Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) is an arduous task and the over-reliance on specific coping strategies may predispose caregivers to depression. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the different types of coping strategies and presence of depression in caregivers of children with CP. Methods One hundred and thirty two participants were recruited into the study. Their coping styles were measured using the Brief COPE inventory while depression was assessed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results The prevalence of current depressive episodes among the participants was 20.5%. Depression had a strong negative correlation with active coping (r = -0.415), planning (r = -0.432), and positive reframing (r = -0.594), and a weak negative correlation with humor (r = -0.239). But a strong positive correlation with use of instrumental support (r = 0.421) and self-blame (r = 0.448), and a moderate positive correlation with denial (r = 0.313), and behavioral disengagement (r = 0.308). Both emotion–focused (r = -0.361) and problem-focused (r = -0.576) coping style had a strong negative correlation with depression. While dysfunctional coping style had a strong positive correlation with depression (r = 0.489). Discussion Emotional and problem focused coping style were found to more protective against depression than dysfunctional coping styles among care givers of children with CP.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Cognitive impairment and frailty are important problems affecting the elderly population. Frail elderly present worse overall cognitive performance. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate general and domain-specific cognitive performance among non-frail, pre-frail, and frail elderly persons. Methods This is a cross-sectional study in which 267 elderly persons living in São Carlos, SP were divided into three groups according to the frailty criteria defined by Fried et al. Cognitive performance was evaluated with a battery of cognitive tests covering domains such as memory, attention, language, and executive functioning. A multinomial logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, and education was performed to evaluate the association between performance in cognitive domains and levels of frailty. Results Frailty was significantly associated with lower scores on the global cognitive test (RRR = 0.86; IC 95% 0.78-0.96; p < 0.01), word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-0.99; p = 0.02), and figure list recognition (RRR = 0.78; IC 95% 0.62-0.99; p = 0.04). Pre-frailty was associated with lower scores on the word list memory (RRR = 0.92; IC 95% 0.86-1.00; p = 0.04) and naming test (RRR = 0.82; IC 95% 0.69-0.99; p = 0.03). Discussion Frailty syndrome can influence general cognition and specific domains such as memory and language. Prospective studies will be fundamental to evaluate the causal relation between frailty and cognition.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Background Alexithymia is reported to be a risk factor for depression. Psychotherapy is efficient for treatment of depression. Yet, the effect of psychotherapies on alexithymia is poorly understood. Objectives We aimed to compare Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existential Psychotherapy (ExP) and Supportive Counseling (SUP) for therapeutic efficacy and effect on alexithymia in depression. Methods There were 22 patients for each patient group. Sessions were performed as eight consecutive weekly and following two monthly boosters. Sixty six healthy controls were added. Prior to the sessions, patients received Sociodemographic Data Form, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-1), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The control group received Sociodemographic Data Form, SCID-1 and TAS-20. Patients additionally received HDRS and TAS-20 after their weekly and booster sessions. Results Patients’ mean TAS-20 score was greater than of controls, however, it did not have a significant change throughout the study. Mean HDRS scores of ExP and CBT groups were lower than SUP group at the end. Discussion Alexithymia did not improve with psychotherapy. The exception was effect of ExP on externally oriented thinking. Psychotherapies all improved depression. CBT and ExP were more helpful than SUP.

Resumo em Inglês:

Abstract Objective Schizophrenia is a complex and chronic psychiatric disorder. In recent years, studies have found glutamatergic system participation in its etiopathogenesis, especially through aberrant NMDA receptors functioning. Thus, drugs that modulate this activity, as amantadine and memantine, could theoretically be used in its treatment. To perform a systematic literature review about memantine and amantadine use as adjunct in schizophrenia treatment. Methods A systematic review of papers published in English indexed in the electronic database PubMed ® using the terms “memantine”, “amantadine” and “schizophrenia” published until October 2016. Results We found 144 studies, 8 selected for analysis due to meet the objectives of this review. Some of these have shown benefits from such drug use, especially in symptoms measured by PANSS and its subdivisions, while others do not. Discussion: The data in the literature about these drugs use for schizophrenia treatment is still limited and have great heterogeneity. Thus, assay with greater robustness are needed to assess real benefits of these drugs as adjuvant therapy.