Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) and disorder (OCD) among adolescents and to describe OCD characteristics according to gender. Methods: Participants were selected by cluster sampling at seven high-schools in southern Brazil. In the first stage, 2,323 students were screened for OCS; in the second stage, adolescents scoring ≥ 21 on the OCI-R scale were individually interviewed. OCD diagnosis was established using a semi-structured interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children: Present and Lifetime Version - K-SADS-PL). Results: The past-month estimated prevalence of OCS was 18.3%, and the point estimated prevalence of OCD, 3.3%. Girls showed higher scores (OCS: 24.8 vs. 14.4%; OCD: 4.9 vs. 1.4%; p < 0.001). Only 9.3% of OCD adolescents had been diagnosed and 6.7% received treatment. The most frequent/severe DY-BOCS dimensions were miscellaneous (86.7%; mean score 6.3±3.8) and symmetry (85.3%; 5.9±3.8). Female OCD adolescents predominantly showed depression (p = 0.032), and male adolescents, tic disorders (p = 0.006). Conclusions: OCD is underdiagnosed in adolescents, and few are treated. Future studies should investigate the relationship between OCS and the onset of OCD.

Objective: To compare adolescents with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with regard to quality of life and to investigate the association between quality of life and clinical characteristics. Methods: Participants were recruited from an epidemiological study conducted at high schools in the city of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. The sample comprised 75 adolescents with OCD and 150 without the disorder, aged between 14 and 18 years. Participants were assessed using the following instruments: Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment - Abbreviated Version (WHOQOL-BREF), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depressive Inventory - II (BDI-II). Results: The two groups showed significant differences in relation to depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life (all domains), with a poorer performance among adolescents with OCD when compared to those without the disorder. Stepwise regression analysis revealed a significant association between BDI-II scores and quality of life, in all domains. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adolescents with OCD, especially those with depression symptoms, have a poorer quality of life when compared with adolescents without OCD.

OBJETIVO: O objetivo desta pesquisa foi verificar as habilidades cognitivas em idosas usuárias de benzodiazepínicos e as idosas não-usuárias deste tipo de medicação. Participaram do estudo 123 idosas institucionalizadas. MÉTODO: O delineamento foi de um estudo quantitativo e de um transversal. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: ficha de dados sociodemográficos, breve entrevista internacional de neuropsiquiatria modificada, mini-exame do estado mental, escala de depressão geriátrica, span de números, teste de fluência verbal (categoria animal) e teste de evocação seletiva livre e com pistas (Buschke). RESULTADOS: A idade variou entre 60 e 101 anos, com a média de 79,73 anos (DP = 9,56). Não houve diferença em relação à idade ou aos anos em que residência na instituição asilar (p = 0,846). O tempo mínimo foi de 1 ano e o máximo, de 26 anos, a média ficou em 4,02 anos (DP = 4,38). O tempo médio de estudo foi de 5,98 anos (DP = 4,17), 80,5% sabem ler e 79,7% sabem escrever. CONCLUSÃO: Não foram encontradas associações significativas entre as habilidades cognitivas em idosas usuárias de benzodiazepínicos e as não-usuárias.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is the verification of cognitive skills in elderly women using benzodiazepines and non-users of this medication. The study consisted of 123 institutionalized elderly women. METHOD: The study was delineated as quantitative and cross-sectional. The instruments used were: sociodemographic data chart, brief international interview of modified neuropsychiatry, mini-exam of the mental state, geriatric depression scale, numbers span, verbal fluency test - category animal, test of selective evocation, free and with leads (Buschke). RESULTS: Age ranged from 60 to 101 years, mean = 79.73 years (SD = 9.56). There was no difference related to age or years spent in institutions (p = 0.846). Minimum period of time was one year and maximum duration was 26 years, mean = 4.02 years (SD = 4.38). The average follow-up time was 5.98 years (SD = 4.17), 80.5% of the individuals could read and 79.7% could write." CONCLUSION: No significant associations were found between the cognitive skills in benzodiazepinic using elderly women and the ones who do not use this medication.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo comparar a motivação para mudança em dependentes de álcool internados em hospitais gerais para tratamento de doença clínica com pacientes alcoolistas que buscaram tratamento em unidades especializadas. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, de comparação entre dois grupos. A amostra teve 91 sujeitos: 42 com doença clínica associada à dependência do álcool (grupo 1) e 49 dependentes do álcool internados em unidades especializadas para o tratamento da dependência química (grupo 2). Os instrumentos utilizados no estudo foram: entrevista estruturada, o The Alcohol Use Disorder Test (AUDIT), o Short-Form Alcohol Dependence Data (SADD), o The Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC) e a University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA). Os resultados demonstraram haver diferença significativa entre os grupos 1 e 2 no estágio da ação (p = 0,006), não sendo encontrada diferença nos estágios de pré-contemplação (p = 0,098) e contemplação (p = 0,342). Foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os grupos apenas no estágio de manutenção (p = 0,000). Os pacientes internados em hospitais gerais apresentaram-se menos motivados para mudança do comportamento dependente do que os internados em unidades especializadas em dependência química. Conclui-se, portanto, a importância de trabalhar a motivação para mudança do comportamento dependente em pacientes alcoolistas internados em hospitais gerais por complicações físicas.

The objective of this study is to compare the motivation to change drinking behavior in two distinct samples of alcohol-addicted patients, namely general hospital inpatients and patients seeking treatment in specialized addiction units. Ninety one subjects were recruited for a cross-sectional assessment; 42 had one or more clinical conditions related to alcohol addiction (group 1) and 49 were inpatients at a clinical dependence unit (group 2). Assessments were performed until the following instruments: We found significant differences between the two groups in the "action" (p = 0,006) and the "maintenance" (p < 0,00001) scores, but no significant differences in the "contemplation" and "pre-contemplation" scores (p = 0,0098 and 0,342, respectively). General hospital inpatients seem to be less motivated to change patterns in their addiction behavior than those treated in addiction units. Therefore it is important to reinforce motivation in order to change the addiction behavior among patients with physical illnesses who seek treatment in general hospital facilities.