Depression Treatment: Frailty and Sexual Health in Older European Men.

Frailty and Sexual Health in Older European Men.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2012 Oct 25;
Lee DM, Tajar A, Ravindrarajah R, Pye SR, O’Connor DB, Corona G, O’Connell M, Gielen E, Boonen S, Vanderschueren D, Pendleton N, Finn JD, Bartfai G, Casanueva FF, Forti G, Giwercman A, Han TS, Huhtaniemi IT, Kula K, Lean ME, Punab M, Wu FC, O’Neill TW,

BACKGROUND: There has been little research on how late-life frailty interrelates with sexual health. Our objective was to examine the association of frailty with sexual functioning and satisfaction among older men. METHODS: The study population consisted of 1,504 men aged 60 to 79 years, participating in the European Male Aging Study. Self-report questionnaires measured overall sexual functioning, sexual function-related distress, and erectile dysfunction. Frailty status was defined using a phenotype (FP) or index (FI). Associations between frailty and sexual function were explored using regression models. RESULTS: Based on the frailty phenotype, 5% of men were classified as frail, and the mean frailty index was 0.18 (SD = 0.12). Frailty was associated with decreasing overall sexual functioning and increasing sexual function-related distress in multiple linear regressions adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, living arrangements, comorbidities, and depression. Frailty was also associated with an increased odds of erectile dysfunction after adjustment for the same confounders: odds ratio = 1.99 (95% confidence interval = 1.14, 3.48) and 4.08 (95% confidence interval = 2.63, 6.36) for frailty phenotype and frailty index, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty was associated with impaired overall sexual functioning, sexual function-related distress, and erectile dysfunction. Individuals assessed for frailty-related deficits may also benefit from an appraisal of sexual health as an important aspect of well-being and quality of life.
HubMed – depression

As Fathers and Felons: Explaining the Effects of Current and Recent Incarceration on Major Depression.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

J Health Soc Behav. 2012 Oct 25;
Turney K, Wildeman C, Schnittker J

Dramatic increases in the American imprisonment rate since the mid-1970s have important implications for the life chances of minority men with low educational attainment, including for their health. Although a large literature has considered the collateral consequences of incarceration for a variety of outcomes, studies concerned with health have several limitations: Most focus exclusively on physical health; those concerned with mental health only consider current incarceration or previous incarceration, but never both; some are cross-sectional; many fail to consider mechanisms; and virtually all neglect the role of family processes, thereby overlooking the social roles current and former prisoners inhabit. In this article, we use stress process theory to extend this research by first considering the association between incarceration and major depression and then considering potential mechanisms that explain this association. Results from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,107) show current and recent incarceration are substantially associated with the risk of major depression, suggesting both immediate and short-term implications. In addition, consistent with stress proliferation theory, the results show the well-known consequences of incarceration for socioeconomic status and family functioning partly explain these associations, suggesting the link between incarceration and depression depends heavily on the consequences of incarceration on economic and social reintegration, not only the direct psychological consequences of confinement.
HubMed – depression

The impact of depression heterogeneity on cognitive control in major depressive disorder.

Filed under: Depression Treatment

Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2012 Nov; 46(11): 1079-88
Quinn CR, Harris A, Felmingham K, Boyce P, Kemp A

Objective: Depressed patients display a variety of deficits in neuropsychological function, and contradictory findings in the literature may be due to disorder heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of severity, subtype and symptoms on cognitive control. Methods: Neuropsychological function across a range of cognitive control tasks was examined in melancholic (n = 65) and non-melancholic depressed patients (n = 59) relative to controls (n = 124). The relationship between subtype (melancholia vs non-melancholia) and anxiety was also examined. Results: Melancholia was characterised by attention and working memory deficits typically associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, while non-melancholia was characterised by verbal memory recall deficits indicative of left frontal lobe and medial temporal lobe function. The severity of anxious arousal and psychomotor disturbance contributed to cognitive impairment more than the severity of depression symptoms and anxious apprehension. Conclusions: Findings highlight a differential impact of depression subtype and severity, and suggest that anxious arousal and psychomotor disturbance may contribute to poorer performance on neuropsychological tasks associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex function.
HubMed – depression

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