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Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often exhibit impulsive and aggressive behavior. The hippocampus and amygdala form part of the limbic system, which plays a central role in controlling such expressions of emotional reactivity. There are mixed results in the literature regarding whether patients with BPD have smaller hippocampal and amygdalar volume relative to healthy controls. To clarify the precise nature of these mixed results, we performed a meta-analysis to aggregate data on the size of the hippocampus and amygdala in patients with BPD. Seven publications involving six studies and a total of 104 patients with BPD and 122 healthy controls were included. A significantly smaller volume was found in both the right and left hippocampi and amygdala of patients with BPD compared to healthy controls. These findings raise the possibility that reduced hippocampal and amygdalar volumes are biological substrates of some symptoms of BPD.

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Palavras-chavesTranstornos mentais, estudantes de medicina, saúde mental, aprendizagem. RESUMOObjetivo: Transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) possuem alto impacto nos relacionamentos interpessoais e na qualidade de vida, sendo potenciais substratos para o desenvolvimento de transtornos mais graves. Estudantes de medicina vêm sendo apresentados como população de risco para o desenvolvimento de TMC. O objetivo deste estudo é estimar a freqüência de TMC em acadêmicos de medicina da Universidade Federal da Bahia e identificar fatores relacionados. Métodos: Realizou-se estudo transversal entre uma amostra de estudantes de medicina. A identificação dos TMC foi feita por meio do 20-item Self-Report Questionnaire. Resultados: Foram avaliados 223 estudantes. A prevalência de TMC foi de 29,6%, sendo independentemente associada a alterações do padrão do sono, não possuir transporte próprio, não trabalhar e não realizar exercício físico. Conclusões: Estes dados demonstram uma elevada prevalência de TMC na amostra pesquisada e são importantes para subsidiar ações de prevenção de transtornos mentais entre futuros médicos e reflexões sobre o modelo curricular vigente nas escolas médicas. ABSTRACT Objective: Common mental disorders (CMD) have a high impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life and are potential underlying causes for the development of more serious disorders. Medical students have been indicated as a risk population for the development of CMD. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CMD in undergraduate medical

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The psychological component is considered to be fundamental in the management of HIV/AIDS patients. Psychoeducation should be conducted at the initial evaluation to reduce negative beliefs regarding antiretroviral therapy Assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms should be done throughout therapy as both psycological conditions are associated with patient adherence, success of treatment, and ultimately with patients' quality of life.

-Objective: To evaluate the frequency of anxiety and depression disorders in patients with chronic pain. Method: Patients receiving care at the pain clinic of the Federal University of Bahia between February 2003 and November 2006. The MINI PLUS -Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to evaluate the patients and establish psychiatric diagnoses. Results: 400 patients were evaluated mean age was 45.6±11.37 years; 82.8% were female, 17.3% male; 48.5% were married; 55.1% were Catholics; and 40.5% had only high school education. Of these 29.9% reported intense pain and 70.8% reported suffering pain daily. The most frequent medical diagnosis was herniated disc (24.5%), and 48.5% of patients had been undergoing treatment at the pain clinic for less than 3 months. Comorbidities found were depressive episodes (42%), dysthymia (54%), social phobia (36.5%), agoraphobia (8.5%) and panic disorder (7.3%). Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidities are prevalent in patients suffering chronic pain. Pain has been one of the major concerns of human beings since the beginning of humanity; however, the interpretation of pain varies from one culture to another 1 . Chronic pain is defined in the literature as pain that persists beyond the time required to cure the lesion; pain that is continuous and recurrent. It is generally characterized as vague, ill-defined and aggravated by environmental or psychopathological stress factors 2 .Chronic pain plays a significant role in incapacitating the individual, making it impossible for him/her to perform the physical or mental activities previously carried out normally. As a result, changes develop in the individual's quality of life in general and disorders and symptoms of anxiety and depression become evident 3 . Studies have shown that patients with chronic diseases and women have a much higher risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities compared to the general population 4 .Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of disorders of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic pain.

This study provides preliminary evidence that TBTR is at least as efficacious as CCT in reducing symptoms of SAD, pointing to the need for additional studies of TBTR in SAD and other psychiatric disorders.