Prevalence and correlations of depression and anxiety among Slovak college students

OBJECTIVES

The objective of the study was to evaluate prevalence of depression and anxiety among college students studying at Comenius University in Bratislava. The secondary aim was to evaluate the impact of depression and anxiety on various domains of social functioning.

METHODS

The data were collected through a cross-sectional online survey. The sample consisted of 1,331 students. We administered scales measuring the depression, anxiety, satisfaction with life, and social functioning as part of a larger survey.

RESULTS

When using a customary cut‑off score for PHQ-9 and GAD-7, a proportion of 35.5 % and 25.5 % of students were above the threshold for depression and anxiety, respectively. When using more stringent criteria, the prevalence rates for depression and anxiety were 16.4 % and 9.3 %, respectively. Both conditions co‑occur in 6.8 % of students. Symptom domains were related to satisfaction with life and social functioning.

CONCLUSION

Depression and anxiety are prevalent among college students. We found that symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders were associated with lower satisfaction with life and lower level of functioning at school as well as in social and family lives. The implications for mental health policies at universities are discussed (Tab. 2, Ref. 27).

Neuropsychiatric Aspects in Men with Klinefelter Syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Klinefelter Syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosome aneuploidy (47, XXY) and cause of male hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. It is characterized by an extreme clinical heterogeneity in presentation, including infertility, hypogonadism, language delay, metabolic comorbidities, and neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. Since testosterone is known to have organizational, neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects on brain, the condition of primary hypogonadism could play a role. Moreover, given that KS subjects have an additional X, genes on the extra-chromosome could also exert a significant impact. The aim of this narrative review is to analyze the available literature on the relationship between KS and neuropsychiatric disorders.

METHODS

To extend to the best of published literature on the topic, appropriate keywords and MeSH terms were identified and searched in Pubmed. Finally, references of original articles and reviews were examined.

RESULTS

Both morphological and functional studies focusing on the brain showed that there were important differences in brain structure of KS subjects. Different psychiatric disorders such as Schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and anxiety were frequently reported in KS patients according to a broad spectrum of phenotypes. T supplementation (TRT) was not able to improve the psychotic disorders in KS men with or without overt hypogonadism.

CONCLUSION

Although the risk of psychosis, depression and autism is increased in subjects with KS, no definitive evidence has been found in studies aiming at identifying the relationship between aneuploidy, T deficit and the risk of psychiatric and cognitive disorders in subjects affected by KS.

Epidemiology of mental health comorbidity in psoriasis

AIM

The occurrence of mental health comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation or behavior is not uncommon in the context of psoriasis. The negative influence of psoriatic disease on a patient's physical and mental well-being, in combination with overlapping pathophysiology, increase the risk for clinically significant psychiatric conditions. These psychiatric conditions, in turn, influence the patient's outlook and potentially, prognosis. Although the healthcare community increasingly recognizes the association of mental health comorbidities with psoriasis, the extent of the correlation is not fully appreciated. To better understand the relationship between mental health comorbidities and psoriasis, including prevalence, risk factors, and response of psychiatric comorbidities to psoriasis treatment, a narrative review of the published literature was conducted.

METHODS

Data from epidemiologic, observational, and clinical studies demonstrate a substantially greater mental health comorbidity burden in patients with psoriasis compared with those without psoriasis or patients with other dermatologic conditions.

RESULT

The influence of contemporary drug therapies on measures of depression and anxiety are predominantly positive, although further data are needed to better understand the effects of long-term therapy.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians should consider the heightened potential for mental health comorbidities when determining an optimal management strategy for their patients with psoriasis.