BACKGROUND: Behavioral changes in patients with seasonal affective disorder resemble seasonal changes in photoperiodic animals. Because the olfactory system has a modulatory role in seasonal photoperiodic responses in certain species, we hypothesized that olfactory function may differ between patients with seasonal affective disorder and healthy control subjects. METHODS: Fourteen patients who had winter seasonal affective disorder and 16 healthy volunteers were studied once in winter and once in the subsequent summer. We administered a phenyl ethyl alcohol detection threshold test to each side of the nose in a counterbalanced order, with the nostril contralateral to the tested site occluded. Patient and control data were compared using a 4-way repeated measure analysis of covariance (with group and gender as between-subjects factors, season and side-of-the-nose as within-subjects factors, and age as a covariate). RESULTS: The patients exhibited lower thresholds than did the controls (F(1,25) = 9.2; P =.006). There was no main effect of season. CONCLUSION: In humans, marked seasonal behavioral rhythms with recurrent winter depression may be associated with a more acute sense of smell.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Is there circannual variation of human platelet 5-HT(2A) binding in depression?

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variations in onset of mood disorders and in serotonergic function are reported, but their relationship is unclear. METHODS: Circannual variation in platelet 5-HT(2A) binding was measured in 68 healthy subjects and 121 patients with a major depressive episode. In 73 patients the current episode began during Spring or Fall. RESULTS: Significant, but different, circannual variations were found in patients compared with controls. Controls had two peaks of B(max), one in Spring and another in Fall. Fall and Winter K(D) was 41% lower compared with Spring and Summer K(D). Patients had a peak of B(max) in early Spring and a lesser one in late Fall. B(max) during Spring and Fall was 12% higher compared with Winter and Summer. K(D) was higher during October through February compared with the rest of the year. B(max) in patients was higher compared with controls in March. The opposite difference was observed in September-December. These differences from controls were mostly due to patients with an onset of the current major depressive episode during Spring or Fall. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a major depressive episode differed from controls in circannual variation of platelet 5-HT(2A) binding. This may reflect a vulnerability to seasonal effects in patients with mood disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Prevention of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor discontinuation syndrome.

Prevention of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor discontinuation syndrome (SRIDS) is an important issue. The author suggests: (1) serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) should be used only when they are necessary. Sometimes tablets should be replaced with other treatment modalities; (2) patients should be given the lowest dosage of SRIs possible; (3) patients who have a history of medication noncompliance, who have experienced the discontinuation symptoms in the past, or who have treatment-emergent anxiety are at highest risk for experiencing the SRIDS and need closer monitoring; (4) SRIs should be tapered prior to stoppage; (5) generic drugs are allowed up to a 20% difference in bioequivalence from the brand original. Patients should receive continuity of supply from the dispenser, with no intermanufacturer switching; (6) patients and healthcare professionals should be educated to ensure that SRIs are not stopped abruptly; (7) neonatal SRIDS can follow maternal use of antidepressants during pregnancy and possibly breast feeding. The patient and physician should take this into consideration when making treatment decision.

Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation↗

PubMed2002

Role of selenium depletion in the effects of dialysis on mood and behavior.

Depression and behavioral problems are common in patients undergoing dialysis. Researchers have reported that serum selenium concentrations are generally lower in dialysis patients than in healthy controls. Considerable evidence suggests that selenium deprivation leads to depressed mood, and high dietary or supplementary selenium seems to improve mood. Low plasma selenium concentrations in the elderly are significantly associated with senility and cognitive decline. The author suggests that dialysis-related selenium loss may play a role in biological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders in dialysis patients.

Deficiency Diseases↗

PubMed2002

Relationships between seasonality and alcohol use: a genetic hypothesis.

Seasonal changes in mood and behavior (seasonality) are common throughout the population. Alcohol use and alcohol-related problems are also very common in society. Recent data suggest that seasonality is closely related to alcoholism. Some patients with alcoholism have a seasonal pattern to their alcohol abuse. Patients with alcoholism may be self-medicating an underlying seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with alcohol or manifesting a seasonal pattern to alcohol-induced depression. Family studies also suggest that there is a relationship between alcoholism and SAD. The author proposes that there is a genetic link between seasonality and alcoholism. This relationship is complex and involves various factors. It could be an inherited personality dimension, i.e., certain personality types may predispose to both seasonality and excessive alcohol consumption. SAD may be a subtype of mood disorder that is closely related to alcoholism. More studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the relationship between seasonality and alcohol use.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed2002

Role of selenium depletion in the etiopathogenesis of depression in patients with alcoholism [corrected].

Chronic heavy alcohol consumption adversely affects both macronutrients and micronutrients. Alcohol use affects selenium status. Considerable evidence suggests that selenium status may modify mental function. The author suggests that the effects of alcohol intake on mood, behavior, and cognition may be partly mediated by biological changes related to selenium deficiency. It has been observed that there is a trend towards the normalization of selenium levels in patients with alcoholism after a relatively short period of abstinence from alcohol. It has also been observed that when depression develops in persons with alcoholism, they are likely to improve fairly rapidly after a relatively short period of abstinence from alcohol without therapy aimed at the depressive symptoms. The author suggests that improvement in depressed patients after a period of abstinence from alcohol might be in part related to the normalization of selenium status. Treatment and prevention of comorbid alcoholism and mood disorders require more attention by research workers, practicing physicians, and the general public. Future studies of the etiology and pathogenesis of mood disorders in patients with alcoholism are merited.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Centuries ago scholars had knowledge about inheritance of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits.

The author presents evidence that a genetic contribution to the development of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits has been appreciated for many centuries. The author suggests that people had knowledge about inheritance of behavioral features and psychiatric illnesses centuries ago. Physicians all through the ages have confronted similar psychiatric problems, and their struggle to understand, classify, and treat such afflictions may have begun earlier than commonly believed.

Genetics, Behavioral↗

PubMed2002

Etiopathogenesis of depression in patients with alcoholism: role of changes in thyroid function.

Alcoholism poses a significant risk for the development of depression. Alcohol abuse and dependence significantly affect thyroid function. Considerable evidence suggests that minor changes in thyroid function may affect mood and behavior. The author suggests that alcohol-induced changes in thyroid function may contribute the development of depression in patients with alcoholism. Probably, alcohol-induced alterations in thyroid function are not a sufficient cause of depression. Most likely, they work in concert with inherited, acquired, and environmental risk factors. Alcohol may be particularly damaging to the impaired thyroid gland. Studies of the interrelationships between alcoholism and depression may help elucidate the causes of both.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed2002