased platelet H-3-paroxetine binding in untreated panic disorder patients

Different findings support the involvement of the serotonin (5-HT) system in panic disorder. The presence of the 5-HT transporter in blood platelets similar to that in presynaptic serotonergic neurons, permits the investigation of this structure in periphery., We therefore evaluated the binding of H-3-paroxetine, a selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor which is considered the ligand of choice for labelling the 5-HT transporter, in platelets of 20 drug-flee patients with panic disorder. The same measurement was repeated after one year's treatment with different drugs. The results showed patients to have-a lower number of H-3-paroxetine sites than a group of age- and sex-matched controls, thus suggesting the involvement of the 5-HT transporter in panic disorder. This abnormality reverted after one year of treatment with specific drugs that provoked the symptom remission in all cases, which would suggest a link with the clinical improvement

Dose the clinical characteristics of patients with anxiety due to hyperthyroidism differ from patients with generalized anxiety disorder? A comparative study

Background: Hyperthyroidism is associated with anxiety symptoms. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with anxiety due to hyperthyroidism with patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Abolfazl psychiatry clinic affiliated to Bushehr University of Medical Sciences from September 2012 to September 2013. Anxiety severity and characteristics of thirty-two patients with GAD was compared to 34 patients with anxiety due to hyperthyroidism. Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) was used to evaluate the overall anxiety severity and anxiety symptom profile of the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference regarding overall anxiety severity between the two groups (P = 0.65). Autonomic symptoms were more sever in hyperthyroid patients (P = 0.003) whereas anxious mood and fears were more prominent in patients with GAD (P = 0.001 and P = 0.045, respectively). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that patients with GAD reported more psychology symptoms of anxiety whereas physical symptoms of anxiety were more prominent in hyperthyroid patients. Our findingsmayhelp differentiate these two disorders in the clinic, based on the symptom profile. However, it is important to note that this study is preliminary, and larger studies are needed to confirm the results