Objective: The mental health problems and perceived needs of healthcare workers involved with cor... more Objective: The mental health problems and perceived needs of healthcare workers involved with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may vary due to individual and contextual characteristics. The objective of this study was to evaluate healthcare workers' mental health problems during the common COVID-19 exposure scenario in Mexico, comparing those on the frontline with other healthcare workers according to gender and profession, determining the main risk factors for the most frequent mental health problems. Methods: A cross-sectional online study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 5,938 Mexican healthcare workers who completed brief screening measures of mental health problems and ad hoc questions about sociodemographic professional characteristics, conditions related to increased risk of COVID-19 infection, life stressors during the COVID-19 emergency, and perceived need to cope with COVID-19. Results: The identified mental health problems were insomnia, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all of which were more frequent in frontline healthcare workers (52.1, 37.7, and 37.5%, respectively) and women (47.1, 33.0 %, and 16.3%, respectively). A lack of rest time was the main risk factor for insomnia (OR = 3.1, 95%CI 2.6-3.7, p p 0.0001). Mourning the death of friends or loved ones due to COVID-19 was the main risk factor for depression (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.8-2.7, p p 0.0001), and personal COVID-19 status was the main risk factor for PTSD (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.7-2.9, p p 0.0001). The most frequent mental health problems during the common exposure scenario for COVID-19 in Mexico included the short-term psychological consequences of intense adversity. A comprehensive strategy for preventing mental health problems should focus on individuals with cumulative vulnerability and specific risk factors.
IntroductionPrEP awareness in Latin America has been poorly characterized, with studies in Brazil... more IntroductionPrEP awareness in Latin America has been poorly characterized, with studies in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru highlighting low awareness. We assessed the association between higher risk of HIV infection, indicative of PrEP eligibility, and PrEP awareness among men who have sex with men (MSM) from these countries. MethodsMSM were recruited to complete an online survey via advertisements on Facebook, Grindr, and Hornet from March-June 2018. Eligible individuals were cisgender MSM, ≥18 years old, HIV negative or of unknown status, lived in these countries, and provided informed consent. Higher risk was defined using a CDC score indicating an increased risk of HIV infection and the suggested cutpoint of 10. We used Poisson regression models to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) testing the association between higher risk and PrEP awareness; socio-demographics and other risk variables were considered potential confounders. Separate models were conducted for Brazil, Mexico, ...
Introduction. Informal Primary Caregivers (IPC) of people with borderline personality disorder (B... more Introduction. Informal Primary Caregivers (IPC) of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience a significant burden, making it important to determine their specific needs. Objectives. Cross-sectional study aimed at adapting and establishing the reliability of the Questionnaire on the Needs of Family Members of People with Severe Mental Disorders to identify felt and unfelt needs that may or may not have been met in IPCs of patients with BPD and suggest intervention strategies to effectively address them. Method. The adapted version of the instrument was completed by 80 IPCs of patients with confirmed BPD diagnosis. Results. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for different groups of needs evaluated through the instrument were: Knowledge/information = .77, Instrumental support = . 78, Participation = .63, and Personal support = .74; and for the total score = .86. The most important unmet felt needs were: 1. having information on interventions for patients and caregivers, l...
A major goal for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health ... more A major goal for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, is to increase the clinical utility of the diagnostic system. Schizoaffective Disorder has a history of poor diagnostic reliability due to the similarities and overlap in symptoms that it shares with other disorders, especially primary psychotic and mood disorders. The present study was part of the case-controlled field trials for ICD-11 and examines how the proposed changes for Schizoaffective Disorder may improve differential diagnosis and diagnostic accuracy. Clinicians from around the globe (n = 873) were provided with either ICD-10 or ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines and asked to apply them to case vignettes comparing Schizoaffective Disorder to Schizophrenia and mood disorders with psychotic symptoms. Participants were asked to respond to follow-up diagnostic questions to determine which components of the diagnostic guidelines affected diagnostic accuracy. Overall, clinicians showed small improvements in accurately diagnosing vignettes using ICD-11 over ICD-10. Results suggest the discrepancy in diagnosing Schizoaffective Disorder is related primarily to the presence of mood symptoms and discrepancies about whether those symptoms are more consistent with Schizoaffective Disorder or a mood disorder diagnosis. Continuing to identify ways to more accurately capture this symptom picture will be important in the future as well as systematic efforts to educate clinicians about differential diagnosis.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Major depressive disorder may remain underdiagnosed as it can be hidden behind somatic complaints... more Major depressive disorder may remain underdiagnosed as it can be hidden behind somatic complaints or behavioral problems such as impulsivity, making other symptoms difficult to be recognized. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of depression in a sample of patients first-time diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder that do not refer symptoms related to depression and to compare anxiety symptoms profile and impulsivity features between depressed and non-depressed patients. A total of 86 patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were recruited from the outpatient psychiatric services of the General Hospital of Comalcalco, Tabasco. Anxiety symptom severity and impulsivity were assessed with previously validated instruments. Depression was rated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the sample was categorized in depressed and non-depressed patients. More than half of the patients (54.7%) were identified as clinically depressed. These patients reported more severe anxiety symptomatology and more impulsivity than non-depressed patients; depressed patients also reported more somatic symptoms (e.g., gastrointestinal and hypochondriasis) which patients might identify as anxiety symptoms. In Latin-America, it is very common to use somatic symptoms as idioms of expression of emotional distress. Therefore, in patients with GAD with high levels of somatic complaints and impulsivity, depression should be evaluated. Keywords Comorbidity. Somatic symptoms. Generalized anxiety disorder. Major depression. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Nowadays, mental disorders are considered complex networks of interacting symptoms that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought, feelings, and behavior. Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders with estimates of current prevalence ranged between 0.9 and 28.3%. They can occur at any age and person regardless gender, ethnicity,
Objective: To describe self-reported experiences of gender incongruence related to discomfort and... more Objective: To describe self-reported experiences of gender incongruence related to discomfort and body changes to be more congruent to the desired gender, and to examine whether experiences of psychological distress related to gender identity were more strongly related to the experience of gender incongruence per se or to experiences of social rejection. Methods: This field study used a structured interview design in a purposive sample of transgender adults (aged 418 years or older) receiving health-care services in two main reference centers in Brazil. Results: A high proportion of participants (90.3%, n=93) reported experiencing psychological distress related to their gender identity and report having experienced social rejection related to their gender identity during the interview index period and that rejection by friends was the only significant predictor for psychological distress. Conclusions: Gender incongruence variables were not significant predictors of distress. This result supports the recent changes proposed by the Word Health Organization in ICD-11 to move transgender conditions from the Mental and Behavioral Disorders chapter to a new chapter on Sexual Disorders and Conditions Related to Sexual Health.
The development of the ICD-11 CDDG over the past decade, based on the principles of clinical util... more The development of the ICD-11 CDDG over the past decade, based on the principles of clinical utility and global applicability, has been the most broadly international, multilingual, multidisciplinary and participative revision process ever implemented for a classification of mental disorders. Innovations in the ICD-11 include the provision of consistent and systematically characterized information, the adoption of a lifespan approach, and culture-related guidance for each disorder. Dimensional approaches have been incorporated into the classification, particularly for personality disorders and primary psychotic disorders, in ways that are consistent with current evidence, are more compatible with recovery-based approaches, eliminate artificial comorbidity, and more effectively capture changes over time. Here we describe major changes to the structure of the ICD-11 classification of mental disorders as compared to the ICD-10, and the development of two new ICD-11 chapters relevant to mental health practice. We illustrate a set of new categories that have been added to the ICD-11 and present the rationale for their inclusion. Finally, we provide a description of the important changes that have been made in each ICD-11 disorder grouping. This information is intended to be useful for both clinicians and researchers in orienting themselves to the ICD-11 and in preparing for implementation in their own professional contexts.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
: Collaborative teamwork in global mental health presents unique challenges, including the format... more : Collaborative teamwork in global mental health presents unique challenges, including the formation and management of international teams composed of multicultural and multilingual professionals with different backgrounds in terms of their training, scientific expertise, and life experience. The purpose of the study was to analyze the performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) Field Studies Coordination Group (FSCG) using an input-processes-output (IPO) team science model to better understand the team's challenges, limitations, and successes in developing the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). : We thematically analyzed a collection of written texts, including FSCG documents and open-ended qualitative questionnaires, according to the conceptualization of the input-processes-output model of team performance. : The FSCG leadership and its members experienced and overcame numerous barriers to become an effective international team and to successfully achieve the goals set forth by WHO. : Research is necessary regarding global mental health collaboration to understand and facilitate international collaborations with the goal of contributing to a deeper understanding of mental health and to reduce the global burden of mental disorders around the world.
International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology
Background/Objective: The World Health Organization's diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 me... more Background/Objective: The World Health Organization's diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 mental and behavioural disorders must be tested in clinical settings around the world to ensure that they are clinically useful and genuinely global. The objective is evaluate the inter-rater reliability and clinical utility of ICD-11 guidelines for psychotic, mood, anxiety-and stress-related disorders in Mexican patients. Method: Adult volunteers exhibiting the selected symptoms were referred from the pre-consultation unit of a public psychiatric hospital to an interview by a pair of clinicians, who subsequently assigned independent diagnoses and evaluated the clinical utility of the diagnostic guidelines as applied to each particular case, on the basis of a scale developed for this purpose. Results: 23 clinicians evaluated 153 patients. Kappa scores were strong for psychotic disorders (.83), moderate for stress-related (.77) and mood disorders (.60) and week for anxiety and fear-related disorders (.43). A high proportion of clinicians considered all diagnostic guidelines to be quite to extremely useful as applied to their patients. Conclusions: ICD-11 guidelines for psychotic, stress-related and mood disorders allow adequate inter-rater consistency among Mexican clinicians, who also considered them as clinical useful tools.
For the forthcoming ICD-11, the ICD-10 category of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood has been... more For the forthcoming ICD-11, the ICD-10 category of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood has been reformulated as Gender Incongruence of Childhood (GIC) and moved out of the mental disorders chapter. Proponents of eliminating the GIC diagnosis altogether claim that it is unnecessary and inherently harmful, although they do not eschew the diagnosis for adolescents and adults. Using a qualitative methodology, this study examined the impact of receiving a diagnosis related to gender identity as a child among transgender people who had had this experience, and evaluated participants' views of the acceptability and usefulness of the ICD-11 GIC proposal. Participants receiving health services at a specialized public clinic for transgender health in Mexico City who had received some form of diagnosis in childhood were referred to participate in a semistructured interview. A sample of 12 transgender people (eight transgender women and four transgender men; ages 18-49) was necessary to reach saturation. Diagnoses received were non-specific rather than formal gender identity diagnoses, were experienced by participants as negative, and were used to justify potentially harmful interventions. However, when participants reviewed the ICD-11 proposals for GIC, all indicated that the category was necessary and important and could have a range of personal, familial, and social benefits. They agreed with its placement in a new chapter on Conditions Related to Sexual Health and endorsed the proposed definition and name of the category. Although this study involved a small and specific sample, the results raise questions about the claim that the diagnosis is inherently harmful and universally deplored by transgender people.
A new diagnosis of anxious depression (AD), characterized by both depressive and anxious symptoms... more A new diagnosis of anxious depression (AD), characterized by both depressive and anxious symptoms at case level, has been proposed for the classification of mental disorders for primary care for ICD-11 (ICD-11 PHC). The ICD-11 PHC proposes a duration requirement for anxiety symptoms of 2 weeks, in line with the requirement for depressive symptoms. This study examined diagnostic assignment under ICD-11 PHC as compared to the previous classification, the ICD-10 PHC, and the relationship of anxiety duration to disability and suicidal ideation. Primary care physicians in five countries referred patients based on either perceived psychological distress or distressing somatic symptoms to a research assistant who administered a computer-guided diagnostic interview. Complete data were obtained for 2279 participants. Under ICD-11 PHC 47.7% participants received a diagnosis of AD and had greater disability than other diagnostic groups. Under ICD-10 PHC, in addition to meeting requirements for...
Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2018
The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identit... more The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identity has generated controversy. Growing evidence suggests that the distress and dysfunction reported by transgender individuals is more likely associated with social exclusion, stigmatization, and violence than as a result of gender incongruence per se. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of South African transgender individuals through: 1) their self-reported accounts of gender incongruence, and 2) associations between their experiences of social exclusion and violence, and their reports of psychological distress and dysfunction during adolescence. Our sample of 57 South African transgender adults completed a structured interview, in English, including questions related to experiences of gender incongruence duration, distress, dysfunction, social exclusion, and violence. Many transgender individuals reported having experienced an intense desire to be a different gender, with all not...
A study conducted as part of the development of the Eleventh International Classification of Ment... more A study conducted as part of the development of the Eleventh International Classification of Mental Disorders for Primary Health Care (ICD-11 PHC) provided an opportunity to test the relationships among depressive, anxious and somatic symptoms in PHC. Primary care physicians participating in the ICD-11 PHC field studies in five countries selected patients who presented with somatic symptoms not explained by known physical pathology by applying a 29-item screening on somatic complaints that were under study for bodily stress disorder. Patients were interviewed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and assessed using two five-item scales that measure depressive and anxious symptoms. Structural models of anxious-depressive symptoms and somatic complaints were tested using a bi-factor approach. A total of 797 patients completed the study procedures. Two bi-factor models fit the data well: Model 1 had all symptoms loaded on a general factor, along with one of three specific depre...
Objective: The mental health problems and perceived needs of healthcare workers involved with cor... more Objective: The mental health problems and perceived needs of healthcare workers involved with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may vary due to individual and contextual characteristics. The objective of this study was to evaluate healthcare workers' mental health problems during the common COVID-19 exposure scenario in Mexico, comparing those on the frontline with other healthcare workers according to gender and profession, determining the main risk factors for the most frequent mental health problems. Methods: A cross-sectional online study was conducted with a non-probabilistic sample of 5,938 Mexican healthcare workers who completed brief screening measures of mental health problems and ad hoc questions about sociodemographic professional characteristics, conditions related to increased risk of COVID-19 infection, life stressors during the COVID-19 emergency, and perceived need to cope with COVID-19. Results: The identified mental health problems were insomnia, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all of which were more frequent in frontline healthcare workers (52.1, 37.7, and 37.5%, respectively) and women (47.1, 33.0 %, and 16.3%, respectively). A lack of rest time was the main risk factor for insomnia (OR = 3.1, 95%CI 2.6-3.7, p p 0.0001). Mourning the death of friends or loved ones due to COVID-19 was the main risk factor for depression (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.8-2.7, p p 0.0001), and personal COVID-19 status was the main risk factor for PTSD (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.7-2.9, p p 0.0001). The most frequent mental health problems during the common exposure scenario for COVID-19 in Mexico included the short-term psychological consequences of intense adversity. A comprehensive strategy for preventing mental health problems should focus on individuals with cumulative vulnerability and specific risk factors.
IntroductionPrEP awareness in Latin America has been poorly characterized, with studies in Brazil... more IntroductionPrEP awareness in Latin America has been poorly characterized, with studies in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru highlighting low awareness. We assessed the association between higher risk of HIV infection, indicative of PrEP eligibility, and PrEP awareness among men who have sex with men (MSM) from these countries. MethodsMSM were recruited to complete an online survey via advertisements on Facebook, Grindr, and Hornet from March-June 2018. Eligible individuals were cisgender MSM, ≥18 years old, HIV negative or of unknown status, lived in these countries, and provided informed consent. Higher risk was defined using a CDC score indicating an increased risk of HIV infection and the suggested cutpoint of 10. We used Poisson regression models to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) testing the association between higher risk and PrEP awareness; socio-demographics and other risk variables were considered potential confounders. Separate models were conducted for Brazil, Mexico, ...
Introduction. Informal Primary Caregivers (IPC) of people with borderline personality disorder (B... more Introduction. Informal Primary Caregivers (IPC) of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience a significant burden, making it important to determine their specific needs. Objectives. Cross-sectional study aimed at adapting and establishing the reliability of the Questionnaire on the Needs of Family Members of People with Severe Mental Disorders to identify felt and unfelt needs that may or may not have been met in IPCs of patients with BPD and suggest intervention strategies to effectively address them. Method. The adapted version of the instrument was completed by 80 IPCs of patients with confirmed BPD diagnosis. Results. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for different groups of needs evaluated through the instrument were: Knowledge/information = .77, Instrumental support = . 78, Participation = .63, and Personal support = .74; and for the total score = .86. The most important unmet felt needs were: 1. having information on interventions for patients and caregivers, l...
A major goal for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health ... more A major goal for the revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, is to increase the clinical utility of the diagnostic system. Schizoaffective Disorder has a history of poor diagnostic reliability due to the similarities and overlap in symptoms that it shares with other disorders, especially primary psychotic and mood disorders. The present study was part of the case-controlled field trials for ICD-11 and examines how the proposed changes for Schizoaffective Disorder may improve differential diagnosis and diagnostic accuracy. Clinicians from around the globe (n = 873) were provided with either ICD-10 or ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines and asked to apply them to case vignettes comparing Schizoaffective Disorder to Schizophrenia and mood disorders with psychotic symptoms. Participants were asked to respond to follow-up diagnostic questions to determine which components of the diagnostic guidelines affected diagnostic accuracy. Overall, clinicians showed small improvements in accurately diagnosing vignettes using ICD-11 over ICD-10. Results suggest the discrepancy in diagnosing Schizoaffective Disorder is related primarily to the presence of mood symptoms and discrepancies about whether those symptoms are more consistent with Schizoaffective Disorder or a mood disorder diagnosis. Continuing to identify ways to more accurately capture this symptom picture will be important in the future as well as systematic efforts to educate clinicians about differential diagnosis.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Major depressive disorder may remain underdiagnosed as it can be hidden behind somatic complaints... more Major depressive disorder may remain underdiagnosed as it can be hidden behind somatic complaints or behavioral problems such as impulsivity, making other symptoms difficult to be recognized. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of depression in a sample of patients first-time diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder that do not refer symptoms related to depression and to compare anxiety symptoms profile and impulsivity features between depressed and non-depressed patients. A total of 86 patients with DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were recruited from the outpatient psychiatric services of the General Hospital of Comalcalco, Tabasco. Anxiety symptom severity and impulsivity were assessed with previously validated instruments. Depression was rated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the sample was categorized in depressed and non-depressed patients. More than half of the patients (54.7%) were identified as clinically depressed. These patients reported more severe anxiety symptomatology and more impulsivity than non-depressed patients; depressed patients also reported more somatic symptoms (e.g., gastrointestinal and hypochondriasis) which patients might identify as anxiety symptoms. In Latin-America, it is very common to use somatic symptoms as idioms of expression of emotional distress. Therefore, in patients with GAD with high levels of somatic complaints and impulsivity, depression should be evaluated. Keywords Comorbidity. Somatic symptoms. Generalized anxiety disorder. Major depression. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Nowadays, mental disorders are considered complex networks of interacting symptoms that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought, feelings, and behavior. Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders with estimates of current prevalence ranged between 0.9 and 28.3%. They can occur at any age and person regardless gender, ethnicity,
Objective: To describe self-reported experiences of gender incongruence related to discomfort and... more Objective: To describe self-reported experiences of gender incongruence related to discomfort and body changes to be more congruent to the desired gender, and to examine whether experiences of psychological distress related to gender identity were more strongly related to the experience of gender incongruence per se or to experiences of social rejection. Methods: This field study used a structured interview design in a purposive sample of transgender adults (aged 418 years or older) receiving health-care services in two main reference centers in Brazil. Results: A high proportion of participants (90.3%, n=93) reported experiencing psychological distress related to their gender identity and report having experienced social rejection related to their gender identity during the interview index period and that rejection by friends was the only significant predictor for psychological distress. Conclusions: Gender incongruence variables were not significant predictors of distress. This result supports the recent changes proposed by the Word Health Organization in ICD-11 to move transgender conditions from the Mental and Behavioral Disorders chapter to a new chapter on Sexual Disorders and Conditions Related to Sexual Health.
The development of the ICD-11 CDDG over the past decade, based on the principles of clinical util... more The development of the ICD-11 CDDG over the past decade, based on the principles of clinical utility and global applicability, has been the most broadly international, multilingual, multidisciplinary and participative revision process ever implemented for a classification of mental disorders. Innovations in the ICD-11 include the provision of consistent and systematically characterized information, the adoption of a lifespan approach, and culture-related guidance for each disorder. Dimensional approaches have been incorporated into the classification, particularly for personality disorders and primary psychotic disorders, in ways that are consistent with current evidence, are more compatible with recovery-based approaches, eliminate artificial comorbidity, and more effectively capture changes over time. Here we describe major changes to the structure of the ICD-11 classification of mental disorders as compared to the ICD-10, and the development of two new ICD-11 chapters relevant to mental health practice. We illustrate a set of new categories that have been added to the ICD-11 and present the rationale for their inclusion. Finally, we provide a description of the important changes that have been made in each ICD-11 disorder grouping. This information is intended to be useful for both clinicians and researchers in orienting themselves to the ICD-11 and in preparing for implementation in their own professional contexts.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
: Collaborative teamwork in global mental health presents unique challenges, including the format... more : Collaborative teamwork in global mental health presents unique challenges, including the formation and management of international teams composed of multicultural and multilingual professionals with different backgrounds in terms of their training, scientific expertise, and life experience. The purpose of the study was to analyze the performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) Field Studies Coordination Group (FSCG) using an input-processes-output (IPO) team science model to better understand the team's challenges, limitations, and successes in developing the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). : We thematically analyzed a collection of written texts, including FSCG documents and open-ended qualitative questionnaires, according to the conceptualization of the input-processes-output model of team performance. : The FSCG leadership and its members experienced and overcame numerous barriers to become an effective international team and to successfully achieve the goals set forth by WHO. : Research is necessary regarding global mental health collaboration to understand and facilitate international collaborations with the goal of contributing to a deeper understanding of mental health and to reduce the global burden of mental disorders around the world.
International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology
Background/Objective: The World Health Organization's diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 me... more Background/Objective: The World Health Organization's diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 mental and behavioural disorders must be tested in clinical settings around the world to ensure that they are clinically useful and genuinely global. The objective is evaluate the inter-rater reliability and clinical utility of ICD-11 guidelines for psychotic, mood, anxiety-and stress-related disorders in Mexican patients. Method: Adult volunteers exhibiting the selected symptoms were referred from the pre-consultation unit of a public psychiatric hospital to an interview by a pair of clinicians, who subsequently assigned independent diagnoses and evaluated the clinical utility of the diagnostic guidelines as applied to each particular case, on the basis of a scale developed for this purpose. Results: 23 clinicians evaluated 153 patients. Kappa scores were strong for psychotic disorders (.83), moderate for stress-related (.77) and mood disorders (.60) and week for anxiety and fear-related disorders (.43). A high proportion of clinicians considered all diagnostic guidelines to be quite to extremely useful as applied to their patients. Conclusions: ICD-11 guidelines for psychotic, stress-related and mood disorders allow adequate inter-rater consistency among Mexican clinicians, who also considered them as clinical useful tools.
For the forthcoming ICD-11, the ICD-10 category of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood has been... more For the forthcoming ICD-11, the ICD-10 category of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood has been reformulated as Gender Incongruence of Childhood (GIC) and moved out of the mental disorders chapter. Proponents of eliminating the GIC diagnosis altogether claim that it is unnecessary and inherently harmful, although they do not eschew the diagnosis for adolescents and adults. Using a qualitative methodology, this study examined the impact of receiving a diagnosis related to gender identity as a child among transgender people who had had this experience, and evaluated participants' views of the acceptability and usefulness of the ICD-11 GIC proposal. Participants receiving health services at a specialized public clinic for transgender health in Mexico City who had received some form of diagnosis in childhood were referred to participate in a semistructured interview. A sample of 12 transgender people (eight transgender women and four transgender men; ages 18-49) was necessary to reach saturation. Diagnoses received were non-specific rather than formal gender identity diagnoses, were experienced by participants as negative, and were used to justify potentially harmful interventions. However, when participants reviewed the ICD-11 proposals for GIC, all indicated that the category was necessary and important and could have a range of personal, familial, and social benefits. They agreed with its placement in a new chapter on Conditions Related to Sexual Health and endorsed the proposed definition and name of the category. Although this study involved a small and specific sample, the results raise questions about the claim that the diagnosis is inherently harmful and universally deplored by transgender people.
A new diagnosis of anxious depression (AD), characterized by both depressive and anxious symptoms... more A new diagnosis of anxious depression (AD), characterized by both depressive and anxious symptoms at case level, has been proposed for the classification of mental disorders for primary care for ICD-11 (ICD-11 PHC). The ICD-11 PHC proposes a duration requirement for anxiety symptoms of 2 weeks, in line with the requirement for depressive symptoms. This study examined diagnostic assignment under ICD-11 PHC as compared to the previous classification, the ICD-10 PHC, and the relationship of anxiety duration to disability and suicidal ideation. Primary care physicians in five countries referred patients based on either perceived psychological distress or distressing somatic symptoms to a research assistant who administered a computer-guided diagnostic interview. Complete data were obtained for 2279 participants. Under ICD-11 PHC 47.7% participants received a diagnosis of AD and had greater disability than other diagnostic groups. Under ICD-10 PHC, in addition to meeting requirements for...
Annals of clinical psychiatry : official journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists, 2018
The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identit... more The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identity has generated controversy. Growing evidence suggests that the distress and dysfunction reported by transgender individuals is more likely associated with social exclusion, stigmatization, and violence than as a result of gender incongruence per se. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of South African transgender individuals through: 1) their self-reported accounts of gender incongruence, and 2) associations between their experiences of social exclusion and violence, and their reports of psychological distress and dysfunction during adolescence. Our sample of 57 South African transgender adults completed a structured interview, in English, including questions related to experiences of gender incongruence duration, distress, dysfunction, social exclusion, and violence. Many transgender individuals reported having experienced an intense desire to be a different gender, with all not...
A study conducted as part of the development of the Eleventh International Classification of Ment... more A study conducted as part of the development of the Eleventh International Classification of Mental Disorders for Primary Health Care (ICD-11 PHC) provided an opportunity to test the relationships among depressive, anxious and somatic symptoms in PHC. Primary care physicians participating in the ICD-11 PHC field studies in five countries selected patients who presented with somatic symptoms not explained by known physical pathology by applying a 29-item screening on somatic complaints that were under study for bodily stress disorder. Patients were interviewed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and assessed using two five-item scales that measure depressive and anxious symptoms. Structural models of anxious-depressive symptoms and somatic complaints were tested using a bi-factor approach. A total of 797 patients completed the study procedures. Two bi-factor models fit the data well: Model 1 had all symptoms loaded on a general factor, along with one of three specific depre...
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Papers by Rebeca Robles