Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

An extensive survey of two communities in Western Nigeria, one urban and the other rural, was conducted to find out some characteristics of opinion and knowledge about mental illness among the Yoruba. A questionnaire containing descriptions of four different types of mental illness (simple schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia, anxiety neurosis/depression, and alcoholism), was administered to 771 respondents, randomly selected. The description of paranoid schizophrenia was more readily recognized as mental illness than the others. Respondents tended to typify persons who fit the other three descriptions in such terms as "shy," "hot-tempered," "queer," "flirt," and "drunkard." Compared with Asian, Australian, and North American studies, lesser proportions of Nigerian respondents viewed the descriptions as symptomatic of psychiatric disorder. The finding that most respondents are still unaware of the range of symptoms and their significance is particularly striking because the catchment area for this study has had a long exposure to modern psychiatric delivery systems. It is suggested that the heightening of awareness of psychiatric symptoms through nationwide mental health education is essential for the full utilization of mental health services.
 ...
PMID:A comparative study of opinion and knowledge about mental illness in different societies. 71 98

Attitudes toward three types of disorders and a normal subject portrayed in vignettes were assessed among university students. The variables assessed were: perception of mental illness in the vignettes; desired social distance; emotional and physical burden expected; and expected negative influence on one's mental health from association with the type of persons portrayed in the vignettes. Analysis revealed that, in terms of variables assessed, the most "negative" ratings were recorded for the paranoid schizophrenic case and the most "positive" recorded for the normal subject. The simple schizophrenia and the anxiety neurosis/depression cases fell between the other two cases. Finally, with a few exceptions, all the variables assessed were significantly correlated with each other.
 ...
PMID:Attitudes toward mental illness: recognition, desired social distance, expected burden and negative influence on mental health among Turkish freshmen. 250 Jul 13

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Diagnostically, they need to be differentiated from depression and treatment-related variables. The latter include akinesia, a part of drug-induced Parkinsonism, sedation, and effects of understimulation, as they have been reported in patients institutionalised for long periods of time. Other patients show negative symptoms as sequelae of positive symptoms: Commanding voices that tell patients to stay in the house or forbid them to speak to other people, or persecutory delusions may result in social withdrawal and alogia. All of the above, often summarised as secondary negative symptoms, have to be distinguished from primary negative symptoms, sometimes also referred to as the deficit state of schizophrenia. These are considered illness inherent problems and usually have an enduring, chronic course. They are often seen in the absence of positive symptoms, as in simple schizophrenia. The chronicity of the disorder, the lack of obviously disturbed and aberrant behavior and the fact that these patients tend to lead secluded lives lead to an underrepresentation of these patients in clinical psychiatry. Next to a description of clinical symptoms a review of means to aid differential diagnosis is provided. Negative symptoms call for sound differential diagnosis provided by a specialist in order to be able to provide optimal management to prevent the negative consequences of a chronic negative syndrome.
 ...
PMID:Negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia with special reference to the primary versus secondary distinction. 1129 57