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Biomedical subjects

F Benazzi

Publications and source records attributed to F Benazzi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Bipolar versus unipolar psychotic outpatient depression.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between bipolar and unipolar psychotic depression has not been well studied. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare bipolar with unipolar psychotic outpatient depression. METHODS: Seventy consecutive unipolar (n = 40) and bipolar (n = 30) psychotic depressed outpatients were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. RESULTS: Of the variables studied (age, duration of illness, severity, recurrences, atypical features, chronicity, gender, comorbidity, hallucinations, delusions), none was significantly different between unipolar and bipolar psychotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar psychotic depression was similar to unipolar psychotic depression on variables reported in the literature to distinguish bipolar from unipolar disorder. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The findings might suggest, but do not necessarily imply, that psychotic depression might be a distinct clinical entity. LIMITATIONS: Single interviewer, nonblind cross-sectional assessment, outpatient sample, sample size.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of the age of onset of bipolar I and bipolar II outpatients.

BACKGROUND: It is not clear if bipolar I and bipolar II disorders are variants of the same disorder or distinct disorders. Aim of the study was to compare age at onset and indicators of severity (recurrences, chronicity, psychosis) between bipolar I and bipolar II disorders to clarify this point. METHODS: Consecutive 45 bipolar I and 141 bipolar II outpatients were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Age at onset distributions were compared with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. RESULTS: Age at onset distributions were not significantly different between bipolar I and bipolar II patients. Severity was significantly higher in bipolar I patients. LIMITATIONS: Age at onset may be subject to recall bias. Structured interview by a senior psychiatrist, standard criteria for onset, family members or close friends supplementing information, same data collection and ascertainment procedures may have reduced bias. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of significant difference in age at onset does not support the separation of the two disorders. Bipolar II disorder may be a less severe variant of bipolar disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Psychotic versus nonpsychotic bipolar outpatient depression.

Psychotic bipolar depression was compared with nonpsychotic bipolar depression. Psychotic (n = 59) and nonpsychotic (n = 176) bipolar depressed outpatients were SCID-DSM-IV interviewed. Psychotic bipolar depression had significantly higher severity, more chronicity, fewer atypical features and axis I co-morbidity, more bipolar I, and fewer bipolar II patients. Age at onset, duration of illness, gender, and recurrences, were not significantly different.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Psychotic late-life depression: a 376-case study.

The aim of the report was to study clinical differences between psychotic late-life depression and psychotic depression in younger patients, to determine if differences were age-related or specific for psychotic late-life depression. Three hundred seventy-six consecutive outpatients, presenting for treatment of unipolar or bipolar depression (with or without psychotic features), were assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Results showed that psychotic late-life (50 years or more) depression, versus psychotic depression in younger patients, was associated with significantly higher age at study entry/onset, longer duration, and lower comorbidity. Psychotic depression versus nonpsychotic late-life depression, in late-life and in younger patients, was associated with significantly greater severity, lower comorbidity, more patients with bipolar I disorder, and fewer patients with unipolar disorder. Findings were related to psychosis or to age, and not to specific features of psychotic late-life depression. These results support a unitary view of psychotic depression.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1999

Gender differences in bipolar II and unipolar depressed outpatients: a 557-case study.

The aim of the present report was to study gender differences in bipolar II and in unipolar depressed outpatients. Consecutive 557 bipolar II and unipolar outpatients presenting for treatment of depression were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Atypical features were significantly more common in bipolar II and in unipolar females than in males, in bipolar II females than in unipolar females, and in bipolar II males than in unipolar males. Female gender was significantly associated with atypical features, but not with diagnosis. Age at intake/onset, duration of illness, severity, recurrences, psychosis, and chronicity were not significantly different in bipolar II and in unipolar females and males (apart from comorbidity). Age at onset was significantly lower in bipolar II females than in unipolar females. This difference was not related to the higher prevalence of atypical features in bipolar II females.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale in bipolar II and unipolar out-patients: a 405-patient case study.

The aim of the present study was to find if the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) can identify symptom differences between bipolar II and unipolar depression. Four hundred and five consecutive bipolar II and unipolar depressed out-patients were interviewed with the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History structured interview, following DSM-IV criteria, the MADRS, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. The Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale items were not significantly different between bipolar II and unipolar patients. Comparisons among atypical and non-atypical bipolar II and unipolar patients showed that only MADRS items of 'reduced sleep' and 'reduced appetite' were significantly different between atypical and non-atypical patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Bipolar II disorder is common among depressed outpatients.

The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of bipolar II disorder among major depressive episode private practice outpatients. Consecutive 578 unipolar and bipolar outpatients were interviewed with Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History structured interview, Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. The prevalence of bipolar II disorder was 43.4%. Bipolar II disorder is common among depressed outpatients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Gynecomastia with risperidone-fluoxetine combination.

Gynecomastia (breast enlargement) is a side effect of neuroleptic antipsychotic drugs, related to prolactin elevation caused by dopamine D2 receptor blockade (Richelson, 1996). The atypical antipsychotic risperidone is less likely to cause gynecomastia at low doses (Casey, 1996). It can cause a dose-dependent increase in serum prolactin concentration (Peuskens, 1995), by blocking dopamine D2 receptors (Richelson, 1996). I would like to describe a patient who did not have gynecomastia with risperidone at a dose of 3 mg/day, but had it when risperidone, at a dose of 0.5 mg/day, was combined with fluoxetine. A MEDLINE search failed to find any reports about such an interaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Chronic atypical major depressive episode in private practice: unipolar and bipolar II.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to determine whether chronicity was more common in atypical vs. non-atypical unipolar/bipolar II major depressive episode (MDE), whether atypical unipolar and bipolar II MDE had same chronicity, and to compare chronic with non-chronic atypical MDE. METHOD: A total of 326 unipolar/bipolar II MDE private practice outpatients were interviewed with the DSM-IV Structured Clinical Interview. RESULTS: Chronicity was not significantly different in atypical compared to non-atypical MDE. Unipolar atypical MDE showed more chronicity than bipolar II atypical MDE and unipolar non-atypical MDE. Chronicity was not significantly different in atypical compared to nonatypical bipolar II MDE. Compared to non-atypical MDE, atypical MDE had significantly lower age at onset, more recurrences and more bipolar II patients. Chronic compared to non-chronic atypical MDE had significantly longer duration, more recurrences and more unipolar patients. CONCLUSION: Unipolar atypical MDE is more chronic than unipolar nonatypical MDE. Bipolar II atypical MDE is not more chronic than bipolar II non-atypical MDE.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Is atypical depression a moderate severity depression? A 536-case study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if atypical depression is less common among outpatients with severe depression than among those with nonsevere depression. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Private practice. PATIENTS: Five hundred and thirty-six consecutive outpatients presenting for treatment of unipolar or bipolar II depression. OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of atypical depression among patients with severe depression (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale [GAF] score of 50 or less) and nonsevere depression. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of atypical depression between patients with severe and nonsevere depression. CONCLUSIONS: Results do not support previous studies that atypical depression is usually of moderate severity. A rating scale like the GAF, which assesses both symptom severity and impairment of functioning, may give a more complete assessment of depression severity than a symptoms rating scale (used in previous studies), which does not cover atypical features and does not assess functioning.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Chronic depression subtypes: a 257 case study.

The aim of the study was to compare Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) three subtypes of chronic depression (chronic major depressive episode [MDE] occurring in major depressive and bipolar II disorders, dysthymic disorder with MDE, and MDE without full interepisode recovery occurring in major depressive and bipolar II disorders) with each other, and with nonchronic depression, and to find if this subdivision was supported by clinical data. Two hundred and fifty seven consecutive MDE outpatients were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. Clinical variables (age, age at onset, duration of illness, severity, gender, recurrences, atypical and psychotic features, axis I comorbidity, bipolar II, and unipolar diagnoses) were compared among the chronic depression subtypes, and versus nonchronic depression. Chronic MDE had significantly less comorbidity than the other two chronic depression subtypes. All the other variables were not significantly different. Chronic depression subtypes had significantly longer duration of illness, less comorbidity, and more recurrences than nonchronic depression. These findings do not support the DSM-IV subtyping of chronic depression.

Ambulatory Care↗