The diagnosis and drug treatment of anxiety disorders

Comparative Study of the Restorative Effects of Forest and Urban Videos during COVID-19 Lockdown: Intrinsic and Benchmark Values

The prolonged lockdown imposed to contain the COrona VIrus Disease 19 COVID-19 pandemic prevented many people from direct contact with nature and greenspaces, raising alarms for a possible worsening of mental health. This study investigated the effectiveness of a simple and affordable remedy for improving psychological well-being, based on audio-visual stimuli brought by a short computer video showing forest environments, with an urban video as a control. Randomly selected participants were assigned the forest or urban video, to look at and listen to early in the morning, and questionnaires to fill out. In particular, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Form Y collected in baseline condition and at the end of the study and the Part II of the Sheehan Patient Rated Anxiety Scale (SPRAS) collected every day immediately before and after watching the video. The virtual exposure to forest environments showed effective to reduce perceived anxiety levels in people forced by lockdown in limited spaces and environmental deprivation. Although significant, the effects were observed only in the short term, highlighting the limitation of the virtual experiences. The reported effects might also represent a benchmark to disentangle the determinants of health effects due to real forest experiences, for example, the inhalation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC).

Silexan in generalized anxiety disorder: investigation of the therapeutic dosage range in a pooled data set

Silexan, a special active substance produced from Lavandula angustifolia, is efficacious in subsyndromal anxiety at a dose of 80 mg/day, but its effective dosage in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has yet to be defined. In two double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, daily doses of 10, 40, 80, and 160 mg silexan were administered for 10 weeks. A total of 925 adults with GAD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria and a Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) total score of at least 18 points were analyzed for efficacy. We assessed the change versus baseline for the HAMA and the Covi Anxiety Scale, the Clinical Global Impressions scale, the Sheehan Disability Scale, and the SF-36 health status questionnaire using analysis of variance and covariance. Silexan 160 mg/day was superior to placebo for all efficacy outcomes investigated, with responder rates exceeding 60% on the basis of HAMA and Clinical Global Impressions criteria. For the 80 mg/day dosage, superiority over placebo could be shown in one trial as well as in the pooled analysis. The risk of adverse events under silexan was similar to placebo for all dosages investigated. In GAD silexan 160 mg/day is efficacious whereas 80 mg/day may represent the lower end of the therapeutic range. Daily doses up to 160 mg were well tolerated.

No regrets: Young adult patients in psychiatry report positive reactions to biobank participation

BACKGROUND

Research in vulnerable individuals must insure voluntariness and minimize negative reactions caused by participation. This study aimed to describe consent and completion rate in young psychiatric patients in relation to study components, degree of disability and to compare response to research participation in patients and controls.

METHODS

Between 2012 and 2015, 463 patients with psychiatric disorders between the ages of 18-25 from the Dept. of General Psychiatry at Uppsala University Hospital and 105 controls were recruited to donate data and samples to a biobank. Consent and completion in relation to questionnaires, biological sampling of blood, saliva or feces, were monitored. Both groups were also asked about their perceived disability and how research participation affected them.

RESULTS

Most patients who participated consented to and completed questionnaires and blood sampling. The majority also consented to saliva sampling, while less than half consented to collect feces. Of those who gave consent to saliva and feces only half completed the sampling. Both patients and controls reported high voluntariness and were positive to research participation. Within the patient group, those with greater perceived disability reported greater distress while participating in research, but there was no difference in consent or completion rates or level of regret.

CONCLUSIONS

With the described information procedures, psychiatric patients, regardless of perceived disability, reported high voluntariness and did not regret participation in biobanking. Compared to questionnaires and blood sampling, given consent was reduced for feces and completion was lower for both saliva and feces sampling.

Dysregulation in Youth with Anxiety Disorders: Relationship to Acute and 7- to 19- Year Follow-Up Outcomes of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

This study evaluated the impact of dysregulation across cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains on acute and 7- to 19-year follow-up outcomes of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety, and explored dysregulation as a predictor of psychopathology and impairment in young adulthood among individuals who received anxiety treatment as youth. Participants (N = 64; 50 % female, 83 % non-Hispanic White) from two randomized clinical trials completed a follow-up assessment 7-19 years later. Latent profile analysis identified dysregulation based on Anxious/Depressed, Attention Problems, and Aggressive Behavior scores on the Child Behavior Checklist. Although pretreatment dysregulation was not related to acute or follow-up outcomes for anxiety diagnoses that were the focus of treatment, dysregulation predicted an array of non-targeted psychopathology at follow-up. Among youth with a principal anxiety disorder, the effects of CBT (Coping Cat) appear to be robust against broad impairments in self-regulation. However, youth with a pretreatment dysregulation profile likely need follow-up to monitor for the emergence of other disorders.

Path analysis of the chronicity of depression using the comprehensive developmental model framework

Background Depressive disorder is recognized as recurrent or chronic in the majority of affected individuals; but literature is not consistent about determinants of the disorder course. Aims To analyse the relationships between familial, personal and environmental characteristics in different life phases and their effects on the chronicity of depression in a population-based sample. Methods It was a longitudinal panel study with three waves (W1-W3) for 651 adult men and women with diagnosis of minor/major depression or dysthymia at W1 of the Swedish PART (mental health, work and relations) study. Risk factors and co-morbidities were assessed with questionnaires. The main outcome was an episode of minor/major depression or dysthymia at 10-12 years of follow-up (W3). Liability for depressive episodes was determined using exploratory structural equation modelling (SEM), following a path approach with step-wise specification searches. Results Most of the risk factors determined, directly or indirectly, depression severity at W3. Somatic trait anxiety, partner loss and other negative life events at W1, depressive symptoms at W2, and life difficulties and other dependent life events at W3 had direct effects on the outcome. Conclusions SEM model revealed complex and intertwined psychopathological pathways leading to chronicity of depression, given previous episodes, which could be assembled in two main mechanisms: a depressive-internalizing path and an adversity path comprised of life events. Pathways are simpler than those of depression occurrence, emphasizing the relevance of personality factors as depression determinants, and excluding disability levels, co-morbidities and social support. These novel findings need to be replicated in future studies.

Lavender oil preparation Silexan is effective in generalized anxiety disorder--a randomized, double-blind comparison to placebo and paroxetine

The anxiolytic efficacy of the orally administered lavender oil preparation Silexan was investigated in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in comparison to placebo and paroxetine. In this randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial 539 adults with GAD according to DSM-5 criteria and a Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) total score ⩾ 18 points participated and received 160 or 80 mg Silexan, 20 mg paroxetine, or placebo once daily for 10 wk. The primary efficacy endpoint was the HAMA total score reduction between baseline and treatment end. The HAMA total score decreased by 14.1 ± 9.3 points for Silexan 160 mg/d, 12.8 ± 8.7 points for Silexan 80 mg/d, 11.3 ± 8.0 points for paroxetine, and 9.5 ± 9.0 points for placebo (mean ± s.d.). Silexan 160 and 80 mg/d were superior to placebo in reducing the HAMA total score (p < 0.01) whereas paroxetine showed a trend towards significance (p = 0.10) in the full analysis set. The difference between paroxetine and placebo was more pronounced in the analysis of observed cases (HAMA total score reduction: p < 0.01). In the Silexan 160 mg/d group 73/121 patients (60.3%) showed a HAMA total score reduction ⩾ 50% of the baseline value and 56 (46.3%) had a total score <10 points at treatment end, compared to 70/135 (51.9%) and 45 (33.3%) for Silexan 80 mg/d, 57/132 (43.2%) and 45 (34.1%) for paroxetine, and 51/135 (37.8%) and 40 (29.6%) for placebo. In addition, Silexan showed a pronounced antidepressant effect and improved general mental health and health-related quality of life. Incidence densities of adverse events (AEs) were 0.006 AEs/d for Silexan 160 mg/d, 0.008 AEs/d for 80 mg/d, 0.011 AEs/d for paroxetine, and 0.008 AEs/d for placebo. In GAD Silexan is more efficacious than placebo. AE rates for Silexan were comparable to placebo and lower than for the active control paroxetine.

Anxiety and related outcomes in young adults 7 to 19 years after receiving treatment for child anxiety

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated follow-up outcomes associated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for childhood anxiety by comparing successfully and unsuccessfully treated participants 6.72 to 19.17 years after treatment.

METHOD

Participants were a sample of 66 youths (ages 7-14 years at time of treatment, ages 18-32 years at present follow-up) who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and randomized to treatment in a randomized clinical trial on average 16.24 (SD = 3.56, range = 6.72-19.17) years prior. The present follow-up included self-report measures and a diagnostic interview to assess anxiety, depression, and substance misuse.

RESULTS

Compared with those who responded successfully to CBT for an anxiety disorder in childhood, those who were less responsive had higher rates of panic disorder, alcohol dependence, and drug abuse in adulthood. Relative to a normative comparison group, those who were less responsive to CBT in childhood had higher rates of several anxiety disorders and substance misuse problems in adulthood. Participants remained at particularly increased risk, relative to the normative group, for generalized anxiety disorder and nicotine dependence regardless of initial treatment outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study is the first to assess the long-term follow-up effects of CBT treatment for an anxiety disorder in youth on anxiety, depression, and substance abuse through the period of young adulthood when these disorders are often seen. Results support the presence of important long-term benefits of successful early CBT for anxiety.

Depressive, not anxiety, symptoms are associated with current cigarette smoking among university internal medical patients

To investigate the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and current cigarette smoking, the authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of internal medicine outpatients. The participants completed a questionnaire that contained the Sheehan Patient-Rated Anxiety Scale, as well as several demographic, substance use, and medical questions. Of the 471 persons asked to participate, 370 (78.5%) agreed. The current smokers scored statistically higher on the anxiety scale than the nonsmokers (P = 0.009). For a subset of depressive questions, the smokers scored higher than the nonsmokers (P = 0.005). When subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses, only the depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-1.43) and amount of caffeine intake (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.28-2.650) were significantly related to current smoking. The authors conclude that among patients attending a university's internal medicine clinic, current depressive symptoms and amount of caffeine intake were significantly related to current cigarette use. Symptoms of anxiety were not related to current cigarette smoking.