bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doctor-dependent changes in complaint-related cognitions and anxiety during medical consultations in functional abdominal complaints
Authors: Van Dulmen A. M. , Fennis J. F. M. , Mokkink H. G. A. , Van Der Velden H. G. M. , Bleijenberg G.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

This study explored the changes in complaint-related cognitions and anxiety of 110 consecutive out-patients with functional abdominal complaints (irritable bowel syndrome), during a series of consultations. Patients' anxiety, fear of cancer, somatic attribution concerning intestines or stomach and catastrophizing cognitions appeared to diminish significantly during the consulting period. Positive changes in patients' psychological attribution and somatic attribution appeared to be related to doctors' correct perceptions of these attributions. Catastrophizing cognitions diminished significantly more when patients saw the same doctor throughout the consultations. As changes in attributions and catastrophizing cognitions appeared to be related to doctor–patient interaction, it is conceivable that doctors could learn to influence cognitions even more.
Gender and depression in Anglo-Jewry
Authors: Loewenthal K. , Goldblatt V. , Gorton T. , Lubitsch G. , Bicknell H. , Fellowes D. , Sowden A.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

This study found similar prevalence of case depression among men as among women in a sample of 339 Jews affiliated to orthodox synagogues (157 men and 182 women). There were significant gender differences in several social–situational factors and symptoms, mostly in the direction that would suggest that case depression would be higher among women than among men. That this was not so is suggested to be the result of the culturalmilieu: social factors that have been found to be associated with depression in other groups of people did not function as risk or vulnerability factors among the Jews studied. In particular, the evidence indicates the importance of specific cultural–religious values in contributing towards the prevalences that were observed. These values included the esteem attached to women's central role in family management and the low use of alcohol and suicide as escape routes from depression.
Parasuicide in the first postnatal year
Authors: Appleby Louis , Turnbull Gill
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Data were collected on a consecutive 6 month sample of women aged 15–44 years attending their catchment area Casualty Department because of parasuicide. Information included age and childbirth within the previous year. Using this information and catchment area data on population size and births, an odds ratio for parasuicide in postnatal as compared to nonpostnatal women was calculated. Five of 131 study subjects had delivered a baby in the previous 12 months. The odds ratio was calculated to be 0·43 (95% confidence interval 0·17–0·95). These findings suggest that the rate of parasuicide in the first postnatal year is low despite the high rate of psychiatric morbidity at this time. The result supports previous findings on suicide and suggests that postnatal women, despite their high rates of psychiatric disorder, are protected against fatal and non-fatal self harm. The implications for postnatal and suicide prevention services are discussed.
Laterality of visuo-spatial attention in acute and chronic schizophrenia, major depression and in healthy controls
Authors: O'Carroll R. E. , Rogers A. , Lawrie S. M. , Murray C. , Van Beck M. , Ebmeier K. P. , Walker M. , Blackwood D. , Johnstone E. C. , Goodwin G. M.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Previous studies have suggested that schizophrenia is characterized by an asymmetry of visuo-spatial attention, in particular that acute unmedicated schizophrenics demonstrate relative inattention to right hemispace, whereas chronically medicated patients demonstrate the opposite pattern. In the present study, 30 unmedicated schizophrenic patients, 32 chronically medicated schizophrenic patients, 30 patients suffering from major depression and 60 healthy controls were assessed using two measures of hemispatial attentional neglect, namely letter and star cancellation. The results demonstrated that the chronic schizophrenic group made more total omissions for star cancellation (in both right and left hemispace), but that there was no difference between the groups in terms of omission asymmetry for either letter or star cancellation.
Facial and other non-verbal communicative behaviour in chronic schizophrenia
Authors: Davison P. S. , Frith C. D. , Harrison-Read P. E. , Johnstone E. C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Facial behaviour may be an important determinant in clinical ratings of psychopathology. A standardized objective technique was used to quantify measures of facial behaviour in 21 chronic schizophrenic subjects, in comparison with control groups of depressed, demented and Parkinsonian subjects. Facial behaviours were counted and timed from video-recordings of each subjects' face during a clinical interview. Separate measurement of behaviours were obtained while subjects were speaking and silent. For most variables, the amount of facial behaviour was significantly less in schizophrenic subjects than in control groups. The groups differed significantly on a number of measures, but schizophrenics could not be reliably identified by a single facial behaviour variable. However, using a discriminant function analysis with measures for eye contact while speaking and silent, broad smiles and small smiles, discrimination between groups was good, with over 80% correctly classified as either schizophrenic, or not schizophrenic. These techniques may increase our understanding of psychopathological signs and the mechanisms that underly them.
Normal ageing, impaired cognitive functioning and senile dementia – a mixture distribution analysis
Authors: Reischies F. M. , Schaub R. T. , Schlattmann P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Dementia scores in the population of very old subjects (70 to > 95) do not demonstrate an obviously bimodal distribution. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the assumption of two distributions explains the data significantly better than a one-distribution model. The first distribution component can be regarded as representing the normal range of scores and the second the pathological range. An additional finding shows the normal range distribution shifting to the pathological range with increasing age.
The classification of bulimic eating disorders: a community-based cluster analysis study
Authors: Hay P. J. , Fairburn C. G. , Doll H. A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

There is controversy over how best to classify eating disorders in which there is recurrent binge eating. Many patients with recurrent binge eating do not meet diagnostic criteria for either of the two established eating disorders, anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. The present study was designed to derive an empirically based, and clinically meaningful, diagnostic scheme by identifying subgroups from among those with recurrent binge eating, testing the validity of these subgroups and comparing their predictive validity with that of the DSM-IV scheme.

A general population sample of 250 young women with recurrent binge eating was recruited using a two-stage design. Four subgroups among the sample were identified using a Ward's cluster analysis. The first subgroup had either objective or subjective bulimic episodes and vomiting or laxative misuse; the second had objective bulimic episodes and low levels of vomiting or laxative misuse; the third had subjective bulimic episodes and low levels of vomiting or laxative misuse; and the fourth was heterogeneous in character. This cluster solution was robust to replication. It had good descriptive and predictive validity and partial construct validity.

The results support the concept of bulimia nervosa and its division into purging and non-purging subtypes. They also suggest a possible new binge eating syndrome. Binge eating disorder, listed as an example of Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified within DSM-IV, did not emerge from the cluster analysis.
Screening for psychiatric disorders in an area affected by the Chernobyl disaster: the reliability and validity of three psychiatric screening questionnaires in Belarus
Authors: Havenaar J. M. , Poelijoe N. W. , Kasyanenko A. P. , Van Den Bout J. , Koeter M. W. J. , Filipenko V. V.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The reliability and criterion validity of Russian versions of three psychiatric screening questionnaires (the General Health Questionnaire, 12-item version; the Goldberg scales for anxiety and depression; and, the Bradford Somatic Inventory) were assessed in the Gomel region (Belarus), one of the most severely contaminated areas that resulted from the nuclear power plant explosion at Chernobyl in 1986. All instruments were found to have good internal reliability indices. Retest reliability of the GHQ, not tested for in the other instruments, was modest. Criterion validity, using a semi-structured interview on the basis of the Munich Diagnostic Checklist for DSM-III-R as external criterion, was good for the Goldberg scales, but modest for the two other instruments.
Eye-tracking dysfunction in the affective psychoses and schizophrenia
Authors: Muir Walter J. , St Clair David M. , Blackwood Douglas H. R. , Roxburgh Hilary M. , Marshall Ian
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Smooth pursuit eye movements to a sinusoidally moving target were recorded using the electro-oculogram in 49 subjects with bipolar disorder, 19 with major depressive disorder and 61 with definite schizophrenia, and compared with 145 normal controls. The signals were analysed in the frequency domain to yield a signal to noise ratio that is known to relate to accuracy of smooth pursuit. Smooth pursuit was found to be significantly poorer in schizophrenics than in bipolars, major depressed or controls. Eye-tracking performance was independent of the effects of neuroleptics, tricyclic antidepressants or lithium, and was not altered by the severity of depression in the affective psychoses. There was a small, but significant worsening of smooth pursuit with age in controls and schizophrenics, but this did not account for the group differences. The results support the view that among the major psychoses eye-tracking dysfunction is specific to schizophrenia.
Psychiatric morbidity in bus crews following violent assault: a follow-up study
Authors: Fisher Nigel , Jacoby Robin
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a prospective study 22 bus crews who were victims of physical assault were assessed using standardized psychiatric instruments, followed up for 18 months and compared to a non-assaulted control group drawn from the same bus garage. At initial assessment the assaulted group, compared to the controls showed a significant increase in psychiatric impairment and distress (as measured by the GHQ-30 and IES respectively), with 23% of assault victims developing post-traumatic stress disorder as defined by DSM-III-R. At follow-up, while high levels of both psychiatric impairment and distress persisted there was evidence that they may be separate phenomena.
The general population prevalence of non-organic psychiatric disorders in subjects aged 85 years and over
Authors: Heeren Thea J. , Van Hemert Albert M. , Lagaay Anne M. , Rooymans Harry G. M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was investigated in all inhabitants over 85 years of age (N = 1259), residing in Leiden, The Netherlands. The study design consisted of two phases. In the first phase the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used to screen for potential cases; in the second phase all potential cases and a sample of the non-cases were interviewed with the Geriatric Mental State Schedule (GMS). DSM-III diagnoses were made based on the GMS and on information obtained from caregivers. There was a high prevalence of organic disorders of 31% (95% CI: 27–35%). The estimated overall prevalence rate for functional disorders was 8% (95% CI: 4–12%). This is an underestimate because organic and functional disorders are mutually exclusive in DSM-III. The prevalence rate estimated for the population at risk for functional disorders (i.e. the total population minus the organic cases) was 12% (95% CI: 6–18%). This is very similar to prevalence rates for functional disorders found in population based surveys in younger age groups. Therefore, in contrast with the dementias, there appears to be no increase with age for the functional disorders.
Mental health effects of job loss in women
Authors: Dew Mary Amanda , Bromet Evelyn J. , Penkower Lili
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This paper reviews literature on the mental health effects of involuntary job loss among women. In addition, a prospective study of the effects of job loss on psychological distress in a cohort of blue-collar women is described. A total of 141 women, of whom 73 were laid off during the 12-month study period, were examined. The occurrence and duration of lay-off was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms, but not anxiety-related symptoms, even after effects of pre-lay-off psychological symptoms, social supports and occupational stress were considered. There was no evidence that these effects of lay-off were moderated by other characteristics measured prior to lay-off. Among women who were laid off, those who reported poor levels of support from their husband or partner in the immediate aftermath of lay-off and those experiencing more financial difficulties during the lay-off had higher depression levels at follow-up. The nature of the lay-off as a chronic psychosocial stressor is discussed.
‘Mentally disordered persons found in public places’ Diagnostic and social aspects of police referrals (Section 136)
Authors: Turner T. H. , Ness M. N. , Imison C. T.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A survey over 2 years of all Police Referrals (Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983) in an inner-city health district identified 163 cases, with a core group of repeat referrals. Previous psychiatric admissions, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, social deprivation, and a bias towards young men of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity were key features. The difficulty of obtaining clear data and uncertainties within the law rebound unfairly on patients, police and psychiatrists. Section 136, while not inappropriate diagnostically, can be seen as highlighting unmet social and medical needs in the context of community care. The requirement for coordinated resources, including acute in-patient services sufficient for deprived populations and legal provision for treatment beyond a hospital's boundaries, seems paramount.
Cotard delusion after brain injury
Authors: Young A. W. , Robertson I. H. , Hellawell D. J. , De Pauw K. W. , Pentland B.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A right-handed young man with contusions affecting temporo-parietal areas of the right cerebral hemisphere and some bilateral frontal lobe damage became convinced that he was dead (the Cotard delusion), and experienced difficulties in recognizing familiar faces, buildings and places, as well as feelings of derealization. Neuropsychological investigation while these symptoms were resolving revealed impairment on face processing tests. We suggest that these impairments contributed to his Cotard delusion by heightening feelings of unreality, and that the underlying pathophysiology and neuropsychology of the Cotard delusion may be related to other problems involving delusional misidentification.
The Medical Research Council Unit in Child Psychiatry
Authors: Taylor Eric , Rutter Michael
Published: July 2009

To understand anything, it is helpful to know its history. All psychiatrists are confronted by clinical problems that have developed over a large part of their patients' life span. This applies most obviously to the disorders of personality, but it is also true of many disorders arising in adult life. The roots of depression can sometimes be traced back to suffering and loss in childhood. Schizophrenia is often preceded by long periods of cumulative problems in personal relationships; and recent theory has drawn attention to very early signs of abnormality in the perinatal period. Many child psychiatric disorders present as enduring traits. The model of ‘psychiatric illness’ tends to emphasize the change and discontinuity from previous life, but it is also necessary to understand the extent to which an individual's plight can be seen as the product of character and stress.
The Gulf War and its impact on burnout and well-being of working civilians
Authors: Kushnir Talma , Melamed Samuel
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Burnout signifies the chronic depletion of coping resources following prolonged exposure to emotionally charged demands. It is manifested by symptoms of emotional, physical and cognitive exhaustion, and is usually studied in relation to occupational stressors. We hypothesized that the major life crisis engendered by missile attacks would give rise to burnout or exacerbate preexisting burnout symptoms. We also hypothesized that individuals suffering from prewar burnout would appraise the war as being more threatening and would be more vulnerable to upper respiratory infections (URI). Wartime and pre-war (baseline) levels of burnout and related symptomatology (cognitive weariness, listlessness, tension and somatic complaints) were compared among 162 Israeli civilians who carried on with their employment duties throughout the Gulf War. We found that the war impacted primarily on younger individuals (age < 45). All the pre-war levels of the above measures increased significantly (except for a marginal increase in tension). The impact of the war was mediated by threat appraisal, as indicated by worry and apprehension. Worry was positively associated with pre-war burnout, and negatively with age and education. Pre-war burnout was associated positively with wartime URIs. It was concluded that the war accelerated the depletion of coping resources and that burnout may be affected by factors other than occupational stress.
Mental health in the oil industry: a comparative study of onshore and offshore employees
Authors: Parkes Katharine R.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Few empirical studies have examined the mental health of workers on North Sea oil and gas installations, and it is unclear from the available literature whether offshore employees show impaired mental health relative to their onshore counterparts. The present study was intended to clarify this issue by direct comparison of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) scores of onshore and offshore personnel engaged in similar work. As compared with published data, only the onshore group showed low GHQ-12 scores, although both groups were low in neuroticism. Analysis of GHQ subscale scores demonstrated that anxiety was significantly higher among offshore workers than among those working onshore, but there were no significant differences in somatic symptoms or social dysfunction. Regression analyses showed that this result was not affected by control for age, job level, and neuroticism, although there was a significant interaction between job level and neuroticism in predicting anxiety. The nature of the offshore environment, and the factors which may play a causal role in elevated anxiety among offshore workers, are discussed.
Depression and reduced natural killer cytotoxicity: a longitudinal study of depressed patients and control subjects
Authors: Irwin Michael , Lacher Ute , Caldwell Cindy
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cell activity is reduced in depression. To extend these observations and examine further the association between severity of depressive symptoms and values of NK activity, this study used a longitudinal case control design and assessed NK cytotoxicity at intake and at follow-up 6 months after discharge from the hospital in depressed patients and control subjects. From acute hospitalization to follow-up, depression scores significantly (P< 0·01) decreased following treatment in the depressed patients but did not change in the control subjects. NK activity significantly (P< 0·05) increased from intake to follow-up in the depressives while lytic activity did not change in the controls. At intake NK activity was significantly (P< 0·01) reduced in the depressed patients as compared to values in the controls, while at follow-up cytotoxicity was similar between the two groups. These longitudinal data suggest that a reduction of NK cytotoxicity is temporally associated with the state of acute depression.
Neuropsychological evidence of reductions on left frontal tests with hypnosis
Authors: Gruzelier John , Warren Kristen
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Individuals with high and low susceptibility to hypnosis were compared in a baseline condition and after instructions of hypnosis on tests of anterior left and right hemispheric functions – word fluency to letter categories, word fluency to semantic categories, design fluency and bilateral finger tapping dexterity. With hypnosis high susceptibles showed a reduction in word generation to letter categories, no significant change in word generation to semantic categories, an improvement in design fluency, and bilateral reductions in finger tapping dexterity. Low susceptibles showed the opposite changes except for the improvement in design fluency. These results, together with correlational results, were interpreted as evidence of central inhibitory processes, particularly of the left hemisphere, in response to instructions of hypnosis in high susceptibles.
Parental ‘affectionless control’ as an antecedent to adult depression: a risk factor refined
Authors: Mackinnon Andrew , Henderson A. S. , Andrews Gavin
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

It has been well established that individuals with a history of depression report their parents as being less caring and more overprotective of them than do controls. ‘Affectionless control’ in childhood has thus been proposed as a risk factor for depression. Evidence is presented from a logistic regression analysis of data from a volunteer community sample that lack of care rather than over-protection is the primary risk factor. No evidence for an interaction effect of low care and over-protection was found.
Psychiatric disorders in relation to medical illness among patients of a general medical out-patient clinic
Authors: Van Hemert Albert M. , Hengeveld Michiel W. , Bolk Jan H. , Rooijmans Harry G. M. , Vandenbroucke Jan P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In many patients clinical care in general medical settings is complicated by the presence of psychiatric disorders in addition to the presenting physical symptoms. In the present study the prevalence and type of psychiatric disorders was assessed in relation to the medical diagnostic findings in a general internal medicine out-patient clinic. The Present State Examination, a standardized psychiatric interview, was used to detect psychiatric disorders in 191 newly referred patients. Psychiatric disorders were found to be particularly prevalent among patients with medically ill-explained or unexplained symptoms. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 15% for patients with a medical explanation for their presenting symptom, 45% for patients with ill-explained and 38% for those with unexplained symptoms. Approximately 40% of the patients with psychiatric disorders met DSM-III-R criteria for somatization disorder or hypochondriasis, suggesting that these disorders contributed in particular to general medical out-patient referrals.
Influences upon attendance at out-patient facilities – the contribution of linear-logistic modelling
Authors: Dowdney Linda , Rogers Christina , Dunn Graham
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The research on attendance at out-patient psychiatric facilities has produced conflicting evidence that provides little guidance for the practitioner. It is suggested that inadequate data exploration could explain some of the discrepant findings. Analyses of multi-way tables using linear–logistic models were undertaken to demonstrate patterns of association that cannot be revealed through the use of simple chi-square tests on two-way contingency tables. The variables chosen for these analyses were those that have produced conflicting findings in the literature on children's attendance at child guidance facilities.
Some psychometric properties of the CAMCOG
Authors: Lindeboom J. , Ter Horst R. , Hooyer C. , Dinkgreve M. , Jonker C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The CAMCOG, the cognitive section of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly (CAMDEX), was administered twice to 53 patients with a clinical diagnosis ranging from no dementia to severe dementia. The stability of the total CAMCOG score was high (0·97). Patients with less than moderate dementia were differentiated well by the total score and by subscales with a range of more than 8 points, except when education was low or age was higher than 78. Because performance on most (sub)scales is modified by age and education level, stratified norms are desirable. Only the Praxis subscale, and specifically performance on drawing tasks, appeared to be influenced by depression.
The Research Unit of the Servizio di Psicologia Medica at the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of Verona, 1980–1991
Authors: Tansella M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

There has been an adult psychiatry research group within the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of Verona since 1970. However, in 1980, the University of Verona established a Chair in Medical Psychology and since that time a separate department gradually developed. This department, primarily devoted to epidemiological studies in mental health and to teaching activities, was later involved also in clinical work and was officially recognized by the Regional Health Department and by the Local Socio Health authorities (ULSS No. 25, Verona), asServizio di Psicologia Medica. They provided additional financial support and new infrastructures not only for its clinical activities but also for research carried out in its Research Unit.
The pathophysiology of extrapyramidal side-effects of neuroleptic drugs
Authors: Marsden C. D. , Jenner P.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The mechanisms responsible for the production of major extrapyramidal side-effects (parkinsonism, akathisia, acute dystonic reactions, chronic tardive dyskinesias) are reviewed in the light of the complex effects of these drugs on cerebral dopamine systems.
A comparative evaluation of the Symptom Rating Test and the Langner 22-item Index for use in epidemiological surveys
Authors: Cochrane Raymond
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A systematic evaluation was made of the reliability, validity and psychometric properties of the Symptom Rating Test Langner 22-Item Scale in the order to determine whether they are suitable for use in community surveys of psychiatric epidemiology. On the basis of studies on several samples (total N = 846), both scales were shown to be suitable for this purpose. Although the subscale structure of the Symptom Rating Test was not confirmed, it appeared superior in most respects to the Langner Scale
Auditory hallucinations and the Verbal Transformation Effect
Authors: Catts S. V. , Armstrong M. S. , Norcross K. , McConaghy N.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In an attempt to replicate findings reported by Slade (1976), 12 hallucinating and 12 non-hallucinating schizophrenic subjects were compared on tests of verbal ability, personality and mental imagery variables and the Verbal Transformation Effect. No significant difference between the groups was demonstrated. When the data from both groups of schizophrenics were combined, a significant correlation was found between 2 measures of the Verbal Transformation Effect and the P-score of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
A comparison of written and postbox forms of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory
Authors: Snowdon John
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Two groups of medical students answered a modified version of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory twice, with 8 weeks between tests. On one occasion it was administered in its original card-sorting (postbox) form; on the other, it was given as a written questionnaire. Fifty students answered the postbox form first, 50 the questionnaire first. Correlation between the 2 tests was reasonably good (r = 0·73–0·77). Scores on the first occasion of testing were significantly higher than on the second, but differences between scores on the 2 forms were not significant. Mean scores of male and female students were similar.
The research component of the WHO mental health programme
Authors: Sartorius N.
Published: July 2009

Over the past few years, a new WHO mental health programme has been formulated through a process of consultations within WHO, with other UN bodies, with governments, the scientific community and various non-governmental organizations (Sartorius, 1978; WHO, 1978a, b). This report will attempt to give an outline of research activities that are being initiated, co-ordinated and supported by the programme at country, regional and global level.
Consultant psychiatrists and abortion
Authors: Waite Marjorie
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In 1971 a national random sample of 388 consultant psychiatrists answered questions about their views and practices in relation to abortion. Ten per cent of the consultants who saw relevant age groups had no patients for abortion assessment in 1970, while 5% had 100 or more (mean estimated number = 26). The process of referral, consultation, decision-making, and follow-up is looked at, as are the psychiatrists' views on abortion. Their views and practices are seen to vary with their religion and with their links with teaching hospitals, although not with their age, sex, or marital status.
The classification of psychotropic drugs
Authors: Shepherd Michael , Marshall Helen
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A survey is provided of the various attempts which have been advanced to classify psychotropic drugs. The unsatisfactory nature of the schemata and the underlying reasons for this are discussed. The possible use of ‘facet analysis’ to develop a classificatory system is suggested.
Acute effects of diphenylhydantoin in relation to plasma levels: Behavioural and psychophysiological studies
Authors: Ideström C.-M. , Schalling D. , Carlquist U. , Sjöqvist F.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Two double-blind experiments are reported in which different doses of diphenylhydantoin were compared with placebo. Drug effects on tests, psychophysiological measures, and self-ratings of mood were studied in normal subjects and related to plasma levels of the drug and psychasthenic personality traits. Significant sedative effects were obtained in some self-rating variables. The combined effect in the objective psychological tests was significantly correlated (rank) to the plasma level in the higher dose experiment.
The interrelationship between social class, early parent death, and mental illness
Authors: Birtchnell John
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The study aims to determine (1) the extent to which parental social class influences the incidence of early parent death; (2) the effect of parental social class on the outcome of early parent death, in terms of vulnerability to adult mental illness; (3) whether early parent death affects the age of terminating full-time education; and (4) whether early bereaved subjects lag behind their non-bereaved contemporaries in social class status. The study shows that parental social class does influence the outcome of early parent death and that early bereaved subjects do lag behind in social class status.
The Schreber case and affective illness: a research diagnostic re-assessment
Authors: Koehler Karl G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A significant part of Schreber's illness up to the time of his dramatic ‘schizophrenic switch’ in February 1894 has been systematically re-evaluated in terms of the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) and of certain additional phenomenological characteristics. On this basis it seems that Schreber suffered from a severe major psychotic depressive disorder with tendencies towards bipolarity for the period in question. A more global, non-systematic RDC-oriented interpretation is then offered for the remaining course of the illness until Schreber's death in 1911.
Suicide by burning as an epidemic phenomenon: an analysis of 82 deaths and inquests in England and Wales in 1978–9
Authors: Ashton John R. , Donnan Stuart
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

An epidemic of suicide by burning in England and Wales occurred during the one-year period October 1978 to October 1979, following a widely publicized political suicide. For the 82 cases, death certificates were obtained and coroners' inquest reports sought. The victims were predominantly young single men or older married women; both groups had strong psychiatric histories; and there were no suicides which had political overtones, apart from the index case. Compared with suicides by this method in the past, a higher proportion of victims were born in the UK. It is proposed that a code of practice for the reporting of suicides by the media is required.
Types of stressful life event and the onset of anxiety and depressive disorders
Authors: Finlay-Jones Robert , Brown George W.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The notions of loss and danger are briefly described. Two groups of raters in London and Canberra were shown to be reliable in rating the degree of loss and the degree of danger associated with a sample of life events previously rated as ‘severe’ on a contextual measure of long-term threat. The life events were reported by 164 young women attending a general practitioner in London. The women were interviewed by a psychiatrist using the Present State Examination. Their psychiatric symptoms were rated by a team of raters who were ignorant of the life events reported by the young women. Three types of cases of psychiatric disorder of recent onset were diagnosed: depression, anxiety, and mixed depression/anxiety. The frequency of life events reported by these three types of cases as occurring in the year before the onset of their disorder was compared with the frequency of events in the same time period reported by a group of women without severe psychiatric disorder. The results were used to argue that severe loss was a causal agent in the onset of depressive disorder and severe danger was a causal agent in the onset of anxiety states in this sample. Cases of mixed depression/anxiety were more likely to report both a severe loss and a severe danger before onset. This supported the argument for recognizing a distinct group of mixed disorders in the classification of depressive illnesses.
‘Endogenous’ and ‘exogenous’: a useful dichotomy?
Authors: Lewis Aubrey
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Within a few years of their introduction into psychiatry in 1893 the terms ‘endogenous’ and ‘exogenous’ were widely used. The development of the two words and the semantic uncertainty which surrounded them is traced in this article.
Social class, parental social class, and social mobility in psychiatric patients and general population controls
Authors: Birtchnell John
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Previous studies have suggested that, because of the chronic and disabling nature of mental illness, psychiatric patients do not fare as well in their careers as they should do. In the present study the parental social class, the current social class and the social mobility has been compared in 2,861 male referrals to the psychiatric services in North-Eastern Scotland and 1,487 men randomly selected from the local population. Within the psychiatric sample similar comparisons have been made between diagnostic groups. In all three aspects of social class considered decade of birth was shown to be an important variable.
Grid test for schizophrenic thought disorder in acute and chronic schizophrenia
Authors: Spelman Michael S. , Harrison Arthur W. , Mellsop Graham W.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

On the Intensity measure of the Grid Test acute and chronic thought disordered schizophrenics were significantly different from controls, and acute non-thought disordered schizophrenics significantly different from acute thought disordered schizophrenics. The difference between chronic thought disordered and non-thought disordered schizophrenics just failed to reach the 10% level of significance. On the Consistency measure results were variable. Only the acute non-thought disordered schizophrenics were significantly different from the acute and chronic thought disordered schizophrenics. The findings are discussed.
Ontogenesis of chronic epileptic psychoses: a reanalysis
Authors: Taylor David C.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

As part of a study of various aspects of differential development between the sexes, the series of patients with epileptic psychoses published by Slater, Beard, and Glithero (1963) was reanalysed in the light of a hypothesis of differential cerebral maturation. As predicted by the hypothesis, females had an earlier onset of epilepsy and of psychosis than males. Whereas the sex ratio in epilepsy normally shows an excess of males, the sex ratio in epileptic psychoses is almost equal. Unlike most chronic temporal lobe epilepsies, the epilepsies which were later associated with psychosis arose largely within a specific developmental epoch around the pubertal growth spurt. Some of the clinical and biological implications of this finding are discussed.
The development of infantile autism
Authors: Rutter Michael
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

An account is given of how research over the last 30 years has led to progress in the delineation of the mechanisms involved in the genesis of the behaviour covered by the term ‘infantile autism’. The validity, nature, and basis of the syndrome are discussed with reference to treatment.
The EEG in antisocial behaviour: a study of posterior temporal slow activity in Special Hospital patients
Authors: Fenton G. W. , Tennent T. G. , Fenwick P. B. C. , Rattray N.
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

Two samples of Special Hospital patients who had posterior temporal slow wave foci were selected and matched for age, sex, and duration of stay with patients from the same hospital who had normal EEG records. A high prevalence of between 20 and 31% was found. No significant differences were found between the index and control groups with regard to a number of developmental, forensic, psychiatric, behavioural, and psychometric variables. A striking feature was the high average age of almost 30 years of the posterior temporal slow wave patients. This finding suggests that the current maturation defect hypothesis in relation to cerebral function in psychopaths requires revision. The possible role of early social and environmental factors in the genesis of these EEG anomalies is discussed.
Diagnostic criteria of English, French, and German psychiatrists
Authors: Kendell R. E. , Pichot Pierre , von Cranach M.
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

Videotape recordings were made of brief diagnostic interviews with 27 patients newly admitted to a psychiatric hospital in London and then shown to groups of English-speaking psychiatrists in London, Paris, and Munich. Comparison of the diagnoses made by these three audiences suggests that English, French, and German psychiatrists have similar concepts of schizophrenia, neurotic illness, personality disorder, and alcholism, but differ markedly in their concept of affective illness, particularly manic-depressive illness. English psychiatrists have much broader concepts of both neurotic and psychotic depression and of mania than the French, with German psychiatrists in an intermediate position. Important differences in the use of other technical terms like agitation, perplexity, and thought disorder also emerged. The ratings of the English and German audiences were closer to one another than either was to the French.
Physiological accompaniments of neutral and phobic imagery
Authors: Marks Isaac , Marset Pedro , Boulougouris John , Huson John
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Each of 16 phobic patients was treated by six sessions of flooding and six sessions of desensitization in a balanced crossover design. Clinical and physiological measurements were made before treatment and after the sixth and 12th sessions of treatment. Physiological measures were made of increase in heart rate and in spontaneous fluctuations and maximum change in level of skin conductance during neutral and phobic imagery. Patients estimated subjective anxiety during the imagery. Heart rate, skin conductance, and subjective anxiety ratings all differentiated significantly between phobic and neutral imagery. Increase in autonomic activity during imagery was roughly proportional to the intensity of the imagery in a phobic hierarchy. Autonomic changes during imagery imagined in silence did not produce autonomic changes considerably different from those during imagery stimulated by a running commentary from the therapist. Clinical ratings correlated significantly with measures of skin conductance, so that autonomic measures can be useful indicators of change after treatment. However, heart rate, skin conductance, and subjective anxiety during brief periods of imagery did not usually correlate significantly with one another. This supports the view of emotion as a System of responses linked imperfectly across several Systems.
The Psychiatric patient, the general practitioner, and the outpatient clinic: an operational study and a review
Authors: Kaeser A. C. , Cooper Brian
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A sample of general practitioner referrals to a Psychiatric teaching centre was investigated by means of standard interviews, first with the practitioners and subsequently with the patients. Hospital treatment and disposal were examined in the light of the doctors' reasons for referral, and of the expectations which they and the patients had held of the hospital service. The findings are related to previous work in this field, and the implications for service planning discussed.
Selective factors in memory. Part 2: affective disorder
Authors: Lishman W. A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The relationship between the affective connotations of material and the ease of its recall two weeks later has been examined in a group of psychiatric inpatients suffering from affective disorder. The tendency to recall more pleasant than unpleasant material has been less marked in patients showing overt depression than in patients who were hypomanic or recovered from depression at the time of the experiment. This has been chiefly because of the higher negative tone of recalled material in the depressed patients. Other attributes of the material, relative to its impact on the subject, have also appeared to be less influential in recall in the presence of depression.
Acute physical dependence in the waking dog after a single low dose of morphine
Authors: Jacob Joseph J. , Michaud Gérard M.
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

In the waking dog, a small dose of morphine (0·1 mg/kg intravenously) was sufficient (1) to induce a quite appreciable state of sedation which might be more closely related to clinical analgesia than experimental nociception, and (2) to allow for precipitation of clear-cut signs of abstinence (agitation, tachycardia, tachypnoea, mydriasis, hyperthermia, tremors, salivation, urination) when naloxone (3 mg/kg subcutaneously) was injected 1·5 hours later.
Note on the ordering of onset of symptoms in alcohol dependence
Authors: Orford Jim , Hawker Ann
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

Jellinek's proposed phases in the development of alcohol dependence covered a wide diversity of areas. Trice and Wahl and others have rejected these detailed proposals on the grounds that not all alcoholics experience all symptoms and those that do experience them do not necessarily experience them in the same order. Data from 59 halfway house residents confirmed these two points. However, a small number of clusters of items were isolated which were reported to occur in characteristic sequence. These were: firstly, the onset of psychological dependence; secondly, tremor, morning drinking, and amnesia; and, thirdly, aspects of alcoholic psychosis. The conclusion is that there is a characteristic ordering of new events and symptoms suggestive of a developmental process in alcoholism, but this ordering is apparent only if attention is confined to a limited part of the broad spectrum of events and symptoms associated with alcoholism. This process is obscured by a consideration of the social concomitants of alcohol dependence.
Structured interview for the assessment of work-related attitudes in psychiatric patients: preliminary findings
Authors: Griffiths R. D. P. , Hodgson R. , Hallam R.
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

A structured interview was developed to assess the drive, realism, self-confidence, and self-rated disablement of psychiatric patients in relation to work. The clinical and research value of the interview was demonstrated by (1) studies of rater consistency, temporal stability, and parallel form reliability, and (2) by an investigation of its predictive validity.
Plasma concentrations of tryptophan and other amino acids in manic-depressive patients
Authors: Rees Jancis R. , Allsopp M. N. E. , Hullin R. P.
Published: July 2009

SYSNOPSIS

Plasma tryptophan concentrations were determined in serial blood samples from a short cycle (two to three day) manic-depressive patient and four manic-depressive patients with longer (60 day) affective cycles. Tryptophan levels varied significantly with affective state in the short cycle patient and one of the longer cycle patients. Correlation in the short cycle patient was better with blood samples taken at 3 p.m. than at 9 a.m.
Pre-treatment neurotransmitter metabolites and response to imipramine or amitriptyline treatment
Authors: Maas James W. , Kocsis James H. , Bowden Charles L. , Davis John M. , Redmond D. Eugene , Hanin Israel , Robins Eli
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Preliminary data are presented from the NIMH Collaborative Study on the psychobiology of depression, biological studies, dealing with relationships between the pre-treatment levels of the neurotransmitter metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydrophenethyleneglycol (MHPG), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) and the subsequent therapeutic response of depressed patients to imipramine or amitriptyline. Eighty-seven depressed patients were studied during pre-treatment and treatment periods. It has been found that (1) both low pre-treatment urinary MHPG and low CSF 5-HIAA values are associated with a response to imipramine; these relationships were not artefacts due to sex or age; (2) there were no significant relationships between pre-treatment urinary MHPG, CSF MHPG, 5-HIAA, or HVA values and the subsequent response, or failure of response, to amitriptyline; (3) there was not a bimodal distribution for CSF 5-HIAA. For both males and females, there were positive and statistically significant correlations between CSF MHPG and urinary MHPG; for the females, there were positive and significant correlations between both urinary and CSF MHPG and CSF 5-HIAA. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.