Current Psychiatry Reviews - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2013

The threshold chosen by categorical mental health classifications like DSM-IV-TR or ICD-10 for the diagnosis of bipolar disorders (BP) is too high, elevating the risk of misdiagnosing cases that closely resemble BP under several clinical variables like “major depressive disorder”. Acknowledging and providing the necessary weight to the BP subthreshold forms may improve the clinical practice and reduce the number of patients Read More

Temperaments are permanent variations of personality, traits and ways of reacting that characterize individuals and remain constant throughout several diverse situations. Temperaments play a crucial role in determining emotional reactions, therefore several temperamental models attempted to establish relationship between temperaments and affective disorders. According to the model of Akiskal, affective temper Read More

At present, the classification of mental disorders is tightly rooted in categories despite the fact that a dimensional approach may present some clear advantages. In this review, we compare two dimensional approaches that have been put forward in bipolar disorder. On one hand, the “soft” bipolar spectrum focused on the presentation of affective symptomatology and on the other, the staging model based on the progressio Read More

Although No-Type I Bipolar spectrum disorders (NBP-I) are common, recurrent, and disabling, they are underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed in clinical practice. Several data show that NBP-I (especially BP type II) are a significant public health problem, and there is a dearth of studies of effective treatment modalities for the control of acute symptoms and the prevention of mood recurrences (mainly major depressive episodes). C Read More

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities, is an X-linked dominant disorder caused by the amplification of a CGG repeat in the 5' untranslated region of the fragile X mental retardation gene 1 (FMR1). Prevalence estimates of the disorder are approximately 1/3600. Psychiatric manifestations of the disorder include anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, mood i Read More

Carriers of the FMR1 premutation (with 55-200 CGG repeats) may present with multiple medical and psychiatric disorders. Middle-aged carriers (males more often than females) may suffer from fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). FXTAS is a newly discovered neurodegenerative disease characterized by intention tremor and ataxia, along with several other neurological features. Psychiatric ma Read More

Objective: FMR1 premutation carriers of both genders have a high lifetime prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders, however little is known regarding the onset ages of these conditions. This study compared onset ages of mood and anxiety disorders in premutation carriers with typical onset ages of the same disorders in the general population. Methods: Eighty-one premutation carriers (42% men; average age 62, SD 1 Read More

Background: Psychiatric disorders in women with the FMR1 premutation are common and include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. This pilot study explored the risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD) in women with the premutation. Methods: We conducted a chart review of 50 women premutation carriers with major depressive disorder who had children. Of these, 7 Read More

Premutation carriers of the fragile X mental retardation gene (especially men) older than 50 may develop a neurodegenerative disease, the fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Carriers may present with varied cognitive impairments. Attention, working memory, declarative and procedural learning, information processing speed, and recall are among the cognitive domains affected. Executive dysfunction is a Read More

Complex caregiving issues occur in multigenerational families carrying the fragile X mutation and premutation. The same family members may care for children or siblings with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and for elderly parents with fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Family caregivers experience anxiety, depression, neglect of personal health care needs, employment difficulties, and loss of social support, lea Read More