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OBJECTIVE: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a widely used self-report measure of depression whose psychometric properties were found to be merely acceptable. Insufficient attention has been devoted to its clinimetric validity, while its clinical utility is still debated, particularly for assessing depression severity. This is the first study to test the PHQ-9 construct validity and clinical utility based on clinimetric principles. METHODS: An online survey of 3,398 participants was conducted. Item response theory models (Rasch and Mokken analyses) were used to assess the PHQ-9 validity and determine its clinical utility. RESULTS: Fit to the Rasch model was achieved after adjusting the sample size. Items 2, 4, 6, and 9 over-discriminated, while items 1, 5, and 7 under-discriminated. Local dependency between items 2 and 6 was indicated. The PHQ-9 was not unidimensional. A Loevinger's coefficient of 0.49 was found, indicating an acceptable level of scalability. CONCLUSION: The PHQ-9 is an instrument with potential clinical utility as an overall index of depression, mainly for screening purposes. Substantial revision, particularly in the wording of over- and under-discriminating items, is needed.

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Objective: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a widely used self-report measure of depression whose psychometric properties were found to be merely acceptable. Insufficient attention has been devoted to its clinimetric validity, while its clinical utility is still debated, particularly for assessing depression severity. This is the first study to test the PHQ-9 construct validity and clinical utility based on clinimetric principles. Methods: An online survey of 3,398 participants was conducted. Item response theory models (Rasch and Mokken analyses) were used to assess the PHQ-9 validity and determine its clinical utility. Results: Fit to the Rasch model was achieved after adjusting the sample size. Items 2, 4, 6, and 9 over-discriminated, while items 1, 5, and 7 under-discriminated. Local dependency between items 2 and 6 was indicated. The PHQ-9 was not unidimensional. A Loevinger's coefficient of 0.49 was found, indicating an acceptable level of scalability. Conclusion: The PHQ-9 is an instrument with potential clinical utility as an overall index of depression, mainly for screening purposes. Substantial revision, particularly in the wording of over- and under-discriminating items, is needed.

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BACKGROUND: Benzodiazepines (BZs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective in the pharmacologic treatment of panic disorder (PD). However, treatment guidelines favor SSRIs over BZs based on the belief that BZs are associated with more adverse effects than SSRIs. This belief, however, is currently supported only by opinion and anecdotes. AIM: The aim of this review and meta-analysis was to determine if there truly is evidence that BZs cause more adverse effects than SSRIs in acute PD treatment. METHODS: We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and clinical trials register databases. Short randomized clinical trials of a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks that studied SSRIs or BZs compared to placebo in acute PD treatment were included in a meta-analysis. The primary outcome was all-cause adverse event rate in participants who received SSRIs, BZs, or placebo. RESULTS: Overall, the meta-analysis showed that SSRIs cause more adverse events than BZs in short-term PD treatment. Specifically, SSRI treatment was a risk factor for diaphoresis, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and insomnia, whereas BZ treatment was a risk factor for memory problems, constipation, and dry mouth. Both classes of drugs were associated with somnolence. SSRIs were associated with abnormal ejaculation, while BZs were associated with libido reduction. BZs were protective against tachycardia, diaphoresis, fatigue, and insomnia. CONCLUSION: Randomized, blinded studies comparing SSRIs and BZs for the short-term treatment of PD should be performed. Clinical guidelines based on incontrovertible evidence are needed.

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Objective: Pattern separation (PS) is the ability to represent similar experiences as separate, non-overlapping representations. It is usually assessed via the Mnemonic Similarity Task - Object Version (MST-O) which, however, assesses PS performance without taking behavioral context discrimination into account, since it is based on pictures of everyday simple objects on a white background. We here present a validation study for a new task, the Mnemonic Similarity Task - Context Version (MST-C), which is designed to measure PS while taking behavioral context discrimination into account by using real-life context photographs. Methods: Fifty healthy subjects underwent the two MST tasks to assess convergent evidence. Instruments assessing memory and attention were also administered to study discriminant evidence. The test-retest reliability of MST-C was analyzed. Results: Weak evidence supports convergent validity between the MST-C task and the MST-O as measures of PS (rs = 0.464; p < 0.01); PS performance assessed via the MST-C did not correlate with memory or attention; a moderate test-retest reliability was found (rs = 0.595; p < 0.01). Conclusion: The MST-C seems useful for assessing PS performance conceptualized as the ability to discriminate complex and realistic spatial contexts. Future studies are welcome to evaluate the validity of the MST-C task as a measure of PS in clinical populations.

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OBJECTIVE: Pattern separation (PS) is the ability to represent similar experiences as separate, non-overlapping representations. It is usually assessed via the Mnemonic Similarity Task - Object Version (MST-O) which, however, assesses PS performance without taking behavioral context discrimination into account, since it is based on pictures of everyday simple objects on a white background. We here present a validation study for a new task, the Mnemonic Similarity Task - Context Version (MST-C), which is designed to measure PS while taking behavioral context discrimination into account by using real-life context photographs. METHODS: Fifty healthy subjects underwent the two MST tasks to assess convergent evidence. Instruments assessing memory and attention were also administered to study discriminant evidence. The test-retest reliability of MST-C was analyzed. RESULTS: Weak evidence supports convergent validity between the MST-C task and the MST-O as measures of PS (rs = 0.464; p < 0.01); PS performance assessed via the MST-C did not correlate with memory or attention; a moderate test-retest reliability was found (rs = 0.595; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The MST-C seems useful for assessing PS performance conceptualized as the ability to discriminate complex and realistic spatial contexts. Future studies are welcome to evaluate the validity of the MST-C task as a measure of PS in clinical populations.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to survey the available literature on psychological development of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia [PD(A)] and its relationship with the neurobiology and the treatment of panic. METHODS: Both a computerized (PubMed) and a manual search of the literature were performed. Only English papers published in peer-reviewed journals and referring to PD(A) as defined by the diagnostic classifications of the American Psychiatric Association or of the World Health Organization were included. CONCLUSIONS: A staging model of panic exists and is applicable in clinical practice. In a substantial proportion of patients with PD(A), a prodromal phase and, despite successful treatment, residual symptoms can be identified. Both prodromes and residual symptoms allow the monitoring of disorder evolution during recovery via the rollback phenomenon. The different stages of the disorder, as well as the steps of the rollback, have a correspondence in the neurobiology and in the treatment of panic. However, the treatment implications of the longitudinal model of PD(A) are not endorsed, and adequate interventions of enduring effects are missing.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to survey the available literature on psychological development of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia [PD(A)] and its relationship with the neurobiology and the treatment of panic. METHODS: Both a computerized (PubMed) and a manual search of the literature were performed. Only English papers published in peer-reviewed journals and referring to PD(A) as defined by the diagnostic classifications of the American Psychiatric Association or of the World Health Organization were included. CONCLUSIONS: A staging model of panic exists and is applicable in clinical practice. In a substantial proportion of patients with PD(A), a prodromal phase and, despite successful treatment, residual symptoms can be identified. Both prodromes and residual symptoms allow the monitoring of disorder evolution during recovery via the rollback phenomenon. The different stages of the disorder, as well as the steps of the rollback, have a correspondence in the neurobiology and in the treatment of panic. However, the treatment implications of the longitudinal model of PD(A) are not endorsed, and adequate interventions of enduring effects are missing.

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi fazer um levantamento da literatura disponível sobre o desenvolvimento psicológico do transtorno do pânico com ou sem agorafobia [TP(A)] e sua relação com a neurobiologia e o tratamento do pânico. MÉTODOS: A busca da literatura foi realizada tanto manualmente quanto via computador (PubMed). Somente os artigos publicados em inglês em revistas revisadas por especialistas e abordando o TP(A) de acordo com as classificações diagnósticas da Associação Americana de Psiquiatria ou da Organização Mundial de Saúde foram incluídos. CONCLUSÕES: Existe um modelo de classificação por estágios do pânico aplicável na prática clínica. A fase prodrômica e, a despeito de tratamentos bem-sucedidos, os sintomas residuais podem ser identificados em uma proporção substancial de pacientes com TP(A). Tanto os pródromos quanto os sintomas residuais permitem monitorar a evolução do transtorno durante a recuperação por meio do fenômeno de reversão. Os diferentes estágios do transtorno, bem como as etapas da reversão, possuem uma correspondência na neurobiologia e no tratamento do pânico. Contudo, as implicações do tratamento do modelo longitudinal do TP(A) não são endossadas e são necessárias intervenções adequadas de efeito duradouro.

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Thanks to brain imaging great advances have been made concerning the comprehension of neural substrates related to panic disorder (PD). This article aims to: review the recent functional MRI (fMRI) studies concerning PD; correlate the PD fMRI neurobiological findings with the fear neurocircuitry hypothesis; discuss the fear neurocircuitry hypothesis and link it to cognitive-behavior therapy findings; and comment on fMRI study limitations and suggest methodological changes for future research. As a whole, there is increasing evidence that brain structures such as the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex and limbic areas (hippocampus and amygdala) might play a major role in the panic response.

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