Browsing by Author "Starčević, Vladan (7005374306)"

Objective: The objective of this study is to ascertain psychiatrists' treatment preferences for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and compare them to the same psychiatrists' treatment preferences in the hypothetical scenario that treatment is to be administered to themselves as patients. Methods: A questionnaire was completed by 221 psychiatrists from 3 Balkan countries. They were asked to indicate their treatment preferences for patients with GAD and for themselves as patients. Results: A large majority of psychiatrists chose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors as preferred treatment option for GAD patients. Fewer psychiatrists selected benzodiazepines and pregabalin and about one third chose psychotherapy. The majority of psychiatrists chose the same treatments for their patients and for themselves, with main differences being in terms of pharmacotherapy (especially benzodiazepines) being less frequently recommended and psychotherapy being more frequently recommended as preferred treatment option for psychiatrists as patients. Conclusions: Treatment preferences for GAD by psychiatrists in the 3 West Balkan countries were mostly in accordance with treatment guidelines and treatment preferences for patients and for psychiatrists as patients were mostly concordant. However, some psychiatrists were more likely to choose pharmacotherapy for patients and psychotherapy for themselves as patients. These findings have implications for education of psychiatrists and for efforts to improve treatment guidelines and mental health services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective: The objective of this study is to ascertain psychiatrists' treatment preferences for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and compare them to the same psychiatrists' treatment preferences in the hypothetical scenario that treatment is to be administered to themselves as patients. Methods: A questionnaire was completed by 221 psychiatrists from 3 Balkan countries. They were asked to indicate their treatment preferences for patients with GAD and for themselves as patients. Results: A large majority of psychiatrists chose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors as preferred treatment option for GAD patients. Fewer psychiatrists selected benzodiazepines and pregabalin and about one third chose psychotherapy. The majority of psychiatrists chose the same treatments for their patients and for themselves, with main differences being in terms of pharmacotherapy (especially benzodiazepines) being less frequently recommended and psychotherapy being more frequently recommended as preferred treatment option for psychiatrists as patients. Conclusions: Treatment preferences for GAD by psychiatrists in the 3 West Balkan countries were mostly in accordance with treatment guidelines and treatment preferences for patients and for psychiatrists as patients were mostly concordant. However, some psychiatrists were more likely to choose pharmacotherapy for patients and psychotherapy for themselves as patients. These findings have implications for education of psychiatrists and for efforts to improve treatment guidelines and mental health services. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analytic review of the reliability of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) for the period 1960-2008, taking into consideration all three types of reliability: internal consistency, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability. This is the first such meta-analytic study of a clinician-administered psychiatric scale. A thorough literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and PsycINFO. The total number of collected articles was 5548, of which 409 reported one or more reliability coefficients. The effect size was obtained by the z-transformation of reliability coefficients. The meta-analysis was performed separately for internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability. A pooled mean for alpha coefficient in random effects model was 0.789 (95%CI 0.766-0.810). The meta-regression analysis revealed that higher alpha coefficients were associated with higher variability of the HRSD total scores. With regard to inter-rater reliability, pooled means in random effects model were 0.937 (95%CI 0.914-0.954) for the intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.81 (95%CI 0.72-0.88) for the kappa coefficient, 0.94 (95%CI 0.90-0.97) for the Pearson correlation coefficient, and 0.91 (95%CI 0.78-0.96) for the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. A meta-regression analysis showed positive association between inter-rater reliability and publication year. Test-retest reliability of HRSD ranged between 0.65 and 0.98 and generally decreased with extending the interval between two measurements (Spearman r between the duration of interval and test-retest reliability figures = -0.74). Results suggest that HRSD provides a reliable assessment of depression. Figures indicate good overall levels of internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability, but some HRSD items (e.g., "loss of insight") do not appear to possess a satisfactory reliability. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analytic review of the reliability of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) for the period 1960-2008, taking into consideration all three types of reliability: internal consistency, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability. This is the first such meta-analytic study of a clinician-administered psychiatric scale. A thorough literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and PsycINFO. The total number of collected articles was 5548, of which 409 reported one or more reliability coefficients. The effect size was obtained by the z-transformation of reliability coefficients. The meta-analysis was performed separately for internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability. A pooled mean for alpha coefficient in random effects model was 0.789 (95%CI 0.766-0.810). The meta-regression analysis revealed that higher alpha coefficients were associated with higher variability of the HRSD total scores. With regard to inter-rater reliability, pooled means in random effects model were 0.937 (95%CI 0.914-0.954) for the intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.81 (95%CI 0.72-0.88) for the kappa coefficient, 0.94 (95%CI 0.90-0.97) for the Pearson correlation coefficient, and 0.91 (95%CI 0.78-0.96) for the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. A meta-regression analysis showed positive association between inter-rater reliability and publication year. Test-retest reliability of HRSD ranged between 0.65 and 0.98 and generally decreased with extending the interval between two measurements (Spearman r between the duration of interval and test-retest reliability figures = -0.74). Results suggest that HRSD provides a reliable assessment of depression. Figures indicate good overall levels of internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability, but some HRSD items (e.g., "loss of insight") do not appear to possess a satisfactory reliability. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.