Acute, Affective, Organic Disorders.

Signs of Organic Brain Dysfunction in Psychiatric Patients With Fluctuating Psychiatric Symptoms Including Brief Depressions Compared to Patients With a Major Depressive Episode.

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether patients with brief depressive periods together with other fluctuating psychiatric symptoms, have this condition due to epilepsy or an other organic brain disorder.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depressive Disorders

Detailed Description

A limited number of patients admitted to psychiatric acute wards or Psychiatric Intensive Care Units are admitted with a fluctuating array of psychiatric symptoms including brief depressive episodes. These patients do not fit into the present diagnostic systems due to short duration of affective symptoms and the fluctuating arrays of other symptoms. Case histories indicate that these patients have psychiatric conditions due to epilepsy or organic brain dysfunctions.

In the study acutely admitted patients filling criteria for two recent DSM-4 axis 1 diagnoses (one is a brief depressive period) during the last two weeks are compared to age- and sex-matched patients acutely admitted with a major depressive disorder. The patients are rated with a number of rating scales at admittance, day 5, after two weeks and three months. EEG and QEEG are taken three times the first week. MRI, drug screening and blood screening of medication-concentrations are taken.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 32

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Norway
  • Trondheim, Norway, 7441
    • Østmarka Psychiatric Department, St. Olavs Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Study and control groups both from a psychiatric acute ward. The patients are acutely admitted suffering from different types of depressive symptoms.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Acutely admitted psychiatric patients who have at different times the last 2 weeks filled criteria for at least two new DSM-4 Axis 1 psychiatric diagnoses. One of them has to be a depressive episode (MADRS>20)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients not speaking Norwegian or English.
• Patients not willing to participate.
• Patients with dementia or mental retardation to an extensive degree.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
major depressive disorder
brief depressive periods; brief depressive periods together with other fluctuating psychiatric symptoms

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
epilepsy or an other organic brain disorder	EEG and QEEG are taken three times in the first week	1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Collaborators: GlaxoSmithKline; St. Olavs Hospital; Dr. Dedichens Institute for Psychiatric Research, Oslo, Norway.
• Investigators: Study Chair: Olav M Linaker, Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Vaaler AE, Morken G, Iversen VC, Kondziella D, Linaker OM. Acute Unstable Depressive Syndrome (AUDS) is associated more frequently with epilepsy than major depression. BMC Neurol. 2010 Jul 30;10:67. doi: 10.1186/1471-2377-10-67.
• Vaaler AE, Morken G, Linaker OM, Sand T, Kvistad KA, Brathen G. Symptoms of epilepsy and organic brain dysfunctions in patients with acute, brief depression combined with other fluctuating psychiatric symptoms: a controlled study from an acute psychiatric department. BMC Psychiatry. 2009 Sep 30;9:63. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-9-63.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 1998
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2004
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): September 20, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): August 4, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 3, 2016
• Last Verified: August 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: epilepsy; affective disorders; brief depressive episodes; EEG and QEEG; organic brain disorders; acute psychiatry
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: AEV-98