Background: Common mental disorders are highly prevalent and disabling, leading to substantial individual and societal costs. This study aims to characterize the association between disability and common mental disorders in Portugal, using epidemiological data from the World Mental Health Survey Initiative.Methods: Twelve-month common mental disorders were assessed with the CIDI 3.0. Disability was evaluated with the modified WMHS WHODAS-II. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between disability and each disorder or diagnostic category (mood or anxiety disorders).Results: Among people with a common mental disorder, 14.6% reported disability. The specific diagnoses significantly associated with disability were post-traumatic stress disorder (OR: 6.69; 95% CI: 3.20, 14.01), major depressive disorder (OR: 3.49; 95% CI: 2.13, 5.72), bipolar disorder (OR: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.04, 11.12) and generalized anxiety disorder (OR: 3.14; 95% CI: 1.43, 6.90). Both categories of anxiety and mood disorders were significantly associated with disability (OR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.86 and OR: 3.94; 95% CI: 2.45, 6.34 respectively).Conclusions: The results of this study add to the current knowledge in this area by assessing the disability associated with common mental disorders using a multi-dimensional instrument, which may contribute to mental health policy efforts in the development of interventions to reduce the burden of disability associated with common mental disorders.

Introduction: The nucleus accumbens (Acc) is a basal forebrain structure integrated in the dopaminergic cerebral rewarding circuits and implicated in some neuropsychiatric disorders. It has become a target for deep brain stimulation for some of these disorders when refractory to medical treatment. However, it is controversial as to which target is the best and similar results have been achieved with the stimulation of neighboring structures such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Previous studies have established the stereotactic anatomy of the human Acc, but some difficulties remain concerning its precise posterior limit, which is assumed to be at the level of the anterior commissure (AC). It is our purpose to clarify the anatomy of this zone, given the importance of its exact identification in psychosurgery. Methods: A total of 16 Acc were collected by autopsy, fixed, dissected, embedded and cut in coronal 5-µm slices. The slices were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, marked with anti-D1 and anti-D2 antibodies and analyzed under a microscope. Results: The human Acc has the same cellular structure as the dorsal striatum, except in its posterior subcommissural part where voluminous neurons prevail, similar to and contiguous with the BNST. Conclusions: The Acc is longer than previously described, with a sub- and postcommissural extension behind the AC, continuous with the BNST.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterised by positive and negative symptoms. Negative symptoms are difficult to treat and there is no specific treatment. In small trials, modafinil has been studied in association with antipsychotic treatment. We present three cases of its use; two have developed positive symptoms and one developed renal impairment. Further studies are needed to assess its usefulness in schizophrenia and safety in this group of patients.

There is a growing body of evidence that exposure to multiple air pollutants may cause dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS)