Sildenafil is a safe and effective treatment for ED in men with New York Heart Association classes II and III CHF and provides relief of depressive symptoms, explaining an improvement in the perception of quality of life.

This study tested the efficacy of a nurse-administered 8-week group treatment program for adults with asthma suffering from coexisting panic disorder. The program consisted of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for panic disorder combined with asthma education (AE). Forty-eight women with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma and panic disorder were randomly allocated to a treatment condition (n=25) and a wait-list control condition (n=23). Twenty-five participants--15 in the treatment group and 10 in the wait-list control group--completed treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA procedures were used to compare the groups on panic and asthma outcomes at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up. The results demonstrate that the CBT-AE program is capable of producing substantial and durable antipanic and antianxiety treatment effects and led to substantial but nonsustained improvement in morning peak-flow expiratory rate and asthma-related quality of life. Implications of these findings for this clinical population are addressed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a strategy designed to permit early detection of anxiety disorders in adolescent asthmatics. Adolescents with asthma (N = 53) were screened for anxiety disorders using the Trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children [STAI-C (Trait)] and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Adolescents and their parents were individually evaluated by a nurse trained in the administration of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-IV: Parent and Child Versions (ADIS-IV: P&C). Of the participants, 21 (40%) met the diagnostic criteria for one or more anxiety disorders. The STAI-C (Trait) was more effective than the MASC in screening adolescents for risk of coexisting anxiety disorders. Nurses trained to administer the ADIS-IV: P&C diagnosed anxiety disorders with a high degree of accuracy. These results have important implications for resolving the problem of unrecognized and untreated anxiety disorders in the adolescent asthmatic population.

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III: Major Depressive Episode Section (SCID) as nursing assessment tools to detect depression in medically ill patients were evaluated by comparing depression ratings obtained by a nurse using these tools with depression ratings obtained by a therapist using an unstructured diagnostic interview. The subjects were 52 myocardial infarction patients assessed at hospital discharge and 8 weeks later. The findings suggest that, while the BDI serves as an indicator of depression, the SCID is the optimal method for assessing depression in patients with medical illness.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a strategy designed to permit early detection of anxiety disorders in asthmatics. Ninety-one adult asthmatics were screened for anxiety disorders using the Sheehan Patient Rated Anxiety Scale (SPRAS) and the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and then individually evaluated by a nurse trained in the administration of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-IV (ADIS-IV. Thirty-five (38%) of the participants met the diagnostic criteria for one or more anxiety disorders. Comparison of the SPRAS and ASI findings revealed that the SPRAS was more effective in detecting asthmatics likely to be suffering from coexisting anxiety disorders. Comparison of the nurses diagnostic formulations with those of an expert revealed that trained nurses using the ADIS-IV can diagnose anxiety disorders in the asthmatic population with a high degree of accuracy. These results have implications for resolving the problem of unrecognized and untreated anxiety disorders in the asthmatic population.