OBJECTIVE To determine which particular depressive symptom scales, derived from three scales, predicted poorer prognosis in persons with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS Hospitalized ACS patients (n=408) completed questionnaires (depression, vital exhaustion). Mokken scaling derived unidimensional scales. Major cardiac events (cardiac mortality, ACS, unplanned revascularization) were as...

This study investigated the ability of patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) to recognize emotional facial expressions. Cognitive deterioration, depression, alexithymia and facial expression recognition ability were assessed in fiftyfive patients and twenty-one controls. Facial expression recognition ability was measured by a forced-choice labeling procedure of five emotio...

Elevated stress perception and depression commonly co-occur, suggesting that they share a common neurobiology. Cortical thickness of the rostral middle frontal gyrus (RMFG), a region critical for executive function, has been associated with depression- and stress-related phenotypes. Here, we examined whether RMFG cortical thickness is associated with these phenotypes in a large family-based com...

BACKGROUND Self-rated health is an important indicator of quality of life as well as a good predictor of future health. The purpose of the study was to follow up the self-rated health and the prevalence of symptoms of depression and general symptoms in a population of first-ever stroke patients 3 and 12 months after stroke. METHODS All patients surviving their first-ever stroke and residing i...

We all go through ups and downs in our mood. Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. We may feel “down in the dumps” for a short period of time, but gradually the painful feelings dissipate and we move on with our lives—often the wiser for the experience. But if these feelings of sadness don't go away or if they are so intense that they interfere with yo...

OBJECTIVE The authors sought to determine whether, in a general population sample, different categories of adverse life events were associated with different patterns of depressive symptoms. METHOD A total of 4,856 individuals (53% female) who experienced depressive symptoms in the previous year were assessed in up to four waves over a maximum of 12 years. At each wave, participants reported ...

A series of studies explored how sadness impacts the accuracy of social judgments. In Study 1, induced sadness led to reduced accuracy in judgments of teacher effectiveness from brief samples of nonverbal behavior (thin slices). In Study 2, sad participants showed reduced accuracy in judging relationship type from thin slices as well as diminished judgmental efficiency. Study 3 revealed that hi...