bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening for abnormal eating attitudes and psychiatric morbidity in an unselected population of 15-year-old schoolgirls
Authors: Mann A. H. , Wakeling A. , Wood K. , Monck E. , Dobbs R. , Szmukler G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) have been validated in an unselected population of 15-year-old South London schoolgirls. Scores on the questionnaires were compared with the results of standard interview. The EAT was found to be an efficient screening instrument for abnormal eating attitudes and behaviour, whereas the GHQ was less satisfactory in its ability to screen for psychiatric morbidity in this age group than in adults. At the optimal cutting points, 6·9% of this population gave a positive response to the EAT and 19·3% gave a positive response to the GHQ. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the two sets of scores
The influence of minor psychiatric morbidity on consulting rates to general practitioners
Authors: Burvill P. W. , Knuiman M. W.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The presence and severity of Minor Psychiatric Morbidity (MPM) as measured by the 60-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and being female rather than male, increases the consulting rate of people in the community to their general practitioner. Therate of increaseof consulting decreases as the severity of MPM increases. There is an interaction between age and MPM, giving progressively increased consulting rates in the older age groups in males but not females. The possibility of a biological difference between males and females in the interaction of MPM and physical, and of age and physical illness, is raised.
The natural history of schizophrenia: a 5-year prospective follow-up of a representative sample of schizophrenics by means of a standardized clinical and social assessment
Authors: Watt D. C. , Katz K. , Shepherd M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A comprehensive, representative cohort of 121 schizophrenics from a delimited catchment area, hospitalized in the course of 20 months (1973–4) and who met PSE criteria, was collected for a therapeutic trial (1976–6) in which, during the year after discharge, standardized clinical and social assessments has been made by personal interview at home. Standardized observations were repeated 4 years later. Follow-up was 99% complete. 48% of the cohort and 58% of the first admissions had a good outcome. Females fared significantly better than males.
Role of fluphenazine decanoate in lessening the burden of chronic schizophrenics on the community
Authors: Stevens Barbara C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This paper reports the social results of a double-blind placebo controlled trial of fluphenazine decanoate. Among patients on placebo there was a deterioration in family relationships, which was due to an increase in aggression, noisiness, talking about delusions, and socially embarrassing behaviour after withdrawal of active drug.
The Leyton Obsessional Inventory: a principal components analysis on normal subjects
Authors: Cooper John , Kelleher Michael
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A principal components analysis has been carried out on the Leyton Obsessional Inventory replies of 302 normal subjects, divided into subgroups by sex and nationality (Irish and English). Three distinct components were found in all the analyses, which have been called ‘clean and tidy’, ‘incompleteness’, and ‘checking’. Other less distinct components are described, and the differences and similarities between the analyses of the subgroups are discussed.
Response set and observer set in the assessment of depressed patients
Authors: Paykel E. S. , Prusoff B. A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Depressed patients were rated at a psychiatric interview and completed a self-report symptom inventory. Concordance between the two measures was modest. Patients with psychotic depression and those with obsessional personalities were found to rate themselves low on self-report relative to interview assessments. Younger patients, and those showing neuroticism, hysterical, and oral dependent personalities rated themselves as more severely ill than did the clinician. These systematic discrepancies appeared to reflect a self-report response set to exaggerate or minimize psychiatric symptoms together with rater set regarding certain types of patients.
Short- and long-term memory in patients with presenile dementia (Alzheimer's disease)
Authors: Miller Edgar
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Evidence is presented to show that patients with Alzheimer's disease owe their memory disturbance to both an impairment in short-term memory and an additional difficulty in establishing new material in long-term storage. These findings are particularly discussed in relation to the notion that, since the pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease are particularly manifest in the hippocampal region, then this involvement of the hippocampus might explain the memory disorder. The present experiment, which is similar to one previously reported using subjects with bilateral hippocampal lesions, shows the two types of memory disorder resulting from bilateral hippocampal damage and Alzheimer's disease to be qualitatively different. Some outstanding problems with regard to obtaining a complete understanding of the nature of the amnesic phenomena in Alzheimer's disease are discussed.
Multidimensional classification of mental disorders
Authors: Ottosson J.-O. , Perris C.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In close agreement with Essen-Möller, a classification of mental disorders is described. The two basic principles are the application of four independent classifying bases—namely, symptomatology, severity, aetiology, and course, and the breakdown of doubtful disease entities and syndromes to elementary cardinal symptoms and of comprehensive personality terms to simple traits.
Medieval visions and contemporary hallucinations
Authors: Kroll Jerome , Bachrach Bernard
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The hallucinations of 23 patients with predominantly religious themes were compared with descriptions of visions from the Middle Ages. Although there were many points of similarity between the two classes of phenomena, none of the medieval visionaries was identified as mentally ill. The role of cultural norms in determining the attribution of mental illness, and the limitations of Euro-American criteria of psychoses, are discussed in the light of these findings.
Psychological therapies in child psychiatry: issues and Prospects
Authors: Rutter M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

During recent years there have been important changes in the prevailing concepts of psychiatric disorder, in views concerning the goals of treatment, and in therapeutic strategies and tactics. These changes are reviewed, together with evidence on the efficacy of psychological therapies in the treatment of child psychiatric disorders, in order to consider some of the key clinical and research issues, as well as prospects for the future.
Depression symptom patterns
Authors: Matussek Paul , Luks Olga , Nagel Dorothea
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Cluster analyses with 60 depressive patients resulted in a division of the patients into 4 groups: (1) one main group of endogenous depressives; (2), (3) two mixed groups, indicating that it is not always possible to distinguish between endogenous and neurotic depression by means of symptoms; (4) one group of neurotic depressives. Our interpretation of the results is that the latter 3 clusters differ from the main group of endogenous depressives by their greater inner involvement with the world around them, though this involvement assumes different forms in the 3 groups.
The psychiatric sequelae of head injury: a review
Authors: Lishman W. A.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The review deals mainly with the more chronic psychiatric sequelae of head injury. The constellation of factors—psychological, social, and organic—which may contribute to enduring disability are discussed. Principal areas of disability are then considered in detail—namely, intellectual impairments, change of personality, psychotic illness, and neurotic disorders.
A family study of HLA antigens and other genetic markers in schizophrenia
Authors: McGuffin Peter , Festenstein Hilliard , Murray Robin
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

HLA antigens and 19 other genetic marker systems were studied in 12 families containing 2 or more members diagnosed as schizophrenic. In contrast with previous reports we could exclude linkage between the disorder and HLA, and we found no evidence of linkage with Gm or Ge. The disagreement between our results and those of a previous study, which suggested linkage between HLA and schizophrenia, could not be explained on the basis of genetic heterogeneity within the disorder. The problems of performing a linkage study in the face of diagnostic uncertainty and an unknown mode of inheritance of the main trait are discussed, and the measures taken in attempts to overcome these difficulties are described. Despite present drawbacks, genetic marker studies hold future promise as a means of detecting major gene effects in schizophrenia and other familial psychiatric disorders.
The effect of lithium on renal haemodynamic function
Authors: Tyrer S. P. , Schacht R. G. , McCarthy M. J. , Menard K. N. , Leong S. , Shopsin B.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Renal concentrating capacity following 18 hours of fluid deprivation was measured in 75 patients receiving prophylactic lithium therapy, and in 30 affectively ill subjects receiving other drugs. The lithium-treated patients had significantly lower urine osmolality and higher serum osmolality than the control subjects. Older subjects, patients maintained at higher serum lithium levels and those with a history of previous neurotoxicity showed the most impairment. Ten patients with urine osmolalities of less than 700 mOsm/l following this test were investigated further. Inulin and para-amino hippurate (PAH) clearance rates were determined and the effect of a subpressor challenge of dopamine on these measures was observed. Half of the patients showed some reduction in inulin and PAH clearance, which was greatest in those patients who had been taking lithium for over 10 years. However, all of the patients tested showed the expected increase in renal blood flow and sodium and water excretion in response to dopamine. Six additional patients had clearance estimations made before starting lithium treatment which were repeated after a period of 3–6 months on the drug. No consistent changes in haemodynamics were observed.

Lithium clearly reduces renal concentrating capacity, but other measures of renal tubular function were well preserved in patients receiving long-term therapy. Glomerular function may be slightly reduced in patients taking lithium for long periods. The results show that prophylactic lithium treatment does not affect renal cortical function adversely in the majority of patients, but impaired renal concentrating ability is a common accompaniment.
Breathlessness and psychiatric morbidity in chronic bronchitis and emphysema: a study of psychotherapeutic management
Authors: Rosser R. , Denford J. , Heslop A. , Kinston W. , Macklin D. , Minty K. , Moynihan C. , Muir B. , Rein L. , Guz A.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

This paper describes a study of the outcome of psychotherapy with patients disabled by chronic obstructive airways disease giving rise to dyspnoea. Forty-three men and 22 women with severe COAD were randomly allocated for 8 weeks to one of three types of psychotherapy or to an untreated control group, and were followed up six months later. The group treated by a medical nurse without training in psychotherapy experienced sustained relief of dyspnoea but tended to undergo less psychodynamic change; psychiatric symptoms were reduced in those receiving supportive, but not analytical, psychotherapy. The psychosomatic mechanisms involved and the implications for medical and nursing practice and for liaison psychotherapy are discussed.
Hysterical and obsessional features in patients with Briquet's syndrome (somatization disorder)
Authors: Kaminsky Michael J. , Slavney Phillip R.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Patients meeting criteria for Briquet's syndrome (N = 20) and patients diagnosed as having hysterical personality disorder (N = 20) were assessed clinically and with personality inventories to test the hypothesis that, while in many respects patients with Briquet's syndrome would resemble those with hysterical personality disorder, they would also be more obsessional. The comparison showed that both groups had highly disordered family, personal, medical and psychiatric histories, and that the Briquet's patients, though manifesting similar hysterical traits, had more obsessional features than did the patients with hysterical personality disorder. The possible role of the combination of obsessional and hysterical traits of personality as a vulnerability factor in the behaviour of complaining is discussed.
Social class and schizophrenia in a Dutch cohort
Authors: Wiersma D. , Giel R. , De Jong A. , Slooff C. J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Recent data from a 2-year follow-up of functional non-affective psychosis, and particularly schizophrenia, favoured social selection rather than social causation theory. Data concerning the cohort were compared with inter- and intra-generational mobility in a random Dutch sample. The results indicate that the educational and occupational mobility of patients, relative to their fathers, was greater than expected. Although patients were better educated than the random sample, they fared less well occupationally. An analysis of patterns of occupational mobility before and after the onset of psychosis also showed that social selection played a major role in achieving social status. The outcome of patients' occupational career at follow-up was poor, and only a minority succeeded in obtaining or keeping a regular job.
EEG coherence, lateral preference and schizophrenia
Authors: Shaw J. C. , Colter N. , Resek G.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The EEG synchrony between hemispheres during cognitive activity differs from that during rest. With common reference recording and a visual imagery task it increases in healthy right-handers and neurotic patients, and it decreases in healthy left-handers and schizophrenic patients. It is suggested that this implies a less lateralized brain organization in schizophrenia which may account for the often reported association with left-handedness. When associated with impaired corpus callosum transmission, it may contribute to the disturbed behaviour and thought processes in this condition.
Functional visual loss: II. Psychiatric aspects in 42 patients followed for 4 years
Authors: Kathol Roger G. , Cox Terry A. , Corbett James J. , Thompson H. Stanley , Clancy John
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Forty-two patients with functional visual loss were followed for more than 4 years after presentation. Only 22 patients had a diagnosable psychiatric syndrome or personality disorder at follow-up. Twenty-three patients continued to have findings of functional visual loss at follow-up. Despite continued signs of functional visual loss, few were socially or economically impaired, and 8 of these 23 patients had no evidence of any psychiatric disorder. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Psychotic and neurotic depression: discriminant function analysis and five-year outcome
Authors: Copeland J. R. M.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A consecutive series of 94 patients recently admitted to hospital from a defined catchment area and diagnosed as having a depressive illness were examined using standardized techniques for eliciting mental state, etc. The overlap between psychotic and neurotic diagnoses was 8·5% on discriminant function analysis of mental state items. A sub-sample of 71 patients was given a comprehensive postal and case record follow-up 5 years later. When patients developing organic and other complicating illnesses were excluded, those suffering from psychotic depression showed a significantly poorer outcome, as defined by relapse and required lengths of hospital care, than those diagnosed as suffering from neurotic depression.
Suicide rates in Ireland
Authors: Clarke-Finnegan M. , Fahy T. J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

From a total of 410 post-mortem examinations on Gaiway residents deceased in 1978 the examining pathologist and 3 psychiatrists were in close agreement in 22 cases that death was by suicide. These figures were extrapolated, and a Republic of Ireland minimum true rate of suicide was computed which was 3 times greater than the official reported rate. Irish suicide data were found not to be dependent on coroners' reports as is commonly believed. It is concluded that under-reporting reduces Irish suicide rates to a far greater extent than has been supposed. The substitution of clinical for legalistic methods of recording suicide data is recommended.
Labelling and drug effects in the treatment of neurotic affective disorders: an experimental investigation
Authors: Hyde Clive , Goldberg David
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

This study investigates the effects of assigned diagnostic labels, with their accompanying predictions of therapeutic response, and prescribed psychotropic drugs. It was thought that such ‘labelling’ effects might be important in ambiguous situations, such as neurotic anxiety–depressive states, where diagnoses of ‘reactive depression’ or ‘anxiety state’ might justifiably be made and treatment with either diazepam or nortripyline legitimately given. The depression label and its concomitant two-weekly prediction of improvement with antidepressants produced a set towards slower response with higher self-report depression. Nortriptyline produced significantly more improvement in self-report depression than diazepam in the first 2 weeks of treatment. No significant interaction effects were detected between diagnosis or drug. One month after the initial diagnostic evaluation there were no significant effects from either diagnostic label or drug.
Bouffée délirante: an examination of its current status
Authors: Johnson-Sabine E. C. , Mann A. H. , Jacoby R. J. , Wood K. H. , Peron-Magnan P. , Olié J. P. , Deniker P.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Bouffée délirante is an historic and unique French diagnostic term for a short-lived psychosis. The key diagnostic features are acute, floridly psychotic symptoms with complete remission. Its use in a Paris hospital has been examined, and it appears that the term is declining in popularity. A case-controlled study indicated that the diagnosis is likely to be given to migrants on first admission. A re-diagnosis of case summaries indicated no particular correspondence of bouffée délirante to any one lCD category. However, the usefulness of having a special diagnostic term for psychosis with a good outcome is discussed.
The behaviour of schizophrenic day-patients at home: an assessment by relatives
Authors: Hewitt K. E.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Relatives of 39 schizophrenic patients attending a day hospital in South Glamorgan assessed the patients‘ behaviour at home covering a period of one week. The results pointed to the existence of a sub-group of patients with severe behavioural problems. These patients had had more psychiatric admissions, and had spent a longer total time in hospital. The proportion of forms of behaviour regarded as problems by the relatives themselves was lower than that suggested by their assessments, except in the families where the patient exhibited severe behavioural difficulties. The findings are discussed in terms of the practical difficulties regarding home-management by relatives of the schizophrenic.
Michel Foucault: the anti-history of psychiatry
Authors: Sedgwick Peter
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Michel Foucault'sMadness and Civilizationcontains a bold and influential account, over several historical epochs, of the relations between madness and society's institutions of care and control. Foucault's various theses are reviewed in the light of more empirical historical studies and are, on the whole, found wanting.
The role of life events in depressive illness: is there a substantial causal relation?
Authors: Tennant Christopher , Bebbington Paul , Hurry Jane
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Assessment of the relationship of life events to minor and major affective illness is beset by several methodological problems. The reliability and validity of measures is not entirely satisfactory. When the stress concept used is that of ‘threat’ or ‘emotional distress’ it becomes of crucial importance to define clearly the criterion variable: in particular, it is necessary to distinguish normal distress responses from depressive illness. In those studies using general practice or hospital patients it is important to determine whether life events provoke depressive illness or some illness behaviour such as service utilization. Because of these problems it is still not certain that life events cause depressive illness.
The teaching of clinical skills at a postgraduate hospital
Authors: Creed Francis , Murray Robin M.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The teaching of ‘clinical skills’ is generally held to be central to postgraduate training in psychiatry, but the term itself has so far escaped exact definition. In an effort to study some of the component clinical abilities, their inter-relationships, and the factors promoting their transmission, all junior psychiatrists at the Maudsley Hospital were surveyed for their views on the clinical training they had received. Three hundred and seventy three assessments on 43 units were made. Trainees perceived the academic instruction and advice on formulating cases which they had received as being quite unrelated to the quality of help with interview skills and instruction in practical management, but feedback from the consultant to the trainee on the latter's performance was necessary for a high standard of both academic and practical instruction. Encouragement to do research was transmitted independently of other clinical teaching. Over a 3-year period the standard of multidisciplinary teamwork appeared to improve, but there was a decline in the standard of academic instruction and in encouragement to do research. These overall differences were due to changes in the teaching staff, rather than alterations in teaching methods. Surveys such as this may help to define the goals of postgraduate clinical training, and also monitor the extent to which an institution is achieving these goals.
Lack of effect of naloxone and schizophrenic auditory hallucinations
Authors: Freeman C. P. L. , Fairburn C. G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Opiate-like neuropeptides, such as beta endorphin, have been implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenic symptoms; and the relief of some symptoms, particularly auditory hallucinations, has been reported after injection of naloxone. An opiate antagonist, naloxone 1·6 mg, and placebo were administered in a double-blind, crossover design to 13 constantly hallucinating schizophrenic patients. Naloxone was found to be no different from placebo in its effect.
Social work effectiveness in the management of depressed women: a clinical trial
Authors: Corney Roslyn H.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

A clinical trial was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of social work intervention with a group of depressed women attending their general practitioner for treatment. Social work treatment was ineffective for the group of women as a whole on changes in social scores, clinical ratings, or visits to the doctor. The results suggest, however, that social work help benefited those with ‘acute on chronic’ illness but had no effect on those with more acute conditions.
Suicide pacts: a review
Authors: Rosen Bernard K.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Suicide pacts, though occurring infrequently, are neglected occurrences. They have features distinguishing them single suicides which can be seen as residing in the characteristics of the pact relationship. Dyadic, family and collective suicides are reviewed and found to have several common features, including exclusivity and isolation, the threat of dissolution of the relationship, and the presence of a powerful initiator.
Psychiatric disorder in a rural and an urban population: 2. Sensitivity to loss
Authors: Prudo R. , Brown G. W. , Harris T. , Dowland J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

In an earlier paper we found that a model of depression developed on a sample of women in a London population was confirmed in a female population in the Outer Hebrides. Differences in the rates of onset and chronic cases between the two populations, however, suggested that the Scottish women might be more likely to become depressed after the death or intimation of death of close relatives; furthermore, it seemed that such depressions were more likely to remain chronic in the Scottish islands than in London, and to contain a strong anxiety component. This difference is discussed in the light of socio-cultural differences between the two populations, particularly in terms which relate family structure, marital position and contact with relatives to affective disorder in terms of theories of attachment.
The parents of school phobic adolescents – a preliminary investigation of family life variables
Authors: Berg Ian , Butler Alan , Fairbairn Irene , McGuire Ralph
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Parents were interviewed at home in a preliminary study of family life variables. Forty- eight had children admitted to an adolescent in-patient unit, 19 of them for school phobia and the remainder because of other psychiatric conditions. Difficulty in obtaining a comparable group from the normal school population resulted in only 12 such families being studied in addition. The psychiatric cases were reliably separated into school phobic and other problems. Practically all the school phobics had neurotic disorders. Contact of parents with relatives and friends, their leisure activities outside the home, their patterns of work and their management of domestic affairs, were looked at. It was thought that these aspects of family functioning might be distinctive where there was a school phobic youngster and that an abnormal pattern of family life might predispose a child to this disorder. In fact, no evidence emerged to suggest that parents of school phobic adolescents participate in, or make decisions about, family life activities in any way different from parents of other psychiatric cases or normal controls.
Anorexia nervosa and ‘Turner syndrome’: cause or coincidence?
Authors: Darby Padraig L. , Garfinkel Paul E. , Vale Joan M. , Kirwan Peter J. , Brown Gregory M.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

We report the eleventh documented case of the concurrence of anorexia nervosa and ‘Turner syndrome’. Although some authors have suggested that the 2 syndromes occur together more often than by chance, and 5% of anorexia nervosa patients karyotyped to date have ‘Turner syndrome’, recent evidence in fact suggests that the 2 conditions do not occur together more often than one would expect by chance.
The role of linear models in psychiatric epidemiology
Authors: Dunn Graham
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The aim of this paper is to explain and to stress the importance of mathematical models and, in particular, linear models in the field of psychiatric epidemiology. An awareness of linear models is essential in contemplating the use of statistics to analyse epidemiological survey data, and in many cases the appropriate linear model is by far the most effective way of summarizing such data.
Lithium and the changing incidence of mania
Authors: Symonds Richard L. , Williams Paul
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The use of lithium-containing compounds has increased dramatically since their introduction into the pharmacopoeia in 1968. However, there is no evidence of more than transitory decreases in admissions to hospital with mania. Such admissions, particularly for female readmissions, have increased. Reasons for this are suggested.
Erythrocyte membrane cation carrier in depressive illness
Authors: Naylor G. J. , Dick D. A. T. , Dick E. G. , Le Poidevin D. , Whyte S. F.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Erythrocyte sodium concentration, potassium concentration, Na-K ATPase activity, and ouabain sensitive potassium influx were determined in female inpatients suffering from a depressive illness. In most patients the biochemical values were also determined shortly before the patient's discharge from hospital. The Na-K ATPase and the ouabain sensitive potassium influx increased significantly with improvement in the depressive mood rating.
Case report: depression, catatonic stupor, and EEG changes in hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Cooper A. F. , Schapira Kurt
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

The case is described of a patient with hyperparathyroidism who developed catatonic stupor, a rare complication. Electroencephalography proved to be of value in deciding the correct diagnosis and treatment. The relationship between hypercalcaemia, psychiatric symptoms, and EEG abnormalities is discussed in the light of the available literature.
The real Thomas More?
Authors: Elton G. R.
Published: July 2009

How well do we really know Thomas More? Directed to one of the most familiar figures of the sixteenth century, the question must appear absurd. Even without the aid of stage and screen, surely everyone has a clear idea of England's leading humanist, great wit, friend of Erasmus and other Continental humanists, author of Utopia, family man, man of convictions, ultimately martyr. The familiar Holbein portrait seems to sum it all up, as does at greater length the much admired biography of R. W. Chambers. Chambers, in fact, completed the picture when, to his own satisfaction and that of others, he disposed of ‘inconsistencies’ discerned by earlier observers between the cheerful reformer and ‘liberal’ of 1516 on the one hand, and the fierce opponent of Lutheran reform and savage polemicist of 1528–33 on the other. No man's personality in that age, not even King Henry's, seems more fully explored and more generally agreed than More's.
The clinical approach to criminology
Authors: West D. J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The crucial importance of economic, social and political factors in the definition and incidence of crime is undeniable, as is the need for socio-political change, but the part played by individual characteristics in determining who becomes labelled a criminal should not be neglected. Clinical criminology studies offenders as individuals, examines their peculiarities and their social problems and seeks ways to help them to lead less troubled lives. A wide range of treatment interventions is required, the psychiatric approach is not always the most appropriate.

In view of the lack of success in reducing recidivism by means of treatment, penologists see little justification for continuing to try. More successes might be recognized if treatment schemes were applied with greater realism and discrimination, and if proper evaluations were made more often. In any event, some offenders need treatment regardless of the effect upon their offending behaviour.
Aspects of cognitive activity in schizophrenia
Authors: Tissot R. , Burnand Y.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The application of Piaget's genetic psychology tests to schizophrenic patients yielded the following findings. The intelligence quotient of schizophrenics, although within the normal range, is slightly lower than that of a control population of similar age. This is due not to a loss of the operations of the intellect, but to a difficulty experienced by the patients in actualizing the operations. The difficulty is seen particularly in operations dealing with specific objects which require a constant maintenance of the equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation. The thought processes of hebephrenic patients oscillate between excessive assimilation, resulting in a distortion of observable data, and excessive accommodation which by adhering to the observable data distorts the reasoning process. The thought processes of paranoid schizophrenics are dominated by excessive assimilation. This predominance explains their tendency to distort observable data and their difficulty in the generalization of reasoning; it also has an impact on the assimilation/accommodation equilibrium of their logical operations, leading to (a) difficulties in delimiting reflecting abstractions, and therefore the comprehension and extension of concepts, and (b) loss of proof based on logico-mathematical reasoning and, as a result, a propensity to resort to magical thinking and subjective explanations.
Depressed patients with schizophrenic or paranoid symptoms
Authors: Brockington I. F. , Kendell R. E. , Wainwright S.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Family history, response to treatment and outcome are reported in a series of 76 patients presenting with both depression and schizophrenic or paranoid symptoms. About 10% of psychotic admissions to the Maudsley and Bethlem Royal Hospitals met a study definition of ‘schizodepressive’ illness. The patients were highly heterogeneous in history, clinical picture and outcome. Many followed a typical schizophrenic course, and others a typical course for affective disorders, but only 4 were given a final diagnosis of manic depressive disease. The best predictors of poor outcome were a mode of onset as an exacerbation of previous psychotic symptoms and the presence of schizophrenic symptoms at some time without depression. The best predictors of good outcome were Stephens' criteria of good prognosis schizophrenia and Kasanin's concept of ‘acute schizo-affective psychosis’. These findings are not easily reconciled with Kraepelin's two entities principle but suggest a continuum of outcome between schizophrenia and unipolar depressive psychosis.
Social desirability, defensiveness and self-report psychiatric inventory scores
Authors: Parkes Katharine R.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The effects of social desirability and defensiveness on scores on 2 self-report psychiatric inventories, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ) were investigated in a female subject group assessed for research purposes in an occupational setting. It was found that defensiveness did not affect the reporting of somatic symptoms, but it significantly affected the reporting of all psychological distress. The effect of social desirability was more specific, only the GHQ social dysfunction subscale showing a significant correlation, an effect attributable to the influence of the setting in which the data were obtained.
Reasons and causes: the nature of explanations in Psychology and Psychiatry
Authors: Hill Jonathan
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The relationship between psychological and biological processes is examined. Criteria for the distinction between reasons and causes are described. These provide a basis for a separation of those mental states and behaviour that can be explained in a reductionist fashion, and those that are not reducible. The proposed conceptual framework has clinical and research implications.
Visual recognition through kinaesthetic mediation
Authors: Landis Theodor , Graves Roger , Benson Frank , Hebben Nancy
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

A case is reported in which mercury intoxication produced visual symptoms with an unusual compensation. The similarity of this patient to Schn., a much reported neuropsychiatric case, was striking and prompted correlation of the two cases. Experimental psychological studies performed on the present case provide a basis for an understanding of both cases.
Psychiatric illness following childbirth in Southampton: a case register study
Authors: Nott P. N.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

The Southampton case register and maternity records were used to identify all Southampton women who had babies in 1976 and 1977 and who had been in psychiatric care in the 2 years before and after the birth date. 127 such women were identified out of a total of 5200 having babies. An analysis of the timing of referral and the total number in care at various stages of the study period confirmed an increased rate of psychosis following childbirth. Rates for other diagnoses showed no such clear relationship. Obstetric and social factors were not related to postpartum morbidity. These results are discussed.
Skin conductance habituation during acute episodes of schizophrenia: qualitative differences from anxious and depressed patients
Authors: Frith Christopher D. , Stevens Marilyn , Johnstone Eve C. , Crow T. J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Skin conductance habituation was measured in schizophrenic patients (N = 41) during an acute episode and compared with neurotic patients (N = 86) who were either predominantly anxious or predominantly depressed. All patients were tested before the onset of drug treatment. Between the 14th and 15th tone of the 17 tone simple habituation series a loud ‘dishabituating’ tone was inserted.

In terms of traditional measures based on response frequency, non-habituation was most frequent in the anxious patients and least frequent in the depressed patients, with schizophrenic patients being intermediate. However, in terms of response amplitude the schizophrenic patients showed significantly faster habituation than either neurotic group. This paradox seems to be a consequence of the frequency of spontaneous fluctuations which was highly related to habituation status in the schizophrenic group, but not in the neurotic groups. When habituation was defined in terms of response amplitudes falling below spontaneous fluctuation amplitudes (rather than zero) the schizophrenic group showed the lowest frequency of non-habituation.

None of the groups showed any evidence of dishabituation after the loud tone, but the schizophrenics showed a significantly smaller response to the loud tone itself. Following Groves & Thompson (1970), this is interpreted as showing that the loud tone induced a greater response because of its perceived difference from the other tones rather than a sensitization effect because of its loudness. In these terms the schizophrenic patients showed greater response generalization than the neurotic patients.
Family history and schizophrenia: characteristics of groups with and without positive family histories
Authors: Shur Eric
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Social and demographic characteristics were examined retrospectively in a sample of 475 hospitalized schizophrenics to test the hypothesis that they can be meaningfully distinguished by the presence or abesence of psychiatric disorders in their relatives. Cases with a positive family history of psychiatric disorders (FHP cases) were significantly more likely to have been born in the United Kingdom and to have had mothers. Those who had relatives with psychiatric disorders other than schizophrenia were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed as schizo-affective. The findings are thought to reflect a constitutional trait in parents of FHP cases leading to delayed child bearing. They also support the ‘environmental stress’ theory of immigrant psychosis and the hypothesized genetic link between schizo-affective and affective disorders.
Electrodermal activity and therapeutic response to neuroleptic treatment in chronic schizophrenic in-patients
Authors: Schneider Sid J.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

Electrodermal measures, psychiatric ratings (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impressions) and several Wechsler subtest scores were obtained for 26 hospitalized chronic schizophrenics during drug ‘washout’. The psychiatric ratings and Wechsler scores were obtained again after 6 months' treatment with thiothixene or thioridazine. Results revealed that those patients who displayed therapeutic benefit from the neuroleptic treatment displayed greater pre-treatment electrodermal activity and higher skin conductance levels, compared with schizophrenics who did not benefit. No effect for laterality was noted.
Speech dominance, handedness and electro-convulsions
Authors: Kopelman Micheal D.
Published: July 2009

SYNOPSIS

This paper discusses methods for assessing speech dominance in cases for unilateral ECT. The use of formal laterality tests has been strongly advocated in the literature, but is seldom adopted in clinical practice. Assessment of handwriting type (left/right, inverted/non-inverted) has been put forward as an alternative, but is not valid. Consideration of handedness alone is the most common practice, but is of little value. From current evidence on the relation of handedness to speech dominance, the paper evaluates the likely outcomes of always administering right-sided ECT, and of giving formal tests to left-handers only.
Correlation between plasma levels of prolactin and chlorpromazine in psychiatric patients
Authors: Kolakowska T. , Wiles D. H. , McNeilly A. S. , Gelder M. G.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Plasma levels of chlorpromazine (CPZ) and prolactin were measured repeatedly in 14 psychiatric patients throughout CPZ treatment. Mean prolactin level was elevated in 11 subjects (all six women and five of eight men). Mean plasma prolactin correlated significantly with mean plasma CPZ but not with the dose of the drug. Only patients with mean plasma prolactin above 35 ng/ml developed Parkinsonian side-effects.
Cortisol binding in plasma of men with unipolar and bipolar affective disorders
Authors: King David J.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Following an earlier report, plasma cortisol-binding capacity (CBC) was estimated in a new series of 11 men with unipolar depression and 11 men with bipolar illness admitted to hospital. The two groups were comparable except that the bipolar group tended to have more frequent episodes of illness and to have more family histories of affective disorder. There was no significant difference between the CBC values in each group.
Aspects of the psychology and epidemiology of rheumatoid disease
Authors: Crown Sidney , Crown June M. , Fleming Anthony
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a prospective study of rheumatoid disease (RD) clinical, serological, radiological, and biochemical factors were assessed on 102 patients and scores obtained on the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ). Patients with early RD had MHQ scores closely resembling those in the normal population. Using a new clinical prognostic index, patients who develop severe RD tended to have low scores at initial testing on the MHQ. Patients whose serum was positive for rheumatoid factor also tended to have low scores on the MHQ. Together these findings suggest a possible subclassification of RD into a less severe form in which psychosocial factors may be important, and a more severe form in which heredity or some other constitutional factor (or factors) may be important, rheumatoid factor acting as a ‘marker’.
Psychobiology of partnership behaviour
Authors: Ploog Detlev
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

Animal experiments demonstrate that it is not only the quality of transmitted and received social signals that is important, but also their frequency and the timing of the information transmitted. In order for progress to be made in the investigation of human social behaviour and its disorders, methods must be developed which allow the transmission of verbal and non-verbal information to be measured. Experiments carried out with healthy adults and healthy and disturbed children to investigate human eye contact and distance behaviour are reported, along with experiments on the influence of gaze and body posture on spoken communication. Finally, a report on the use of behaviour therapy for an autistic child is outlined in order to explore the psychobiological correlations between social behaviour and language, which concur with extensive experiments on brain stimulation. It is suggested that there is a cerebral representation for species-specific social behaviour and a vocalization system embedded in these brain structures which is a phylogenetically patterned prerequisite for the development of human language.
Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) as a possible quick-acting but short-lasting antidepressant
Authors: Van Den Burg W. , Van Praag H. M. , Bos E. R. H. , Piers D. A. , Van Zanten A. K. , Doorenbos H.
Published: July 2009

Synopsis

In a double reversal design the potency of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) (500 μgintravenously) as a quick-acting antidepressive agent was evaluated. A first injection did seem to give rise to a very slight short-lasting effect, though this could not be ascertained clearly. There were no visible effects after a second injection. The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) response curve after TRH administration in the depressive patients group was blunted in comparison with that in a matched control group of normals.
4. Affective disorders at the general and specialist levels of care
Authors: Balestrieri M. , Williams P. , Tansella M.
Published: July 2009

The socio-demographic characteristics and the distribution of affective disorders have been investigated in several epidemiological studies. Some of them have been conducted on community samples or in general practice settings, while others have been based on in-patient admissions or on contacts with psychiatric services (case register studies).
5. Psychiatric morbidity in general practice
Authors: Bellantuono C. , Williams P. , Tansella M.
Published: July 2009

It is well known that the great majority of patients presenting psychiatric symptoms are treated by GPs rather than by specialist psychiatric personnel (Shepherdet al.1966). Goldberg & Huxley (1980) have proposed a model to describe psychiatric disorders and their care, consisting of five levels and four filters. Level 1 refers to psychiatric and emotional disorders in the community as a whole, and filter 1 represents the decision to, and act of, consulting a GP. Level 2 consists of all psychiatric morbidity that presents to GPs, although a proportion is not recognized as such (the hidden psychiatric morbidity – HPM). Filter 2 is thus the process of identification, and level 3 refers to the morbidity so identified (the conspicuous psychiatric morbidity – CPM). Filter 3 is the process of referral to the specialist psychiatric services, the patients of which are designated as level 4. A proportion of patients at this level will be admitted to hospital (i.e. will pass through filter 4) and reach level 5 (psychiatric in-patients).
Litterfall patterns in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico over a five-year period
Authors: Martínez-Yrízar Angelina , Sarukhán Jose
Published: July 2009

Continuous litterfall measurements were made from 1977 to 1982, at two sites with contrasting topography in a mature tropical deciduous forest in Chamela, Jalisco, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico (19° 30′ N, 105° 03′ W). The climate is strongly seasonal with the annual rainfall (x = 748 mm) concentrated in six months (June to November) and a mean annual temperature of 24.9°C. Results of the five-year study show that at the Valley Site (slope <5°) the mean annual litterfall was 6.58 ±0.15 (SE) Mg ha−1y−1composed of 73.3% leaves, 17.1% woody material, 5.6% reproductive remains and 4.0% finely fragmented debris. At the Hill Site (slope 20°–40°) mean annual litterfall was 3.95 ± 0.16 Mg ha−1y−1, consisting of 68.8% leaves, 17.0% woody material, 9.4% reproductive remains and 4.7% fragmented debris. At the Valley Site the year-to-year variation in total litterfall was not significant. In contrast, at the Hill Site it fluctuated markedly from year to year. Litter production exhibited a pronounced seasonally: at the Hill Site total litterfall peaked near the onset of the dry season; at the Valley Site it occurred two months later, apparently as a result of differences in soil moisture availability between the study sites.
A Combinatorial Distinction Between Unit Circles and Straight Lines: How Many Coincidences Can they Have?
Authors: ELEKES GYÖRGY , SIMONOVITS MIKLÓS , SZABÓ ENDRE
Published: July 2009

We give a very general sufficient condition for a one-parameter family of curves not to have n members with ‘too many’ (i.e., a near-quadratic number of) triple points of intersections. As a special case, a combinatorial distinction between straight lines and unit circles will be shown. (Actually, this is more than just a simple application; originally this motivated our results.)