Anxiety Disorders: Schaffer A

Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, O'Donovan C, Parikh S, MacQueen G, McIntyre R, Sharma V, Silverstone P, Alda M, Baruch P, Beaulieu S, Daigneault A, Milev R, Young LT, Ravindran A, Schaffer A, Connolly M, Gorman CP, Anonymous00076. · Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. · Bipolar Disord. · Pubmed #15952957 No free full text.

Abstract: Since the previous publication of Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) guidelines in 1997, there has been a substantial increase in evidence-based treatment options for bipolar disorder. The present guidelines review the new evidence and use criteria to rate strength of evidence and incorporate effectiveness, safety, and tolerability data to determine global clinical recommendations for treatment of various phases of bipolar disorder. The guidelines suggest that although pharmacotherapy forms the cornerstone of management, utilization of adjunctive psychosocial treatments and incorporation of chronic disease management model involving a healthcare team are required in providing optimal management for patients with bipolar disorder. Lithium, valproate and several atypical antipsychotics are first-line treatments for acute mania. Bipolar depression and mixed states are frequently associated with suicidal acts; therefore assessment for suicide should always be an integral part of managing any bipolar patient. Lithium, lamotrigine or various combinations of antidepressant and mood-stabilizing agents are first-line treatments for bipolar depression. First-line options in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder are lithium, lamotrigine, valproate and olanzapine. Historical and symptom profiles help with treatment selection. With the growing recognition of bipolar II disorders, it is anticipated that a larger body of evidence will become available to guide treatment of this common and disabling condition. These guidelines also discuss issues related to bipolar disorder in women and those with comorbidity and include a section on safety and monitoring.

Goldstein BI, Diamantouros A, Schaffer A, Naranjo CA. · Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. · Drugs. · Pubmed #16827599 No free full text.

Abstract: There has been an exponential increase in recent years of literature pertaining to the treatment of individuals with alcohol use disorders and co-morbid psychiatric disorders. Patients with mood and anxiety disorders in particular have a very high prevalence of alcoholism. Alcoholism confers significant morbid risks to patients with psychiatric disorders, and vice versa, including markedly increased risk of suicide. Only recently have studies examined the impact of various psychiatric medications on alcohol use among patients with these disorders. Evidence supporting the benefits of antidepressants for co-morbid alcoholism and depression continues to mount. Although these studies have demonstrated benefits in terms of quantitative decreases in the volume and frequency of consumption, the benefits in terms of remission from alcoholism have yet to be shown conclusively. The first randomised, controlled trial involving subjects with co-morbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder was recently conducted, yielding promising results for valproate in this population. The literature regarding co-morbid alcoholism and anxiety disorders has also seen recent progress, particularly in the study of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A placebo-controlled study of sertraline suggests some benefit in terms of alcohol use among individuals with early-onset PTSD and less severe alcohol dependence. Atypical antipsychotics such as olanzapine and quetipaine have been examined in several open studies of subjects with alcoholism co-morbid with a variety of psychiatric conditions including bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia. This paper selectively reviews the evidence that is currently available for the pharmacological management of alcoholism among persons with co-morbid psychiatric illness. Effectiveness, safety and tolerability are considered, and directions for future study are discussed.

Yatham LN, Kennedy SH, Schaffer A, Parikh SV, Beaulieu S, O'Donovan C, MacQueen G, McIntyre RS, Sharma V, Ravindran A, Young LT, Young AH, Alda M, Milev R, Vieta E, Calabrese JR, Berk M, Ha K, Kapczinski F. · Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia,2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A1, , Canada. · Bipolar Disord. · Pubmed #19419382 No free full text.

Abstract: The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) published guidelines for the management of bipolar disorder in 2005, with a 2007 update. This second update, in conjunction with the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD), reviews new evidence and is designed to be used in conjunction with the previous publications. The recommendations for the management of acute mania remain mostly unchanged. Lithium, valproate, and several atypical antipsychotics continue to be first-line treatments for acute mania. Tamoxifen is now suggested as a third-line augmentation option. The combination of olanzapine and carbamazepine is not recommended. For the management of bipolar depression, lithium, lamotrigine, and quetiapine monotherapy, olanzapine plus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and lithium or divalproex plus SSRI/bupropion remain first-line options. New data support the use of adjunctive modafinil as a second-line option, but also indicate that aripiprazole should not be used as monotherapy for bipolar depression. Lithium, lamotrigine, valproate, and olanzapine continue to be first-line options for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. New data support the use of quetiapine monotherapy and adjunctive therapy for the prevention of manic and depressive events, aripiprazole monotherapy for the prevention of manic events, and risperidone long-acting injection monotherapy and adjunctive therapy, and adjunctive ziprasidone for the prevention of mood events. Bipolar II disorder is frequently overlooked in treatment guidelines, but has an important clinical impact on patients' lives. This update provides an expanded look at bipolar II disorder.

Schaffer A, Cairney J, Veldhuizen S, Cheung A, Levitt A. · Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. · J Clin Psychiatry. · Pubmed #18052573 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Antidepressants are recommended for the treatment of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder, but caution is urged when used for the treatment of these symptoms in bipolar disorder. It is not known whether these differing recommendations are reflected in clinical practice, as comparative analyses of rates of antidepressant use between bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder subjects with or without comorbid anxiety have not been reported. METHOD: Data source was the Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well-Being, a large, representative mental health survey conducted from May to December 2002. Rates of antidepressant use were compared for subjects with bipolar disorder according to the World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview or major depressive disorder according to DSM-IV criteria, with or without comorbid anxiety (DSM-IV). The independent effects of the diagnostic group and of a comorbid anxiety disorder were determined by controlling for sociodemographic and clinical variables using logistic regression. RESULTS: Rate of antidepressant use was significantly higher among all subjects with bipolar disorder (N = 756) compared with all subjects with major depressive disorder (N = 3863) (27.2% vs. 23.1%, p = .02), but this difference was no longer significant when other factors were controlled for in the regression analysis. With the major depressive disorder without anxiety group as the reference, the likelihood of antidepressant use was significantly higher in both the bipolar disorder with anxiety group (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.02 to 3.27, p = .04) and the major depressive disorder with anxiety group (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.00 to 2.09, p = .05). CONCLUSION: After sociodemographic and clinical variables were controlled for, similar rates of antidepressant use were identified among bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder subjects. Further efforts are needed to enhance screening for bipolar disorder among depressed patients and to re-examine the risk/benefit analysis of antidepressants for bipolar disorder patients in light of emerging alternatives. Significantly increased rates of antidepressant use in subjects with a comorbid anxiety disorder suggest that anxiety symptoms may be a key reason why physicians are choosing to prescribe antidepressants for patients with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.

Schaffer A, Cairney J, Cheung A, Veldhuizen S, Levitt A. · Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Center, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontatrio. · Can J Psychiatry. · Pubmed #16491979 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: This study reports on the lifetime prevalence and illness characteristics of bipolar disorder (BD) in a large, representative sample of Canadians. METHOD: Data were obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-Being. This representative, cross-sectional survey, conducted by Statistics Canada in 2002, examines the mental health of Canadians aged 15 years and over. The national response rate was 77%. We determined the prevalence rate of BD, correlates of a bipolar diagnosis, and illness characteristics. RESULTS: The weighted lifetime prevalence rate of BD was 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.94% to 2.37%). Younger age, low income adequacy, lifetime anxiety disorder, and presence of a substance use disorder in the past 12 months were each significantly associated with the presence of a BD diagnosis (P < 0.001 for each). The largest effect found was for the presence of an anxiety disorder (odds ratio 7.94; 95% CI, 6.35 to 9.92). A lifetime history of anxiety disorder was reported by 51.8% (955% CI, 47.1% to 56.5%) of the respondents with BD, with both panic disorder and agoraphobia each being more frequent among women, compared with men (P = 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). The mean age at onset of illness was 22.5 years, SD 12.0. CONCLUSIONS: According to the estimated lifetime prevalence of BD found in this study, over 500 000 Canadians likely suffer from this condition. Identifying those at highest risk for BD may assist in developing more effective community-based identification and intervention strategies.

Schaffer A, Levitt AJ, Hershkop SK, Oh P, MacDonald C, Lanctot K. · Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. · Psychiatry Res. · Pubmed #12057830 No free full text.

Abstract: Utility is a measure of undesirability for a specific health state. This study determines the utility scores for the individual symptoms of depression, and examines the impact that personal experience with depression has on these scores. Seventy-five subjects (19 with current depression, 21 with past depression, and 35 healthy controls) assigned utility scores to each of 10 individual symptoms of depression, and three depression severity profiles. Utility scores were measured using the standard gamble technique. Mean utility scores were used to list the symptoms of depression from most to least undesirable. The three diagnostic groups were compared with respect to the magnitude of undesirability of the depressive symptoms. The results of this study found that individuals assigned different utility scores to different symptoms of depression. The psychological symptoms of depression such as suicidal ideation, guilt and depressed mood were ranked as more undesirable than the somatic symptoms of depression. Each diagnostic group ranked the symptoms of depression in a similar manner. Patients with a current depression were willing to accept a greater risk of death to avoid suffering from lifelong depressive symptoms as compared to patients with a past depression or healthy controls.

Schaffer A, Levitt AJ, Bagby RM, Kennedy SH, Levitan RD, Joffe RT. · Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. · Can J Psychiatry. · Pubmed #11143832 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Being female and having comorbid anxiety are both thought to increase suicidality in patients with major depression. Whether these effects are independent or related to severity of depression is not known. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective review of 533 patients (190 men, 343 women) with major depression at the time of assessment. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was present in 57.8% of all patients, and 43.2% of all patients had a lifetime anxiety disorder. Significantly more women than men experienced suicidal ideation, and both men and women with a lifetime anxiety disorder were more likely to be suicidal. Age and severity of depression did not account for these results. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with a current major depression, being female and having a lifetime anxiety disorder increase suicidality independently of one another and independently of severity of depression.